I pondered for a moment about the reasons behind the hostility filled with green eyes. It was incredibly annoying and irritating, yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
It seemed overly excessive for a mere expression of competitiveness. As for the grudge from the last ranking match defeat, wasn’t Jin Yeseo already looking at me unfavorably long before that?
There was no real overlap between individuals or families to label it a conflict.
Baekgwang was closely allied with Paecheon, another one of the five families, but they weren’t openly confronting Heukryeon either.
Could it be that she heard rumors about my collision with her at the beginning of the semester?
That incident had spread throughout the school to the point that no one was unaware of it. And since it was said that Jin Yeseo followed that girl with almost reverent devotion…
But those reasons seemed insufficient to explain everything.
It felt like there was something beneath the surface that I didn’t know.
Maybe it was more of a loathing for defeat than a desire for victory I felt instead.
What on earth is this?
“…”
I shook off the doubts clouding my mind.
Even if I figured out the reasons now, it wouldn’t magically resolve the situation in front of me.
What needed to be done was clear, and the solution was simple.
I would deliver a more humiliating defeat to that persistently clinging female student and utterly crush her spirit. Thus, she’d think twice before ever bothering me again.
Besides, I might also give Yeon Minha a bit more support in the process.
“Are you still not recovered from last time?”
As soon as my words fell, the blonde female student gritted her teeth with a crunch.
“Today, I’m going all out.”
“I feel like I heard something similar last time.”
“No. Today is different.”
“Different, huh?”
Jin Yeseo murmured while still sending blazing eyes my way.
“I’m going to kill you for sure.”
“…”
That was quite the spine-chilling declaration.
“Then, it’s time. Position yourself.”
At the judge’s words, Jin Yeseo swiftly turned around and marched forward.
I too returned to my starting position.
Soon, the countdown announcing the beginning of the duel echoed resoundingly.
Jin Yeseo stood opposite me with her hand resting on the wrist particles.
With the Right Way of facing an opponent of the circulating system, she appeared fully ready to unleash magic the moment the duel began.
“…Two! One…!”
Regardless of her unclear motivations, one thing was certain: she was absolutely serious about this duel with me.
Killing intent? That didn’t sound metaphorical at all.
“…”
However, I didn’t have to play into Jin Yeseo’s resolve.
Now, I needed something completely opposite to that.
If I treated her lightly again like last time, it would only fuel her resentment more, and she would undoubtedly charge at me like a moth to a flame.
So, what I needed to do was… engrave a level of despair on her body that went beyond humiliation.
“…Start!”
-Wow!
With the judge’s signal, a thundering cheer filled the arena.
Before even a few seconds had passed, Jin Yeseo began to craft a magic circle. Behind her, a black flame serpent that burned hot enough to sting the skin was already writhing in the air.
“…?”
But soon, an expression of confusion appeared in Jin Yeseo’s tense eyes.
A murmur rippled among the crowd that had been screaming excitedly.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes were now focused on me.
Even after a considerable amount of time had elapsed since the start of the duel, I hadn’t moved from my spot.
*
The duel between the release magician and the circulating magician always unfolded within a simple, large framework.
The circulating side approaches quickly to close the distance, aiming to subdue the opponent’s vital points to incapacitate them, and even if that doesn’t work, they continually lead into close combat.
Close-range release magic poses a risk of collateral damage and burdens the caster. Furthermore, release magicians find it hard to hold up against the overwhelmingly enhanced physical strength of circulating magicians in melee.
Naturally, the release magician aims to inflict as much damage as possible or defeat the circulating magician before they approach.
Under that premise, he should have already been charging at me. The last match had ended in a brutal defeat, but the situation was the same.
However, right now, the Masked Male Student was standing there without even contemplating an attack, merely letting his arms hang limp.
“…What are you doing?”
Jin Yeseo, incredulous, asked while staring across.
By now, a hint of anger was emerging in her voice.
“…”
He offered no response.
Instead, he continued with unexpected actions.
He flipped his blade upside down and slammed it into the dueling grounds floor with a thud. The force was so immense that the stone floor cracked open like dirt.
Only then could Jin Yeseo hear his voice.
“I don’t think I need to use my blade.”
“What…?”
His calm tone only stoked Jin Yeseo’s fury further.
A circulating magician stepping into a duel without a Starlight weapon was something that typically didn’t happen.
No matter how much the circulating magic strengthened one’s physique, there was a clear limit. The only thing capable of protecting themselves while closing the distance was a Starlight weapon made of particle conduit metals and a protective suit.
Furthermore, just relying on the particle suit wouldn’t allow for any graceful responses. Without a blade to deflect incoming magic, he would be exposed to danger in an instant.
Back in the last match, he managed to subdue her with grappling techniques, but until he closed the distance, he had to use his blade to parry the incoming magics. He had overstrained himself to the point that his blade had ultimately broken.
So, the only situation where such an uneven matchup could occur was when one assessed their opponent’s ability as considerably inferior.
