The arena greeted Azriel with a deathly silence.
None of those present knew whether to applaud or hold their breath; it was as though they were looking at someone or something they did not understand, and this incomprehension fascinated them as much as it frightened them.
The Demon King's daughter herself.
Azriel continued to walk through the coliseum without looking at the people watching her; she could sense their gazes and their feelings towards her, the curious stares, the fearful stares, the stares trying to find something to criticise so as not to be afraid, for humans, elves, half-humans and demons alike fear what they cannot control, what cannot be understood, and she had known this ever since she was a child. She did not even glance at them, for in her eyes they counted for absolutely nothing.
The only thing that mattered at that moment was the man on the other side.
Caelum
A second-year student, tall and well-built, with that quiet confidence that most second-years had displayed so far, at least, that was what she had observed. He carried a two-handed sword, a weapon designed to shatter his enemy. Caelum's gaze was not one of fear; it was the gaze of someone who underestimated no one.
'This is off to a good start' thought Azriel: 'Enemies who underestimate their opponents are boring.'
She stopped a few paces in front of him, hands behind her back, as if nothing frightened her and defeat was not an option.
***
In the stands, Solvane wasn't tired this time; no, she was in a state she couldn't quite explain to herself.
She watched Azriel enter the arena with a breathtaking ease, as if she had been pacing that arena for ages; she didn't really feel worry or anxiety, but rather as if today, at this very moment, she was about to witness something she would never forget.
She clenched her fists and waited.
***
Caelum attacked first
A powerful, direct strike, without any superfluous movements, a charge intended to shatter any defence or resistance and to destabilise the enemy. Azriel did not move a single centimetre as she watched the sword approach her head. She showed no sign of panic, as if all this were second nature to her. At the very last moment, she moved exactly one metre to the side; to everyone's astonishment, the sword had not touched a single hair on Azriel's head, but only the wind. And she stood there watching him like a predator observing its prey. Caelum stepped back, not out of fear, but out of instinct.
'Did he sense something was amiss? Not bad,' thought Azriel, her hands behind her back, remaining completely still
Whispers began in the stands of the Colosseum.
Caelum frowned; this time it wasn't a direct attack but a more sophisticated one. He swept the ground to send dust towards the demonic princess, limiting her field of vision, and attacked again with a diagonal strike. Azriel dodged and struck his sides with a palm strike, then stepped back before he could gain the upper hand.
The exchange continued
Caelum was gaining ground, at least in appearance. Azriel gave him only the little he needed, but not enough to put her in danger. It was like trying to catch an eel in the water: she always slipped away before one could get a hold of her.
From the stands, someone watched the match with the utmost attention.
Solvane.
She was watching Azriel's feet,not her hands, not her face or her body, but her feet,how she repositioned herself after every exchange, always slightly out of Caelum's striking range.
It was not just a fight but a game of chess, and Azriel moved her pawns with a single aim: to win. She gave her opponent no ground; far from it, she was probably guiding him into a trap she had set.
Caelum began to act recklessly; his moves were becoming more ambitious, more sweeping, revealing clear signs of impatience.
And that was exactly the opening Azriel had been waiting to exploit.
'Every opponent has a weakness, and even if they don't show it, the students are proud, which, whilst it may not hinder a top-tier candidate, makes them alert and more aggressive, not to mention that gigantic weapon that makes him abnormally slow,' Azriel thought sarcastically.
She closed her eyes for a split second, not long enough to leave an opening for the enemy.
The aura gathered within her—in her legs, her hands, her arms, in every muscle, nerve and fibre of her body, with surgical precision.
Then she opened her eyes again and suddenly changed her rhythm.
In the stands, one could sense that something had changed without quite putting their finger on it, but Caelum was right in front of her; of course, he understood what was happening.
'But who on earth is this girl? She's not just the daughter of the Demon King; she's a monster herself' thought Caelum, terrified
Azriel began to attack savagely; she struck where he least expected it. She hit him before he could prepare himself and vanished just as quickly, disappearing from his field of vision only to reappear elsewhere and attack him again and again.
Three exchanges, then five, and five turned into seven, then thirteen
Every time Caelum was struck, he lost ground, and it wasn't calculated; it was a sign that he was slowly losing the illusory advantage Azriel had established from the start.
In the stands, no one spoke; they were all absorbed by the fight, as if a drug were transporting them to a new world.
Even Solvane had stopped breathing without realising it.
A katana appeared at Azriel's belt; it was made of a mixture of red and black.
The blade slid from its sheath with an almost inaudible sound, a whisper of metal that made the first few shiver.
The blade transformed
It lengthened, slowly transforming into something else—no, it was more as if it were returning to its original form, or a form it was accustomed to taking.
A scythe of the same colour as the katana appeared in the young princess's hands
No one in the stands had made a sound since that moment.
Caelum stopped.
She didn't strike to wound him, no, to neutralise him before he could even become a threat.
"It's over," said Azriel.
Her voice was flat; it held no malice or hatred; she was simply stating an irrevocable fact.
Caelum looked at the blade, then looked at her, and let out a resolute sigh.
He laid his sword on the ground.
"A thunderous round of applause for young Azriel, who is the first to defeat a second-year," announced Alice in an excited voice
The crowd finally realised what had happened.
The crowd, which had been holding its breath, could finally breathe again, and shouts from all around echoed throughout the coliseum.
***
In the stands, Solvane breathed slowly.
She hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath during the match.
'Since when has Azriel been fighting with a scythe? I remember she used to admire her big sister Elisabeth a lot and always fought with a katana, whether it was her bound weapon or not,' thought Solvane.
'How many other things are you keeping to yourself?'
Then Azriel appeared by her side again.
"Are you all right?" Solvane asked Azriel
"Yes, why would I be hurt?" she replied with a slight smile to Solvane.
"Good," Solvane breathed.
An announcement suddenly rang out.
"The final match will be between Kaen and Princess Seraphina."
"Azriel, wait—where is Kaen anyway?" she asked, panicked.
Azriel frowned
and replied, surprisingly calmly
"He might just turn up there now by some stroke of luck."
Though the way she was clutching the chair suggested she was anything but calm
A few minutes passed.
The princess was in the arena, and he still wasn't there.
Alice announced, "It looks like Kaen has taken to his heels."
A voice that seemed to come from nowhere appeared.
"You know, princess, it'll take more than that to impress me."
"He's here," whispered Azriel
Whispers spread through the coliseum.
"But that looks just like the Butcher."
"So it was the Butcher after all."
The whispers were incessant.
"Good luck, my brother," whispered Solvane