Then, without wasting any time, Gray made the first move.

Swoosh!

He dashed forward, his rapier flashing in the dim light like a streak of silver lightning. The wind cracked around him as his blade cut through the air toward Cassandra's throat.

CLANG!

Her scythe intercepted the strike, sparks bursting where the blades met.

The force behind Gray's attack made her boots slide backward on the cracked arena floor, leaving a faint trail of dust behind.

"Still as fast as ever," Cassandra muttered, her eyes narrowing.

Gray continued on, twisting his wrist sharply, forcing her scythe off balance before flicking his rapier sideways in a clean horizontal arc.

Cassandra ducked under it, her hair brushing the air as the blade sliced above her head.

SHING!

The next instant, she countered.

The curve of her scythe swept upward in a deadly crescent, aiming for Gray's chest.

He leaned backward, the blade grazing his coat as he spun midair and landed lightly on his feet, his rapier already raised again.

The ground beneath them cracked from the shock of each movement.

Cassandra's expression stayed calm, but her mind was a little enraged because honestly... Gray's attack speed was too damned fast.

'He's too fast. I can't even read the rhythm of his attacks…'

Gray closed the distance again.

Fwip, fwip, fwip!

Three strikes in one breath.

She barely managed to block two; the third grazed her shoulder, cutting a thin line through her uniform.

"Shit!" She hissed softly, pain flaring, but she refused to back away.

Instead, she stepped in, the blade of her scythe spinning around her body in a smooth, circular motion before slicing toward his ribs.

Gray twisted his torso just enough for it to miss, then drove his knee up, slamming into the flat of her scythe to knock it off its path.

The clash sent both of them skidding backward, and dust rose between them.

Cassandra steadied her breathing, gripping the scythe tighter.

"You don't even hesitate anymore, do you?" she said.

"It's like you've stopped seeing people as—"

SWOOP!

She didn't even finish before he vanished again.

Her instincts screamed as she spun to her left, just in time to barely block his strike.

CLANG!

The impact shook her arm numb.

Gray pressed forward, his rapier turning into blurs.

He attacked from all angles, slashing from below, stabbing from the side, spinning the blade with such speed that Cassandra could barely track it with her eyes.

Each movement was clean and efficient with no wasted motion, no unnecessary flourish.

'He's— he's faster than before…!'

Her scythe spun defensively, intercepting his blows one after another, but she was being pushed back, her boots grinding into the ground, her breath growing shorter.

Gray didn't even look angry or desperate. His face was calm, as if this wasn't a fight, but a simple routine he had practiced a thousand times before.

Finally, she saw an opening.

SWOOSH!

She ducked under one of his thrusts and spun behind him, her scythe slicing toward his back.

CLANG!

He twisted, blocking it with the flat of his blade without even turning his head. The motion was so fast that it seemed impossible, a movement made from pure instinct.

Cassandra's eyes widened.

He took advantage of her brief shock.

THUD!

His boot connected with her stomach, sending her flying backward across the arena.

She slid several meters before stabbing her scythe into the ground to stop herself, coughing hard as she tried to catch her breath.

"Still standing," Gray muttered quietly, walking toward her.

"You… really don't hold back, huh," she said, forcing a smirk.

He said nothing, only raised his rapier again.

Cassandra gritted her teeth.

Her arms ached, and her heartbeat thumped against her ribs like a drum, but the fire in her eyes didn't fade.

She pushed herself up and raised her scythe once more.

"Fine then…" she whispered.

"You want to fight seriously? Let's fight seriously."

Gray tilted his head slightly.

She closed her eyes for one breath.

FWOOOOOM!

A surge of red energy burst from her body, the air trembling under its weight. The crimson strands in her gray hair began to glow faintly, like molten metal under moonlight.

The aura around her grew much heavier, almost suffocating.

Gray stopped mid-step, his eyes narrowing slightly as he felt the sudden spike in power.

When she opened her eyes again, they were no longer dull gray; they burned faintly red, like a flame hidden behind glass.

"…The Goddess of War's Blessing," she declared softly, spinning her scythe once.

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was sharper now, heavier, like the weapon itself had changed.

Thrum!

The arena floor cracked under the weight of her next step.

'...She finally activated Divika's Blessing,' Gray thought inwardly.

'That means that I should increase my speed a little to match hers... maybe, twenty times is enough?'

Fwoop!

