Three years ago, back before he joined the academy, William had fought a battle that actually challenged him.
His opponent then was one of the royal guards serving under his father—a man so fast that William's telekinesis couldn't even catch him. That fight had pushed him to his limits… and he lost.
Now, after three long years, he finally faced someone who could challenge him again. Challenge him at his full strength.
And it thrilled him.
A grin spread across his face as he leapt into the air and sent a wave of psychic energy toward the girl—but it had no effect. She had surrounded herself with a barrier.
To the onlookers, it was a stunning sight: two students, one from the top and one from the bottom of the academy hierarchy, clashing fiercely. They moved fast, trading blows and dodging with perfect timing.
Whenever it looked like Gizel had a clear shot, William slipped away. And whenever William seemed ready to knock her down, she countered with her signature technique, nullifying his efforts.
Landing lightly on his feet, William asked, "You don't fight with your hands, do you?"
Gizel answered honestly, "I usually prefer blunt weapons."
William gave a hum of interest, then turned to the weapon rack and pulled two sets—a pair of batons for her and a staff for himself.
"If we keep relying on magic," he said, spinning the staff once, "we might never reach a conclusion."
Gizel took the batons with a small, confident smile.
She had judged him based on his past performance, which was why she hadn't bothered bringing a weapon earlier. But after trading blows and getting nowhere—unable to even graze him—she knew she had to go all out.
The moment both of them armed themselves, the tension in the air shifted.
William twirled his staff once and charged in. His steps were light and soundless as he advanced towards his opponent. Gizel crossed her batons and blocked his first strike.
William smirked and released a pulse of telekinesis through his staff. The sudden burst threw Gizel back a few meters, but she quickly slammed her batons into the ground and formed a barrier behind her to stop herself from sliding further.
"Not bad," William said, his eyes glowing faintly.
"Likewise," she replied, raising her hands. Several translucent barriers appeared around her, orbiting like shields ready to intercept any attack.
William hurled his staff forward, guiding it through the air as if it were an extension of his own arm. At the same time, he sprinted in from the side, his steps light and sharp.
Gizel's green eyes tracked both threats at once, glowing like a predator ready to strike.
She threw a barrier toward the incoming staff, stopping its path midair, and lunged straight for William. Her baton, held in a reverse grip, sliced upward toward his chin.
For a split second, William froze—then his body moved on instinct. He bent his knees and vaulted over the strike, air whistling past his ears.
Gizel spun in the same motion, swinging her other baton where she thought he'd land. But instead of a hit, she felt a sudden weight press against the weapon.
William had landed on her baton.
His body balanced perfectly for half a heartbeat—then his foot shot forward, connecting with her chin.
*CRACK!*
The kick sent Gizel stumbling back as William flipped off her baton, spinning gracefully through the air before landing on the gym mat with a smooth thud.
"Agh…" Gizel groaned, touching her chin as she fell.
The crowd erupted.
"Whoa! That was smooth!"
"Did he just kick her in the face?!"
"That was insane—his movements are unreal!"
Around the arena, students leaned forward in awe. William straightened his back, brushing imaginary dust off his uniform, his calm eyes fixed on Gizel once again.
Gizel pushed herself off the floor, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.
'His weight barely registered on my baton,' she thought, her eyes narrowing, 'but that kick… it carried the power of a grown man.'
She had no doubt now—William's control over his body and magic was perfect. Every move he made was deliberate, measured, and frighteningly smooth.
When her gaze met his, she saw it clearly—the hunger. That quiet spark of excitement in his eyes, expecting her to push him further.
A small, amused laugh escaped her lips.
She reached up, slid off her glasses, and tossed them aside. The sound of them clinking against the floor echoed softly in the tense gym.
"You want a real battle, right?" she said, her tone calm but sharp.
Before William could reply, thirty shimmering barriers materialized across the arena—floating, shifting, overlapping. The transparent walls distorted the light, fracturing the air into a maze of reflections that completely hid Gizel from view.
"Then you'll get one."
The moment her words faded, William felt something—movement, right behind him.
He spun instantly, thrusting his staff backward with precision.
*THUNK!*
The staff hit solid mana—a barrier. It cracked under the force but didn't break.
