Kōri activated his sword, and in the blink of an eye, the cold condensed around him, forming a translucent sheet of ice.
The air instantly dropped in temperature.
Beside him, Sunday responded without a word: he grasped the hilt of his katana and drew it with a clean movement, the metal gleaming in the light.
They stared at each other for a second, gauging the distance.
Kōri was the first to advance, taking a firm step and slashing horizontally, leaving an icy trail in the air.
Sunday reacted immediately, twisting his wrist to deflect the attack; the clash of steel and ice echoed with a sharp crack.
Without retreating, Sunday counterattacked with a precise thrust.
Kōri blocked, relying on the strength of his sword, and the ground beneath his feet began to be covered with a thin layer of frost.
The fight had just begun, and neither seemed willing to give an inch.
Sunday kicked up a cloud of sand, swatting at the ground. The sand got in Kōri's eyes, blurring her vision.
This girl is good... Sunday thought with a smile.
"Okay, I'll get serious."
The blade of Sunday's katana crackled with tiny blue lightning.
The swords clashed again, leaving a kind of blue aurora.
Sunday raised her arm and spun around, taking advantage of the confusion.
The tiny blue lightning coursing through her katana intensified, crackling as if the blade were alive. She advanced in a straight line, swift and determined.
Kōri took a step back, blinking hard to clear her vision. Still not seeing clearly, she plunged her sword into the ground.
A small circle of ice expanded from the tip of the sword, freezing the sand before Sunday could maneuver around it.
"Well thought out…" he murmured, stopping abruptly.
With a swift movement, Sunday unleashed a vertical slash. Kōri met it head-on.
The impact was brutal: ice and electricity collided, and the blue aurora erupted once more between the blades, illuminating their faces for an instant.
The pressure pushed Kōri back, but he didn't fall. He gritted his teeth and released more cold, thickening his sword with layers of reinforced ice. The ground creaked beneath them.
Sunday smiled, clearly enjoying the fight.
"Interesting… getting better and better."
He leaped back and, as he landed, traced several rapid cuts in the air.
Blue discharges followed the katana's path like fleeting lines.
They stood a few meters apart, breathing calmly, observing each other with renewed attention.
Sunday raised her hand, and a small beam shot out in Kōri's direction.
Wow, I wasn't expecting that... Nero admired Sunday's power.
Kōri threw herself to the ground, barely dodging the beam. She looked up and said hurriedly,
"I give up!, I give up!."
"Ugh, but it was just getting started," Sunday said, pouting.
Nero extended his hand to Kōri, a gesture she accepted.
"Next match... Lux versus Sunday" .
Lux stepped forward, relaxing his shoulders before facing Sunday.
His expression was calm, almost nonchalant, but his eyes were sharp, completely fixed on the swordsman.
Sunday turned to face him, lightly resting his katana on his shoulder.
The faint blue electricity faded, though a few sparks still flickered along the blade.
"So?" Sunday said, tilting his head. "You're next."
Axel seemed to remember something and said,
"Wait."
"Let's wait for his aura to recover. Deactivate yours as well."
"Why do we have to deactivate our auras?" Sunday asked, slightly puzzled.
"When your aura is deactivated, it recovers twice as fast."
Sunday clicked her tongue, but obeyed. With a brief gesture, the blue electricity dissipated completely, and the pressure in the air immediately decreased.
"What a nuisance..." she muttered. "Just when I was getting excited."
The whole group sat down in the shade.
"So your power is generating lightning, huh?" Nero tilted his head toward Sunday.
"No, actually, I can only create discharges, but if I combine many discharges, I create a small lightning bolt."
"That katana... it's an artifact, isn't it..."
Sunday nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes. I can fill its blade with electricity. Isn't it incredible?"
It's incredible that you have so much energy...
Where's Rose? She didn't go to school today, and she's very sensitive...
Nero sighed with slight resignation.
A small bird flew down from a tree and perched on Lux's head.
"This is very relaxing, isn't it?"
"Do you know what I want?" Axel asked. "A chess set."
What?... Chess exists in this world?
