Heavy rain hammered the ground.
Lightning tore open the sky.
Below it, the city trembled in terror.
In front of the academy's main building, two figures stood facing each other—still, silent, ready to bring each other down.
Rick and Will began to circle.
Their footsteps carved arcs into the wet stone, eyes locked, neither blinking. Then—without warning—they lunged.
Steel screamed as swords collided.
They struck while running, blades flashing in a relentless chain of attacks. Each clash sent sparks and shockwaves rippling through the air. Neither retreated. Neither hesitated.
They were fighting with everything they had.
Rick slid back a step, mana surging violently into his arm. He raised his sword and swung with full force.
Will blocked.
The impact detonated.
Even through the guard, the power blasted Will off his feet. His body tore through the air, smashed through a wall, and crashed into a stone desk inside the main building, splintering it apart.
Rick didn't pause.
He vanished forward.
Will barely rolled aside as Rick's blade cleaved into the floor where his head had been a moment earlier. Will dodged again—another strike—then another.
Rick pressed harder.
A storm of attacks followed. Will blocked what he could, dodged the rest, crashing through walls, skidding across the ground, forced backward step by step until—
The cafeteria.
Tables shattered. Plates exploded into fragments as they slammed through the space, the fight never slowing. Rick was relentless, driving Will back with raw aggression.
Will was being overwhelmed.
Rick grabbed whatever he could—plates, cutlery, debris—and hurled them. Will raised his guard instinctively—
That was the opening.
Rick closed the distance and kicked Will square in the chest, sending him crashing through a table and skidding across the floor.
"This brat have no honor." Will thought.
He didn't give Will time to breathe.
Rick thrust his sword down—
Will rolled at the last second. The blade pierced the floor where his skull should have been.
Will rolled across the shattered floor and kicked a chair toward Rick.
The chair smashed into Rick's chest, knocking him off balance.
Before Rick could recover, Will lunged.
His fist slammed into Rick's face.
Rick staggered back, but before Will could strike again—
A hand seized him from behind.
Rick's grip tightened around Will's neck.
The world narrowed.
Air vanished.
Rick dragged him backward, choking him, his voice low and furious. Will felt his vision blur, his body weakening as Rick poured his full strength into the hold.
But Will didn't fall.
He slammed his elbow back.
Again.
Again.
Rick's grip loosened.
Will twisted free and slammed Rick into the wall with brutal force. The impact cracked the tiles, but Rick refused to let go of the fight.
Will's breathing grew heavy. His chest burned. Will climbed up to a table and jumped, driving his weight down.
The table shattered.
Both crashed to the ground.
Rick released him.
For a moment, they lay there, gasping—pain tearing through their bodies.
Rick crawled toward his sword.
Will noticed.
He moved first.
Will grabbed Rick by the collar and hurled him through the broken window.
Glass exploded into the storm outside.
Rick's body flew out into the rain.
Will stood up slowly, catching his breath.
"Damn it… I don't have time for this," he muttered, his voice cold.
He picked up his sword, " I better head upward toward the headmaster's office."
Without hesitation, Will turned and ran, leaving the shattered cafeteria behind.
Outside, rain soaked Rick's body as he pushed himself up from the ground.
His hand trembled as he reached for his sword.
"So close…" he growled, teeth clenched.
He sheathed the blade, eyes burning with rage.
Then he stepped forward.
Rick wasn't finished.
He was going after Will.
Footsteps echoed violently through the halls.
Damn it…
Will sprinted through the academy, breath ragged, eyes scanning every corridor.
"Where the hell is the headmaster's room?"
He turned corner after corner, frustration building—
Then—
A kick.
Rick's strike slammed straight into Will's guard. Even blocked, the force was monstrous. Will was launched through the air, crashing through a wall and tumbling into an empty classroom. Desks shattered. Dust filled the air.
Rick stepped through the broken wall slowly.
One hand rested against the stone.
The other gripped his sword.
"So..., it looks like I can't avoid you anymore," Will muttered, staring at the ceiling.
