Chapter 357: A Different Angle [3]

Chapter 357: A Different Angle [3]



Swoosh-!

A sword sliced through the air, dancing on the wind as its sharp tip hurtled toward Leon, whose eyes narrowed in alarm. The speed of the attack left him breathless.

But...

Though he was tired, he still was able to react.

Bringing his sword up, he twisted it to the side and redirected the attack away from his body. Clank!

Sparks flew as he took a single step back.

"Hoo."

He let out a forced breath. Then, twisting his body, he turned his neck to the side, dodging the sword which twirled in the air and headed straight for his face.

Clank!

Leon twisted his body, once again turning his sword briefly and redirecting the sword away from himself.

Using this method, he was able to fend off the attack and recuperate some of his lost stamina.

He was slowly starting to get into the zone...

Clank, clank-

"Incredible."

Johanna mumbled, staring at Leon with a glint in her eyes. Being a knight herself, she understood perfectly what had happened and the complexity of Leon's movements.

She started to explain,

"....What Leon did is not something that most people can do. And that's taking into account knights who are stronger than him. What you see right here, is control in its purest form."

Johanna's eyes twinkled in delight.

The more she looked at Leon, the more her hand started to twitch.

She had never looked as interested in the fight as she did now. Karl, who had been with her the entire time, noticed the change as he asked,

"What do you mean by control?"

"...What I mean by control is the overall level of mastery that someone has over their abilities. In some sense, you can say that Caius is a master of control in the art of Emotive Magic."

"Uhm? But didn't he...?"

"Control can only help you so much."

Johanna helplessly smiled.

"Julien's case is different. While his control is not to the same degree as Caius, his overall power and intensity far outstripped Caius's control."

"So...?"

"If Julien had better control, he would've been able to win the fight a lot faster." "Hiss."

Karl took a deep breath.

Though he couldn't fully understand what Johanna said, all he knew was that by her words, Julien had massive rooms for growth. He was already terrifying, making his way to the finals. And now she was telling him that he could be even better...?

What sort of...

"It'll be an interesting fight if it gets to that point."

Johanna mumbled, her eyes tracing Leon's movements as though she was staring at a work of art.

"....Leon's control versus Julien's overwhelming power. And unlike Caius, this won't be a fight that will happen within Julien's turf."

Fidgeting with her hands, Johanna licked her lips.

All of a sudden, she started to anticipate the match. But...

"It's only if he can beat Aoife."

Looking down, and seeing Aoife manipulate the sword as though it were one of her limbs, she could feel the potential matchup difficult to occur.

Especially since...

"Ah!"

Karl jumped up from his seat, his hand pointing toward the broadcast as Aoife's eyes started to shine, lightning starting to crackle all around her.

"She's using another element!"

Fire, Darkness, Curse, and now Lightning...

What was her limit?

A magic circle formed on top of Leon's head as he deftly avoided the sword by carefully positioning his pivot and cushioning the attack. His expression turned grim as he noticed the magic circle above him, and with a low shout, he smashed his foot against the ground, pushing himself toward Aoife.

Bang!

The ground shattered at the force of his movement, and in a blur, he arrived before Aoife.

"Brilliant!"

Karl exclaimed, seeing Leon's movements.

"He's positioning himself within Aoife's range to stop her from attacking, knowing that any move she makes would risk injuring herself as well."

It was a brilliant move that Karl couldn't help but praise.

The audience also felt the same as they sat at the edge of their seats, staring at the fight with

bated breaths.

But...

"It's not that easy."

Johanna mumbled, her expression turning serious.

Cracka!

A terrifying 'clap' resounded through the air as all hair on Leon's body stood up, pointing toward the sky. His muscles started to twitch, while the area around him suddenly felt

weightless.

"....!"

His pupils constricted.

arena and you suddenly squeal, do expect people to look at you."

"Uh? What does that-"

Snap!

Evelyn snapped her fingers.

The world passed, and the surroundings froze.

Kiera lost her voice, and as she raised her head, her pupils constricted as a gigantic crack

appeared.

'What the...!'

Her vision grew dark shortly after that.

".....!"

By the time she regained herself, her body flinched as her eyelids snapped open. Her chest

heaved up and down repeatedly as light entered her eyes.

As she adjusted to the situation, she realized she was sitting in the audience.

It was quiet, and all eyes were focused on Aoife who suddenly started bleeding. Kiera stared at

the scene for a few seconds before letting out a long breath.

"Huuu."

Evelyn was right...

She would've been screwed had she shouted.

***

"Huu."

I closed my eyes and the air left my mouth.

'What did I just see...?'

My mind was in a mess. I had to forcibly recall the locks in order to cool down my emotions.

They were still rattling wildly in my mind, but they held on.

...I need to find a way to improve the spell.'

It was a self-created spell, and it couldn't yet be considered a spell.

It didn't even have a name.

At least, not yet.

There were a few necessary procedures that I had to take in order for it to be fully created into

a spell.

When everything was done and over, I planned on doing such steps.

"....."

Opening my eyes up again, the familiar room greeted my sight. The curtains ballooned as a

cold breeze wafted in, and staring at the bed, Aoife sat with a dazed look, kneeling as she

brushed the air.

"Where is she...?"

I scanned the room in look for the little girl, but wherever I looked, I couldn't find a single

trace of her.

'Where did she go?'

I was a little apprehensive and felt hesitant to chase after her given what I had just witnessed,

but two figures appeared before me. "What happened?"

It was Owl-Mighty and Pebble.

They were both looking at me with a serious look.

"Out of nowhere, the girl forced your hand to touch your own arm, and both of you froze in

place. Then, suddenly, the little girl was sent hurtling away."

"Is that what happened?"

"Yes."

So they didn't see...

"Do you happen to know where she went?"

"Yes."

Pebble nodded its little head, pointing toward the door.

"To the right."

"Right..."

"Are you not going to chase after her? She looked pretty weakened and different than before.'

I didn't answer immediately.

But licking my lips, my legs moved on my own as I already started to move out of the door.

'Right, he's probably left her body.'

All that was left was the soul of the little girl...

And as I thought about her, my heart started to feel heavy. But I had no choice. For all of this

to end, I had to do this.

"Haa."

Swallowing, I picked up the pace.