As soon as Renji shouted, "Begin!" the fight was on.
"What the—" My eyes widened in shock as Reina's daggers doubled in size, expanding rapidly in front of me. How was that even possible? The transformation was so fast, I barely had time to register what had happened before the blades were practically shimmering in the light.
"Don't worry, kid. I'll make sure to go easy on you," Reina said, her smirk widening as she held the oversized daggers confidently in both hands. "But if you're wondering how I made my daggers bigger, it's actually pretty easy." Without missing a beat, she dashed toward me, moving with surprising speed.
I barely managed to bring my sword up in time to block her first strike. "Well, if it's so easy, why don't you go ahead and tell me?" I shot back, trying to hide my surprise as the force of her attack sent a jolt through my arms.
Reina jumped back effortlessly, her daggers still gleaming brightly as she took a moment to ready herself for another assault. "Well, I don't know if your ability is similar to mine," she began, keeping her eyes locked on me as she spoke, "but my awakened ability lets me manipulate the form and size of weapons using magic. It's not too difficult once you get the hang of it. You just have to fuse your magic into the weapon and visualize the shape you want. Then, your magic takes that form and solidifies. Simple, right?"
That sounded insanely complicated, far beyond anything I had tried before. The thought of manipulating weapons and reshaping them with magic felt like something straight out of a legend. I wasn't sure I could even attempt something like that at this stage. "I'll make sure to remember that," I said, trying to keep my cool, my grip tightening on my sword as I braced myself for the next move.
Reina's smirk never wavered. "Enough with the chatter. It's time to get serious." Without warning, she lunged at me again, her speed almost impossible to follow. I barely managed to dodge, throwing myself out of the way just in time to avoid the deadly edge of her blades. She was strong, no doubt about it, but I was determined to keep up.
I quickly counterattacked, swinging my sword in a clean arc toward her, but she reacted far too quickly. With a single dagger, she deflected my strike effortlessly while preparing to stab me with the other. The motion was smooth, almost graceful, and I realized just how skilled she was. Her fighting style was sharp and calculated. I narrowly avoided the dagger aimed at my chest, leaping backward just as the blade whooshed by.
"So, you saw that coming, huh? Not bad, kid," Reina said with a slight nod of approval, clearly impressed by my reaction time.
I smirked. "Haha, thanks!" I said, feeling the adrenaline of the fight coursing through my veins. Without wasting a second, I dashed forward again, determined to land a solid strike this time.
We continued to exchange blow after blow, our movements so rapid that it was nearly impossible to keep track of each strike. My mind was racing, trying to predict her next move while also keeping my own attacks unpredictable. At one point, I managed to catch her off guard—a rare opening—and this time, I was sure I could land a decisive hit.
But suddenly, everything froze.
I looked down in shock, my heart racing as I saw the dirt beneath my feet harden and wrap around my legs, encasing them like stone, trapping me in place. "Earth!?" I gasped, trying to move, but it was no use. The ground was holding me firm.
"Oh, I forgot to mention one last thing," Reina said casually, her voice almost playful now. "I can also reshape the elements around me and change their density at will. Earth, air, water, fire—whatever I want, whenever I want." She twirled one of her daggers lazily, as if she hadn't just trapped me in a prison of stone.
That arrogant—! I clenched my teeth in frustration. Just when I thought I had her cornered, she pulled out this trick. I had underestimated her, and now I was paying the price for it. But there was still a way out.
I could feel the familiar heat building in my chest as I recalled one of the techniques Sensei Sin Ju had taught me—the Quick-Dash. It was a maneuver that required gathering all of my mana in my legs and releasing it in a single burst. The power would propel me forward with such speed that, to anyone watching, it would appear as though I had teleported.
"I guess this is it," Reina said, her voice laced with amusement as she took a step toward me, her daggers gleaming menacingly. "You're not going to be able to escape now."
I ignored her taunting words, focusing only on the task at hand. This was my only shot, and I wasn't about to waste it.
"Come on… gather all your mana," I muttered under my breath, channeling my energy into my legs, feeling the familiar surge of power begin to build.
"Did you say something, kid?" Reina asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
But I didn't respond. I couldn't afford to. I was too focused on gathering every last drop of energy I could. The moment had to be perfect.
Now!
Pouf!
In an instant, I unleashed all my mana in a single explosive burst, and I was gone. My body shot forward with blinding speed, faster than Reina could even process. She barely had time to react before my sword was mere inches from her throat.
Then—CLANG!
I was stopped mid-strike as Renji's hand shot out and caught my blade with seemingly no effort. He hadn't even broken a sweat. His grip was firm and unyielding, like a vice around my sword.
"I think this has gone far enough," Renji said calmly, his voice devoid of any tension.
I blinked, my heart racing in confusion. What just happened? One second, I was about to land a hit, and the next, Renji was standing in front of me, effortlessly halting my attack. I hadn't even seen him move. No, more than that—I hadn't felt him move. It was like he had simply appeared out of nowhere and stopped my blade with his bare hand. Was he even human? No normal person could do that, especially not without losing fingers in the process.
Reina, too, looked completely shocked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at me, and for a moment, it looked like she couldn't believe I had nearly landed a killing blow. Her expression shifted to one of genuine admiration.
Then she smiled, that same playful smirk from earlier returning to her face. "Well done, Zerro. You caught me off guard and moved faster than I expected. You win."
The entire guild erupted into cheers. It wasn't until then that I realized just how many people had been watching from the sidelines. Their cheers filled the arena, and I couldn't help but feel my chest swell with pride. For the first time, I truly felt like I had accomplished something significant.
But then—
"Now for the last test," Renji announced, cutting through the cheers.
"Really?" I groaned, my expression twisting in annoyance. "I thought we were done."
"Nope," Renji replied, grinning. "This one measures your magic strength. You should have awakened by now, right?"
A chill ran down my spine.
I clenched my fists, trying to hide the nervousness that suddenly rose within me. The truth was, I wasn't sure if I had even awakened my magic yet. Sure, I had used mana in my attacks, but I had never really tapped into anything like Reina's weapon-shaping magic. What if I didn't have an awakened ability at all?
"Magic...?" I muttered.