The force behind the strike made her grunt softly as she absorbed it, her arms straining, her shoulders tensing.

He was relentless.

Each attack came clean and fast, his pole moving with a speed that made it difficult to track.

She could feel the strength behind every strike, could feel the weight of his intent, could feel the pressure building.

Her eyes tracked his movements, her body responding, her training kicking in as she parried, deflected, and sidestepped, refusing to be overwhelmed.

Her breathing quickened slightly, her heart pounding as adrenaline surged.

Around them, the elites were frozen.

Their earlier murmurs had died completely, replaced by stunned silence as they watched the exchange.

The instructors were no different.

Their attention was fully locked on the fight now, their expressions serious, their gazes sharp.

Bliss parried another strike, her teeth gritting as she felt the strength behind it again. Her arms were beginning to feel the strain, a faint burn building in her muscles as she continued to absorb and redirect his blows.

He was not holding back, or at least, that was what she thought.

And that realization sent a chill through her.

'He's serious…' she thought, her eyes flashing as she forced another deflection. 'He's actually serious.'

This was not a student testing himself, neither was it just a boy trying to show off.

And as Damien pressed forward, his attacks clean and controlled, his movements fluid and precise, Bliss felt something she had not expected to feel.

Intense Pressure, more than she had ever felt from a single opponent.

The elites watched in stunned silence as the exchange continued, their earlier assumptions crumbling one by one.

Stanley stood rigid at the edge of the group, his face pale, his eyes wide, his jaw clenched tight.

His hands trembled slightly at his sides.

'This… this isn't right…' he thought, panic flickering. 'This isn't how it's supposed to be.'

He wanted to believe it was a fluke.

But with every strike, with every parry, with every moment Bliss was forced to react, that belief weakened.

And the truth pressed in on him, heavy and undeniable.

Damien was not just talented.

He was dangerous.

Meanwhile, Bliss did not hesitate in her fight with Damien.

The moment she felt the rhythm of the exchange shift, the instant she sensed the slightest opening, she moved.

Her foot slid forward, her body leaning in as her weight transferred smoothly, and she lunged at Damien with sharp intent.

Her blade shot forward in a clean, direct line, the tip aimed precisely at his shoulder, the motion fast, controlled, and unmistakably lethal.

The speed of the thrust alone drew visible reactions.

A ripple of shock passed through the group, heads lifting, postures straightening as attention locked fully onto the pair.

For the first time again… they were watching Bliss take the initiative to attack in a spar with a student!

It was rare, extremely rare.

Bliss almost never took the initiative when sparring against students.

And yet, here she was, attacking first, without delay, without baiting, without testing the waters.

She had gone straight on the offensive.

The most shocking part in all of this for them was that she was doing it against first year elite no less!

Meanwhile, Damien watched the thrust coming toward him.

And to him, it was slow.

He stepped aside, causing the blade to pass through the empty space where his shoulder had been a moment ago.

It was effortless, and in the same breath, he spun the pole.

The pole blurred as it cut through the air, redirected upward in a sharp, decisive strike aimed directly at Bliss' head.

The elites barely had time to process the dodge before the counterattack was already upon her.

Bliss reacted instantly.

Her body folded and twisted as she leaned away, her upper body bending at the waist, her feet shifting as she dodged the incoming blow.

The pole passed just above her head, the wind of it brushing her hair, the whoosh loud and sharp in her ears.

She did not stop.

She did not retreat.

She pivoted on her foot, using the momentum of her dodge to spin low, her leg sweeping out toward Damien's feet in a fast, controlled arc.

The movement was clean, well-timed, and clearly practiced, meant to disrupt his balance and take him down.

It was a solid counter, and for a brief moment, it looked like it might land.

But before she could complete the sweep, Damien reacted.

His pole snapped downward, the tip intercepting her leg mid-motion. The wood met her shin with a dull, controlled impact, halting the sweep completely.

Bliss' eyes flickered with surprise, her brows twitching slightly.

She had not expected him to react that quickly, after all, a low sweep executed fast enough was usually enough to catch most offguard.

But she did not let it distract her.

She flowed immediately into her next movement, her body already recovering, her balance re-centering as her sword came up again.

She thrust at him without hesitation, the blade shooting forward toward his torso, the motion sharp and committed.

But to her surprise, her blade stabbed through empty air.

Bliss' eyes widened.

'…Where did he go?' she thought.

The answer came a heartbeat later when a rush of wind brushed the back of her neck, as well as the sound of movement.

Her breath hitched, and she could feel her instincts screaming at her to move.

Somehow, Damien had gotten behind her, and she had no idea how he did it.

One moment he had been in front of her, the next he was gone, and now he was there, directly behind her.

Damien didn't waste anytime though, swinging the pole down at her back.

Her muscles reacted before her mind did.

She dropped and rolled, throwing herself forward and to the side as her body twisted low.

The pole crashed into the ground where she had been a split second earlier, the impact sending a sharp crack through the air.

She did not stay down.

The moment her roll ended, she pushed up and surged forward, closing the distance again, swinging her blade towards his neck.

The motion was fast, aggressive, and fueled by the surge of adrenaline now coursing through her.

The elites watched with held breath, their attention completely captured.

They could tell this wasn't a casual spar like they were used to.

If anything, it felt like a fight between two high level knights!

However, there was only one knight here, while the other was supposed to be a first year student.

Meanwhile, Damien reacted instantly to Bliss' attack.

He used the pole in his hand to redirect her slash, partying it to the side.

Bliss surged again, her sword flashing as she delivered another thrust, then chained into a follow-up slash, her body moving with disciplined speed. She was trying to overwhelm him, to break his rhythm, to force a mistake.

Damien stepped inside the slash, deflecting it with the pole again, then pivoted away from the thrust, his movements compact and efficient.

To him, her attacks were readable.

Not because she was sloppy, but because his experience was far greater.

His stats were also higher, so Bliss didn't stand a chance against him.

Her blade came at him again, and he slipped past it, the edge grazing empty air where his chest had been.

Bliss' eyes flashed with irritation as she adjusted, her breathing slightly heavier now, her focus razor sharp.

She pivoted, delivering a sharp kick toward his side, her body turning smoothly as she followed through. The motion was fast and powerful, aimed cleanly.

Damien caught it.

Not with his hands, but with the pole.

The wood snapped up, intercepting her shin and stopping the kick cold. The impact was solid and controlled, halting her momentum completely.

Bliss sucked in a breath, surprise flickering across her face again before she masked it.

Her leg dropped back, her stance resetting, her eyes locked on him.

'He's reacting to everything…' she thought, irritation and concentration mixing. 'And he's doing it too easily.'

She lunged again, her sword flashing, her body moving with sharp intent, her eyes never leaving him.

The exchange continued, tight and relentless, neither yielding, neither backing down, neither losing focus.

Damien swung his pole down at Bliss again, an attack which she blocked, causing them to enter another deadlock.

She suddenly parried his pole to the side, delivering another swift kick at his side.

This time, Damien didn't react quick enough, and the kick slammed into the side of his torso.

The impact rang i, and the other elites couldn't help but wince, wondering how much that should hurt.

They all knew how strong Bliss was, and somewhat felt pity for Damien who was on the receiving end of that kick.

Damien fell to the ground, his pole dropping from his hand, landing on the floor with a low clang.

Bliss watched him with her eyes narrowed slightly, a little surprised her last attack actually hit him.

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