Chapter 192 – Battle for Possession (2)

The training area fell into complete silence.

Abel and Saki. Between them, a cold wind passed like blades, stirring up the tense atmosphere. It was Abel who broke the silence first.

“You want us to duel? Why?”

Saki didn’t answer. She was adjusting the string of her bow in silence. Her expression was clear—the decision had already been made, she was just waiting for you to accept. And it also made clear she had no intention of explaining the reason.

Abel’s face was filled with confusion. At first, she felt uncomfortable, but then it just seemed absurd.

‘Yeah… Saki’s always been like that.’

The reason Abel found it hard to deal with Saki was precisely that authoritarian attitude. She always said whatever she wanted and that was it.

But it wasn’t something exclusive to Abel. Saki treated everyone the same.

That cold, impartial treatment didn’t make the students hate her. On the contrary, many considered her cool. Since she ignored status and spoke equally to everyone, a kind of universal equality prevailed around her.

When she was with Speedweapon, she at least seemed to hold a conversation—but that was it. Once she said what she had to say, she would just leave without looking back.

As a rule, Saki didn’t show her feelings. Except when she was with one person.

‘…She always smiles when she’s with her.’

Abel narrowed her eyes and watched closely. An uncomfortable feeling crept up her throat, scratching at her neck.

She crossed her arms firmly and answered in a raised tone.

“I came here to train by myself. And if you won’t give me a reason, I have no reason to accept. Besides, coming to the training area with that kind of intent… it’s pretty annoying.”

Saki shrugged and shook her head.

“How self-centered. Abel, since you haven’t been coming, you don’t know, but I’ve been here every day. I only suggested the duel just now, on impulse. And the reason? Ugh… explaining it’s a pain. So, are you going to fight or not?”

“…Ha.”

Abel let out a disbelieving laugh. That was the tone of someone making a request? It sounded more like she was doing a favor.

A small crack formed on Abel’s face.

‘It’s tempting to accept just to teach her some manners…’

But doing so would be playing right into Saki’s hands. It’d be falling into her game. Besides, it wasn’t just pride—she didn’t know Saki’s intentions, there was no clear objective, and no valid reason.

A duel, in essence, is an act of mutual respect toward the opponent. This didn’t meet any of those conditions.

‘In this case, rejecting is the smart thing to do.’

Just when Abel was about to decide, another person entered the training area.

It was Yu Sein.

“…Now what’s she doing here?”

This was unexpected too. Yu Sein was as out of place in a training area as Saki, if not more. Even Saki showed a slight start at her appearance.

The already tense atmosphere became even stranger. With Abel and Saki’s eyes on her, Sein walked right between the two. Her pupils were still pitch-black.

Only Kang Geom-Ma had that same eye color, probably because of a shared bond. It was said that Yu Sein and Kang Geom-Ma were related, and everyone believed it because of those dark eyes.

Yu Sein looked at both of them, alternating her gaze. Then, as if she immediately understood the mood, she smiled gently.

“If you want, I can be the referee.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a whistle, which she put to her lips.

…Why does she even carry that? Both Abel and Saki shared the same question. But now there was even a referee. With her gaze, Sein urged them to begin.

‘Aren’t you going to start?’

At that point, backing down would be the same as admitting defeat. The confusion lasted only a moment, and Abel’s eyes sharpened.

It was impulsive and sudden, yes, but the situation inevitably led to a duel. Even though she didn’t know the reason behind it, she had no reason to avoid it either.

Abel firmly grasped the hilt of her sword with both hands. She took a deep breath and gathered her energy. The blade rose vertically, dividing her figure symmetrically. It was a silent acceptance.

“What kind of duel will it be?”

Saki, without changing her expression, slung the quiver over her shoulder. The arrow tips were finely sharpened.

“No need to say it. This is Joaquin Academy. Of course it’ll be a duel in the dimensional space.”

***

“What the hell is going on here…?”

Those were the first words that came out of my mouth when I arrived at the training field.

I had already sensed some presences before entering. Even so, I hadn’t given it much thought… until I saw that completely incompatible mix of people—Abel, Saki, and Sein.

To make things worse, they’d already deployed an improvised dimensional barrier. And that could only mean one thing—a duel in a subdimensional space. At a glance, it seemed the duelists were Abel and Saki, with Sein acting as referee, whistle in mouth.

‘Aren’t they going a bit overboard for a simple duel?’

The sparks flying between them and the charged gazes filled the air in the training field. It wasn’t just hostility. Nor was it just determination.

It was fighting instinct. But to an exaggerated degree… It was like two beasts baring their fangs, fighting over the same prey. Whatever it was they wanted, it was clear they both desired it equally.

Otherwise, how could there be so much pressure in the air? Their eyes were a mix of obsession and need. They weren’t thinking of losing. They wanted it… they needed it.

‘Huff… gave me chills.’

Just as I was trying to sneak out of the training field unnoticed, my eyes met Yu Sein’s. Abel and Saki were so focused on each other they didn’t even notice I was there. Of the three, only Sein acknowledged me.

Her black eyes stared straight at me. I’d seen so many strange eye colors lately, that black now seemed the most out of place. Though it could also be because, of the three, Sein remained the most enigmatic to me.

