Amelia’s lightning strike speed is top-notch even at the prestigious academy. No, she’s at the peak.
When a lightning magic spell that’s already fast is in Amelia’s hands, its speed doubles.
For an ordinary human, the speed is so fast they wouldn’t even be able to react. By the time it’s visible to the eyes, it’s already too late.
Can a human dodge such lightning?
To put it simply, it’s not impossible. Magic inherently has a tremor of surrounding mana right before the spell is ignited.
Someone with considerable magical knowledge could read the trajectory of the flying magic by observing the mana vibrations.
Iria, being the rising powerhouse at the academy, had reached that level.
Thus, Amelia decided to showcase her trick shot, which she often used to target those who have reached this level.
If you read the flow of mana and evade, it becomes an advanced technique that actually increases your hit rate. She had defeated numerous strong contenders with this.
Amelia thought Iria would be no different from them.
“What the…?”
However, things played out differently than Amelia had expected. Iria stood still, not moving. Could it be that she didn’t read the mana flow? Then how did she perceive it?
Thoughts tangled in complexity.
Could it really be that she reacted just by seeing it? The fastest lightning in the academy?
‘No, that’s impossible,’ Amelia concluded internally. It must be some fluke.
She decided to test it out.
Was it merely a coincidence, or was there another method of dodging the lightning?
“Bloom.”
As Amelia extended her left hand into the air, several lightning magic spells blossomed around her. A total of five lightning spells.
Two of them followed a normal trajectory, and the others twisted mid-air in a trick shot.
Regardless of how she deduced it, trying to calculate each one would give anyone a headache.
Sizzle, crackle!
A purple flash shot towards Iria standing in the dueling arena.
Three of them twisted. If Iria attempted to avoid them, she would get hit by the twisted lightning.
So how would Iria respond? Amelia observed her reactions from behind.
And then Iria…
Thud!! Bang!!
Wielding her wooden sword, she sliced through the two incoming lightning strikes.
The sound of the lightning bursting echoed consecutively. The movements were so swift that Amelia could not see them. She only saw Iria lift her head.
“……”
Having cut through the lightning, Iria walked towards Amelia, still gripping her sword.
Her red eyes shone brightly.
“This makes no sense…”
Seeing the scene she couldn’t believe with her own eyes, Amelia’s expression twisted.
Soon after, Iria disappeared from her sight. There was no time to fully process the situation.
Feeling the warning signals from her body, when she turned her head, a wooden sword was flying toward her.
It was the sword swung by Iria, who had moved behind her in the blink of an eye.
And then…
“AH?!”
The sound of the lightning shield surrounding her bursting resonated.
*
The overwhelming shock twisted her body, but Amelia suffered no direct damage.
The thick lightning shield offset the physical damage. The shock dispersed, and the unleashed lightning harmed her opponent instead.
That’s why she was called a master of close combat. Against pure swordsmen who couldn’t use magic, she showcased near-invincible defense.
But her attack power wasn’t any less than others, either. Unlike the wooden sword created from lightning, even grazing would be fatal.
With both offense and defense being exceptional, she was the top student in her third year.
However…
“Oh, my head…”
Even for Amelia, this latest strike was hard to endure. She hadn’t taken a hit directly, but as the shield broke, the transmitted shock felt like it rattled throughout her body.
Consequently, she found herself feeling as if her head were ringing.
“What a crazy girl… Just how strong is she? That sword alone shattered my shield.”
As Amelia stepped back, she re-established her lightning shield. It took a good amount of mana to construct the shield. She never imagined it would break in one go.
Iria was stronger than Amelia had anticipated.
She wasn’t being complacent, but now was not the time to relax. If it could break my shield in one hit, dragging it out would be unfavorable.
“……So that’s how it is.”
So that’s why everyone had lost to her.
It was simple; because she was strong. The same movements, but something was different.
She made you feel like you knew everything about Iria.
“Oh, lightning… No, should I stop?”
It would be pointless to shoot lightning at her. It would just waste mana.
Instead, it would be better to induce close combat. While it felt insecure against Iria, she was the one running low on mana.
And Amelia wasn’t the only one strong in close combat, either.
Sizzle!!
She conserved the mana used for lightning and thickened her shield. Gripping the sword of lightning, she took her stance.
If the lightning sword swung by Amelia cuts, the electric sparks would pierce the skin and tear flesh.
That’s what it meant to be fatal even with a mere graze.
While it was surprising, it wasn’t unbeatable. If Iria had been at her full strength, she might have lost, but right now, she was just a toothless beast.
Amelia aimed the lightning sword at Iria.
And she spread the wave of lightning, not allowing Iria to find any openings.
