"Begin!"

Vaelor dipped slightly, preparing to move. But Zephyrion vanished.

Vaelor’s eyes flew wide.

’He moved!?’

Zephyrion flashed before him, driving a blade toward his neck.

Vaelor’s widened eyes sharpened. He twisted aside as the blade flashed past him like lightning. He regained his footing... then froze.

Zephyrion was gone.

’Down.’

Vaelor leapt. A sweeping kick whistled beneath him, unleashing a violent gale across the arena.

As he descended, his eyes locked onto Zephyrion.

’An upward swing.’

The most likely follow-up.

A sharp hum echoed as a blade flashed into Vaelor’s grip. The moment Zephyrion’s body tensed, Vaelor instantly raised his sword to shield his head.

However... Zephyrion spun.

His body twisted as his leg whipped upward in a sweeping kick aimed directly at Vaelor’s stomach.

Vaelor’s eyes widened.

"What—"

BAM!

The kick crashed into his midsection, folding him at the waist. The air exploded from his lungs. Then he shot back, skipping violently across the arena before crashing near the edge.

"What!?"

Ociden shot up from his throne, eyes trembling.

Vaelor possessed the greatest hand-to-hand combat instincts amongst his peers he had ever seen. He could predict movements before they even occurred.

Yet he had still lost that exchange?

"The battle literally just started." Garrick said with a grin. "Relax before your blood pressure carries you off the platform. There’s still plenty more humiliation left to witness."

Ociden shot Garrick a glare before scoffing.

"It was merely a fluke." He said stiffly. "Vaelor simply misjudged him for a moment. It won’t happen again."

With that, he settled back into his seat.

Though despite his raised chin and composed posture, there was no hiding the subtle bounce of his leg.

...

Vaelor spat blood onto the arena floor.

Clutching his stomach, he slowly straightened before staring ahead coldly.

Zephyrion stood there calmly with the same impassive gaze.

’I read him wrong.’

Such a thing had never happened before.

As long as Vaelor could observe people, he could read them. Humans followed patterns. Throw a sword suddenly and someone catches it with their left hand? Then they were left dominant. Act a certain way? Then that was likely how they naturally behaved.

People were predictable. Including Zephyrion.

’Including me.’

Vaelor narrowed his eyes at Zephyrion, particularly those faint purple eyes that seemed capable of seeing through anything.

What he had failed to account for... was the possibility that he himself could also be read.

It wasn’t that he had misunderstood Zephyrion. Zephyrion had simply understood him as well.

’I see.’

Now that he realized it, he could compensate for it. Meaning what happened earlier... would never happen again.

Vaelor settled into a stance, slowly raising his sword.

Both met eyes.

And gradually, the deafening crowd fell silent once more.

Then... they vanished.

They flashed into the center simultaneously, blades already colliding.

BOOM!

Countless explosive shockwaves rippled out as bright sparks and violent gales flooded the arena. Their forms dissolved into silver streaks.

As the exchanges continued, Vaelor’s expression gradually darkened. Every collision sent violent tremors through his body. It felt less like clashing with a peer... and more like striking an immovable wall of steel.

’How powerful is he?’

Vaelor thought grimly. This wasn’t the strength or speed of an ordinary Mark Six. Zephyrion was far stronger than he had initially realized.

Vaelor narrowed his eyes.

’It doesn’t matter.’

There was more to battle than simply strength and speed. Suddenly, a collision knocked Vaelor’s blade aside.

Zephyrion instantly closed the distance, thrusting sharply toward him.

Vaelor shifted, evading the attack. At the same time, he noticed Zephyrion’s leg tense slightly while his eyes briefly flicked toward his chin.

Vaelor’s eyes sharpened.

’A feint.’

Zephyrion would pretend to attack low before redirecting upward toward his chin.

Zephyrion’s leg swept toward him.

Vaelor deliberately raised his own leg slightly, pretending to fall for the feint while secretly preparing to evade the real strike.

The kick neared his leg, then Vaelor’s eyes sharpened.

’Now!’

He stomped down while pulling his chin backward... but Zephyrion’s kick never changed direction.

It remained completely true.

BAM!

The strike smashed directly into Vaelor’s leg. Pain exploded through his body alongside pure disbelief. Then his leg was swept out from beneath him, sending him crashing onto the arena floor.

Vaelor immediately tried to rise, but another blow slammed into his chest, caving it inward before sending him rolling violently across the arena.

Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd. Seats shook endlessly as countless voices roared a single title over and over again.

"LIGHTNING PRINCE!"

"LIGHTNING PRINCE!"

"LIGHTNING PRINCE!"

Vaelor spat another mouthful of blood before slowly rising again through gritted teeth.

Ahead, Zephyrion approached him slowly with a faint frown.

Vaelor narrowed his eyes.

For the first time since the Proving began... zephyrion’s expression had changed.

Then, as the roaring gradually died down, the lightning prince finally spoke for the first time.

"You’re this weak..." he said slowly. "...and you still challenged me?"

Silence lingered briefly, then the entire coliseum erupted into laughter and cheers.

Garrick grinned broadly from his seat while Ingrid scoffed quietly. Meanwhile, Ociden and Selmira’s expressions darkened.

"You..." Vaelor gritted his teeth before slowly exhaling. "I know what you’re trying to do. You want to piss me off so I’ll reveal the Ocren art, right?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"It won’t work. I’ll crush you without it."

Though inwardly, Vaelor knew otherwise. Only the Ocren art could bridge the gap between them. But now, Zephyrion should believe he truly intended not to use it.

And when he finally did...

’He’ll be caught off guard.’

"You’re right." Zephyrion nodded calmly. "I do want you to use your art."

"...What?"

Vaelor frowned. He hadn’t expected such a straightforward admission.

"But you’re mistaken if you think you have a choice."

Vaelor’s eyes sharpened. Zephyrion stared at him with a faint smile. Somehow, it felt even more unnerving than his usual indifference.

"You don’t have a choice but to use your art," Zephyrion said calmly. "If not... I’ll force it out of you."

Vaelor’s pupils constricted. Zephyrion slowly raised his arm.

"Ultimate Pull."