"Circle's done," he said. "Stay inside."
Seraphina's eyes lit up as she coiled her Light Whip. "Fine," she said, smirking. "But don't cry when I win."
Kael laughed softly. "We'll see about that."
"Then let's begin!" Seraphina shouted.
She moved first, snapping the light whip toward Kael's left side—just enough to test his reaction.
Kael lifted the sword in his right hand and dragged it across his body, catching the whip cleanly.
The whip's tip curled around the blade.
Seraphina yanked hard, expecting him to stumble.He didn't.
Kael remained where he was, feet planted as if he'd sunk into the stone itself. Her pull barely moved him at all.
But Kael felt the heat almost immediately. Where the whip touched the sword, the material began to burn—the wood darkening, smoke curling as it scorched.
"Tch—"
He clicked his tongue.
Then Kael pulled back, turning her own tactic against her.
Seraphina's breath caught as she was dragged forward, her feet lifting off the ground. One moment she was pulling—next, she was flying straight toward him.
Her eyes snapped up. Kael's foot was already rising, perfectly lined up with her face.
She reacted instantly. Mana surged through her left hand, and a light shield flared into existence just in time. The kick slammed into it with a sharp crack, light bursting outward as the impact stopped her midair.
The shield held. Then it vanished.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she jumped back, conjuring another shield and locking her gaze on Kael.
He didn't move.Then she saw him raise his sword above his head, its tip pointed skyward, mana flowing through the blade.
Without warning, he lunged.He moved so fast she barely had time to react. His sword struck her shield. It held.
Kael didn't stop.He thrust again and again, hammering the barrier. Cracks spread across its surface, light flickering under the pressure.
Just before it shattered, she opened a small gap opened at the bottom. Seraphina fired her light whip through it, aiming for his legs.
It wrapped around his left leg and yanked.
Kael stumbled—but didn't fall.Instead, he jumped, kicked the shield with his right leg, and shattered it completely.
For a split second, he hung in midair. He looked straight at her. Seraphina's punch shot toward his face but the whip's pull vanished.
Kael tilted his head slightly to the left. The punch sliced through empty air. His feet hit the ground. He was already too close.
Kael hurled his sword high into the air and stepped in, abandoning weapons entirely as he shifted into hand-to-hand combat.
Seraphina reacted instantly, snapping a short punch toward his throat trying to end this with one strike.
Kael turned his head down just enough for it to miss, her arm passed near his nose slightly touching it, his right forearm rising to deflect her follow-up strike, his left arm bound and held close to his side, completely useless like she wanted.
She tried to create space, twisting her hips and driving a knee toward his midsection.
Kael dropped his weight and caught the knee with his thigh, then shoved her leg aside with his hip and stepped forward, forcing her back a half step.
Seraphina planted her left foot and threw an elbow toward his face. Kael raised his arm to block, the impact stopped softly, then punched her elbow aside and countered with a quick right-handed strike to her ribs.
She grunted and grabbed at his jacket with both hands, pulling him in as she slammed her forehead toward his nose.
Kael shifted at the last moment, turning his shoulder. The headbutt grazed past him as he used his body and right arm to hook around her shoulder and tried to turn her.
Seraphina dug her heel into the stone and twisted free, shoving him away with both hands.
They separated by step by step and afar from each other about six metres.
Kael's breathing remained steady, posture unshaken, left arm still bound. His eyes didn't leave Seraphina as he adjusted his footing, the faint glint of mana still flickering across the stone beneath their boots.
Seraphina panted, chest rising and falling sharply, shoulders tense, one arm in her ribs, light flickering weakly around her fingers as she tried to recover with light mana.
From across the six meters, Kael's gaze tracked her every motion. Without warning, his right hand shot upward, and the sword he had thrown earlier arced downward from above.
Seraphina's eyes widened. She moved instinctively, snapping her whip toward the descending blade, but Kael was faster, he jumped high and tried to catch it before her.
