The professor looked at Vivian calmly, as if he was studying every small movement.

"Hm? This new look of yours… is it your intuition?"

He asked, his tone curious but cautious.

Vivian met his gaze and replied, "Nah, that's just how I look."

His voice sounded casual, yet his eyes told a different story.

They were cold and sharp, filled with killing intent that made the professor's skin crawl.

The professor looked at Vivian for a long moment, his expression unreadable, as if weighing every word before he spoke.

"I planned to ask you some questions," he said finally, tightening his grip on the great sword, "but I doubt you'd answer honestly."

His tone shifted, colder now, as his eyes scanned Vivian from head to toe.

"You reached pseudo-swordmaster level in just three or four months… that kind of growth is terrifying."

Vivian's lips curved slightly.

"Well, it just happened," he said quietly, his gaze sharpening.

A low chuckle escaped the professor.

"From what I've observed, you can control at least four elements."

Vivian's smile deepened, but it wasn't one of amusement, it was the kind that carried a hint of mockery, a wordless taunt.

The professor's voice hardened.

"Truly a hindrance, aren't you? Reaching pseudo–swordmaster in mere months…"

He continued, "with your pace, you could be the strongest man below a true swordmaster. Truly admirable."

As he spoke, he bent his knees and stomped the ground.

Boom!

The floor cracked beneath him as he launched forward like lightning, dust exploding in all directions.

Vivian didn't flinch, his hand tightened around his sword, his gaze locked on the incoming figure, ready to meet the attack head-on.

He coated his blade with lightning, and bright arcs danced along the metal, crackling fiercely.

With a sharp swing, he slashed horizontally.

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed as the two forces collided.

Vivian was thrown backward, sliding across the ground, his boots digging into the dirt to steady himself.

He didn't waste a moment, using the momentum, he continued to move back, his focus never breaking.

Cold mist gathered around his hands, frost spreading across his skin as sharp ice spears began to form one after another.

Within seconds, ten spears hovered beside him.

He thrust his hands forward, sending them flying at the professor with deadly precision.

"Charlotte! Now!" he shouted.

Charlotte, who had been silently chanting, opened her eyes.

A faint glow surrounded her as she raised her staff and whispered,

"Nebula."

A blazing ball of fire, as large as a small hut, burst into existence and roared toward the professor, its heat distorting the air as it sped forward like a falling star.

The professor saw the incoming barrage and reacted instantly.

With quick, precise movements, he weaved through the flying ice spears, each one narrowly missing him by inches.

His eyes then locked onto the massive ball of fire speeding his way.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing right before it.

The heat was intense, molten streams of lava pulsed beneath the fireball's surface, painting his face with an orange glow.

Yet his expression didn't waver.

He raised his sword, coating it in a layer of pure frost until the entire blade shimmered blue-white.

With a swift motion, he swung it down.

Whoosh!

The fireball split cleanly in half, but to his surprise, the two halves didn't fade, they kept moving, still burning with furious energy.

"Tsk," the professor clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He slammed his great sword into the ground like a pole, channeling his mana through it.

Crack—crack—

From the sword's base, ice began spreading rapidly across the ground, rising and thickening until it formed a massive shield of solid ice.

The flames crashed against it with a thunderous roar, covering the hall in steam and blinding light.

His hands trembled slightly from the impact, the force pushing him back a few steps.

He tried to regain his balance, but before he could steady his grip, several flashes of light cut through the thick steam.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

At least seven or eight lightning spears shot toward him, their speed nearly double that of the earlier ice spears.

In the blink of an eye, they were already upon him.

He moved to dodge, but he was a fraction too slow.

One of the lightning spears struck him squarely on the shoulder.

Crack!

Electricity surged through his body, freezing his muscles for a brief moment.

His limbs refused to move, and his breath hitched from the shock.

Though it lasted only for a blink, in battle that single instant was deadly.

