The battle had already lasted fifteen minutes.
Fifteen long minutes of relentless exchanges.
The arena floor bore the scars of combat.
Sword marks carved through stone.
Ice fragments scattered across the battlefield.
Burn marks and shattered magical constructs littered the ground.
The protective barriers surrounding the arena glowed faintly under repeated impacts.
The spectators had long since stopped treating the match as a simple academy exercise.
Now they watched with complete attention.
Even several instructors had become interested.
Because the battle unfolding before them was surprisingly sophisticated.
Valeryn Darkhart and Aedon Flinth.
Against the dagger specialist and the mage.
Neither side had managed to secure a decisive advantage.
Yet momentum constantly shifted.
Like waves crashing against one another.
Again.
And again.
And again.
At the rear of the battlefield, Kel released another arrow.
TWANG.
The projectile flew across the arena.
The mage immediately altered her casting path.
The spell formation shifted.
The attack missed its intended timing.
Exactly as Kel intended.
Yet as the arrow struck the ground—
His quiver finally felt light.
Very light.
Kel glanced inside.
One arrow remained.
Only one.
The spectators noticed immediately.
A murmur spread through the audience.
"The archer is almost out."
"Only one left."
"So now he'll switch weapons."
"Probably daggers."
"No."
"His sword."
"He'll use the transforming sword."
Various theories immediately spread.
Across the battlefield—
The opposing mage noticed as well.
Hope appeared in her eyes.
Finally.
The support pressure might disappear.
For fifteen minutes she had felt as though invisible hands constantly interfered with her every spell.
Every cast.
Every movement.
Every decision.
The pressure wasn't overwhelming.
It was simply constant.
Annoyingly constant.
Meanwhile—
Valeryn was currently exchanging blows with the dagger specialist.
CLANG!
Steel collided.
The dagger user spun low.
Valeryn blocked.
A second dagger flashed toward her side.
The crimson-haired noblewoman stepped aside.
Then counterattacked.
The assassin retreated immediately.
Neither gaining ground.
Neither yielding.
Then—
Valeryn noticed something.
Kel wasn't reaching toward his quiver.
Instead—
His bow transformed.
Click.
The elegant weapon folded inward.
Moments later a sword appeared.
The audience immediately nodded.
As expected.
Yet then—
Kel did something unexpected.
Very unexpected.
He took his final arrow.
Then inserted it directly into the hidden mechanism within the sword.
Click.
The arrow locked into place.
Several students blinked.
Valeryn noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren's voice echoed inside Kel's mind.
"You're using the fourth form."
Kel remained focused.
"Aren't you being slightly excessive for a student exercise?"
"Not really."
The goddess laughed.
"Your definition of reasonable concerns me."
Meanwhile—
Mana gathered.
Not lightning.
Water.
Pure water mana.
Blue currents flowed around the hidden arrow.
The sword hummed softly.
The spectators became confused.
Several exchanged glances.
Water?
Why water?
Even Valeryn looked surprised.
Because she remembered very clearly what happened the last time an arrow was loaded into that mechanism.
A training target had ceased existing.
The audience expected destruction.
Explosions.
Lightning.
Violence.
Instead—
Water mana gathered.
The choice seemed strange.
Then—
Kel looked toward Valeryn.
Their eyes met briefly.
No words.
No elaborate explanation.
Just a simple gesture.
A small movement of his hand.
The signal was clear.
Jump back.
Valeryn trusted her instincts.
And surprisingly—
She trusted him.
Without hesitation—
The noblewoman disengaged.
The dagger user blinked.
Confused.
Valeryn landed beside Kel.
Her crimson hair swept through the air as she touched the ground.
The audience became puzzled.
Why retreat?
Why surrender pressure?
Why create distance?
Meanwhile—
The opposing team immediately advanced.
The mage raised her staff.
The dagger specialist charged forward.
Then—
Kel thrust his sword.
BOOM!
The arena shook.
The compressed arrow launched forward.
The air screamed.
The projectile became a blue streak racing across the battlefield.
