Celestial Bloodline

Kyle's next battle was with Lara, and as always, her gaze was icy as she stepped onto the stage and locked eyes with him.

The referee looked at them and signaled for the start of the battle. The duo glanced at each other and launched their attacks simultaneously.

Kyle, having used up his mana in the battle against Mia, found himself temporarily unable to cast any skills. So, he wasted no time in rushing toward Lara.

But she quickly fired two arrows, aiming straight for his head!

He halted and, with no choice, retreated to dodge the arrows because they were too fast. It seemed Lara coated them with mana. The moment the arrows struck the ground, a tiny crack formed in the middle of the stage.

Kyle slowly, very slowly gazed at the crack, and sweat trickled down his forehead.

'What's wrong with her? Did she just try to kill me?'

He looked at the girl in front of him, only to see her staring back with eyes that seemed to hold a clear warning.

'You can't defeat me.'

Kyle let out a dry chuckle and glanced at the referee, but the latter seemed to be enjoying the show.

'Damn it.'

He clenched his sword tightly and attacked once again. This time, his gaze was fixed on the arrows Lara fired. Dodging the arrows was hard, but not impossible. The problem was that, just like Lara, his attacks weren't landing on her. So, he had no choice but to run around in circles on the stage to avoid the arrows.

'Why is she so fast?'

Kyle finally closed the distance between them and threw an attack at her, but to his surprise, she blocked the sword with her bow before pushing him back.

Lara glanced at her trembling hand gripping the bow. She managed to block the sword, but the sheer force behind Kyle's attack couldn't be underestimated.

Their fight continued, with neither of them willing to admit defeat. It wasn't long before the duo became the center of attention, with many eyes fixed upon them.

A few people in the audience cheered for Lara when an arrow grazed Kyle's neck. If he hadn't dodged it in time, he could have been seriously hurt.

This chapter was originally posted on M^VLEMPYR.

Kyle and Lara locked eyes, both breathing heavily. Their fight had become the longest one in the finals.

Alec, who had finished his battles, narrowed his eyes at Kyle with a grumpy expression. He was the only one the latter hadn't fought against.

'So, you just skipped me? Why? Now I want a battle!'

He wanted to go talk to the referee to arrange a friendly match, but unfortunately, the referee next to him was the same one who made Nine's condition almost unrecognizable. So, he quickly shook his head and decided against it.

'Next time.'

On the stage, Kyle and Lara's fight was reaching its climax when Kyle unleashed his sword art. He didn't intend to use it against Lara, but in the end, he had no choice.

After deflecting her attack, he quickly closed the distance between them and launched his attack. Lara attempted to block it with her bow, but the sword changed direction in mid-air, causing her bow to go flying.

The sudden force knocked her off balance, and she ended up sitting on the ground. When she looked up, Kyle's sword was just inches away from her neck.

After the referee signaled that Kyle had won, he sheathed his sword and gazed at the girl.

"Are you okay?"

He was not expecting any answers, after all, he just asked out of courtesy. But to his surprise, Lara replied while staring directly at him.

"I am fine, but next time I will not lose."

Kyle swore he noticed a hint of annoyance flash in her eyes, mixed with a bit of acceptance. Also, from such a close distance, she didn't look as cold as he imagined.

He got ahead of himself and offered her his hand so she could stand up, but the only thing he got in return was her gaze that said.

'Are you crazy?'

She stood up and left the stage. Kyle watched her figure and took his hand back awkwardly. He glanced at the next person who stepped onto the stage and felt the urge to surrender. The fight with Lara had completely drained him.

Carcel, his next opponent, gave him a surprised look, and it wasn't just Carcel. Everyone in the crowd had different expressions on their faces, witnessing Kyle's victories against higher-ranked students.

Once Carcel stood opposite Kyle, the referee signaled for the fight to begin. From the very start, it was clear that the prince had the advantage.

Kyle, already exhausted, decided to conserve his energy by reducing his movements after a few initial clashes.

He had fought Carcel before, so he was familiar with his fighting style. That's why, after a few initial clashes, he was able to adapt and adjust to the battle pace.

It soon became apparent that they were evenly matched, surprising both Carcel and the onlookers. It hadn't even been two weeks since Carcel last fought Kyle, so it was astonishing to see such a significant improvement in such a short time.

Carcel couldn't deny that he was having difficulty defending against Kyle's attacks. The most frustrating part was his strange sword art.

As the intense fight unfolded, Professor Liam couldn't help but leave the stage he was overseeing to witness Kyle's remarkable progress.

'It's unbelievable how much he has improved in such a short time.'

Nine, who had just finished his fights, also looked at Kyle with a shocked face.

"It's good that I admit defeat in time."

He wiped his forehead with a relieved expression, but he got distracted when he heard a familiar voice cursing right next to him. Turning around, Nine's shock grew even more—it was Alec! The person who always wore a smile on his face.

Alec, who had been frustrated because the only one Kyle hadn't fought was him, saw Nine's shocked expression. He quickly changed his expression and smiled.

Nine smiled back, not wanting to offend him, and looked away.

'I just changed my tattered clothes, I'm not in the mood to get beaten up again!'

On the stage, after a while of going head-to-head, Kyle started to struggle. He knew beating Carcel would be hard from the beginning, but he didn't expect it to be this challenging.

Sure, he managed to hold his own against Carcel for six long minutes, but then Carcel regained the upper hand.

Eventually, the fight came to a close, and unfortunately, Kyle ended up losing. He still has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to catch up to Alec and Carcel.