Chapter 13: Lightning Flashes Under the Moonlight

The night wind blew fiercely, shaking the branches of ancient oak trees surrounding the backyard training field. The atmosphere there was dark and desolate, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through thin clouds.

I stood in the center of the vast grassy field, wearing my academy robe with the sleeves rolled up. My expression was set as ruthless and cold as humanly possible, but inside? I was crying tears of blood.

*Seriously, it's already midnight! I should be sleeping soundly on a soft mattress right now, not standing in an open field playing target practice for tree ghosts! If my white hair starts smelling like dirt dust, I swear I'm turning Raven into an earthworm!*

That inner scream raged on, but outwardly, I stood tall with my chin raised high, glaring sharply at the figure stepping into the arena.

Raven D'Ark stood about ten meters away from me. His black robe fluttered in the wind, while sparks of blue lightning danced wildly around his fingertips, hissing with low electric hums.

"I thought you'd hide in your room and lock the door, Alicia," Raven said coldly, flashing a subtle, challenging smile.

I snorted softly, crossing my arms over my chest with a perfect arrogant posture.

"Hide? Don't be absurd, Raven," my voice came out low and authoritative. "Dealing with the likes of you doesn't even take long before I can go back to sleep."

Raven's eyes narrowed. His grin widened. "Good then. Show me the pure ice power the entire academy has been whispering about!"

*Bzzzt—!*

Without further warning, Raven's body bolted forward like lightning. In a fraction of a second, a blue lightning bolt lashed toward me, leaving a blinding trail of light in the dark night.

Alicia's bodily reflexes moved faster than my thoughts. 

*Clang!*

I flicked my right hand forward, generating a thick wall of ice that burst straight out of the ground right as Raven's lightning struck it. The collision triggered an energy shockwave that whipped up strong winds and scattered ice crystals into the air.

*Insane! When this kid trains, he goes all out like he's entering a galactic tournament!* I panicked internally while feeling strong vibrations ripple down to the soles of my feet.

Raven gave no pause. He leaped backward, then threw both arms wide open. The air around the field cracked violently, summoning dozens of small lightning bolts that gathered above his palms into a massive electric spear.

"Storm-Cleaving Lightning Spear!" Raven shouted sharply, hurling the energy spear straight at me with incredible speed.

Seeing that lethal attack hurtle forward, the cold mask I had maintained nearly shattered instantly. 

*Oh no, I'm dead! If I parry this wrong, I'm going to get charred to a crisp?!*

Driven by god-tier panic and a survival instinct instantly kicked into maximum overdrive, I stopped holding back. I slammed both hands onto the ground, letting all the ice magic energy inside my body explode outward simultaneously.

*Boommmmm—!*

A massive ten-meter-tall ice pillar erupted from the ground, forming a thick crystal defense dome that reflected a bright blue glow under the moonlight. 

Raven's lightning spear slammed into the ice dome with a deafening blast. Lightning and ice energy clashed violently, sending shockwaves in all directions that flattened the grass around us. 

Unexpectedly, my ice dome did not break. In fact, in less than three seconds, an extreme burst of freezing air raced rapidly down Raven's electric spear, instantly freezing his lightning flow into a crystal ice sculpture that shattered into pieces on the ground.

The field fell dead silent.

Raven gasped, stumbling back two steps with ragged breathing. His sapphire irises widened in disbelief at the sight before him. His lightning... had been defeated in a single second by absolute zero freezing.

I lowered my hand slowly, regulating my breathing so I wouldn't look out of breath, then glared at Raven with a high raised eyebrow and the most dismissive look I could muster.

"Is that the full extent of the academy's most talented student?" my voice sounded cold, flat, and piercing. "How disappointing, Raven."

Raven stood frozen stiff. Instead of anger, the corners of his twitching lips formed a sincere, admiring smile. 

"Incredible..." Raven whispered softly. "Your power... is genuinely in a completely different dimension from all of us."

Inside, I let out a massive sigh of relief while brushing down my slightly rumpled robe.

*Alright, I'm so exhausted playing an overpowered villain in the middle of the night. Please let me go home and sleep right now!*