The lightning spreading around became Amelia’s eyes. Hundreds, thousands of eyes focused on Iria. No matter how she moved, she wouldn’t escape the gaze.
“I’ve read your movements. You’re just a little fast, right?”
Even if it was fast, if she knew where it would fly, she could react, just like Iria had dodged Amelia’s lightning.
It was at that moment when she stood in front of Iria.
“Maybe it’s just that Amelia is slow. You can’t even hit with magic.”
“If you’re trying to provocation me poorly, you’d better stop. I might have a short temper, but I’m not like that, even in a duel.”
“……”
Iria locked eyes with Amelia before leaping. It was to read her thoughts.
Upon reading Amelia’s intentions, Iria tilted her head slightly.
“Do you think you can block it if you know beforehand?”
“Yeah, so?”
“You won’t be able to block it. At least, you… won’t.”
Iria’s calm words made Amelia frown. She squinted her brows and blinked.
Then she asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re weak. Amelia.”
“What? What?!”
The following words from Iria touched the most sensitive part of Amelia’s psyche.
If her intention was to provoke, then it succeeded. Crunch, Amelia’s teeth ground together in frustration.
However, before Amelia could get angry, Iria leaped.
As if the earlier display was mere child’s play, she closed in on Amelia faster than before.
The thousands of eyes that had spread out missed Iria’s form simultaneously.
As Iria leaped right in front of Amelia, she stood frozen, unable to do anything. Before her, an endless gaze of crimson eyes awaited.
Perhaps it was something Amelia had long feared.
“You’re still slow, huh?”
Iria swung her sword.
The shield shattered.
“Huh?!”
Amelia was sent flying by the impact.
Once again, there was no direct damage. But the fear of getting hit was etched into her bones. The shockwave rattled her head.
“Ugh, ah… Ugh…”
Amelia, whose center of balance was shaken, staggered. Iria closed in on her once more.
“Do I not need to create a shield anymore?”
“W-wait a minute… S-stop…”
As Iria approached, Amelia instinctively made a shield. She squeezed out her mana and wrapped herself in the lightning shield once more.
Then Iria swung her sword.
The shield shattered.
“AH?!”
The process repeated itself.
Every time Amelia built a shield, Iria smashed it apart.
Iria patiently waited until Amelia constructed her new shield.
The lightning shield could nullify nearly all physical attacks. It would break under intense damage but was designed to avoid hurting the body.
That much was certain. Despite being hit by Iria’s sword, which could have killed her, Amelia was still intact.
This was the reason she was called the nemesis of swordsmen, but to Iria, her immunity to physical attacks was merely a doll that could take a beating.
Though she received no direct damage, the shock reverberated through her body.
For quite a while, Amelia continued getting hit by Iria.
The shield breaking and mitigating the damage genuinely intrigued Iria.
It was when Iria shattered the twentieth shield that Amelia gasped.
“Ugh, cough… Haa… Haa…”
“Are you not creating a shield anymore?”
“Haa, haa… S-save me… I can’t take it anymore…”
“Hmm.”
Is it getting impossible now?
While it was a bit tormenting, it was genuinely impressive. It was remarkable how Amelia had no injuries despite getting hit this much.
But that meant her mana expenditure was substantial.
Ultimately, Amelia lost her footing and collapsed, looking incredibly exhausted.
The severe dizziness made her expel everything from her stomach.
It appeared she was in no condition to resume the duel.
At that point, Iria spoke to Amelia.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe this, but I don’t have any ill feelings. I don’t care much about what you think of me.”
“Ugh! Haa, ugh…”
“But I can’t afford to have my academy life disrupted. I think people are under the misconception that I’m winning my duels through luck. I figured I had to clearly show that there wouldn’t be a next time.”
Despite having defeated many strong contenders, there were still those who underestimated Iria.
Just like the Amelia she faced this time. By merely holding back in this duel, there was no guarantee someone like Amelia wouldn’t appear again.
“If possible, um, I wish today would be the last time I have to duel. Amelia is the example for that. I genuinely hold no ill feelings.”
“Wuu… Cough!!”
Saying this, Iria kicked Amelia in the abdomen. She swung her wooden sword as if whacking it would cause serious injury, displaying her consideration.
Kicked, Amelia rolled across the floor of the dueling arena. She was no longer in a state to move.
Iria approached Amelia, repeating the kicks.
Since she’d never used someone as an example before, she had no idea how to leave a strong impression on everyone else.
As today had to be the last duel at the academy.
“Others have ended up in the hospital after dueling with me. So, I think it’s only fair that Amelia does too.”
“AHHHHH!”
That day, Amelia had to feel the weight of 67 who had been carried away before her, feeling the burden of fairness.