Nero scratched the back of his neck, confused by this fact.
Axel clapped his hands.
"Break time. Let's get to work."
Lux stepped to the center of the space, relaxing his shoulders and turning his neck slightly.
The small bird that had been perched above his head took flight and disappeared among the trees.
Lux exhaled slowly, his expression calm, almost nonchalant.
Sunday stood before him, his katana resting lightly on his shoulder.
They both activated their auras.
Something about Sunday had changed; he seemed more serious...
"Ready?" Axel asked.
Lux stepped forward.
"Yes."
Sunday didn't reply, just remained lost in thought.
The instant Axel lowered his hand, Sunday moved.
Not forward: to the side.
Lux blinked. For a split second, he was distracted by the movement of the sand beneath his feet, with the sensation that Sunday was in two places at once.
He adjusted his stance… too late.
A flash of steel.
Sunday appeared within his guard, the katana stopped a hair's breadth from Lux's neck.
A clean, precise, controlled strike.
Lux froze.
"...Huh?" he murmured, only then realizing how close the blade had been.
"Combat over," Axel announced calmly.
Lux raised both hands and let out a short laugh.
"Wow… that was quick."
Sunday stepped back and sheathed the katana with a fluid motion.
"You were distracted," he said without arrogance. "Just for a second."
Lux clicked his tongue, annoyed but smiling.
"I feel so pink."
Nero watched silently, his brow slightly furrowed.
That wasn't just speed… it was control.
Sunday stretched, clearly dissatisfied.
"I thought it would last a little longer."
Lux made an annoyed sound with his tongue. "Idiot," he muttered.
Axel cleared his throat and raised his hand once more.
"Next match," he announced firmly. "Kōri versus Nero."
Nero and Kōri silently activated their auras.
Kōri stepped forward, gripping the hilt of her sword.
The frost expanded, forming the blade of a sword.
Nero advanced from the other side with absolute calm.
With a sharp click, she activated her knife. The blade unfurled, plain and unadorned, simply…
Nero tilted his head, relaxed, almost bored.
"Whenever you're ready," Axel said.
The match began.
Kōri was the first to move.
She propelled herself forward, using the ice beneath her feet, and unleashed a diagonal slash charged with cold. The air crackled. Nero turned just enough; the sword grazed his coat.
He counterattacked instantly.
Her knife traced a swift, precise upward line. Kōri blocked, and the clash sent ice flying in all directions.
She didn't stop.
She followed up with a second and third attack, each stronger than the last, forcing Nero back. Frost coated the ground with each step she took, the cold growing denser.
Nero dodged and deflected with minimal movement.
"Is that all?" he said calmly. "I thought you'd be more focused after fighting Sunday."
Kōri frowned.
"Shut up," she snapped, a little angry.
She plunged her sword into the ground. A ring of ice expanded violently, trying to ensnare Nero. He leaped back, landing just out of its reach.
"You're rushing things," she remarked. "When you're angry, your steps become predictable. That was enough."
"Don't talk like you know everything!" Kōri exclaimed.
The cold around them grew unstable. She attacked head-on, without pause, unleashing brute force.
Nero no longer retreated: he advanced.
In the midst of the exchange, he spoke again, his voice low but clear.
"There it is. Just what I wanted."
Kōri hesitated.
Only for an instant.
But in combat, an instant is too long.
Nero slipped inside her guard. He struck the side of the sword with his knife, deflecting it, and with the same movement, he placed the blade centimeters from Kōri's neck.
He stopped.
The ice cracked around them.
Silence.
Kōri breathed heavily, her eyes wide.
"...I lost," she admitted, gritting her teeth.
"Combat over," Axel declared.
Nero withdrew the knife and took a step back.
"You're strong," he said without mockery, "but you let me get the better of you."
Kōri clenched her fist, frustrated with herself.
Nero looked at her for another second, serious.
From behind, Lux whistled softly.
"Wow… provoking her was literally part of the strategy."
Sunday smirked.
Nero sheathed his knife and turned to Axel.
"Who's next?"