Cassandra's crimson strands glowed brighter, the heat from her power distorting the air around her.

The gray of her scythe deepened to a bloody shade, pulsing faintly with her heartbeat.

Gray, however, only rolled his shoulders lightly.

"Twenty times speed it is," he muttered lightly.

FWOOM!

A ripple of dark energy burst out of him, faint but heavy. It twisted the air like a mirage. His figure blurred, the edges of his body dissolving into faint streaks of shadow.

SWOOSH!

He vanished.

Cassandra's eyes widened, then narrowed.

CLANG!

Her scythe snapped upward just in time to intercept a flash of silver. Sparks flew as the rapier's tip scraped across the shaft of her weapon.

"Better," she breathed, pushing him back with a strong kick.

Gray landed lightly, twisting his rapier in his hand.

Cassandra's scythe spun in her hands, a dance of steel that created a whirling circle of air around her.

"Soul Scythe Art — Spiral Rend!"

The air itself bent under her swing, the ground ripping apart in a spiral as the blade sliced through space toward him.

Gray stepped forward, thrusting his rapier into the center of the spiral.

CRACK!

The impact shattered the ground, and for a moment, both of them were hidden behind a cloud of dust and force.

Then Gray's voice came through the haze.

"Nice move."

SWOOSH!

He cut through the cloud from above, his rapier stabbing straight down.

Cassandra jumped aside, the tip of his blade grazing her sleeve. The force of it tore through her uniform, leaving a thin cut on her arm.

She hissed and countered instantly, swinging her scythe in a wide horizontal arc.

CLANG!

Gray deflected it with one hand, but the power behind it forced him back several steps, his boots grinding against the ground.

The two moved again, faster this time. Their weapons clashed again and again, every strike louder and sharper than the last.

CLANG!

SWOOSH!

THUD!

Gray twisted his rapier, forcing Cassandra to stumble a step back.

She quickly dropped to one knee, spinning her scythe around her body and slashing upward, catching him off guard for half a breath.

SLASH!

A shallow cut appeared across his chest, dark aura leaking out like smoke.

Gray glanced at it, unimpressed.

Then, he stepped forward again, this time with his rapier coated in dark energy. It rippled like living shadows, crawling along the blade, pulsing with his heartbeat.

The next swing came out like a storm.

CLANG!

Swoosh!

Each strike sent small bursts of energy shooting in every direction. The entire arena shook under the pressure of their battle.

Cassandra gritted her teeth, her arms trembling under the weight of every clash.

'He's getting faster… No... It's not that! It's his rhythm that is changing!'

She suddenly jumped back, spinning her scythe in her hands before planting it into the ground.

'I need to end this in a single move; if not, I'll lose!'

Her crimson aura surged upward.

"Soul Scythe Art— Falling Star Cleave!"

The ground beneath her cracked open as her scythe drew a large crimson arc in the air, sending a wave of condensed energy screaming toward Gray.

The energy split the ground open, the entire arena rumbling from the sheer force behind it.

Dust, debris, and light filled the air.

But Gray didn't move to dodge.

He slowly exhaled.

"Shadowless Sword Art—" he whispered.

The dark energy on his blade swirled violently. His figure blurred even more, almost transparent.

"First Form… Phantom Sword."

FWOOSH!

For a single instant, Gray vanished completely.

The crimson wave hit him, no, it passed through him. His body seemed to melt into the shadows, leaving only a faint distortion behind.

Then, behind Cassandra...

SHING!

The air screamed as his rapier struck from nowhere. The blade cut through the aftermath of her own energy wave, slicing it apart like paper.

"Kaagh!" Cassandra gasped, barely spinning around in time to block.

CRASH!

The force of the clash threw her backward, her boots digging long lines into the cracked stone before finally losing grip.

She flew out of the arena, crashing into the barrier with a loud, dull thud before collapsing to her knees, breathing heavily.

The red light in her hair flickered weakly and faded away.

Gray lowered his rapier, exhaling slowly as the shadows around him began to retreat back into his body.

The dark aura disappeared, leaving only the faint hum of power in the air.

The arena was silent for a long moment.

Until someone finally broke it.

Clap, clap, clap!

The professors started clapping.

Then, Professor Otto stepped forward from the audience platform, his voice carrying clearly through the still air.

"The winner of the midterm exam is… Gray Vireux."

His voice remained as cold as ever.

"Congratulations."

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