Chapter 122: Second Duel: Nora Vs Sylvia [Part-3]

The moment Sylvia spread her arms, the frost covering the ground rose into the air and stilled, every snowflake hanging motionless like a held breath. The training ground fell completely silent, and Neo felt as if even his own heartbeat had slowed down, as the Absolute Zero Domain spread outward from his mother’s body in a wide, invisible ring, swallowing the entire field.

"Now then, Nora. Let me see how you will walk in a world where nothing moves."

Nora felt it the instant the ring touched her. The petals around her shoulders slowed, then froze in place, their crimson colour dimming as the cold seeped into them, and her own breath turned into a thin white thread that stopped halfway out of her lips. Her limbs grew heavy, as if the air itself had frozen, and a layer of frost began to crawl up her boots and along her calves.

From the seats, Evelyn clutched Neo’s arm with both of her hands. "Brother, Sister Nora isn’t moving! Is she frozen?"

"No... she is still conscious. Look at her eyes."

Neo was right. Nora’s violet eyes remained open, clear and steady even as the frost crept further up her body. She showed no signs of panic. Instead, she closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to hear something buried deep within the silence.

Neo noticed her left hand clenching against her chest again. He had a bad feeling about it. Whatever she was drawing power from, it was clearly something she didn’t want to use. He couldn’t help worrying about her, especially since he had no idea how much longer she could keep fighting like this.

But Nora couldn’t hear what Neo was thinking, and even if she could, she wouldn’t have stopped.

She opened her eyes, and the crimson petals surrounding her began to glow. The frost covering them cracked, but instead of melting away, the petals turned a deep wine-red and started spinning against the flow of the domain. The air around her grew unsteady, as though two opposing forces were pushing against each other.

Nora took a step forward, and the ice covering her legs broke apart, scattering across the ground in tiny, glittering pieces.

Sylvia raised her eyebrows, her smile widening with delight. "You’re breaking through the domain by reversing the mana flow around you? What a clever solution, especially at your age!"

Nora didn’t replied, as her focused remain entirely on the flow.

Nora raised her hand, unleashing a wave of violet flames across the frozen field. The crimson petals spun through the fire, giving it an eerie glow. Rather than melting the ice, the flames cut straight through it, leaving long, smoking marks on the ground.

Sylvia quickly swept her arm to the side, raising a wall of frost to block the attack. But the violet fire broke through it within seconds, forcing her to dodge. The flames passed dangerously close to her dress as she moved out of their path.

"Oh my, you really are not holding anything back!" Sylvia laughed, leaping lightly across the field with the grace of a dancer, and she snapped her fingers.

A hundred ice spears burst from the ground around Nora, forming a tight circle. Their sharp tips glowed with starlight before they shot toward her all at once. Neo held his breath. There was no way she could dodge them all.

But Nora didn’t even move to escape. She spread her arms, and the crimson petals around her flew in every direction, each one striking a different spear. The ice stopped just inches away from her.

Nora closed her fist. In the next instant, every spear shattered. The sound echoed across the field as countless fragments scattered through the air, slowly falling around her like snow.

Nora stood in the middle of the falling ice, her ponytail coming loose and her sleeves torn from the fight. Neo couldn’t take his eyes off her.

"That’s... so cool..." Evelyn whispered, staring at Nora with sparkling eyes.

Even Cassian, standing at the edge of the field, let out a low, impressed breath. "To think that a girl of her age could break through Sylvia’s partial domain like that... Sylvia wasn’t exaggerating when she said Nora’s talent was on another level."

Nora charged forward once more, the wind pushing her ahead as she crossed the distance in a flash. Crimson petals gathered in her hand, forming a blade that she swung straight at Sylvia’s shoulder. Sylvia simply raised her palm. A thin layer of starlight appeared between them, stopping the blade just before it touched her skin.

"Good. Very good. But you’re still relying on the same tricks."

The starlight barrier flashed, releasing a burst of force that sent Nora flying backwards. She twisted in midair and landed on one knee, sliding several yards across the ground.

