Chapter 192 – Battle for Possession (2)
kQcdmQ9The training area fell into complete silence.Tfd
BZI8DAbel and Saki. Between them, a cold wind passed like blades, stirring up the tense atmosphere. It was Abel who broke the silence first.z8pMrf
Vy2I“You want us to duel? Why?”TAd2b
DsQDWBSaki 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.3oZAD
H9JAbel’s face was filled with confusion. At first, she felt uncomfortable, but then it just seemed absurd.AWCb2t
mxFmN‘Yeah… Saki’s always been like that.’ZDO5
e4lThe reason Abel found it hard to deal with Saki was precisely that authoritarian attitude. She always said whatever she wanted and that was it.19I76
tXLy99But it wasn’t something exclusive to Abel. Saki treated everyone the same.dBZg
9YxtjThat 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.ARG
JWZWhen 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.IaDW6j
U2A0WvAs a rule, Saki didn’t show her feelings. Except when she was with one person.a3Po
cma‘…She always smiles when she’s with her.’SarC2El
8wXDAbel narrowed her eyes and watched closely. An uncomfortable feeling crept up her throat, scratching at her neck.fPQF
6X5She crossed her arms firmly and answered in a raised tone.nomzQyF
uVvC“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.”XQi
PlvSaki shrugged and shook her head.3NcHM37
74v6NR“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?”aiEx
Vir“…Ha.”gQu
MwaBguAbel let out a disbelieving laugh. That was the tone of someone making a request? It sounded more like she was doing a favor.d6HDxxH
enXJA small crack formed on Abel’s face.2UiyNGq
8KOwE49‘It’s tempting to accept just to teach her some manners…’amn
zJGwTqBut 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.ZmUa
AnBU6LQA duel, in essence, is an act of mutual respect toward the opponent. This didn’t meet any of those conditions.98Lu
xcs‘In this case, rejecting is the smart thing to do.’4RZk
sTC5LmUJust when Abel was about to decide, another person entered the training area.0eMhiWf
XKAatIt was Yu Sein.cVKG
XX2OT5C“…Now what’s she doing here?”R1w6R
1PY8PyIThis 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.rtjpmS
PdAMKMThe 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.cdRSsZ
m9nliOnly 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.rt2DjJM
O0OHlYu Sein looked at both of them, alternating her gaze. Then, as if she immediately understood the mood, she smiled gently.ofXEC
YkL“If you want, I can be the referee.”IMkh
26wD9She reached into her pocket and pulled out a whistle, which she put to her lips.SyK
r29aPy…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.zO9fLs
ZPWSSd‘Aren’t you going to start?’wAAv
OJD1i4At that point, backing down would be the same as admitting defeat. The confusion lasted only a moment, and Abel’s eyes sharpened.XUDJDi
PWh64uIt 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.hHMEA
oJmAbel 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.SZxJ0
vM0“What kind of duel will it be?”FBmJ
bq0CBfSaki, without changing her expression, slung the quiver over her shoulder. The arrow tips were finely sharpened.B0f8
TVgy“No need to say it. This is Joaquin Academy. Of course it’ll be a duel in the dimensional space.”cdOnbff
F7Qtc***BqTm
efumOP“What the hell is going on here…?”SGxwWcU
BP4Those were the first words that came out of my mouth when I arrived at the training field.do1ck0
ySt2nI 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.fCiR
JWii7To 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.YUDs
cmxg‘Aren’t they going a bit overboard for a simple duel?’TeoanS
JO8cThe 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.pSJ
MmkX8It 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.PJfqU
kps2N2Otherwise, 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.Xax
pVwMIUY‘Huff… gave me chills.’xbLG
0ZZWQJust 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.vpgJM
3iqolVHer 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.NuLFXHJ
INTWz6That 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.89DXQW
E5Wi‘Where are you going? If you’re the cause of this fight, who else should be watching this?’lmiD
Rpm“…What?”RPI
ZK9ZI didn’t have time to answer. The whistle rang out with a sharp piiiiip.4FXdwBp