He lay there for a moment, rainwater dripping through the cracks above.
Then he stood.
This time was different.
Will picked up his sword.
The air around him changed.
Rick noticed it instantly.
Killing intent.
Pure, sharp, undeniable.
"So," Rick said quietly, tightening his grip, "you're finally taking this seriously, huh?"
Will didn't answer.
He stepped forward, blade low, eyes cold.
"In that case," Rick continued, stepping into stance, "I'll give it everything I've got too."
They stopped a few meters apart.
Staring.
Neither could afford to hold back anymore.
Will—the former grandmaster—who had lost his mana pool and can't even use mana. But his physical body which became stronger as he became a grandmaster, is on par with a Aura-master and experience built through battle's.
On the other hand,
Rick-through this fight reached the peak of External-Art. But because of purity of his mana, his power can also be consider on par to Aura-Master.
Now, two people whose power is at the level of Aura-Master is going to fight.
The hallway trembled as pressure crushed the air between them.
They stared at each other for a brief moment.
Then—
they vanished.
In the space between where they had stood, two swords collided.
The impact ripped through the classroom like a storm. A violent burst of wind exploded outward, shattering windows, flipping desks, tearing the air apart. The walls groaned under the pressure.
Steel screamed.
They struck once—
then again.
Their blades rebounded, only to crash together harder than before. Each clash grew faster, sharper, more precise. Power piled upon power. Sparks carved lines through the air as they disappeared and reappeared, striking again and again, pushing their limits with every exchange.
The classroom couldn't contain them anymore.
They abandoned their swords.
Fists flew. Knees slammed. Tables shattered beneath their blows. Anything within reach became a weapon as they fought their way into the hallway.
Will moved first.
He charged, but Rick dodged at the last instant.
Rick's eyes narrowed.
Mana surged into his fist.
He struck upward.
The blow smashed into Will's chin—and the world exploded.
Will's body was launched straight through the ceiling, tearing through stone and metal as he was sent flying toward the roof of the academy.
Rick didn't hesitate.
He jumped after him.
The moment Rick reached the rooftop—
BOOM.
A massive blast erupted in the sky. Wind screamed outward in all directions, powerful enough to shake the city itself. Buildings trembled. Rain was torn apart mid-air.
Rick didn't look away.
His focus never left Will.
Rain poured down as Will descended from the sky, crashing onto the rooftop. He rolled, breath ragged, pain tearing through his body.
Slowly, he stood.
His hand tightened around his sword.
Rick stepped forward.
Now both of them stood at the edge of the academy's rooftop, perched like warriors on a mountain peak. The entire city lay spread beneath them, rain washing over stone and steel alike.
None of it mattered.
Not the storm.
Not the city.
Not the world below.
They were only focused on each other.
Two warriors.
One battlefield.
And the fight was far from over.
In the city—
at the very same moment—
Huff. Huff.
Blaze stood in the ruined arena, barely able to keep himself upright. His fingers trembled as they tightened around his sword, his chest burning as he fought for every breath. Slowly, painfully, he lifted his head and scanned the arena.
Only a handful remained standing.
Guards. Instructors. Students.
All of them were injured. All of them were exhausted.
Roy and Mroth were no exception.
They stood there in silence, eyes heavy, bodies shaking—until the sky roared.
A deafening blast tore through the air above them.
Everyone looked up at once.
The clouds had been ripped apart, leaving behind a massive hollow in the sky—as if something had punched straight through the heavens themselves.
"My… lord…"
The words slipped out of Blaze's mouth without him realizing it.
"Damn it… our master is going crazy," Mroth muttered, blood dripping from his bruised face as he struggled to steady his breathing. "What do you think will happen now?"
Roy didn't answer.
Seeing Roy silent, Mroth fell silent too.
The weight of the moment crushed them.
"Damn it… just what the hell is happening…"
Rome stood nearby, bent over, hands on his knees as he gasped for air. His vision blurred, his limbs screamed in pain.
