The air shivered from the force of their clash.
Unwavering, each of them pressed on, unleashing thousands of strikes in an instant. Space quaked in their wake.
The demon's katana flashed forward in a fierce glint of crimson that threatened to devour Levi. Calmly, Levi parried. Not wasting a moment, he drove his blade forward in a power thrust.
The demon twisted at an absurd angle, dodging the blade by the skin of his teeth. Levi was not done, pressing his advantage, his leg shot forward in a blur, throwing the demon back several meters.
The demon landed on his foot. His eyes were locked on Levi. For a moment, silence reigned. It felt like a staring contest between two titans, one calm and observant, the other itching to squeeze all knowledge from his opponent.
The demon raised his katana, flames erupting from its tip. In a single motion, he launched into the sky. The flames on his katana began to condense, forming a massive lance structure over the katana's tip. The demon dived at full speed, his katana faced downward as the lance began to rotate on its tip.
The katana clashed against Levi, a burst of flames spiralling, devouring everything around. The temperature increased by several hundred degrees, making it seem like they were fighting in the heart of a volcano.
The smoke began to clear, revealing Levi, unscathed and speckless. For the first time since the battle started, the demon was truly surprised. His eyes widened as he looked at Levi.
Their blades were against each other. The demon somersaulted back, landing gracefully, far from Levi.
"You really thought that could hurt me?" Levi grinned. "But, since you showed me your sword technique, I should do the same."
Xavier's katana began to glow brightly. First, flames, then lightning, then water. All elemental affinity he had began to pulse within the katana, making it tremble in his grasp.
The demon did not wait for Levi to charge up; he used the advantage. He swung, releasing a wide arc of flame that reached Levi in an instant.
Levi's grin spread further. He swung his katana in defense, breaking the arc cleanly. Despite swinging, the charge did not stop. The flames were even devoured to strengthen the charge.
Levi lunged at full speed, his body glowing with elemental energy as he moved. The demon stood motionless, his katana held from as he read his opponent.
Levi brought his sword down, but the demon was ready. He raised his katana, creating after-images from the sheer speed.
But it did not account for Levi's adaptability.
Levi's katana shimmered out of existence at the last minute. He had used a feint to deceive the demon.
From the side, Levi's katana materialized again, slicing in full force. The demon was not fast enough. The katana sliced through him cleanly, splitting him into two halves.
But Levi was not done. The attack he was charging was never meant for the demon.
He faced up. It was just an ordinary sky, nothing out of the ordinary, that was what Levi also saw, until he boosted his cognition with nanites.
He discovered that they were in an isolated space, one created by a person who had a really high level of space manipulation, perhaps a god.
His sword cleaved in a world-ending strike. An arc, rainbow colored shot from the edge of the sword, screaming with power as it surged forward.
A crack appeared in the sky, then it began to expand, slowly, until the entire space fragmented.
The field that had become a run from the clash between Levi and the demon reverted to normal. Clearly, the place they had fought was just inside another space made to replicate the field, but it was not the real field.
Lev's head spun as the technique dizzied him. The technique he used looked simple, but it was far from simple. It devoured all mana from its surroundings, from whatever it touched, to boost its power.
If Levi could absorb enough mana, he could kill a true God while being at the grandmaster tier. But that was a far-fetched dream, something that was still impossible for the current Levi.
"To think that the same thing I did to someone this morning was done to me," he muttered with a smile.
"How long are you going to stay there, though?" He said into thin air. "Or do you think I didn't notice you?'
Selene appeared out of thin air, just a few meters away from Levi. Her eyes were locked on the anomaly that stood before her.
She did not believe what she witnessed. Having arrived here while Levi was fighting against the Paragon demon, she could not think of any other word but ridiculous.
"You are very strong," she said, not hiding her admiration. There was nothing to hide in it, in a world like Zenithra, only strength mattered, and it was only natural for people to like the strong
Levi received the compliment with a smile.
Before he could speak, however, 2 people descended from above, clad in black armor. Their aura was supreme and undiluted, clearly the aura of true gods.
"Levi Orrin, the principal, wants to meet you," one of them spoke, his tone aloof and cold.
'I knew this would happen,' Levi sighed. "Alright," he nodded.
With his approval, they disappeared from the place.
Selene stood there, rooted in place as she replayed the scene of Levi fighting against the demon in her mind with perfect clarity. "If we were to ever fight, the only reason I would defeat him is by using my full power," she muttered.
Although she had witnessed Levi's skill and power, she was still sure that if she went all out, she could defeat Levi.
"But I will never use that, even if I die," she said in a low voice. "To think that the entire invasion was a part of the test."
All around the academy, the first-year students stared wide-eyed as the space broke, and the demons they were fighting vanished without any trace.