### Chapter: 258
Lahern Academy Entrance Exam Round 2.
The goal of the second round was to snag a bracelet of the same color as your own.
In the depths of the forest, various battles were ongoing for this very purpose.
“Red bracelet! Stop right there!”
“Please, I have to pass Lahern Academy! Don’t take it from me!”
“Damn it, when did my bracelet get snatched?”
Amidst the cacophony, there was one girl leisurely strolling through the forest, without a care in the world.
No one dared to approach her, and the reason for that was flying lazily above her: an ice dragon.
Its presence was overwhelming, and the power radiating from the dragon was beyond what any student could handle.
“Oh, yellow… not my color.”
The girl muttered underneath the menace of the ice dragon hovering above—the girl was Bianca Hardenhartz, the fiancée of Kraush.
“Pii!”
At that moment, an ice fox familiar perched on her shoulder whimpered. Hearing it, Bianca angled her gaze.
“Eek!”
Someone hiding in the forest, trying to conceal themselves with a hand over their mouth, accidentally let out a sound.
Around their wrist, they sported a yellow bracelet.
The moment Bianca saw that, she raised a finger. Instantly, the ice dragon turned its head to stare at the student.
“S-save me!”
The candidate screamed and took off running.
But it was too late.
A barrier of ice sprang up in front of him, tall enough that leaping away wouldn’t save him.
The guy froze in shock, his escape route blocked.
Crack—
The sound of Bianca’s high heels clicked behind him as she approached to snatch his bracelet.
Is this how it ends for me?
He wore a look of despair on his face. That’s when Bianca paused in her tracks.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Pii!”
The ice fox familiar cried out again from around her neck.
Crash!
In that instant, the seemingly unbreakable ice barrier shattered.
The yellow-bracelet guy watched in awe as the wall crumbled.
Whoosh!
“Gah!”
Before he knew it, an arm reached through the broken barrier and grabbed him by the neck.
He swallowed a scream as he was dragged through the shards of ice and tumbled to the ground.
“Cough, cough!”
Still reeling in confusion, his eyes fell on the girl standing on the opposite side of the ice wall.
With golden hair dancing in the wind, it was Dalia Junon.
Another strong contender among the applicants had just shown up.
But wait, this was his chance!
While Dalia was momentarily blocking Bianca, he started to run like the wind.
Bianca didn’t chase after him. Instead, she focused on Dalia standing in her way.
“Why are you obstructing me?”
Dalia’s bracelet glimmered blue, completely unrelated to Bianca’s yellow.
Naturally, there was no reason to fight.
Yet Dalia smiled broadly at Bianca’s question.
“You wouldn’t want to fight anyone once you find your bracelet, right?”
No need to waste energy on unnecessary things.
Gazing at Bianca’s icy demeanor, she chuckled to herself.
“So, I’m here to fight you first.”
What a cheeky one she was!
“Bianca, didn’t you say? You’d get knocked down before challenging Kraush Balheim?”
Bianca wasn’t particularly keen on fighting. However, the moment she heard that, her brows momentarily furrowed in irritation.
Kraush was a topic that was off-limits, like ticking a time bomb.
“Very well.”
The ice dragon above lowered its head.
A swirling white breath was gathering inside its mouth.
“Bring it on.”
That was the moment the breath of ice was unleashed over the forest stage.
—
The icy blast filled the exam venue.
Chaos erupted amongst the professors watching the exam.
The sheer strength of the blast disrupted even the magical screens displaying the event.
“Is it a mess again this year?”
While one assistant professor of the Magic Department was frantically trying to restore the magic, amidst the shaking screens, a blonde girl sprinted through the icy terrain.
Her name? Dalia Junon, daughter of the Empire’s foremost sword clan.
She dashed across the frozen forest with legs moving so fast they were practically a blur.
Her thighs bulged with explosive strength, propelling her at an astonishing speed.
Bianca, protected by her ice dragon, observed Dalia with keen eyes.
‘She’s fast.’
The moment there was the slightest opening, she would close the gap in an instant.
Right now, Bianca could barely keep up with her sprinting figure.
‘Then…’
Bianca’s expression, usually void of emotion, sparkled with a hint of excitement.
“Krima.”
The ice dragon orbiting her began to build up breath again.
Dalia caught on immediately.
When she narrowly dodged the last breath, the cold seeped into her, freezing her in place.
That’s just how powerful the dragon’s breath was.
‘No way I’d survive a second time.’
Even if she looked alright on the outside, Dalia was clearly in a tough situation.
The cold had wormed its way under her skin.
‘No memories of slacking in my training, though.’
She’d never expected to encounter someone at her level in this exam.
‘At a minimum, she must be a master-level talent.’
