Chapter 164: Kael vs. Cairo

Cairo and Kael clashed blades once more.

The sound of steel colliding echoed across the training grounds as the two moved through the arena at incredible speeds.

Kael’s pitch-black eyes tracked Cairo’s movements while his blade intercepted another strike.

CLANG!

The force of the collision pushed both of them backward.

Cairo slid several meters across the ground before stopping himself.

Kael wasn’t pushed nearly as far.

He lowered his blade slightly, his expression remaining calm.

From the sidelines, Sylvia approached Auriella and Zion as they observed the fight.

The battle seemed evenly matched.

At least, from the perspective of the other students.

Sylvia folded her arms as she watched.

"So, who do you think has the upper hand in this fight?"

Auriella looked toward Zion.

Zion remained silent for a moment before turning toward her.

"What’s your answer? You’re the one with the special eyes."

Auriella’s expression twitched.

"Hah."

She let out an exasperated sigh.

This is getting tiring.

She looked back toward the arena.

"I’ll humor you this once."

Her eyes followed Cairo’s movements carefully.

"In this fight, Cairo is obviously holding back."

Zion raised an eyebrow.

"The reason is quite obvious. He’s currently Rank A, and it seems his agility stats have recently broken through."

Sylvia nodded.

"That’s a spectacular observation, Auriella."

She smiled.

"Yes, Cairo has yet to go all out. He’s currently the fastest student among the second-years."

Her eyes moved toward Kael.

"But Kael seems to have evolved."

Sylvia’s expression became slightly more interested.

"The fact that he’s matching Cairo’s attacks blow for blow shows just how much he has grown during the holidays."

She chuckled.

"And here I thought he was simply a somewhat lazy genius."

"Then you know nothing about him."

Everyone turned toward the new voice.

Charlotte approached them, her arms folded.

"I thought the academy observed all of its students’ actions within the academy."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

Her tone sounded more intrigued than angry.

Charlotte didn’t seem intimidated.

"I’ll have to agree with her on that."

Zion joined the conversation.

"You wouldn’t notice if his regular persona makes him look like a spoiled young noble from a rich family."

His expression became more serious.

"But he’s obsessive."

Sylvia’s smile faded slightly.

"Extremely so."

Zion looked back toward the arena.

"His training regime isn’t something anyone can easily replicate."

Another clash rang out from the arena.

Zion watched as Kael blocked another attack from Cairo.

"With his immense talent and extreme training regime, I doubt there will be many people capable of matching him in the future."

Sylvia looked at him with a smirk.

"Are you trying to say that Kael is going to grow stronger than you in the long run?"

She paused.

"Even leaving you behind?"

"Obviously not."

Zion’s response came immediately.

He remained completely serious.

"He just showed me that I’m not training hard enough."

Sylvia’s eyebrows rose.

Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah. After all, anyone who fights against the top-ranked students of his year while training under five times gravity..."

She looked toward Kael.

"The result of the tournament should be obvious."

Zion slowly turned toward her.

"Then why are you smiling like you did the same thing?"

Charlotte’s smile remained.

She didn’t bother answering.

But beneath that smile, a competitive fire burned in her eyes.

I’ve already defeated the simulated version of Zion.

Her gaze remained on the battlefield.

It remains to defeat him in a real battle.

Her expression became slightly more serious.

But I fought the version of him from before the holiday. It’s obvious that he’s grown since then.

Her eyes moved toward Kael.

And the same can be said about Kael.

She remembered the training simulations.

I wasn’t even able to defeat the simulated version of him.

Her fingers tightened slightly.

And he easily one-shotted me the moment he began using Mana Emphasization.

Charlotte’s expression became grim.

There was no jealousy in her eyes.

Only determination.

She wanted to catch up.

She wanted to become stronger.

And watching Kael fight only reminded her how far she still had to go.

Sylvia watched the battle with an amused expression.

Wow.

I guess anyone who trains that obsessively is guaranteed to become strong.

Her gaze shifted toward Cairo.

I see why Cairo had an interest in him.

A faint smile appeared.

They share similar tastes in a way.

She looked back toward the fighting students.

These first-year students are really something.

Another enormous clash shook the training grounds.

Kael was sent backward.

His feet left the ground before he rolled across the floor several times.

He finally planted his palm against the ground and stopped himself.

Kael slowly stood.

He took a deep breath.

"Come on, Kael."

Cairo stood several meters away, his twin blades resting at his sides.

"Don’t tell me this is the best you’ve got."

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"Spamming the First Form of the Celestial Star Art isn’t going to make you as fast as me."

Cairo grinned.

"But I’ll show you a little something."

He disappeared.

Kael’s eyes widened.

"Cairo—"

"Second Form."

Cairo’s voice came from somewhere ahead.

"Demon Slaying Technique..."

Kael raised his blade.

"Severing Blade!"

Three simultaneous slashes came toward him.

Kael barely blocked them.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The force forced him backward.

He jumped away, creating distance.

His eyes narrowed.

That sword style...

He recognized it.

The Demon Slaying Technique had been created by the Order of Black Knights.

An organization dedicated entirely to defeating demons.

They didn’t belong to any particular race.

They didn’t serve any kingdom or noble family.

Their sole purpose was the destruction of the demon race.

They were also one of the greatest enemies of the Creed.

The Velvet Gang.

Kael blocked another strike.

Every member of the Order of Black Knights has some personal experience with demons.

Another slash came.

Kael twisted his body, allowing the blade to pass inches from his chest.

Some lost their families.

Some had their homes destroyed.

Others were traumatized by encounters with demons.

Their hatred wasn’t ordinary hatred.

