By the afternoon of the second day, the time for the mock battle against Class 2 arrived as scheduled. Luna’s Class 1 had already arrived together with the students from Class 2 in the classroom.
The venue for the mock battle was still inside the Training Building, with the two classes lined up on opposite sides, the Teacher standing in the middle.
“Hmm… There are a total of 86 students between the two classes. Everyone, please prepare to go on stage in the order I call your names.”
The Teacher standing at the center of the crowd said this after counting the students.
Luna and the others had already known their opponents since last night. Generally, the Teacher arranged mock battles between students of similar strength.
For example, if someone was A-Rank, their opponent would also be A-Rank, or at least not unreasonably higher.
“Everyone, please step back to make space for the students about to be tested. Now, the test officially begins.” The Teacher announced:
“Group 1, please come forward first. Group 2, get ready.”
Students from Class 1 and Class 2 quickly responded to the Teacher’s order, gathering together and then taking their seats, watching the upcoming test with eager anticipation.
Then I, along with a boy from the neighboring class, walked over to the Teacher and took the protective wristbands from her.
Yes, I was the first to go on stage.
When I saw the test arrangement yesterday, I was quite surprised that I was scheduled first.
So I barely had any time to prepare and had to put on my protective gear in the dorm beforehand.
Now, the boy and I had arrived at the designated testing area. We each took out our weapons; in my hand, I tightly gripped the small, sharp dagger.
I felt that my bow wouldn’t be much use in this fight, so I didn’t bring it out.
By the way, Eliza had appeared here again to cheer me on.
“Go for it, kid!”
Her voice pierced through the crowd, even more excited than Sister would be. If I were the only one who could see her, she would have surely become the center of attention by now.
“Test start!”
At the Teacher’s signal, the test officially began.
“I am Grev. Please be kind to me.” The young man first introduced himself.
Honestly, I was a bit impatient inside, eager to start fighting, but basic manners were still necessary.
“Luna, please take care of me.”
I replied briefly, then said no more as we quickly took our battle stances.
We stood at opposite ends of the arena, our eyes locked on each other, constantly alert for any offensive move. The air was thick with tension.
“Pardon my rudeness!”
Grev gave a low roar and lunged at Luna like a leopard, his body tracing a sharp arc through the air. His longsword gleamed coldly as it struck down like a mountain crushing onto Luna’s head.
But her eyes narrowed sharply, and her body shifted lightly like willow catkins in the wind, skillfully evading Grev’s strike.
At the same time, her right hand rose swiftly, the small, sharp dagger streaking through the air like a meteor in the night, meeting Grev’s longsword precisely.
“Clang!”
The clash of sword and dagger rang out crisp and sharp, sparks flying everywhere, as if the air itself was shaken by the force.
Such tremendous power!
Grev’s strength was so great that even Luna’s hand gripping the dagger trembled involuntarily.
But she quickly adjusted her breathing, stabilized her posture, and planted her feet firmly on the ground. Using the dagger’s flexibility, she rapidly switched between offense and defense, engaging in a fierce duel with Grev’s longsword.
Grev showed no weakness either; his muscles tensed as if every inch of skin contained boundless strength.
He exerted force again, the longsword carving a silver arc in the air, trying to break through Luna’s defense.
But Luna was like a cunning fox, nimbly dodging his attacks while seeking an opening to counterattack.
The two figures moved swiftly across the arena, swordlight and dagger’s cold glint intertwining. Every clash echoed deafeningly, accompanied by flying sparks.
After several rounds of testing each other’s moves, they both stood back at their original positions.
“Your footwork is quite good, miss.”
“You too. Strong strikes — I see you don’t treat me like some weak girl.”
“Of course not. Fighting with all one’s strength is the true respect, even if you’re as beautiful as a flower.”
“Well then, it’s my turn to show off!”
Luna called out coquettishly and launched a new assault. Holding the dagger, she pointed it at Grev and strode forward like a poised leopard ready to pounce.