Bianca had merely been introduced as Kraush Balheim’s fiancée, but little did they know the potential she was hiding.
‘Getting close will be nearly impossible.’
The cold around Bianca only intensified the closer opponents got.
But there was one circumstance when that chill would recede—just before the dragon released its breath, the cold would vanish as if it were absorbed into its mouth.
‘Bianca must be aware of that, yet she chose to unleash it anyway.’
Despite being almost certain it was a trap, a smile crept onto her face.
If the other side was gambling, she might as well do the same.
It was time to test whose gamble would pay off—hers or Dalia’s.
Whoosh!
As the dragon’s breath concentrated, the ambient temperature gradually rose.
The moment was nearly here.
Dalia’s gaze sharpened as she charged forward.
In an instant, her legs exploded with power.
With unfathomable speed, she leapt toward Bianca, aiming her attack.
A fierce wind swept through the forest, causing the trees to sway violently.
Dalia launched herself facing Bianca, faster than the dragon’s breath.
Such speed was enough to widen the eyes of the assessing professors.
Dalia was covered in frost, a consequence of breaking through the icy breath without protection.
Yet the heat emanating from her body endured against the chill.
Her acceleration came at a price, but it also served to defy the cold.
As she leapt forward, she did not falter.
Through sheer force, Dalia reached Bianca’s face.
But Bianca was ready, too.
Emerging from her pocket was the turtle, which had been hiding there.
Even at this crucial moment, Bianca unleashed her defensive barrier—a six-sided cube formed from her beast magic.
It could withstand even the most massive attacks.
But regardless of the shield’s power, Dalia’s blade surged forward, undeterred.
Clad in moonlight, Dalia’s sword held a deadly glint.
In that moment, an unusual sight caught Bianca’s eye.
The shield that had been blocking her was cleaved in two like paper by Dalia’s strike.
This was the sword technique of the Junon clan.
Moonlight Divine Sword (월광신검)
An ultimate move that sliced through all magical abilities.
Hearing the name made those who wielded other abilities feel terror.
And this was no different for Bianca.
Dalia’s Moonlight Divine Sword tore through Bianca’s shield and closed in on her neck.
As the glimmering sword approached, Bianca lifted her hands to defend herself.
Clang!
The clash of their weapons resonated through the forest.
Dalia’s gaze shifted, now realizing Bianca had daggers in both hands.
The white daggers glistened with a sinister blue aura, powerful enough to take anyone’s breath away.
Dalia’s eyes widened in shock, realizing how fierce the aura emanating from Bianca was.
The daggers met Dalia’s sword with perfect accuracy.
Bianca had clearly spent a hard time honing her skills.
‘To wield a beast alongside daggers?’
Dalia couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
What drove this girl to push herself so hard?
Curiosity piqued, Dalia couldn’t help but wonder.
But Bianca would not be underestimated at close range.
Even if her daggers were honed, Dalia had spent her life with a sword.
Dalia aimed to suppress Bianca’s arms right then and there.
The moment Dalia unleashed her explosive aura, Bianca recognized the impending threat and pressed down on her daggers.
Clang!
The clash rebounded, and Dalia’s sword began to fall.
Given the circumstances, it was expected.
But as Dalia’s left hand swung toward Bianca, it was also shielded by the Moonlight Divine Sword.
Clang!
At that moment, before Dalia’s sword hit the ground, she kicked it away with a swift motion.
Whoosh!
Before it touched the ground, it aimed for Bianca’s chin with a fierce thrust.
It was almost a chaotic form of attack.
With both hands occupied, there was nothing Bianca could do to counter.
Furthermore, the blade was still imbued with the power of the Moonlight Divine Sword, bypassing her beast’s defenses.
The two locked eyes for a fleeting moment.
A confident smile graced Dalia’s lips, certain of her triumph.
But just then, Bianca made a completely unexpected move.
She tossed her left-dagger, which had been occupied by Dalia.
The flying dagger returned to Bianca in a spin, resembling an act of desperation.
“Oh no!”
But Dalia soon realized what she had done.
She hurriedly attempted to strike at Bianca with her empty left hand, but that moment of hesitation swayed the tide.
Clang!
Their weapons collided once more in an intricate dance.
Dalia’s sword was deflected, scratching only Bianca’s cheek as it passed by, taking a few strands of hair with it.
The strike didn’t inflict any serious damage, merely sending the sword spinning away.
In the wake of that near miss, Bianca stood with a trickle of blood running down her face, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Her expression had turned from monotone to creepy, mesmerizing even Dalia for a second.
“Go ahead. Shoot.”
The breath of the ice dragon engulfed both girls in a frosty embrace at that moment.
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