Rustle~

Cassandra's fingers traced slow circles on Gray's chest, her eyes still half-lidded, as if she couldn't stop staring at him.

"You know…" she murmured softly, "I almost thought your memories wouldn't come back."

"You really think I'd leave without saying goodbye?" Gray tilted his head slightly, studying her expression.

Her lips curved into a faint pout.

"You didn't before."

He didn't answer, and his silence made her look down for a moment, her hands tightening around his coat as if she was afraid he'd vanish again.

"…I hate that," she whispered softly. "After you lost your memories once again, I sneaked glances at you, hoping for you to remember me... but you didn't. It felt like... I was being left behind all over again."

Gray looked at her for a moment, then gave a quiet sigh.

"Relax... you have me for fifteen days for now."

"Really?!"

Her eyes brightened as a small smile crept back to her face.

"Yes," Gray nodded lightly.

"Great!"

She hugged him tighter, to the point of burying her head on the nape of his neck, and slowly inhaled his scent as if trying to remember it.

They stayed in silence for a moment with the only sound being Cassandra's inhales.

After a while, Gray stepped back slightly, his tone shifting back to the usual cold tone.

"Anyway, we can't just stand here like this. If we walk out of this barrier smiling and pretending nothing happened, people will start asking questions."

Cassandra blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Gray said, resting his rapier against his shoulder, "we might as well make it look like we were fighting."

Her expression changed instantly, confusion turning into amusement.

"Oh? You want to spar with me?"

Gray nodded once.

"A short one. Enough to leave a few scratches. It'll make more sense when we step out."

Cassandra giggled softly, spinning her scythe in her hand as she took a step back. "

You could've just said you wanted to fight me. You know I don't mind a little dance with you~"

"Then don't hold back," Gray smirked faintly, lowering his stance.

"You never have to worry about that." Cassandra twirled the scythe again, her hair flowing around her like silver smoke.

The barrier trembled faintly as their mana began to rise, two different auras flaring against one another, Gray's controlled pressure meeting Cassandra's cold, flowing energy that spread like mist.

Their eyes met, his calm, hers full of playful hunger, and the space between them seemed to tighten.

"…Try to keep up, Gray."

"Always."

And in the next breath...

BOOM!

The air cracked as their weapons met.

Cassandra's scythe spun in her hands like a silver crescent, every swing slicing the air apart with frightening speed.

She leapt back after the first clash, boots digging into the ground as her mana surged out in a cold, blue mist.

"Let's make this pretty, shall we?" she purred.

In an instant....

SHING!

SHING!

SHING!

Blades began to form around he, axes, spears, knives, daggers, even swords, each floating in the air behind her like a deadly halo.

'...Is this one of the skills she got from Divika?' Gray thought, increasing his guard against Cassandra as his stance shifted into a more defensive one.

The weapons spun and pointed toward Gray as she raised one finger.

"Go."

FWOOOOOSH!

The swarm of steel shot forward like a storm, dozens of weapons raining down on Gray from every direction.

But Gray didn't even flinch.

His eyes darkened, literally, as faint shadows rippled beneath his feet.

"[✧Swap✧]."

Suddenly, Gray's figure blurred and vanished, the weapons crashing into the ground where he stood, then reappeared a few meters to Cassandra's left.

FWOOM!

The sound was almost like air collapsing in on itself.

Cassandra's eyes widened a little.

"Dammit!"

She swung her scythe backward instinctively, but Gray was already moving again.

His entire body was surrounded by a strange black outline, thin and flickering, like a shadow trying to escape his skin.

The same dark aura crawled along the edge of his rapier, humming with quiet menace.

Cassandra froze for a second, her heart skipping a beat.

"W–what is that…?" she muttered under her breath.

Gray didn't reply to her words, and instead, his movements grew faster, with every step leaving only a faint blur in the air.

It was almost like he wasn't moving at all, just appearing in new places.

Truthfully, the speed was thanks to his footwork technique, but the dark outline on his body was precisely because of his Shadowless Sword Art.

Because it had reached the Grandmaster stage, he could now coat his body in aura, increasing his physical capabilities and strengthening his sword.

Cassandra gritted her teeth, swinging her scythe to block the next attack.

CLAAANG!

The moment their weapons touched, a loud shockwave blasted through the barrier, rippling like thunder.

Her arms shook from the impact.

"What the hell… You weren't this strong before."

"...Was I?"

FWIP!

He vanished again.

Cassandra's eyes darted around rapidly, searching for him, her flying weapons regrouping around her like a shield.

A voice came from right behind her ear.

"Too slow."

Her eyes widened as she quickly spun around and swung her scythe.

CRAAASH!

Sparks flew again, the barrier trembling from the force.

Fwip!

