"You are an interesting one. It seems you possess physical abilities far beyond your level. So I have high expectations for you."
Lunara's voice carried neither mockery nor arrogance; instead, it held a calm, analytical curiosity, as though she had just discovered a rare specimen worthy of careful examination.
As she spoke, she stepped back with measured grace, widening the distance between them without ever turning her gaze away from Ashan.
Her posture relaxed; not in dismissal, but in readiness. Shoulders lowered, breathing steady, weight evenly distributed. She was preparing not merely to spar, but to study him.
Ashan rolled his neck once, then stretched his shoulders with a slow exhale. The movement looked casual, yet every fiber of his body seemed to align into place like a weapon being assembled.
His hand drifted toward his waist, and with a soft metallic whisper, he unveiled the Kusanagi sword. The blade gleamed under the sun light, reflecting a cold, flawless sheen that felt unnaturally sharp even from a distance.
"I'm happy to know that, senior," Ashan replied, his tone respectful but edged with something unreadable. "But please go easy on me. I've never fought someone like you before."
Lunara's lips curved faintly. "Don't worry. Do your best without overthinking. You won't get hurt."
She drew two daggers from behind her waist in a fluid motion, one settling naturally into each hand. Their edges shimmered faintly as mana flowed along the steel like a second pulse.
"I'll let you attack first," she added, lifting her chin slightly. "So come at me."
Ashan lowered his gaze to the Kusanagi, studying its edge for a brief second as though reminding himself of what he held.
"Are you sure?" he asked calmly. "This sword can cut diamonds. I'd hate for your weapons to break."
Lunara's eyes widened; not in fear, but fascination.
"It can cut diamonds? That's magnificent. What rank is it?"
He shrugged lightly. "I've never checked. I acquired it by coincidence. But I'm confident it's high-ranking."
Lunara didn't say anything immediately. Instead, her mana surged more intensely into her daggers. A thin, razor-sharp layer formed along their edges, humming faintly as the air around them trembled.
"Then we'll test its capabilities," she said. "Come."
Ashan inhaled deeply.
Then he moved.
There was no dramatic buildup, no excessive motion. In one breath he stood still, and in the next he was already upon her. The ground cracked beneath his step as he raised Kusanagi and delivered a swift, clean slash aimed at her upper torso.
Lunara crossed her daggers instantly, intercepting the strike.
Clang..
The sound was sharp, violent. Mana sparks exploded outward like shattered stars.
For a split second, her arms trembled.
Her eyes widened.
The blade didn't simply clash, it sliced through the outer layer of her mana reinforcement as if it were fragile glass. The protective aura along her daggers flickered and split.
'It cut through my mana layer?' Her thoughts raced. 'Unbelievable. He truly wasn't exaggerating… And this force.. this pressure… Is this really coming from a B-ranker?'
She pushed back and leapt away, boots sliding across the ground.
But Ashan didn't pause. He followed instantly, stepping into her retreat and slashing low toward her waist.
Lunara twisted her body mid-motion, narrowly evading the lethal edge before vaulting upward.
Ashan adjusted without hesitation. His wrists shifted subtly, redirecting the blade toward her leg in a seamless continuation of the same strike.
She narrowly avoided again, flipping backward and landing several meters away.
'He didn't hesitate to target my leg… He's serious.'
Lunara lifted her gaze and locked eyes with him.
Her breath hitched.
His expression was calm. Too calm. His eyes weren't filled with excitement, tension, admiration, or even hostility. They were steady and sharp, as if she were merely an obstacle to calculate.
'That look…'
In every duel she had fought before, opponents looked at her with admiration, desire, challenge, or at the very least emotional intensity. But Ashan's gaze held none of that.
It was composed. Detached. Almost… superior.
For the first time in years, Lunara felt unsettled.
She took the initiative.
Her body blurred as she charged forward, thin layers of ice forming over her arms and legs. Frost crystallized along her skin, forming protective armor without restricting movement.
She attacked rapidly, daggers flashing in calculated arcs, each strike angled toward blind spots rather than vital points.
She wasn't trying to injure him; she was testing him.