The mage's eyes widened.
The dagger specialist reacted instantly.
Excellent instincts.
She moved.
Attempting to intercept.
Attempting to deflect.
Attempting to stop the attack.
Unfortunately—
The projectile wasn't aimed to destroy.
It was aimed to hit.
A subtle difference.
The arrow struck.
Not fatally.
Not violently.
The compressed water exploded.
A massive sphere of water erupted outward.
WHOOSH!
The dagger specialist disappeared beneath a wave.
The mage vanished beneath it moments later.
Water scattered everywhere.
The battlefield became soaked.
The two girls stumbled backward.
Drenched.
Completely drenched.
Their uniforms clung slightly from the water.
Their weapons dripped.
Their hair became soaked.
The audience blinked.
Silence followed.
Several students looked confused.
One finally spoke.
"...That's it?"
Another nodded.
"It was water."
A third frowned.
"I don't understand."
Across the battlefield—
The opposing team didn't understand either.
The attack hadn't injured them significantly.
It hadn't knocked them out.
It hadn't even disrupted them for long.
The mage quickly recovered.
The dagger specialist wiped water from her face.
Then—
Valeryn looked toward Kel.
The noblewoman's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"Aedon."
Kel glanced sideways.
"Yes?"
The corners of Valeryn's lips curved upward.
Not because she didn't trust him.
Because she knew there had to be a reason.
There was always a reason.
"You once launched a lightning-charged arrow powerful enough to destroy half a training field."
Her gaze shifted toward the soaked opponents.
"Yet now you used water."
A pause followed.
"Why?"
The crowd listened carefully.
Many shared the same question.
Kel looked toward the opposing team.
Then slowly lowered his sword.
Blue sparks appeared around the blade.
Tiny at first.
Almost invisible.
Then—
More appeared.
And more.
And more.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
The realization came instantly to Valeryn.
Her crimson eyes widened.
Then—
She smiled.
A dangerous smile.
Kel calmly spoke.
"What happens..."
Lightning crawled along the sword.
"...when lightning strikes wet people?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
The audience froze.
The opposing team froze.
The mage froze.
The dagger specialist froze.
Then realization arrived.
Collectively.
Like divine revelation.
"Oh."
Valeryn's smile widened.
"Oh."
The noblewoman immediately understood.
The water wasn't the attack.
The water was preparation.
The battlefield had been transformed.
Every droplet had become part of the strategy.
Every wet surface had become a conductor.
Every puddle had become a trap.
The realization sent excitement through her veins.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Without hesitation—
Lightning erupted around her sword as well.
CRACK.
Golden currents danced across the blade.
The air filled with static.
The spectators immediately stepped backward.
Instinctively.
Several felt their skin tingle.
The atmosphere became dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Meanwhile—
The opposing team finally understood what was happening.
And unfortunately—
They understood too late.
The mage raised her staff.
The dagger specialist tightened her grip.
Both prepared themselves.
Across the arena—
Kel and Valeryn stood side by side.
For the first time all battle.
Not separated.
Not playing support and frontline.
Not controlling distance.
Not managing battlefield flow.
Standing together.
Ready.
Lightning surrounded both swords.
Blue currents danced around Kel.
Golden arcs wrapped around Valeryn.
The arena floor crackled.
Tiny sparks jumped between the stones.
The wind itself seemed charged.
Valeryn glanced sideways.
A faint smile appeared.
One carrying genuine excitement.
"Aedon."
Kel looked toward her.
"What?"
The noblewoman's voice became quieter.
More sincere.
More honest.
"For someone who keeps insisting he lacks talent..."
Her crimson eyes reflected dancing lightning.
"...you certainly have a habit of creating troublesome strategies."
Kel laughed softly.
Then adjusted his grip.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should."
Valeryn's smile widened.
"Because it was."
For a brief moment—
Neither moved.
The battlefield stood frozen.
Four students.
Two teams.
One storm gathering.
Then—
The lightning intensified.
The next phase of the battle was about to begin.
And every spectator present could feel it.
The true clash had only just started.