Grev reacted quickly, flashing sideways to dodge Luna’s attack skillfully. But her strikes flowed smoothly like clouds and water, leaving no chance for Grev to catch his breath.
She twisted her body, and the dagger drew a beautiful arc in the air as it slashed horizontally toward Grev.
“Damn!”
Grev thought anxiously, but his hands were steady, immediately parrying with his rapier.
“Heh, good reflexes.”
Luna smiled lightly, her tone tinged with appreciation.
“You’re not bad either.”
Grev panted slightly. He had almost failed to block that attack and secretly admired her skill.
“Try to block this move!!!”
Luna shouted, launching another attack. Her figure flickered like a ghost, the dagger flashing coldly as it struck at Grev. He immediately raised his rapier and put all his strength into blocking the slash.
Just as Grev focused fully on defense, Luna suddenly executed a sweeping leg kick. Caught off guard, Grev’s ankle was hit, and he immediately lost balance, falling to the ground.
“What!”
The sudden turn of events stunned Grev. He was tripped by Luna’s sweep and hit the ground; just as he tried to stand, he found the dagger pressed against his neck.
“The outcome is decided.”
Luna’s voice was calm and cold, her eyes without any flicker of emotion. The wristband on Grev’s wrist suddenly cracked and dissolved into points of light in the air, marking the end of the fight.
Grev stared blankly at the place where the wristband had vanished, feeling a mix of emotions. He knew he had lost this battle and accepted it wholeheartedly. He looked at Luna, a glint of respect and reluctance in his eyes.
“Well fought, miss.” Grev took a deep breath and said with a hint of admiration.
“Maybe after this, we should go have a drink together. What do you think, miss?”
He suggested, his eyes shining with hope.
Luna put away her dagger, wearing a polite but distant smile as she looked at Grev.
“No need. I already have plans.” Her tone was soft but firm, clearly a polite refusal.
Of course, this was just an excuse Luna used to avoid further entanglement. She knew very well she didn’t want much interaction with Grev.
“The match is over! Class 1 wins!”
The Teacher standing outside announced.
“Well fought, kid.”
Eliza had watched the whole match and praised me.
I didn’t know why, but I became especially focused while on stage. When I fought against the training dummies before, I wasn’t this attentive.
Could it be because I drank the blood?
I attributed all this to having drunk the blood.
“All right! Next group, please come up!”
The Teacher then called the next group of students to be tested.
“By the way, Eliza…”
While watching others test, I quietly leaned close to Eliza and lowered my voice to ask:
“If you were the one going on stage, do you think you could beat them?”
Luna treated this as casual chat, curious about how it would be if Eliza actually fought.
After all, she gave off a mysterious and powerful vibe, making me eager to explore her strength.
Eliza smiled faintly at my words.
“If I told you that no one in this Academy, or even the entire world, is my match, would you believe me?”
“Come on, there are several Master Rank Psychics in this Academy alone. How could none of them be your match?”
Luna scoffed at her words, not believing Eliza could defeat all the psychics in the Academy.
“You don’t believe me even when I say it. What can I do?”
“Just tell me the truth. Can you beat them or not?”
“Sigh… Yes, yes. I can beat them all.”
“However, there is one person I definitely can’t.”
“Who?”
Luna asked curiously.
Eliza turned her head to look at me, her meaning very clear.
“That would be you.” Her words carried a hint of teasing, and Luna found no trace of lying in her eyes.
“After all, I am you. How could I beat myself?”
Just as Luna wanted to ask more, another voice came from beside her.
“What are you sneaking around by yourself for, little Luna?”
Sister had been sitting right next to me all along. Seeing me whispering alone, she asked in puzzlement.
“N-nothing, haha…”
Luna forced a smile to cover it up. She couldn’t see how Eliza would explain herself anyway.
“You’re so strange…”