"The headmaster is fighting spider's… master," Rome continued. "Some of the guards have already left the arena to escort the injured and Henry to safety. Many of us can barely stand… some didn't even make it out alive."
Rome's thoughts spiraled.
"Can I even survive this?"
"Wouldn't it be better to just run away?"
"Even Blaze and Michael—two of the strongest among us—looke like they are on the verge of collapse."
"Isn't running the smarter choice?"
"Isn't saving your life more important?"
The words echoed again and again in Rome's mind.
Then—
Memories surfaced.
"I don't hate you." making Rome's mind clear.
"I want to become your knight."
"You have talent."
More memories began to surface.
And then,
"My son… no matter what happens—never give up."
Rome clenched his teeth.
His past flooded his mind like a storm, every word cutting deeper than the pain in his body.
Slowly—steadily—he straightened his back.
He stood up.
And without looking back, Rome began to walk forward.
As Rome walked forward, a bitter thought crossed his mind.
"A knight? Me?
In a situation like this… I'm not even strong enough to stand beside my lord—let alone protect him."
He passed Blaze.
Passed Michael.
But he did not slow.
"Even so…
I will not run."
Rome's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"If i were to run now, My lord will definitely get angry at me for this. Aren't you, Rick."
Then—
His thoughts shattered.
Power surged.
Aura burst violently from his body, spiraling outward like a storm. It wrapped around his blade, condensing, sharpening—until the sword itself transformed.
An Aura Blade.
The moment it formed, the air trembled.
Rome had reached it.
Aura-Master.
Gasps echoed across the arena.
But before anyone could even speak, Rome lunged straight toward Roy.
Steel met steel.
Roy blocked the strike just in time, skidding backward under the force. As their swords clashed, Mroth moved—trying to strike Rome from behind.
"Sorry," Michael said calmly.
His blade flashed.
"But, I can't let you hurt my junior."
Blaze joined in without hesitation, attacking Roy and Mroth together. Forced back by the sudden pressure, Roy and Mroth retreated several steps.
The battlefield fell silent.
"You've got some guts," Michael said, staring at Rome. His expression was sharp—but not hostile.
"That was reckless," Blaze added as he walked up, placing a firm hand on Rome's shoulder. "But… given the situation, I'll let it slide."
He smirked.
"Now everyone even a rookie is fighting with courage. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"
Michael turned toward the crowd and shouted, "You're not the only ones who is tired."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Students stood up.
One after another.
"Don't take us lightly."
"You're not going to take all the glory!"
"Yeah—that's right!"
The arena trembled—not from fear—but from resolve.
" Aren't they are taking us lightly," Mroth said annoyed.
Roy smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, That confidence won't last tide had begun to turn.
long," he replied.
In the sky—
"Well, now that was a pretty big blast," Madrok said with a crooked smile.
"You've really become powerful."
Madrok kept talking—but Nuel said nothing.
He attacked.
"So you're not even going to talk to me now, huh?" Madrok laughed as he narrowly dodged the strike.
Magic collided midair.
Both Madrok and Nuel attacked relentlessly, weaving through each other's blows, striking and evading in rapid succession. Madrok continued dodging—until Nuel's spirit attack suddenly surged from behind.
But—
Madrok slipped away effortlessly.
"Nuel, Don't you think this crap has gone on for far too long," Madrok muttered, his expression darkening. He glanced down at his hand—mana thinning, flickering.
"My mana's running low too…"
He raised his eyes to Nuel.
"Don't you think it's about time we put an end to this?"
The Calm Before the Real Clash
The battle in the sky…
And the battle in the arena…
Both were slowly drawing to a close.
But
No one noticed.
No one knew—
That somewhere else, far from the eyes of the city, another battle was reaching its breaking point.
At the academy.
Rick and Will stood facing each other.
Bruises covered their bodies.
Their clothes clung heavily to them, soaked through as rain poured relentlessly from the sky.
Neither spoke.
Neither looked away.
Rain streamed down their faces—mixing with sweat, blood, and fury.
The world around them felt distant.