That brief stare-down ended. With the whistle still between her lips, Sein curved her lips into a slight smile. Then, just with the movement of her lips, she said.

‘Where are you going? If you’re the cause of this fight, who else should be watching this?’

“…What?”

I didn’t have time to answer. The whistle rang out with a sharp piiiiip.

[The duel between Abel von Nibelung and Saki Ryozo is hereby declared open.]

[May the Blessing of the heroes guide them.]

***

As soon as the mechanical voice signaled the start of the duel, Abel charged forward. In a fight against an archer, distance was key. The farther away, the greater the disadvantage. But on the flip side, if you closed that distance, you gained the upper hand.

Abel reached Saki in just three steps and launched a low slash with her sword. It was a duel in subdimensional space. There was no reason to hold back. She went straight for the weak point.

‘If I immobilize her legs, she can’t play with distance.’

The blade aimed for her lower right flank.

But Saki slightly lifted her right leg. Just as the blade neared the ground, the sole of her boot stepped on the back of the weapon, redirecting it. The tip of the sword dug into the ground.

Abel held her breath. Very few students could react to her attacks. Maybe Kang Geom-Ma and Leon, and that was about it.

‘She didn’t just react. She predicted it.’

Saki had anticipated the move. From a slight movement, a muscular tension, a breath adjustment, a minimal shoulder contraction… she could read the body’s patterns and move before Abel even completed the action.

But that was only possible because it was Saki. Her kinetic vision was monstrous, and her ability to calculate and execute had to function in fractions of a second.

‘Damn it.’

Abel snapped back to her senses and raised her head. Saki had an arrow aimed directly at her face. She had to dodge it. If an arrow hit you at that distance, the fight was over. But the attack came from a completely different direction.

Thump.

A dull, solid blow. Saki’s left foot drove straight into Abel’s abdomen. Her torso bent forward as if she were about to collapse. The arrow threat was nothing but a distraction.

The next attack came immediately. Saki swung her bow like a club. To dodge it, Abel would have to let go of her sword. But doing that would render the fight meaningless.

So she chose to give up a shoulder without hesitation.

Crash!

A crack sounded—a rib had broken. The sharp pain numbed her entire right arm.

“Ugh.”

A thunderclap exploded in her head. She nearly blacked out. With great effort, Abel dragged her sword upward. The blade burst forth from below, rising diagonally.

A line of blood traced across Saki’s chest, and a stream of blood spurted instantly. She hadn’t expected Abel to sacrifice an arm just to strike.

Abel didn’t let the opportunity slip. Her sword, which had risen like a bird, now fell with force from above.

Saki leaned backward as if collapsing. The sword slashed vertically through where she had just been. If she hadn’t moved, she would’ve been cleaved in two.

Feeling a chill, Saki pushed back urgently. Abel pursued her.

‘I need distance.’

In close combat, she didn’t stand a chance. She could only predict Abel’s moves once or twice. Her opponent was Abel—not the type to fall for the same trick twice.

Saki knew well that she was disadvantaged in every way—physical condition, reflexes, technique. Even so, she had asked for this duel.

But that didn’t mean she intended to give up.

‘I just need one chance.’

Saki sprinted away from Abel while firing arrows one after another to keep her at bay.

At first, Abel dodged them, but soon she began deflecting them with her sword. Even though the arrows were blessed, Abel was channeling her own Blessing—one that rivaled or even surpassed Saki’s.

The balance of the fight began to shift. As Saki slowed, Abel moved with striking agility. Even with one of her shoulders wrecked, the advantage was clearly hers.

The gap between them closed quickly. Abel’s sword swung toward the back of Saki’s neck. The physical difference was overwhelming. But with greater speed came greater inertia.

‘This is the moment I waited for.’

Saki stepped sideways. Her feet slid across the floor like she was skating on ice. The sword swept over her head without hitting.

Fwoosh!

As soon as the sound of air slicing vanished, Saki nearly lay flat on the ground and drew her bow.

When the string brushed the center of her lips, she released the shot. The sharp arrow gleamed brightly, aimed straight between Abel’s eyes.

Abel was running full speed, no time to dodge—

Crack.

Saki’s eyes widened in disbelief. Abel had caught the arrow with her teeth. Her mouth was soaked in blood.

Unable to dodge or counter due to inertia, she had chosen to bite it. Abel’s eyes burned with venomous fury.

Saki fired another arrow immediately. But the trajectory was unstable, and Abel deflected it with ease.

The weakened arrows bounced across the ground, the walls, and nearby objects.

Abel lunged forward. Her sharpened blade gleamed brightly. And right in front of her, Saki was falling backward.

Just when Abel was certain of her victory over an apparently defenseless opponent—her pupils dilated.

“Abel, your problem… is that you only know how to charge forward.”

Saki gave a faint smile.

“You should look back once in a while too. Otherwise, you end up getting hit in the back of the head… like now, see?”

Bang. Bang. Bang.

One of the arrows that had ricocheted off various surfaces was now heading straight for Abel’s nape. At the same time, her sword was descending lightly.

“Don’t take it too hard if you lose. From this point on… it’s a matter of luck.”

“…!”

An undetected arrow. A blade falling like thunder.

The two girls clashed in an eternal instant, each leaving everything to fate.