Gray's sword stopped right against her collarbone, only a breath away from drawing blood. For a long second, neither of them moved.

"…You're terrifying when you're serious," Cassandra's lips slowly curled into a grin.

Gray didn't smile back.

He simply stared at her, his dark aura still flickering faintly around his form.

"You should start getting used to it."

The shadows surrounding his sword gradually faded as he lowered his weapon.

"…Fine. You win this round." Cassandra's grin softened into a small smile.

She let out a long breath, brushing her silver hair away from her face as she looked at Gray, who turned away, sliding his rapier back into its sheath.

But as if curious about something, Cassandra suddenly inquired.

"Why didn't you use your threads?"

Gray froze instinctively at her words, but quickly got back to normal as he turned around and gave her a sly grin.

"I didn't need to use them to deal with you."

Then Cassandra's pout appeared, soft lips pressing together, cheeks puffing ever so slightly.

"That's rude! I could have beaten you if you had taken me seriously!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Gray raised an eyebrow, the smallest trace of amusement flashing across his face.

"Yes!" she said, stamping one foot lightly against the ground. Her scythe flickered beside her, the blade shimmering as if responding to her mood.

"So, let's go again! Just one more! You'll use your threads this time!"

Gray crossed his arms.

"No."

"What do you mean no?!" Her eyes widened.

"I mean," he said slowly, with a lazy smirk that made her want to hit him, "you already lost once. I don't see a point in repeating the same result."

Cassandra huffed, stepping closer and poking his chest with her finger.

"You're so full of yourself."

"I know."

That made her blink, clearly caught off guard by the blunt response.

Then she sighed, shaking her head with an exaggerated pout.

"Fine, fine. You win… for now."

Gray chuckled lightly and turned his gaze toward the faint cracks of light now spreading across the barrier.

"Good. Because once this fades, things are going to get messy again."

"Messy?" Cassandra blinked, tilting her head.

He glanced back at her, eyes sharp. "Stay away from me the moment it disappears. Far away. If you get caught in my swing, it won't end well."

For a brief second, Cassandra just stared at him, then her lips curved into a slow grin.

"…So serious all of a sudden."

But she didn't argue.

She understood.

"Alright," she said softly, stepping back with a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"I'll give you some space, then."

Her hand rose gently, fingers weaving through the air as faint blue light surrounded them.

Fwoooosh…

The dark barrier began to dissolve, turning transparent bit by bit until the arena beyond came into view.

Just as the last traces vanished, Gray lifted his sword slightly, signaling her. Cassandra smirked in understanding and raised her scythe.

CLANG!

Their blades clashed in a burst of force that rang through the entire arena. The sound alone made several students turn their heads in shock.

The impact sent a violent shockwave across the ground, dust flying everywhere.

Cassandra was thrown backward by the force, her boots sliding hard against the dirt before she jammed the blade of her scythe into the floor, stopping herself from flying any further.

She glanced up, her silver hair whipping around her face, a faint smile curling her lips.

'...This should cause enough of a dramatic exchange, no?' she thought.

"...Fuu," Gray exhaled slowly, lowering his sword.

The crowd around them was silent for a second before the noise of battle returned even louder than before.

From across the arena, Lyra rushed toward him, her golden lightning sparking faintly around her.

"Gray!" she called, worry filling her voice.

"Are you okay?!"

Gray turned to her, expression calm, and gave a small nod.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Lyra slowed down, looking at the faint dust still settling around him, her brows furrowed.

"That looked serious. You could've gotten hurt."

"I didn't," he said simply, brushing a bit of dust off his shoulder.

Lyra let out a quiet sigh, puffing her cheeks a little before muttering:

"You're impossible sometimes."

By then, the others had already reached him. Selina was panting slightly, her hand glowing faintly with leftover mana from her water spells.

Ronan cracked his knuckles, grinning widely.

"Damn, man, that sound! You trying to wake the dead or something?"

Selene stopped beside him, resting her sword against her shoulder, her gaze flicking between Gray and the spot where Cassandra had been.

"Was that… her?"

Gray nodded once.

Lira, quiet as always, scanned his face carefully before giving a short nod of her own.

"…You don't seem injured. Good."

"Of course he's not! The guy's built different." Ronan chuckled.

Gray ignored the comment, glancing toward the far end of the arena where Cassandra was already standing again, her scythe resting across her shoulders.

Her gaze already told him a lot.

"She's strong." Lyra followed his gaze and frowned slightly.

"She is," Gray replied.

"So what now?" Selina tilted her head, looking at Gray.

His eyes slowly shifted toward the center of the arena, where the remaining students were gathering again, their numbers greatly reduced after all the fighting.

He tightened his grip on his rapier.

"…Now, we finish this."

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