"NEXT DUEL! CELESTE SLEVAN VERSUS MARCUS ERSAN!"
"That's me!" Lucas heard Celeste say as she went onto the stage.
Her opponent, Marcus Ersan, was already there. He was a B-class student Lucas vaguely recognized from the battle royale.
He was tall, with straight black hair trimmed neatly around his ears and brushed back from his forehead. His build was athletic, broad in the shoulders and lean through the waist.
His face was handsome in a plain, uncomplicated way: balanced features, steady dark eyes, and a strong jaw kept clean-shaven.
His clothes were tidy and well-fitted, and a sword hung at his waist, the scabbard worn smooth from regular use.
"BEGIN!" Hendricks shouted.
"That's your stance? My grandmother fights better than that." Marcus said.
Celeste said nothing. Her hand rested on her sword's grip.
"That all you've got, princess? Maybe you should stick to embroidery." Marcus smirked.
"What's wrong? Cat got your..."
Marcus launched himself forward in an attempt to catch Celeste off guard. The first slash came from the right. Celeste shifted her weight and the blade passed by her shoulder.
Marcus pivoted and slashed left. Celeste leaned back. The edge missed by inches.
He thrust forward at her chest. Her sword came up. Steel rang against steel. She deflected it aside.
Marcus spun and delivered a horizontal cut at her waist. Celeste stepped inside his reach. The blade whistled behind her back.
He recovered instantly and chopped down at her head. She raised her sword. The blades met with a sharp crack.
Marcus pushed off and slashed diagonally. Celeste parried it to the side.
Another thrust came straight at her face. She tilted her head. The point passed by her ear.
Marcus growled and unleashed a flurry of cuts. High. Low. Left. Right. His sword became a blur.
Celeste's feet danced across the ground. She swayed left. Ducked right. Her sword moved in tight circles, deflecting what she couldn't dodge. Not a single strike touched her.
Celeste's eyes narrowed and then she lunged forward.
Her sword shot out in a straight thrust aimed at Marcus's heart. The speed was tremendous.
Marcus's blade came across in a desperate block. The impact jarred his arms. His feet skidded backward.
He recovered and slashed horizontally at her neck.
Celeste didn't retreat. She bent her knees and jumped.
She soared high into the air. The sword passed beneath her boots.
Marcus looked up. His eyes widened.
Celeste descended feet-first. Her boots slammed down onto the top of Marcus's head.
He crumpled under the impact. His knees buckled and he dropped to a crouch.
Celeste sprang off his head and landed lightly behind him.
Marcus staggered upright. His hand flew to his hair. His carefully groomed, slicked-back dark hair was now a mess. Dirt was smudged all across the top.
"You..." His face flushed red.
He spun and slashed wildly at where she stood.
Celeste sidestepped. The blade cut through empty air.
But Marcus's swing was too wide. The edge of his sword passed through the left side of his own hair.
A chunk of dark hair fell to the ground.
Marcus froze. His free hand touched the side of his head. His fingers found the uneven, chopped strands.
His face turned crimson. His eyes bulged.
"You ruined it! [Fireball]" he screamed.
His left hand thrust forward. Orange light flared in his palm.
A fireball erupted from his hand. It hurtled toward Celeste.
She dove to the right. The fireball scorched past her and exploded against a pillar. It shattered and climbed up it.
Marcus's other hand came up. Another fireball formed instantly.
He flung it. This one tracked her movement.
Celeste rolled forward. The fireball passed over her back and detonated in the dirt behind her.
Marcus roared. Both hands glowed orange now. A third fireball materialized. It was larger than the first two.
He hurled it with both hands. The fireball roared through the air like a meteor.
Celeste rose from her roll. She gripped her sword with both hands and raised it high.
The fireball closed in.
She swung down.
The blade split the fireball in two. The halves exploded on either side of her. Heat washed over her body. Flames billowed outward.
But Celeste was already moving.
Blue light erupted along her sword. It traced patterns in the air as she moved. Her entire form blurred.
"[Azure Flash]" she said.
She vanished.
Marcus's head whipped left and right as he tried to see where she went.
A blue streak shot across the arena.
Celeste materialized directly in front of him. Her sword was already in position.
The cold edge rested against Marcus's throat. The steel pressed into his skin just enough to make him feel it.
Marcus froze.
"Yield," Celeste said.
Marcus's scrunched his brows and his face was deep in thought. It seemed he was thinking if he had any way out.
"I said yield."
"I-I give up." Marcus shouted, looking like he would shit his pants on the spot.
Celeste smiled and said, "Thank you for letting me win."
She then held the blade there for one more second. Then she pulled it back and stepped away.
Marcus's hand immediately went to his hair again. He touched the chopped sections.
"My hair," he muttered. "My beautiful hair. I can't believe you ruined it."
"Maybe you should stick to hairstyling. Even my grandma would fight better than you," she said.
Marcus's looked up like he wanted to respond but he decided to keep his mouth shut when he saw the look on Celeste's face.
Marcus dropped to his knees. "Why," he shouted to no one in particular. "Why my hair? My beautiful hair!"
By now, the medics were rushing towards him but he was so caught up in the greig for his hair that he didn't even notice.
Celeste jumped off the stage and by some miracle landed right beside Lucas.
"So what do you think? I'm worthy to be your fiancee, aren't I?" She said.
Lucas didn't pay her words anymind.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"