"How could he freeze a sea stretching for a hundred kilometers in an instant? Until now, he had never used any Art technique, and now he's demonstrating it to us... His Art manipulates the element of ice! It's prodigious," declared a commander, clearly amazed by Kyriel's feat.
Kyriel continued his frantic run and had already crossed halfway across the frozen expanse when Larva appeared.
"Ice? After a dark tunnel, now we have to cross an icy sea? How tiring!" he exclaimed, running across the frozen ground, unaware that this surface was only an illusory sea frozen by Kyriel's power.
Shortly after, other apprentices arrived on the scene: Iris, Jessica, William, and Thomas. Everyone crossed the frozen expanse, unaware that it was merely an illusion. Kyriel, Larva, Iris, Jessica, William, and Thomas had already reached the other shore when a man with a dark aura approached, slowly, slowly: Thorne.
"This ice is the result of an Art technique... Which means this sea wasn't frozen before," he noted, placing his hand on the icy surface. It absorbed it entirely, revealing the illusory sea, whose horizon seemed infinite.
"An illusory sea... I understand. One of the participants froze it to dispel the illusion. His power must be extraordinary. He could well be the Time Freeze Man... Interesting," Thorne murmured, a mischievous smile on his lips.
"Body Modification Art: Falcon," he pronounced. Immediately, wings sprouted from his back and he launched himself into the air at lightning speed.
Amazement gripped the crowd of spectators. If freezing the illusory sea had been impressive, Thorne's pure and simple absorption of this ice aroused both admiration and fear.
"This young man is capable of absorbing secondary spirits and even Art techniques! And now he's using a body modification Art... How many affinities does he possess?" wondered a commander with round glasses.
"An absorption spell followed by a bodily transformation... The level of the apprentices in this competition is prodigious," declared an old man.
A few moments later, two figures appeared at the edge of the sea: Bertrand and Clé.
"There's no end to it in sight... Is this sea infinite?" Clé asked, impressed.
"Either it really is, or we're dealing with an illusion spell," replied Bertrand.
"In that case, it's just a trick designed to give us the impression of immensity. We shouldn't worry about it and continue on our way," replied Clé.
"I know... My technique will be more appropriate," concluded Bertrand.
"Water Creation Art: Sphere," he invoked, tracing a circle with his hands. A watery bubble enveloped them both and propelled them at high speed across the illusory surface.
In total, nine apprentices had already crossed the sea. The others arrived one by one, each using their own art, but many of them gave up, deceived by the illusion of infinity. Only eighty reached the other side, including Kyriel, Larva, Iris, Jessica, William, Thomas, Thorne, Bertrand, Clé, Wraith, Chloé, Benjamin, Kaal, and Nicole.
Far ahead, leading the race, Kyriel had already traveled eight hundred kilometers. Suddenly, a shadow appeared and grabbed him: it was a skeletal figure, armed with a scythe, dressed in a long black robe that obscured its face. It resembled a grim reaper, and the energy it emanated was so intense that it seemed to distort the surrounding space.
"A grim reaper! A grim reaper has appeared! It's unthinkable!" »
"Good heavens, this is even worse than a secondary spirit!" cried the stunned spectators.
"This tournament must be ended immediately," said one of the twelve division commanders, astonished.
"How could the kings allow such creatures into a student swordsmanship exam? Against this reaper, a secondary spirit would look like an amateur," added another commander.
"A reaper possesses energy equal to, and sometimes greater than, that of a seasoned master swordsman! She has no business being here!" added the bespectacled commander.
Even the divine kings exchanged glances of surprise, except for one of them, who remained impassive, even displaying an enigmatic smile.
Kyriel continued his run, unconcerned, when the reaper raised his scythe, described a wide circle, and projected a circular wave of considerable magnitude in his direction. In response, Kyriel reached out his hand, clasped two fingers, and released a burst of light that transformed into a luminous circle, striking the attack head-on.
When the two techniques collided, there was a crash, followed by a violent blast that pushed the reaper back. The crowd cheered, while most of the commanders remained stunned.
"He repelled a reaper's attack with disconcerting ease!" the crowd shouted. But something even more frightening was about to occur...
Behind the first creature, three more reapers appeared, ready to perform the same technique as their counterpart a few moments before.
"Four reapers at once?" "This boy is in mortal danger," thought the old man. But what was about to happen would surpass even the appearance of these three new entities.
The reapers raised their scythes and, tracing wide circles in the air, were preparing to project imposing waves of circular energy towards Kyriel, when he was heard to whisper:
"Sacred Art of Eternal Radiance: Illumination."