706WZIM[The duel between Abel von Nibelung and Saki Ryozo is hereby declared open.]5JlKP
Z963[May the Blessing of the heroes guide them.]M3a7D
EyDV***o8XgPL4
jBSnR8As 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.6xW
C8OAbel 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.jsg9VkV
JytXFt‘If I immobilize her legs, she can’t play with distance.’oTfx
JJMYAThe blade aimed for her lower right flank.1zAIRR
oU3But 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.kD53BsG
P1EappoAbel held her breath. Very few students could react to her attacks. Maybe Kang Geom-Ma and Leon, and that was about it.uLMlF
m60v8‘She didn’t just react. She predicted it.’bRQgmX
BtltSaki 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.Fs7SjbZ
cMHBut 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.2Xy1O
xXs4‘Damn it.’qNv17t
4EIiAbel 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.pdCAeV
G4oeYMThump.61c1
0NhbA 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.jxsbY
ITOAU9The 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.u3OBIL1
BPYoSo she chose to give up a shoulder without hesitation.AOg
G9ktr6Crash!vF8OC
NZlXlA crack sounded—a rib had broken. The sharp pain numbed her entire right arm.L4rMK
gew“Ugh.”feXZy
bhsFEA 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.c0YPr
3IS7A 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.WYc1
ZybRQHAbel didn’t let the opportunity slip. Her sword, which had risen like a bird, now fell with force from above.7ICAg
bj2CWSSaki 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.TJW
VgLFKFeeling a chill, Saki pushed back urgently. Abel pursued her.mqTpF
kuXUg8‘I need distance.’Uuih
PJ1CkIn 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.5ah4w
XOTlSaki knew well that she was disadvantaged in every way—physical condition, reflexes, technique. Even so, she had asked for this duel.BkUFAYv
VvrBut that didn’t mean she intended to give up.0oL5hB
JF2pc5S‘I just need one chance.’r958e5
mMVzSaki sprinted away from Abel while firing arrows one after another to keep her at bay.KEUj4ba
1b6dgedAt 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.bykDe3t
vaxRYdThe 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.CN5niI
sAnaaThe 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.40jDR
duPSUY‘This is the moment I waited for.’Gy4F7d
X9QEVHSaki stepped sideways. Her feet slid across the floor like she was skating on ice. The sword swept over her head without hitting.tCna2Q
3y3f7WEFwoosh!XLTCY
XXyAs soon as the sound of air slicing vanished, Saki nearly lay flat on the ground and drew her bow.gzwc5
HXCYpEWhen the string brushed the center of her lips, she released the shot. The sharp arrow gleamed brightly, aimed straight between Abel’s eyes.qKKE
e1yAbel was running full speed, no time to dodge—n5Z
ZtCO3Crack.keKD
7NKD6Saki’s eyes widened in disbelief. Abel had caught the arrow with her teeth. Her mouth was soaked in blood.0MYoe
bkNUnable to dodge or counter due to inertia, she had chosen to bite it. Abel’s eyes burned with venomous fury.azWx0EC
hXuuSSaki fired another arrow immediately. But the trajectory was unstable, and Abel deflected it with ease.kwA
GkJvSq2The weakened arrows bounced across the ground, the walls, and nearby objects.ALnu3S
B8J1SAbel lunged forward. Her sharpened blade gleamed brightly. And right in front of her, Saki was falling backward.J6DJ
cajDEiNJust when Abel was certain of her victory over an apparently defenseless opponent—her pupils dilated.oa6z
R0Yrfq3“Abel, your problem… is that you only know how to charge forward.”DHPQrr
MA9ktqeSaki gave a faint smile.LaGCg
hnLCDr“You should look back once in a while too. Otherwise, you end up getting hit in the back of the head… like now, see?”PT9N
VetjBang. Bang. Bang.tFY
ZJykDGYOne 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.XFyNT
DvR“Don’t take it too hard if you lose. From this point on… it’s a matter of luck.”4tr
12AJx“…!”ld3If
OZJQ3gAn undetected arrow. A blade falling like thunder.obUXkGg
mXucThe two girls clashed in an eternal instant, each leaving everything to fate.6HO
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaIntense fight.