His fingers closed around the hilt just before it would have wrapped by whip, catching the sword mid-fall with perfect precision.
Kael landed softly, knees bent, sword firmly in hand once more. He didn't advance simply waited always ready.
Seraphina inhaled sharply, resetting her stance. Light gathered along her whip, tension coiling in her muscles. The fight wasn't over, but Kael had just reminded her exactly how strong and skilled he was.
Kael stood with the sword caught firmly in his right hand, left arm still bound, posture perfectly balanced. His eyes never left Seraphina.
Seraphina dropped her shoulders slightly, chest heaving, sweat glinting along her brow. She let the whip coil loosely at her side, her fingers trembling just a little from exertion.
"I… I forfeit," she admitted, voice catching, lips pressed tight. Her eyes flicked up to Kael, a mixture of frustration and reluctant admiration shining through. So strong
Kael's expression softened slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Forfeit?" he asked, tone calm, almost curious.
Seraphina wiped a strand of hair from her face, letting out a long, ragged breath. Her chest heaved, shoulders sagging as a faint, exhausted smile appeared. "Yeah… you win. I can't keep up… even if you don't use your one arm and skill. I just wanted to see where I reached from beginning, nothing more."
Kael tilted his head, gaze gentle. "Not bad,knowing when to stop." he said, voice low, approving. "And you became strong after awakening your skills. Almost middle Apprentice rank."
Seraphina's lips curved into a small, tired grin. "I gave it my all… I just can't beat someone like you especially who already reached blade rank strength."
Kael's eyes flicked to his bound arm, then back to her, faint amusement in his expression. "You still made it interesting."
She exhaled, letting the whip fully fade. Her shoulders slumped in relief, sweat trickling down her temple. "Yeah… interesting, sure," she muttered, shaking her head, a mixture of defeat and grudging respect on her face.
Kael took a slow step forward, closing the distance. His left arm, once bound, slid free mid-step.
"How much mastery of your skills increased?" he asked, eyes sharp, tone curious. "You pushed yourself hard today, it must be increased."
"One minute," she said, voice low. She closed her eyes, turning inward.
Personal information.
Name: Seraphina Valerius
Age: 10
Race: Human
Mana Affinity: Light
Mana Capacity: 12,000
───────────────────────────SKILL SLOTS
───────────────────────────
Slot 1: AEGIS OF DAWN (B-Rank / Defensive / Light) (1.32%)
Description: Creates radiant mana shields capable of blocking attacks up to B-rank. Shield shapes can vary. Can defend a single person or a small group. Efficiency drops if user is tired or emotionally unstable.
Slot 2: RADIANT WHIP (B-Rank / Offensive / Light) (1.23%)
Description: A whip of concentrated light that can deal moderate damage to an enemy, temporarily slowing their movement or can heal ally by will of wielder. Effectiveness improves with focus and mana control. Very effective against demons and demonic energy.
Slot 3: EmptySlot 4: EmptySlot 5: EmptySlot 6: EmptySlot 7: EmptySlot 8: EmptySlot 9: EmptySlot 10: Empty
Seraphina said mood already falling, " For the shield… only 0.32 percent. And the whip… 0.23 percent. Ahhh...". "I pushed myself so hard today… and this is all I got. Skill mastery shoots up at first, but after that… it's going to take forever."
Kael said "It's only been five minutes since we started sparring. Look at the sun—it just rose. You have a lot of time to increase skill mastery. So don't be dramatic."
Seraphina glanced at him. "Oh… sorry. How much did yours improve, Kael? I... restricted your Black Sun usage. I think it'll be low."
Kael opened his mouth, about to check his system.
Then a sharp blade sliced toward Seraphina—from his side.
"Seraphina! Look out!" he shouted.
"This is my first time writing a fight scene, even if it's just a spar. So I hope it felt real. Please, leave a comment about the chapter—I'd love to hear what you think."