It was obsessive.

Almost fanatical.

Kael stared at Cairo.

And I didn’t know Cairo was trained by one of them.

Kael ducked beneath another attack.

I’m still planning on destroying the Order of Black Knights.

His expression became cold.

So this is going to be troublesome.

Cairo’s blade came down.

Kael blocked it.

The force pushed him backward.

He performed two backflips, creating more distance between them.

Cairo didn’t stop.

He immediately dashed forward.

Kael raised his blade.

Before Cairo could reach him, a pitch-black spike suddenly erupted from the ground.

It shot directly toward Cairo’s eye.

Cairo’s expression changed.

He shifted his head at the last possible moment.

The spike passed by his face by a hair’s breadth.

Cairo twisted his body in midair and landed directly in front of Kael.

He immediately jumped backward to avoid another strike.

A grin appeared on his face.

"I forgot that you could fight like a mage."

He laughed.

"But damn, are you trying to take my life?"

"Nope."

Kael raised his blade.

"Just trying my best not to lose."

Cairo’s smile disappeared.

"The fact that you think you can win..."

His stance changed.

"...shows that I’m doing a terrible job in this fight."

The aura surrounding him changed.

It became heavier.

More dreadful.

Kael’s instincts immediately warned him.

Cairo lowered his body.

"Keep up."

Kael’s vision suddenly went dark.

Auriella and Zion stared at the battlefield.

Neither had seen Cairo move.

Zion’s expression was one of genuine confusion.

"What just happened?"

Auriella’s eyes widened.

"I don’t know."

She stared into the arena.

"My eyes couldn’t keep up."

Even her Eyes of Ruin hadn’t been able to properly follow Cairo’s movement.

Sylvia’s expression became serious.

"It’s good that you were here to see this fight."

Both Zion and Auriella turned toward her.

"I have a feeling you’re underestimating the severity of the Inter-High Tournament."

Sylvia looked toward the arena.

"It’s normal for students to die in the tournament."

Both students became silent.

"Nobles or not."

Sylvia’s expression remained calm.

"You could also call the tournament something of a war between each race."

She looked toward Auriella.

"It’s a way for each race to gauge the strength of their next generation."

Her eyes returned to Kael.

"So don’t walk into the tournament expecting everyone to be like the weaklings in your year or the lower-ranked students among the second-years."

She paused.

"And, honestly..."

Sylvia smiled slightly.

"It would be good for Kael to experience his first defeat."

Auriella frowned.

"But Sylvia..."

She looked toward the arena.

"What exactly was that technique Cairo used just now?"

Zion and Charlotte also remained attentive.

Sylvia shook her head.

"I’m not quite sure myself."

She crossed her arms.

"When the two of them fought previously, Cairo didn’t use that technique."

She looked thoughtful.

"But it has to be something related to the Order of Black Knights."

"Order of Black Knights?"

Zion looked surprised.

"I think my dad has told me about them."

He stared at the arena.

"I didn’t expect Cairo to be a member."

"Cairo isn’t a member."

Sylvia corrected him.

"He just happened to be trained by one of their Knights."

Zion looked surprised.

"The story behind that is quite personal, so it would be better if Cairo told you himself."

The three students remained stunned.

Charlotte lowered her gaze.

I didn’t know the head of the Disciplinary Committee was also connected to the Order of Black Knights.

Cairo looked down at Kael.

Kael was lying on the ground.

A large gash crossed his chest.

His uniform had been torn apart.

Cairo’s expression became slightly concerned.

I hope I didn’t go too hard on him.

He turned toward the crowd.

He then smiled smugly.

"I guess that was an easy win for yours truly."

Cairo crossed his arms.

I’m going to hold this fight over his head for the rest of the semester.

A mischievous grin appeared on his face.

But then—

The arena suddenly became silent.

Auriella froze.

Zion froze.

Charlotte froze.

Even Sylvia’s expression changed.

Cairo felt a strange sensation crawl up his spine.

Something’s wrong.

He slowly turned around.

Kael was standing directly behind him.

His pitch-black eyes stared straight into Cairo’s.

A dreadful feeling instantly entered Cairo’s heart.

Kael raised his leg.

Cairo instinctively raised both arms to block.

BOOM!

The kick connected.

Cairo’s bones cracked.

His body was sent flying across the training grounds like a cannonball.

He crashed into the ground and rolled several times before finally stopping.

Sylvia stared.

"I didn’t expect him to survive that."

Zion’s expression was stunned.

"He’s already abusing the skill..."

He shook his head.

"And it’s only his second fight in the academy."

Sylvia smiled with amusement.

"Yeah."

"Magic Knights would probably have a heart attack if they saw someone abusing their most valuable technique like this without suffering immense backlash."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"It’s almost like his body has adapted to it."

Kael stood silently.

He looked down at his shredded uniform.

The entire chest area had been exposed.

Darkness mana seeped from his skin, almost as though the energy itself was leaking out of his body.

Kael slowly turned toward the location where Cairo had been sent flying.

He began walking.

One step.

Then another.

Suddenly—

Kael stopped.

He ducked.

A blade passed directly over his head.

His pitch-black eyes immediately locked onto Cairo.

"That attack would have killed me if I hadn’t dodged."

Cairo stood several meters away.

His breathing was heavier now.

His previous smug expression had disappeared.

Instead, he wore a stressed smile.

"You are a damn monster."

He tightened his grip on his twin blades.

"So why don’t I treat you like one?"

Kael slowly raised his blade.

The darkness surrounding his body intensified.

Cairo’s expression became tense.

This guy is really pushing me to go all out.

His grip tightened.

What a damn monster.