Novel Full Chapter 220: How!
Chapter 220: How!
Clang!
Steel met steel in a sharp, ringing sound that cut through the noise of the arena.
Lilian’s eyes widened in shock. Her strike had been stopped cleanly as sparks formed between their blades.
Elion now stood there with his sword in hand. He had dropped his centre of gravity as their weapons locked together. Their faces were only inches apart, and Lilian’s eyes met his calm, steady blue gaze. A gaze that held no panic, no rush, and no fear.
Time seemed to slow for a brief moment.
Lilian’s thoughts flickered.
She had been angry because she was matched against a first-year, angry because she believed this would be an easy and meaningless fight, something beneath her, something not even worth her effort.
Her mother would not consider this a worthy fight, and so she had intended to end it immediately and move on as quickly as possible.
But now—
That anger shifted. Because in that single clash, she understood one thing clearly. She had underestimated him.
And this fight… was not going to end as easily as she had thought.
What followed was not the kind of fight anyone had expected from this pairing, not from a supposed mismatch between a first-year and an outsider clearly above that level.
And yet from the very first clash, the atmosphere on that platform shifted into something sharp, dangerous, and completely absorbing.
Lilian did not hold back anymore.
Lightning flickered across her body in an instant, thin arcs crawling along her arms, her legs, her torso, before surging brighter as she pushed her affinity into full effect, enhancing her body as her speed shot up drastically.
Her figure blurred as she dashed forward again, her twin sabers cutting toward Elion from two different angles at once with deadly precision.
Elion met her head on.
At the start, he used what everyone expected from him, water magic, thin streams of water forming along his blade as he moved, small controlled bursts to redirect force, to soften impacts, to guide his footwork, complementing his swordplay in a smooth and efficient way.
But it quickly became clear, even to him, that this was a bad matchup; lightning and water did not mix well, and even with control, he was putting himself at a disadvantage.
So he stopped.
’No more spells.’
Just his sword.
He activated Enhanced Cognition. And everything changed.
The world around him dulled. The noise of the arena faded. The chaotic battlefield became… clear.
Lilian’s movements slowed—not physically, but in his perception, every shift of her shoulders, every twitch of her wrists, every step she took became readable, predictable, and his body responded without hesitation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their weapons met again and again in a rapid flurry, sparks and arcs of lightning bursting with every clash as her speed increased further.
Her entire body flickered with electricity from head to toe, turning her into a streak of light across the platform, but no matter how fast she moved, no matter what angle she attacked from, Elion was there.
Blocking, deflecting, and meeting every strike head-on.
Her brows furrowed deeply.
’How…’
She struck again, faster.
And again.
And again.
But nothing worked.
To her, it felt like he could see the future, like he already knew what she was going to do before she even did it.
Their bodies became blurs to the audience, the sound of steel clashing echoing rapidly as they sped up, faster and faster, until even the spectators struggled to follow them properly, only seeing flashes of movement and sparks of lightning exploding across the platform.
’How is he keeping up with me in this state?!’ Her thoughts spiralled. ’He’s only a first year!’
But then—
Something changed again.
Thin wisps of icy blue smoke began to emit from Elion’s eyes as his Enhanced Cognition pushed further, rising from level one to level two.
And with that, the familiar disconnect deepened, his mind narrowing completely onto the fight, everything else becoming irrelevant.
He stepped forward firmly, and this time, he began pushing her back. Little by little.
Lilian’s eyes widened in shock as her footing shifted, her momentum breaking for the first time since the fight began.
Elion moved smoothly, flowing, and precise.
He used Flowing Edge, his sword moving from a parry into a seamless transition, deflecting one saber before sliding across into a fluid lunge aimed straight at her centre, forcing her to react instantly.
She jumped back, creating distance.
She breathed out sharply, finally catching a moment to breathe, relief flashing across her face, but it vanished instantly. Because when she looked up, Elion was already there.
His blade was already inches away from her raised sabers.
Her pupils shrank. ’How?!’
She jumped back again, retreating further, trying to create space—
But Elion followed without hesitation.
He formed a small water barrier beneath his foot in mid-air, stepping on it like a platform, changing direction instantly as he chased after her in the air, closing the gap again in a way that made no sense to her at all.
Elion was in a flow state; everything connected for him. Everything worked seamlessly to serve his purpose; in this state, he simply could do no wrong.
And Lilian realised it in that moment.
’I’m… screwed.’
“Phantom Blade.”
Elion’s voice echoed softly in her ears.
He swung his sword almost lazily in a simple strike.
Lilian reacted instantly, bringing both sabers up to block—
But then—
His sword… phased. It passed through her weapons as if they weren’t there.
Her eyes widened in horror.
’Shit.’
She realised it too late.
Boom!
The impact hit her cleanly, sending her body flying off the platform like a ragdoll, her form crashing into the distance as the shockwave echoed outward.
Elion stood still for a moment before exhaling lightly, deactivating Enhanced Cognition as his feet touched the platform again. His expression was still calm, as if nothing extraordinary had just happened.
He did not think she would get up immediately from that, so he waited. The dust rose slowly. And the arena fell silent.
Up in the high balconies—
Rhea Umbra stood up sharply, her chair falling to the ground as her composure was completely shattered.
“Impossible!”
Her voice rang out in disbelief, though most people didn’t even hear her, because all eyes were locked onto the platform below.
“Oh my gods!” the hostess’s voice cut through the silence, her tone filled with shock and excitement. “I bet no one saw that coming! Are you kidding me?! Is this boy even a first year?! How?! Someone explain this to me! How is this possible!?”
She was not alone. Even the teachers. Even the high-ranking spectators. They were all stunned beyond belief.
Heavy coughing sounds broke through the silence as the dust began to clear. Lilian’s figure slowly became visible.
But she was in terrible condition.
She was on one knee, coughing up mouthfuls of blood, her body trembling as her sabers barely remained in her grip, and a thin stream of blood ran down from her forehead.
Elion had struck her with the side of his blade at the last second. If he hadn’t—
If he had been just a little more ruthless—
He could have carved up her beautiful face. Or worse. Split her in half.
But it was quite clear that she would not be able to continue after that heavy blow. Even though Elion had not used every ounce of strength he had in him, he had not held back too much either.
The proctor had been too slow to react because he was supposed to have called the match before Elion struck that blow. Even now, he stood frozen for a second longer than he should have.
Then—
“Winner!”
His voice rang out.
“From the academy, Elion Nova!”
And the arena exploded.