Yet before each dagger could reach its mark, Kusanagi was already there.
Clash. Deflect. Shift.
Ashan moved minimally, adjusting only his wrist and stance. Every block was precise. Efficient. Almost effortless.
'He's defending perfectly… Not just reacting, but choosing the optimal angle every time.'
She stopped abruptly.
Vanished.
In the next instant she appeared behind him and launched a powerful kick toward his leg.
Her strike landed.
It felt like colliding with reinforced iron.
Ashan's leg didn't bend. It didn't tremble.
Instead, he pivoted on that same leg and drove a counter-kick into her abdomen.
Lunara crossed her arms instinctively. The impact cracked the ice armor along her forearms as she was pushed back several steps.
'Incredible physical resilience… And he used the same leg without hesitation.'
Without wasting a second, she drew her wand and began circling him rapidly. Frost trailed beneath her steps as she built speed. When she pointed the wand forward, a surge of roaring flames erupted and spiraled toward Ashan.
His lips curved faintly.
'Trying to outplay me with fire?'
He sidestepped her flames smoothly, weaving through the heat with minimal effort. In that brief opening, his fingers formed rapid hand seals.
[Fire Style: Fireball Technique]
He exhaled.
A massive sphere of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, dwarfing her flames and consuming them instantly. The fireball surged toward her with overwhelming force.
Gasps erupted from the team watching.
"It's that technique again!"
"He's using it against the instructor?!"
Lunara reacted instantly, summoning an ice wall in front of her and switching places with a frost step.
The fireball collided with the wall, exploding into a towering inferno that melted half the structure in seconds.
She reappeared at a distance, staring at him with astonishment.
"What kind of a spell is that? You produced it from your mouth?"
Ashan smiled faintly. "A personal skill. Useful for surprise attacks."
"Isn't it dangerous? Does it require your breath?"
"Yes. That's the medium. But it's safe."
She studied him carefully.
Then they both moved again.
They sprinted toward each other simultaneously, mana flaring violently between them.
Lunara's daggers glowed brighter than before, condensed mana sharpening them to terrifying levels. She swung downward in a decisive arc.
Ashan parried smoothly, redirecting the strike without losing momentum. Their weapons collided repeatedly, each clash producing bursts of light and fragments of frozen mana.
'He's still holding back,' she realized.
She shifted tactics, sliding over frost and vaulting above him mid-air. From overhead she struck with both daggers.
Ashan raised Kusanagi one-handed and blocked both blades.
The force tremored up her arms.
'He's not even bracing.'
She landed and activated her Weak Point Vision.
Openings appeared; shoulder, ribs, knee.
'There are still gaps. I'll exploit them.'
She dashed forward, targeting each weakness in rapid succession.
Ashan blocked every strike.
Not by luck. Not by instinct.
By deliberate micro-adjustments that felt unnatural.
Then suddenly, he stepped in too close.
His blade hovered at her neck.
A hair's breadth from finishing the duel.
She twisted away just in time, frost shielding her shoulder but still suffering a thin cut through her sleeve.
'He could have ended it.'
Her breathing sharpened.
She unleashed her full frost armor. A surge of cold enveloped her, ice forming a shimmering second skin. The air temperature plummeted.
She sprinted in patterns around him, marking the ground with frost glyphs.
Ashan charged.
Their weapons collided again, but this time she absorbed the impact and countered aggressively.
She saw an opening, one he intentionally left.
She slid low, baiting his block.
Her off-hand dagger struck the true weak point.
His knee buckled slightly.
Before he recovered, she slammed both palms into his chest.
Frost exploded outward, encasing him in thick, expanding ice.
Gasps filled the arena.
"She caught him!"
The ice tightened, locking his limbs.
Ashan tested it internally.
He could shatter it effortlessly.
But he didn't.
Lunara approached slowly, daggers resting against his throat.
"The duel is over."
Ashan smiled gently. "It was a good match, senior. I learned a lot."
She stared into his eyes.
Still calm. Still steady.
No frustration. No strain.
And in that quiet moment, realization struck her.
He had let her win.
The thought unsettled her far more than any blade could.