### Chapter: 262
Darkan and Eblens.
Among those gathered for the entrance exam at Rahern Academy, the synergy between these two friends was undeniably the best.
In front of them stood—
The assistant professor, Ritly, facing them alone.
The faces of Darkan and Eblens were drenched in cold sweat.
It was as if the nickname “Hegun” wasn’t just for show.
Every coordinated attack from the duo failed to penetrate his defenses.
“Kraush, that assistant professor is tough,”
At that moment, Haring, who had been watching the fight, struck up a conversation with Kraush.
“Yeah.”
Kraush agreed with Haring’s assessment.
Ritly was a powerhouse on the same level as the Pirate Empress Kairan.
Someone just starting to make a name for themselves had no chance against him.
Ritly was completely dominating both Darkan and Eblens.
‘Since the fight began, he hasn’t budged from that spot.’
Even amidst Darkan and Eblens’s fierce assaults, Ritly remained firmly planted.
With simple movements, he interrupted their attacks while inserting strikes that could have been fatal.
This showcased the stark difference in their skills.
‘Ritly’s secret technique, Illusory Lantern (虚想燈盞).’
The reason he could maintain this fighting style was due to that technique.
Though he was alone, he was not truly by himself.
The identical image left in his wake attacked alongside him.
In large group battles, Ritly’s abilities shone especially bright.
‘While Darkan and Eblens may be the best among the third-year students,’
They couldn’t possibly surpass Ritly, who could multitask so effectively.
“Gah!”
As evidence of this, it was Eblens who first hit the ground after failing to break through Ritly.
He seemed heavily battered and couldn’t get up immediately after rolling around.
Ritly had no intention of going easy on him.
When he launched his next attack, Darkan urgently had to cover the gap left by Eblens.
“D-Darkan, I’m fine, so!”
“Stop, just hang on!”
Eblens insisted on defending himself instead of relying on Darkan, but he had no choice but to pour everything into protecting Eblens and clashed with Ritly.
The outcome was predictable.
Though Darkan desperately used his two-handed axes to confront Ritly, his body eventually reached its limit.
Boom!
Darkan collapsed, having allowed one of Ritly’s attacks to hit him.
His body was riddled with injuries as he lay there, eyes rolled back in unconsciousness.
In the meantime, Eblens somehow managed to recover and attempted to attack, yet—
He too fell beside Darkan.
Ritly took a moment to catch his breath, returning his sword to his waist.
After all the effort, Darkan and Eblens couldn’t even leave a scratch on him.
“Assistant Professor Ritly wins.”
After witnessing the sight, Professor Kairan confirmed Ritly’s victory.
There was a hint of scorn in her eyes.
Ritly had gone out of his way to create an overwhelming situation, defeating both candidates perfectly.
“If you keep this up, you won’t last long,”
“Just for the first match; no need to worry about it, senior.”
It was a type of intimidation tactic.
Since he said that, Kairan decided to stop prodding him.
As he claimed, the intimidation had been successful.
Most of the candidates changed to tense expressions.
Darkan and Eblens had made names for themselves, and seeing them thoroughly crushed like that—
It was no surprise that others couldn’t help but feel anxious.
However, only those who believed their skills weren’t enough felt that way.
Some candidates were sparkling with confidence.
“Next is us, right?”
A girl brimming with confidence stepped forward.
That girl was Dalia Junon.
Daughter of the Junon family.
And alongside her was Bianca Hardenhartz.
Known as Kraush’s fiancée, she was the flower of the Hardenhartz family.
Earlier, Dalia had boldly declared she would forfeit the first match.
She had surely calculated that Ritly wouldn’t hold back for the first match and would exert full pressure.
What a clever little girl.
‘And then there’s Bianca.’
Kairan glanced at Bianca, who stood beside Dalia.
Bianca had temporarily put her ring away, preparing for battle.
From the moment Ritly’s fight began, she had been focused.
Even though she was someone who defeated Dalia, not a hint of complacency showed in her eyes.
She was coldly evaluating the situation, absorbing information without an ounce of arrogance.
‘No wonder she’s the fiancée of a certain someone.’
Their actions were strikingly similar.
Back during the entrance exam, Kraush had pretended to be arrogant to deceive Kairan, yet in reality, he possessed no arrogance at all.
Bianca, too, seemed free from vanity about her own skills, focusing instead on how to defeat her opponent.
Whether she inherited it from her fiancé or if this was her natural disposition, one thing was certain—
The concept of complacency was far removed from both of them.
‘If the two fiancés team up later…’
It seemed a rather fearsome combination might emerge.
“Let’s go!”
At that moment, Ritly announced the next match.
Kairan cast a quick glance at Ritly.
It was clear he knew that today’s test would be the toughest and most intricate of them all.
His decision to continue the exam before the heat from the previous bout dissipated showed his resolve.
“Dalia Junon and Bianca Hardenhartz’s team, come up.”
Following his call, Kairan summoned the two to the arena.
Dalia confidently sauntered into the arena, and as Bianca followed suit, Kairan raised his hand.
“Bianca, as mentioned earlier, I’ll take the front.”
While this was happening, Dalia spoke to Bianca.
Having experienced Dalia’s swordsmanship firsthand, Bianca knew she could trust her with the front lines.
So, Bianca nodded slowly.
“Just give me your strongest attack.”
The powerful strike that had decimated Dalia before.
With that request, a chilling aura emitted from Bianca’s body.
“If I get caught up, it’s not my fault.”
“Hehe, you better deliver!”
To topple that monstrous assistant professor.
“The second match will commence.”
With those words, Kairan’s arm dropped.
As soon as the battle began, Ritly took his stance.
For some reason, Dalia stood silently in place.
Seeing this, Ritly furrowed his brow.