And then—*THUD!*
Pain shot through William's skull as something hard struck him from behind. He stumbled forward, gritting his teeth, realizing she had used the barriers to mask her attacks.
He turned sharply, but Gizel was gone again, vanishing behind another wall of light.
She was everywhere at once—appearing, disappearing, darting between the glowing barriers like a ghost. Each step she took left faint ripples of magic in the air, her movements impossible to predict.
Gizel vanished again—like a flicker of light swallowed by her own maze.
William turned sharply, his eyes darting between the dozens of shimmering barriers that filled the gym. Each one reflected her faint outline, but none of them were real.
Tap.
The soft sound of her foot echoed behind him. William spun, thrusting his staff—but it hit nothing.
Then—WHAM!—a baton slammed into his ribs from the right. The blow forced the air out of his lungs as he staggered to the side.
"Too slow," Gizel's voice teased, though he couldn't pinpoint where it came from.
He raised his hand and sent a psychic wave forward, shattering a few barriers into shards of light. The fragments rained down, but she was already gone.
THWACK!
Something struck his shoulder. He grimaced and swung his staff around, but all he hit was another barrier that dissolved into thin air.
Gizel appeared behind him again, only for a heartbeat, her eyes glowing through the haze.
CRACK!
Her baton smacked the back of his leg, forcing him to one knee.
The crowd gasped as William's balance faltered, the sound of his feet scraping against the mat echoing across the gym.
Among the students, Emma's expression turned stiff—not because William was being hit, but because something felt *off.* Her eyes narrowed as she watched the fight closely.
'Why is he going easy on her?' she thought. Every move of his looked measured, restrained. He wasn't fighting seriously… and that realization set off alarms in her head.
'Gizel…need to keep a close eye on her…'
Meanwhile, William exhaled deeply. He had hoped to end this match through simple combat—to test his skills hand-to-hand. But now, that idea was gone.
Straightening his posture, he looked up at the maze of barriers around him once more, their faint glow reflecting in his crimson eyes.
Then, a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Nice time fighting you, Gizel."
Gizel's grip tightened around her batons. Her heart pounded, instincts warning her of something far greater. She braced herself, barriers flickering in a defensive formation.
But before she could act, William began to rise.
His body lifted smoothly from the mat, weightless, calm—ascending higher and higher until he floated just below the gym ceiling.
All eyes turned upward. The chatter died instantly.
Even Russel, who had been watching lazily until now, did stiffly, her gaze sharp. Across the gym, a few students stopped their own sparring and looked up in disbelief.
There he was—William, the blond-haired failure—hovering in the air, light shimmering around him like a faint aura. The power radiating from him was suffocating, pressing against everyone's chest.
Gizel felt her heartbeat quicken. A cold shiver ran down her spine.
'This isn't normal…'
But she refused to freeze. She summoned a series of barriers, forming glowing steps beneath her feet, and began climbing fast—her gaze locked on the levitating figure.
She was going to end this before whatever he was planning came to life.
William looked down, his once calm eyes now glowing a deep, bleeding crimson. His hand slowly lowered.
"Ruler's Decree."
The words were quiet—yet every soul in the gym heard them.
Then, the air itself trembled.
A shadow formed above the arena—massive, heavy, divine. And before anyone could fully understand what they were seeing, it descended.
A colossal hand made of pure psychic force slammed down from above, shaking the entire gym.
**DOOOOOOM!!**
The sound was deafening. The floor cracked. Gizel's barriers shattered like glass in a storm of aether, their fragments scattering into fading light.
Her eyes widened, disbelief freezing her in place. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
And then—impact.
The invisible weight crashed down on her, pinning her to the ground.
"GAAAHHHH!!" she screamed, her voice raw as the air itself seemed to crush her. The floor splintered beneath her body, her barriers crumbling one after another. Blood streamed from her ears as her entire body trembled under the overwhelming pressure.
Around them, silence reigned.
No one moved. No one dared speak.
Because, at that moment, William's command alone ruled the arena.
In the end, it was Gizel's slight pat on the ground that made him stop.
And once the force was removed, a broken Gizel lay there.
Utterly defeated.
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.