Before she could regain her footing, a lance of starlight shot straight toward her chest. Nora swung her blade up and knocked it aside, only for another lance to come at her from the left. A third followed from behind, leaving her no time to steady herself before the next attack arrived.

Neo noticed the cut on Nora’s cheek, her torn sleeve, and the slight tremble in her fingers. His expression grew serious as he realised that his mother had stopped holding back. No matter how talented Nora was, the gap between a Saint and a Grandmaster was simply too great to overcome.

’Mother hasn’t even shown her full strength, and Nora is already struggling to keep up...’

Nora gritted her teeth, her expression unchanged despite the sweat running down her temple. She extended her hand, and the crimson petals gathered in her palm, forming a dark violet sphere. It spun faster and faster, producing a low, vibrating hum.

Neo stared at it in surprise. He had never seen Nora use anything like this before. The sphere seemed to draw in the light around it, growing darker with every passing second.

Nora didn’t hesitate. She hurled the sphere across the field, and it shot forward with a deep roar, leaving an eerie silence behind it.

Sylvia’s eyes widened. She quickly crossed her arms, summoning a barrier of starlight and ice in front of herself. One layer formed after another, quickly building up to five, then ten layers.

The sphere slammed into the barrier.

*BOOOOM!*

The entire training ground shook as violet light burst upward, followed by a shockwave that swept through the stands. Neo immediately pulled Evelyn and Yuki against his chest, shielding them with his body.

When the light finally faded and the dust began to settle, he slowly raised his head, his heart pounding as he tried to see what had happened.

Sylvia was still on her feet. The barrier had been completely destroyed, and the edges of her sleeves were scorched, but she stood unharmed, her hands still raised. A look of genuine surprise crossed her face before she let out a short laugh.

"Hah... I didn’t expect that one."

Across the field, Nora knelt on the frozen ground, one hand pressed against the ice and the other clutching her chest. She was breathing heavily, with strands of hair hanging over her face. But when she finally looked up, Neo could still see the stubborn determination in her eyes. She clearly had no intention of giving up.

Nora slowly got back to her feet, though her legs trembled beneath her. She forced herself to stand straight and raised her hand once more. A few crimson petals gathered around her, far fewer than before.

"Nora, that’s enough. You’ve already shown me more than I expected. Do you really want to keep going?"

Nora didn’t answer. She simply took another step forward. Sylvia closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, the warmth in her gaze had given way to a quiet determination. "Very well. Then I will end it properly."

Sylvia clapped her hands once, and the entire field was swallowed by white light. Countless tiny stars rose from the frost, floating around Nora like fireflies. Before Nora could react, they rushed toward her, wrapping around her arms and legs like silver chains. The petals in her hand disappeared, and her strength began to fade. Frost spread across her sleeves, freezing her in place before she could make another move.

Nora tried to break free, her fingers twitching as she fought against the restraints, but the chains of starlight wouldn’t budge. Sweat dripped from her chin as she slowly lowered her head, her shoulders shaking from the strain.

Sylvia approached her and raised a hand, stopping just inches from her forehead. With a slight flick of her fingers, Nora’s body suddenly went limp. Her knees buckled, and she would have hit the ground if Sylvia hadn’t caught her in her arms.

"This is my victory, Nora. But you fought well. I’m proud of you." Sylvia embraced her and gently patted her head.

Cassian raised his hand from the edge of the field, his voice carrying across the now-silent training ground. "The winner is Sylvia Draven!"

Evelyn jumped up from her seat, cheering loudly, and Yuki let out a happy sound as if she had understood every word. Neo, however, was already standing. His heart was still pounding as he stared at Nora resting in his mother’s arms. Her violet eyes were half-closed, and her expression remained as blank as ever.

Yet he had seen it, in the final moment before she lost her strength, a faint trace of something that did not belong to a defeated face. It was not disappointment, and it was not anger. It looked like determination, the kind that did not end with a loss.

’She did not fight today just to win... What are you planning, Nora?’