Chapter 197: Pointless Elijah took a deep breath. ’Calm yourself,’ he reminded himself, as he breathed in and out. The arena of the Emporium stretched wide around him but his gaze was on who stood opposite, Azel was motionless. Hands at his sides, posture relaxed, as though the duel was nothing more than a casual stroll. The calm in his stance made Elijah’s blood boil. ’Sword Saint’s son or not... I am a second-year of Astralis Academy,’ Elijah told himself, breathing through his nose to steady his nerves. ’I’ve faced monsters, I’ve bled in dungeons, I’ve trained under some of the fiercest professors alive. No pampered trainee can compare to that. Not even him.’ He was a bit doubtful about winning. Still, he held to his thought. ’If I win here, Lorraine will finally see it. She’ll stop rejecting me. She’ll realize who deserves her.’ A pulse of light flickered from his storage ring. The familiar weight of his weapons filled his grip as twin swords manifested in his hands. Their smooth blades gleaming under the arena lights. His shoulders loosened, as he took a stance meant for battle. The referee’s gaze shifted to Azel. "Sir Azel Thorne, are you not bringing out a weapon?" Azel tilted his head slightly, brows knitting as though puzzled by the question. His tone came indifferent. "...Since when did a mage use a weapon?" The referee blinked. "M-mage? Sir, might I remind you that you’re a swords—" "Start the match!" Elijah barked, cutting him off before the word swordsman could be uttered again. The referee sighed, shoulders slumping. With a resigned glance toward Azel as though silently pleading with him to take things seriously, he raised his arm. "The duel begins now!" Elijah moved instantly. Aura flared in his veins, flooding muscle and bone. His entire body surged with energy, steam curling from his lips as he exhaled. ’I’ll end this in one strike.’ But then something flashed. A sphere of flame streaked toward him, cutting through the air with blinding speed. At first it looked small, harmless... like a flickering ember. But the speed at which it was going? It was faster than a speeding arrow. Elijah’s instincts screamed. He snapped his head aside. The projectile skimmed past his cheek, so close he felt the cold sting of its passing. Behind him, the sphere crashed into the floor with an explosive crack. A crater blossomed outward, shards of ice glittering where flame should have been. Frost spread across the stone in jagged veins. Elijah’s heart skipped a beat. "Y-you can use magic?" Gasps rippled through the crowd. "Magic? Did he just say magic?" "No way that’s impossible. He’s the Sword Saint’s son, he should only be able to use aura!" "To be able to wield both aura and mana? That’s unheard of!" Lorraine’s fingers tightened on the railing of the stands. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared down at Azel. She wasn’t worried... at least that was what she told herself. Beside her, Aegon scoffed. "Hmph. So he’s picked up a parlor trick. Fireworks won’t win him this duel." ... 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞 Azel lowered his palm slowly, his expression thoughtful. ’That’s one of the first times I’ve used it for an attack,’ he mused. ’So it’s that effective, huh?’ Elijah clenched his teeth, forcing his breath steady. ’No. Focus! Don’t let it shake you.’ He lunged forward, twin blades whistling through the air. Strike after strike came — slashes fast enough to blur, aura bright enough to burn. His muscles burned with effort as he pressed in, striking countless times. But Azel was never there. He stepped aside like a man avoiding puddles on the street. The first slash cut only empty air. The second missed by a hair as Azel leaned just enough to let it pass. The third came down like thunder, and Azel simply shifted his weight, letting it graze past his chest harmlessly. It was as if Elijah was fighting a ghost. "Stop moving!" Elijah roared. Frustration seethed in his veins. In a reckless burst, he hurled one sword like a spear, aura coiling around it. The weapon shrieked through the air. Azel raised his hand. With a single casual swipe, he slapped the blade aside. Steel shattered into fragments that rained across the arena floor. A ripple of awe spread through the stands. "Did you see that?!" "He destroyed a blade covered in aura... with just his bare hand!" "What kind of monster is he...?" Elijah’s chest heaved, his grip tightening on the last sword in his hand. Fine. If one wasn’t enough, then he’d pour everything into this final strike. He roared, aura exploding around him. The blade glowed white-hot, every ounce of his strength flowing into it. His muscles screamed, his veins burned, but he pushed through. He raised the sword high overhead and swung down in a blazing arc. For one fleeting instant, the strike was beautiful — a crescent of light tearing through the air, it looked unstoppable. Then it stopped. Because Azel caught it with one finger. The blade shuddered violently, frost exploding across its surface. In an instant, the steel cracked, fissures racing along its length before it shattered into glittering shards of ice. Elijah staggered back, disbelief etched across his face. His heart thundered in his chest, louder than the roar of the crowd. His vision tunneled. ’No... no, this can’t be happening. This isn’t possible.’ Azel exhaled slowly, almost bored. His eyes settled on Elijah, the whole Emporium had gone silent. "Why are you retreating?" His voice cut the silence. "If you intend to fight me, you’ll need to step closer..." Elijah froze. "...Or is it that you already know? That getting closer means the duel is already lost?" His body stiffened, a cold sweat trickling down his back. His legs felt heavy, they were unwilling to move.. And then Azel’s voice softened. "Strength isn’t about flailing harder than your opponent. It’s about standing here, in front of me, without breaking." The world blurred. Suddenly, Azel was right there — his speed so great Elijah hadn’t even seen him move. One heartbeat he was paces away, the next his palm rested lightly against Elijah’s chest. "See..." Azel’s tone was gentle which betrayed his next words. "...I can reach out and touch your heart without breaking a sweat."