"Prince Kian…?"

Leon genuinely did not expect that name to call him.

Prince Kian Astria of the Sinoma Kingdom.

The third child of the Astria royal family, rulers of Sinoma. Through political ties with Liora's monarchy, the Astrias maintained friendly relations with the Lunovar family as well.

In the game, Kian's role had been minor.

He existed mainly to challenge Ethan after falling behind him, only to fade out once Ethan proved to be unreachable to him.

But that didn't happen. After Leon's interference, however, Kian's attention had shifted entirely toward him.

'The hell is wrong with this brat?' Leon thought.

He glanced at Kian properly this time. A refined, almost flawless face, with violet hair falling neatly over equally violet eyes. Sharp features, a slightly narrow chin.

Anyone could tell at a glance that he wasn't a local of Liora.

"Do you want to or not?"

Kian repeated himself, his brows narrowing slightly.

Leon turned fully toward him. He rubbed his chin, pretending to think, deliberately letting a few seconds pass.

"Are you sure you want to pair up with me?"

Kian's expression soured instantly.

"What?"

"I'm serious," Leon said calmly. His tone did not change, nor did he look down on Kian.

"I won't hold back," he continued. "So if you're thinking this duel is a way to make me look weak in front of everyone else, you should step back now."

Kian froze.

For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard him.

This was not how it was supposed to go.

He had expected resistance, or arrogance, or even mockery.

Instead, Leon sounded like he was stating an obvious fact right at his face.

As if the outcome was already decided, and he was merely offering Kian a chance to reconsider his decision.

"…You," Kian muttered.

His jaw tightened. To him it felt like Leon was not acknowledging him as an equal.

He was warning him.

The irritation boiled in his chest. Kian was a prideful egoistic person who doesn't like it when things don't go his way. Every instinct screamed at him to snap back, to lash out, to say something that would wipe that calm look off Leon's face.

But Kian stopped himself.

If Leon wanted to act superior, then it's fine. Kian would just have to crush him properly. He doesn't care if he's rank two or has a light affinity now.

Kian had been training his whole childhood refining his swordsmanship and skills at his very best.

"I accept this duel," Kian said, his voice steady despite the anger burning underneath him. "And you will acknowledge it from your side."

Leon exhaled slowly.

"…Fine then," he replied.

As the remaining students hurried to form pairs, Kian stayed close to Leon. Unlike before, he no longer tried to provoke him. He did not speak again.

Leon noticed it.

'Revealing my strength really did make things easier,' he thought.

He glanced at Kian and quietly activated his status window.

[Red Mana Core]

[Rank: ★★★★☆ Awakened ]

[Weapon Mastery: Stage 4 ★★☆☆☆]

Leon's eyes narrowed slightly.

Kian's positions were close to him.

He was also a two star Stage Four swordmaster. His stats were well balanced. High mana capacity, refined physical strength, and above average intelligence.

'He is strong…' Leon muttered in his mind.

He was ranked eight among first year students, and this much was expected from a top 10 student of class S.

As the groups began forming, attention slowly shifted across the arena.

Eyes moved, then stopped, and murmurs started to spread almost immediately.

"Hey… look at those pairings…"

Several students stared in stunned silence. Their reaction was understandable.

High-ranked students, especially the top ten, pairing with each other was not unusual in Class S. It happens often in Eclipse as they find others not worthy of their time.

But seeing the top-ranked figures preparing to face opponents with full seriousness was something else entirely.

They wanted to see it.

They wanted to understand what truly separated them from the rest, and what level they were standing on.

Although other notable names like Alice, Rinna, Cyan, and Kian drew attention, most gazes inevitably settled on Ethan and Leon. the Rank One and Rank Two of first year.

Everyone wanted a glimpse of their power, they wanted to see Leon's light, they were expecting him to use it here…

But Leon had other plans.

Sure, it would be flashy and impressive to flaunt his light here, but he dismissed the thought almost immediately.

Instead, his eyes drifted toward the concrete stage where Sir Tyler stood speaking with the butler and another instructor.

At the same time, Leon rested his hand lightly on Moonblade's sheath.

'He'll notice it,' Leon thought calmly. 'Anyone who understands the sword would.'

A blade like Moonblade could not be mistaken at a glance.

After five minutes passed, Sir Tyler confirmed that all the pairs had been formed. With a single glance, he counted fifty pairs in total.

He nodded once, then addressed the students.

"Each group will get one chance," he said evenly. "During the duel, don't hold back. I want to see what you can do. Afterward, I'll judge your movement and fundamentals, and assign credits points accordingly."

His gaze swept across the arena.

"Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor Tyler," the class responded in unison.

"Good," he continued. "Now, who will go first?"

A brief silence followed.

Students exchanged looks. No one stepped forward immediately.

It was obvious what everyone was thinking… to let someone else go first, observe their mistakes, understand Tyler's expectations, and adjust their duel accordingly.

Leon felt the same way. He had already decided to wait for one for two groups.

"We will go."

The voice came from beside him.

Leon turned slightly, his eyes narrowing.

Kian had raised his hand.

'This guy really is persistent,' Leon thought, clicking his tongue.

Sir Tyler shifted his attention toward them.

"Alright. State your name and move to Stage Four."

"Yes, Sir Tyler," Kian replied. "I'm Kian Astria. Class S, Rank Eight."

Tyler took the clipboard from the butler and marked something down.

"Hmmm. Who's your partner?"

Leon stepped forward without hesitation.

"That would be me, Professor," he said calmly. "Leon Valentine. Class S, Rank Two."

For a brief moment, Leon noticed Sir Tyler's fingers pausing over the clipboard before he resumed writing.

"Alright," Tyler said. "Leon Valentine and Kian Astria."

He looked up at them both.

"I assume you heard the rules. This is not a killing duel. And to win, one of you must disarm the other without causing serious injury. It's important… I don't want any unnecessary damage to your body. If that happens, then you will have to face serious issues from Eclipse. Also, usage of mana and skill is not prohibited, but make sure the skill is related to body enhancement and not psychological."

His tone hardened slightly.

"Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor Tyler," Kian replied immediately.

Leon nodded as well.

"Good," Tyler said. "Take your positions."

Both of them turned and walked toward Stage Four.

Leon stood calmly on the concrete stage, one hand resting near Moonblade's sheath, his gaze fixed on Kian across from him.

Kian drew his weapon slowly. It was a single-edged sword, slightly over four feet in length, its blade was jet black with a faint metallic sheen.

At a glance, Leon could tell it was custom-made. The balance, the polish, the mana flow, and the detailed engraving, all of it pointed to a high-grade weapon.

As they took their positions, a referee stepped between them and raised his hand.

"Are both of you certain about using your personal weapons?" he asked. "Any damage sustained will not be covered by the institute. I recommend using the standard weapons provided by the arena."

Leon's eyes flicked briefly toward Kian's sword. He knew it was expensive. Yet Kian had brought it out without hesitation.

'Grade Six…' Leon thought. 'It looks Mythril, most likely.'

For a brief moment, an idle thought crossed his mind.

'Can I cut it in half?'

Kian lifted his sword slightly and smirked.

"I'll be fine. This is a Grade Six Mythril blade. It's unbreakable."

"If you say so," the referee replied, nodding once.

Leon followed calmly. "I'm fine as well."

The referee stepped back toward the edge of the stage and raised his arm.

"Alright," he announced. "Three… two…"

Leon's hand hovered over Moonblade's hilt. His eyes sharpened behind his glasses, locking onto Kian's body.

There were many openings.

In terms of weapon mastery, Kian and Leon were at a similar level. To an outside observer, this should have been a long, even match between Rank Eight and Rank Two.

It would be a test of endurance and technique.

But that assumption only held true if Leon was not wielding Moonblade.

With it, everything changed.

Moonblade was not just a weapon. It was a destruction forged into a weapon itself.

And with Sword technique which was taught directly by the greatest Swordmaiden in history, someone who had stepped beyond even Stage Seven, Leon stood on a level that Kian could never ever dream of thinking.

To someone like Kian, the gap was invisible.

"Three… Go!"

The moment the word left the referee's mouth, Leon's vision sharpened.

Through his glasses, he saw Kian shift his weight forward, raising his sword as his foot pushed off the ground to dash.

Leon smirked.

[Jinsoku Style]

[Blind Blade]

His body vanished.

A white flash tore across the stage, it was way too fast for the naked eye to track.

Leon sighed, lifted his body, and looked at his hand, which was holding a white blade gleaming purely under the sunlight, it was radiating an unstable upsurge of mana which made the air settled around the blade vibrate.

CLANG—!

Not even a second passed and a sound similar to metal hitting the ground rang out all over the arena.

He still holding the Moonblade turned back, and looked at Kian who was standing at the position where he was standing from the beginning.

As Leon turned fully, his eyes caught the sight immediately.

Kian was still standing where he had started. His stance had not changed. His feet were planted firmly, his body angled forward in an attacking posture.

But the sword in his hand was no longer whole.

What remained was a black blade barely a foot long.

The rest of it was gone.

Then with a calm voice Leon spoke.

"Behind you."

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