At these words, a light of incredible intensity unfolded, flooding the entire area. When it reached the reapers, they disintegrated instantly. Without wasting a moment, Kyriel accelerated his pace to a prodigious speed, covering the remaining two hundred kilometers in the time equivalent to ten blinks of an eye. He crossed the line, placed the crystal on the stele, and was immediately teleported into the arena.
The flash was so powerful that it momentarily blinded the entire crowd, and even Larva, Iris, Jessica, William, Thomas, and Thorne, who were running several kilometers away, noticed the glow. A deathly silence fell over the stadium for about twenty seconds, as Kyriel appeared, standing there, looking entranced.
— This is unbelievable!
— Unimaginable!
— Unspeakable!
— Monstrous!
These were the thoughts that crossed the minds of the spectators, stunned by what they had just witnessed. The twelve commanders were speechless, and the divine kings themselves seemed even more impressed. All had just witnessed a feat worthy of a being whose power surpassed that of a master swordsman.
Then, as if to break the spell, the crowd began to roar with all their might, so loudly that it seemed as if the very foundations of the stadium were shaking under the roar of their voices.
"Who is this child?" one of the commanders asked.
"He wiped out four reapers in an instant, then covered kilometers at lightning speed... I've never seen a young man of such talent," another replied.
"What he just said... Was it a Sacred Art? Has he already attained enlightenment in his Art? It's terrifying..." mused one of the divine kings, completely taken aback.
"That boy... He's as powerful as Larva, maybe even more so!" thought the old man, standing in the middle of the crowd, stunned.
The audience's deafening cheers dispelled Kyriel's trance-like state. When he regained full consciousness, he was still completely unaware of the feat he had just accomplished. Around him, he could only make out a huge, jubilant crowd applauding him wildly. Embarrassed, he put his right hand behind his head, gave a clumsy smile, and waved to the crowd with his other arm.
"Thank you all! Thank you all!" he shouted, not even understanding the reason for such enthusiasm.
"Why the shouting?" he thought. "All I remember is running, going through a gate... and then, nothing, until this moment."
He scanned the arena, puzzled.
"Is the race over? Where are the other apprentices?"
Having eliminated all the reapers in his path, he had made it easier for the other participants to cross, who no longer encountered any obstacles. Thus, shortly after his arrival, another apprentice appeared in the arena: Larva Leventis. At the sight of her, the crowd erupted in cheers again. Larva immediately stared at Kyriel.
"Hey, you!" he called.
"Uh... me?" Kyriel replied, surprised.
"Yes, you, idiot. Do you see someone else here, perhaps?" retorted Larva, annoyed.
"Me, a fool? And what do you want from me, exactly?" grumbled Kyriel.
"Your name?"
"My name? I'm Kyriel St. Patrick, and one day I'll become a master swordsman!" he replied confidently.
"One day? The exam is today, I remind you."
"Ah, yes... so, today, I, Kyriel St. Patrick, will become a master swordsman!"
"That's what I said... A real fool," concluded Larva, hands in her pockets, walking with a nonchalant gait.
"I'm not a fool!" protested Kyriel. "And what's your name?"
"My name doesn't matter, kid," replied Larva, lying down on the ground.
"Kid? But we're about the same age!"
"Maybe... but I'm not a fool." Kid.
"That lemonhead is really out of it..." Kyriel breathed.
A vein immediately pulsed in Larva's temple, and she jumped up and grabbed Kyriel by the collar.
"Who are you calling a lemonhead? And, for your information, my hair is metallic yellow, not bright yellow. There's a nuance."
"So? Yellow is yellow."
"Hahaha... you really are an idiot. But I have to admit, you're never boring," Larva declared, before lying back down.
Kyriel looked at him, torn between disbelief and perplexity.
Soon after, other participants arrived one after the other: Iris, Jessica, William, Thomas, Thorne, Bertrand, Clé, Wraith, Chloé, Kaal, and Benjamin.
"Who allowed you to place your crystal on the stele before me, bald man?" Benjamin snapped, grabbing Kaal by the collar.
"I'm not bald, I'm a monk. And my name is Kaal," Kaal replied, grabbing him as well.
Forty-six other apprentices made their entrances in turn, until only one spot remained among the sixty qualified. The last to appear was Nicole, thus sealing the list of finalists.
At her appearance, the crowd roared so loudly that the arena stands seemed to shake.
"This kid manipulates ice, dispels illusions, and uses a Sacred Art... He's absolutely no ordinary kid," thought a divine king.
Amidst the commotion of the sixty qualified, Thorne watched Kyriel with a dark look and a smile as cold as it was malevolent.
"So... you're my prey," he thought, his lips stretched into a devilish grin.