Why was she suddenly standing there, boasting about rushing in?
In that moment of confusion, Ritly noticed Bianca was gathering power for the fight.
Boom!
Suddenly, behind her, the Ice Dragon, Kryma, had appeared.
The breath building up in Kryma’s mouth was nothing ordinary.
When Ritly glanced between Bianca and Dalia, he stifled a laugh.
‘Buy some time.’
Dalia needed to stall for Bianca to accumulate her strength.
Yet there was no reason for her to recklessly charge at Ritly.
All she needed to do was bide her time.
The fact that Dalia, who looked like she might jump in any second, stood still and thus saved energy while taking the time was quite clever.
“Hah.”
With an exasperated sigh, Ritly stepped forward.
If she wanted to come out cunning, he’d just have to crush those ambitions.
The moment Ritly kicked off the ground, Dalia also launched herself forward.
She swiftly drew her sword, standing ready before Ritly with a fierce determination.
Clang!
The sound of their swords clashing echoed loudly.
As their blades met, an image of Ritly sprang forth like smoke from his waist.
Illusory Lantern (虛想燈盞).
The flickering illusion held the same sword as Ritly.
Two Ritleys coexisted as one.
As Dalia’s sword clashed with Ritly’s true self, the illusory sword took the opportunity to strike at the opening left by Dalia.
Just as the illusory sword was about to make contact with her shoulder—
Dalia twisted with the moonlight aura around her.
Moonlight Divine Sword (月光神劍).
The blade infused with moonlight bent and struck, narrowly deflecting the illusory sword with near light-speed.
Clang!
The Moonlight Divine Sword cuts through all magical attacks.
Ritly’s Illusory Lantern, an extraordinary power akin to an ability.
Because of that, as it met Dalia’s Moonlight Divine Sword, Ritly’s illusionary sword failed to exert its force and shattered like fragile glass.
Dalia instantly seized that momentum, redirecting the sword to strike at Ritly himself.
‘Looks like she’s not wasting time.’
Ritly thought as he prepared to parry the descending blade.
Dalia wasn’t trying to buy time for Bianca.
Rather, she was determined to take down Ritly herself, pouring excessive power into her attack.
Arrogant? Perhaps, but given her strength, it made sense.
Dalia’s fierce onslaught was heavier and rougher than either of the two before her.
Moreover, her unpredictable swordplay sometimes bewildered even Ritly.
She moved with remarkable agility, resembling a skillful performer.
In the meantime, Bianca silently observed, having summoned the Ice Dragon.
The unnatural energy emanating from her was unsettling.
‘Quick and decisive.’
Determined, Ritly’s aura surged.
As a fearsome energy enveloped Dalia, he unleashed dozens of illusory figures simultaneously.
Illusory Lantern (虛想燈盞).
Tri-Form (三式).
Many Illusions (多想燈盞).
Dozens of swords charged towards Dalia in unison.
But Dalia was already aware of Ritly’s intent for a fast resolution.
She had no intention of being struck down.
Thus, her aura surged, and her sword gave off a scattering of moonlight.
Moonlight Divine Sword (月光神劍).
Quad-Form (四式).
Moonlight Quick Thrust (月光快刺).
The moonlight-imbued sword shot up like claws of a beast.
Flying at a speed so swift it was hard to track with the eye, Dalia’s sword pierced all of Ritly’s illusions in an instant.
The Moonlight Divine Sword was a natural enemy to Ritly’s illusions.
It was that moment Ritly’s illusory figures were thoroughly pierced by Dalia’s Quick Thrust.
Clang!
At that instant, one of the illusions abruptly shielded Dalia’s blade trajectory.
Dalia’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was no wonder since Ritly’s illusions were supposed to be powerless against the Moonlight Divine Sword.
The shock of her blade being blocked left her bewildered.
But soon she realized the reason.
‘The real one!’
It was Ritly himself who blocked Dalia’s blade that aimed to pierce through the illusions.
Having hidden within the illusions, he himself had thwarted her attack.
Since Dalia’s sword had been halted midway—
The remaining illusions unleashed their swords upon her.
Dalia anticipated a counter but Ritly’s blade was relentless.
“Tsk.”
Catching on to Ritly’s trick, Dalia relinquished her sword and swiftly stepped back.
Swish!
Moments after, the illusory swords passed through the space she had just occupied.
If her reaction had been even a fraction slower, she would have been cut down.
However, the cost of stepping back from her sword was substantial.
As Ritly launched a forward kick without hesitation, Dalia failed to readjust her stance in time.
Dull impact!
The force of that kick sent Dalia tumbling toward the edge of the arena.
That, in turn, created an opportunity for Ritly.
He had no intention of finishing off Dalia and stooped forward instead to confront Bianca.
In front Ritly lunged toward Bianca, who stood quietly with her eyes closed.
Despite the impending danger, she maintained impressive focus.
But that was about to change.
Just as Ritly raised his sword to strike down on Bianca—
Clang!
His descending sword met something mid-air and was briefly deflected.
Ritly realized too late that what had blocked his blade was Dalia’s.
As she was rocketed away by Ritly’s kick, Dalia had kicked her own sword towards Ritly.
That calculated move was almost at a skillful level.
As a result, Ritly’s blow was momentarily stalled.
And that brief moment created enough space to alter the course of the battle.
Droplets—
With blood streaming from Bianca’s nose and her emerald eyes wide open, she was now awake.
The chill in her aura was far more intense than what Dalia had experienced in the previous trial.
With a single devastating strike that pushed her to her limits—
Drawing upon strength that seemed to echo an unknown source, Bianca pointed toward Ritly without hesitation.
—
Ice Dragon Bianca’s
Glacius Radius
—
In an instant, a storm of ice engulfed the arena.
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