[Ruvian’s POV]

"They’re finally here."

Ruvian spoke casually, as though their arrival was only a matter of course. Just as he had predicted, they had shown up only a few minutes past noon.

Having long prepared for this moment, Ruvian summoned [The Endseeker] before slowly walking toward them. Calyra likewise summoned her magic staff and followed beside him, the two advancing side by side.

Julian watched them approach, a subtle grin spreading across his face as his eyes gleamed with vindictive anticipation.

"I presume the two of you were already expecting us."

Julian spoke before casting Ruvian a contemptuous glare.

"Or perhaps this was your plan from the very beginning, ever since you dared insult me?" He looked at Calyra. "As expected of a commoner, hiding behind a woman when the consequences finally arrive."

Ruvian let out a mocking laugh.

"Couldn’t say the same for you. Who’s that beside you? Your new boyfriend?"

He smiled cunningly.

"Well, that was fast. I didn’t know the great Julian could find himself a man in the middle of an examination." (+500PP)

A few restrained chuckles suddenly escaped from Loden beside him, despite the hand he had raised to cover his mouth.

Julian’s grin immediately vanished as a vein bulged faintly across his temple, his fingers curling tighter at his side.

"Silence!"

Julian’s furious voice cut through the air, causing Loden’s shoulders to stop shaking almost immediately. He lowered his hand and returned to his usual sly smile.

Julian clicked his tongue, annoyed.

’Ugh, these two bastards gave me a headache!’

He had already had enough of this pointless exchange. If there was one thing he had learned from dealing with Ruvian, it was that trading words with that bastard would only give him another chance to run his mouth.

So, Julian reached for the sword at his waist and slowly unsheathed it.

"I must admit, peasant, that mouth of yours is remarkably talented. Perhaps the only talent you possess that I have no desire to compete against."

The blade slid completely free as Julian pointed its edge toward Ruvian.

"So, how about we stop wasting time with words," his eyes narrowed. "And from here on, let our blades do the talking."

"Sounds good to me. Words are meaningless anyway," Ruvian replied in an almost nonchalant tone.

Casually, Ruvian raised [The Endseeker], a faint grin creeping across his face. Julian answered with a contemptuous sneer of his own, and for a brief moment, neither of them moved.

Then, almost in perfect unison, both of their mana surged through their bodies as they cast [Body Enhancement].

"Indeed, words are meaningless."

Without further exchange, both of them kicked off the ground with explosive force, the two vanished from where they stood, leaving cracks spreading beneath their feet.

In the next moment, their swords collided in the middle of the open terrain.

CLANG!!!!

A deafening metallic clangor thundered across the entire region as [The Endseeker] crashed against Julian’s blade, the sheer force of their clash sending a concussive gust outward.

The two remained blade-locked, their trembling steel refusing to yield even an inch.

Watching them from behind, Loden’s lips slowly curled upward.

"How eager... I’m envious~"

Yet just as the words left his mouth, his eyes suddenly flicked sideways. Sensing something incoming, Loden calmly tilted his head aside.

SHIIING!

A sharp shard of ice tore through the air beside his face, grazing past several strands of his dark gray hair before continuing into the distance.

Loden’s wicked smile remained.

"Oh my~?"

Slowly turning toward the source of the attack, his gaze moved upward.

There, floating high above the ground, was Calyra.

Her robes fluttered beneath the cold wind gathering around her as she held her magic staff firmly in one hand. Brilliant blue mana radiated from its tip, while her eyes glowed with the same majestic blue light.

With a chilling menace, Calyra raised her staff toward him.

"Where are you looking at? Your opponent is me."

Loden’s smile widened.

"If Lady Calyra insists, I’ll gladly honor this opportunity. But do be gentle, of course. I’m rather afraid of frightening women."

Smugly, he summoned [Nightwither] and deftly spun the scythe around his body before settling into a fighting stance.

Calyra stared at him blankly. Eventually, she replied:

"Not my concern."

Immediately after, a cold, terrifying mass of mana erupted around her, swallowing the surrounding space in its pressure; hundreds of magic circles materialized from thin air behind her, spreading across the sky until they resembled a colossal fortress of radiant blue.

Loden simply licked his lips.

"Well... I’ve never been good with ladies to begin with."

But his amusement lasted only another moment before his eyes sharpened.

"Everyone, scatter!"

He screamed; the other four immediately moved, splitting apart in different directions just as Calyra’s staff descended.

"Huh? As if that would be a help."

[Empyrean Magic Missile]

Soon, hundreds of magic circles behind her ignited at once; a relentless bombardment of blue [Magic Missiles] rained down from the sky, each one tearing through the air before smashing into the ground below.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Gritting his teeth, Loden dashed between the explosions, narrowly avoiding one missile before another crashed directly behind him — shattered rocks past his body, forcing him to twist aside before immediately accelerating again.

’My goodness... what madness is this!?’

Even while moving at full speed, he could barely find an opening.

There were simply too many.

’Truly, women are terrifying!’

*****

[Julian’s POV]

The sound of the continuous bombardment echoed behind them as they relentlessly exchanged blow after blow with their swords.

For a split second, curiosity got the better of Julian, and he glanced past Ruvian, witnessing the sheer madness of those terrifying spells raining down from the sky.

’What a monster...’

The sight unsettled him slightly, forcing him to acknowledge just how powerful Lady Calyra truly was... but even then, it did little to convince him that he himself would ever be defeated by her simply because she could unleash spells on such a massive scale.

Disengaging from their clash, Julian retreated several meters away.

"Looks like I made a slight miscalculation. There’s no way Loden and my squad can handle that woman by themselves."

Ruvian pointed a thumb behind him.

"So, is that your way of admitting defeat?"

Julian scoffed.

"No. It simply means all I need to do now is eliminate you from this test, then I can deal with her afterward."

Ruvian smiled dryly.

"What makes you think you can defeat me?"

Julian answered with a similar smile.

"Countless ways."

As he tightened his grip around his sword, lightning suddenly erupted from beneath his feet and surged upward, wrapping his entire body in violent, purplish arcs of electricity.

Ruvian was familiar with that spell. He had already seen Shima use something similar before.

Of course, comparing Shima’s mastery over Lightning to Julian’s would be rather unfair.

Julian was far better.

More importantly, Ruvian knew enough about the bastard’s fighting style to realize that what he was looking at wasn’t merely one spell.

It was a trick.

Julian had layered two spells over his body at once.

[Lightning Steps] and [Lightning Infusion].’

One granted him explosive speed, while the other infused his body with lightning. That meant Julian wouldn’t merely move at lightning speed, even making direct contact with him carried the risk of electrocution.

’What a troublesome combination of spells.’

Even so, Ruvian kept the grin on his face.

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 307: Final Confrontation]

Plot Points= 53,500 PP

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