At that moment, realizing the meaning behind his actions, Jin Yeseo’s face reddened with humiliation and anger.
“You… you bastard!!!”
Then, she unleashed her ominous black flame serpents straight at him.
*
Lee Hyun took a moment to concentrate. As he did, ripples spread through the surrounding air, and various sensations began to pour into his body through the tips of his limbs.
What was impossible for any magician in the world, he was accomplishing as easily as breathing.
Invisible particles tickled his entire bloodstream. He manipulated the particle arrangement and began constructing a magic circle from the particles he had collected.
He placed the points and connected the lines, soon immersing himself in the multi-dimensional structure composed of five levels, penetrating into his body.
In the last ranking match with Jin Yeseo, he hadn’t even managed to unfold half of his predictive pathways. He had to engage in the duel without fully recovering from the wounds suffered during the Southern Collapse incident.
However, this time, thanks to the Jeokhwa incident, he had plenty of recovery time.
Unfolding the predictive pathways with five pathways should be manageable without any significant issues.
This duel didn’t need to end quickly like the last one. Instead, he intended to drag it out until the limit of the time constraints. Jin Yeseo might take his blade insertion as mockery, but soon enough, she would have to acknowledge the pure gap between them.
-Boom!
As soon as he completed applying his predictive pathways, he leaped from his position. A massive wave of black flames erupted from where he had just stood, shrouding the area.
Before he even landed, several sharp toothy flame serpents pounced towards his vital points.
Simultaneously, sharp pointed fire arrows aimed directly at his neck were released into the air.
Yet, Lee Hyun sensed them all and swiftly dodged, closing the distance again in an instant.
“You’re faster now? What the…!”
Jin Yeseo gritted her teeth in disbelief. She had spent the last few weeks pouring all her efforts solely into training without wasting a single minute.
Moreover, in a match between circulating and release magicians, the initiative always belonged to the release magician.
Yet, instead of closing the distance, he hadn’t allowed her a single effective hit.
Desperately trying to suppress her faltering spirit, Jin Yeseo yelled out.
“Die!!”
She fired flames in all directions. The blazing black fire filled the dueling grounds to the point where there was no room to stand.
-Sizzle…
The moment Lee Hyun set foot on the dueling grounds, a hissing sound emerged from beneath him. Nevertheless, he continued to approach Jin Yeseo at a rapid pace.
The traces of rubber from the soles of his shoes melted and stuck to the ground, resembling footprints left in snow.
Now Jin Yeseo could even see her own reflection faintly in his mask.
‘…No. I can’t lose like this again…!’
Clenching her teeth, Jin Yeseo conjured a massive black fireball on her palm.
She was determined to take him down, even if it meant getting burned herself.
But before the magic could even be completed, a sudden, rough hand shot out, grabbing her wrist.
Jin Yeseo couldn’t react in time.
Without a hint of hesitation, the Masked Male Student twisted her wrist in the opposite direction, snapping it with a crack.
“Ugh…!”
The incomplete magic dissipated as particles scattered into the air, and Jin Yeseo let out a groan, rolling on the ground.
-Boom!
Moments later, as Jin Yeseo rolled to the side, the weight of Lee Hyun’s foot crashed down where her head had just been.
Barely managing to rise, Jin Yeseo conjured a long, black, fiery spear in her uninjured hand.
With bloodshot eyes, she swung it towards Lee Hyun’s head.
-Boom!
Lee Hyun raised his arms as if to use them as a shield to deflect the blow. The gloves embedded in his protective suit shattered and scattered on the ground.
And in that moment of collision, Lee Hyun felt a strange sensation.
Something about Jin Yeseo’s aura felt distinctly different.
Thinking back, it had been the same in the last match. Instead of maintaining distance when he approached, she always opted to confront him head-on.
There were ways to avoid it, even when space was tight.
Once a fight transitions into a realm of desperation and instinct, Jin Yeseo always showed the same demeanor.
This wasn’t merely a difference in style; it felt like some innate temperament shining through.
Coupled with an unusually trained physique for a release magician, her instinctively targeted movements towards vital points were even more threatening than when she would randomly unleash magic.
“…”
But soon, Lee Hyun shook that thought from his mind.
Regardless of her essence, what needed to be done didn’t change.
-Whoosh!
Lee Hyun dodged Jin Yeseo’s massive swing. In a flash, he dove in, catching both of her temples firmly with his hands.
Then, without her even registering it, he dropped to his knees, slamming her down.
-BOOM!!
A tremendous roar filled the dueling grounds. When the dust settled, Jin Yeseo’s form, having collided with the concrete wall, became visible.
Her hair, having come undone, now flailed wildly in disarray. She lay buried among the rubble, trembling awkwardly.
“Cough… cough… urgh…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell you to surrender this time.”
The Masked Male Student said, lifting Jin Yeseo by her neck.
“Just stay still. Until the duel is over.”
The light sparkling in his eyes under the mask was sharp and vivid.
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