Because Vivian was already in front of him, sword raised, eyes cold as death.

Vivian thrust his sword forward, aiming straight for the professor's heart.

The movement was sharp and precise, filled with lethal intent.

"Tsk." The professor clicked his tongue, realizing he was too late to dodge completely.

He twisted his body at the last second, shifting his left shoulder in front of the strike.

Chhk—

The blade pierced through flesh, blood splattering as the sword dug into his shoulder.

The professor gritted his teeth, pain flashing across his face, but he didn't allow it to sink too deep.

The instant the blade touched him, he pushed himself backward, breaking free before Vivian could drive it further in.

He staggered a few steps back, his shoulder bleeding heavily, but his eyes remained sharp, locked onto Vivian with a mix of pain and grudging respect.

Vivian looked at his sword and muttered, "Hmm, not bad."

He turned the blade in his hand, feeling its weight.

Normally that strike would have been almost impossible to avoid at someone of his skill level.

But the professor had twisted away at the last moment and taken less of the blow.

"Truly worthy of the title of swordmaster." He muttered.

His eyes fixed on the professor.

'I need to wound him enough to use my intuition,' he thought, 'but he's unusually good at dodging, even with that heavy build.'

Keeping his gaze locked on the professor, Vivian stepped backward.

When he reached about fifty feet, he shifted his eyes to Charlotte and called,

"Can you increase my speed?"

Charlotte hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright." She lifted off the ground, her hair and the hem of her dress fluttering as she began to chant softly.

Faint circles of light formed beneath her, pulsing with mana.

Vivian, meanwhile, turned his eyes away from her and focused on the professor.

Even without Charlotte's boost, his speed was impressive, his steps were light, his movements sharp and difficult to follow.

When he was about twenty feet away, a sudden burst of wind rushed past him.

The spell took effect.

His body felt lighter, his speed doubling in an instant.

A small smirk curved on his lips.

His figure blurred as he darted forward, faster than before.

In his left hand, a dagger appeared, its surface engraved with faint, glowing runes.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the professor.

The dagger shot from his hand toward the professor's throat while his sword followed in a clean, deadly swing.

Whoosh—

The professor tilted his head slightly, dodging the dagger by a hair's breadth.

He raised his great sword to block the next strike—

But Vivian vanished.

The professor's eyes widened for a heartbeat, then narrowed as realization struck.

He pivoted sharply and threw a punch behind him.

"Damn," Vivian hissed, appearing right behind him just in time to see the professor's fist flying straight toward his chest.

At that moment, Vivian knew he couldn't risk attacking.

If he tried, that punch would crush his chest, and by the force behind it, he doubted even a couple of ribs would survive.

He reacted instantly, swinging his sword along the arc of the professor's fist.

The air around him thickened, condensing from the sheer pressure as the blow came closer.

Boom!

The professor's fist slammed into the flat side of Vivian's blade, sending a violent shockwave rippling through the air.

The impact hurled Vivian backward like a ragdoll.

He crashed into the ground hard, the earth cracking beneath him.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

He spat blood, his body trembling from the impact.

"Damn… these tricks don't work on a swordmaster," he muttered, wiping the blood from his lips.

His chest burned, each breath painful, he hadn't taken the full force of the strike, yet it still felt like his lungs were being crushed.

Despite the pain, his eyes stayed sharp, fixed on the professor, who stood firm amid the fading dust, his great sword resting calmly on his shoulder.

Seeing the professor standing there so calm, Vivian muttered under his breath,

"It seems this will be harder than I thought."

He pushed himself up from the cracked ground, wincing slightly as pain shot through his ribs.

His long hair slipped over his shoulders, swaying gently as he stood tall once more.

Dust clung to his clothes, but his eyes had regained their cold, focused light.

The professor watched him in silence, his expression unreadable, as the wind carried the faint scent of burnt mana and scorched earth between them.

The air felt heavy, two hunters, circling for the next opening.

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