Amelia’s lightning magic was the fastest in the Academy—unquestionably the pinnacle of speed. Her already swift lightning spells became doubly fast under her command.

For a normal human, it was impossible to even react. By the time the eyes registered it, it would already be too late.

Could a person possibly dodge such lightning?

The answer was yes, but only under specific conditions. Magic, after all, caused subtle vibrations in the surrounding mana just before it was cast.

Anyone with sufficient magical knowledge could sense those vibrations and read the trajectory of the incoming spell.

Given Iria’s rising reputation as a powerful figure at the Academy, it wasn’t surprising that she might possess such skills.

That’s why Amelia had employed a trick shot, one she used against opponents of advanced skill. It involved manipulating the mana flow, creating false trajectories, and forcing opponents to dodge directly into the path of her attack.

She had taken down many powerful adversaries with this technique.

Amelia assumed Iria would be no different.

“What the…”

But things didn’t go as Amelia had expected.

Iria had stood still, not moving an inch. Could it be that she wasn’t reading the mana? How else could she have dodged?

Confused thoughts swirled through Amelia’s mind.

Did Iria dodge it purely by sight? The fastest lightning in the Academy?

“No, that’s impossible.”

Amelia quickly dismissed the thought. It had to be a coincidence.

She decided to test it.

Was it just luck, or did Iria have another way of avoiding her lightning?

“Rise.”

Amelia extended her left hand, and multiple bolts of lightning surged into existence. Five in total.

Two bolts followed a direct path, while the remaining three curved mid-flight—a mix of straight and trick shots.

Even if Iria could somehow see through it, calculating every angle would be overwhelming.

Crackle, crack!

The violet lightning shot toward Iria, three of the bolts twisting in mid-air. If Iria moved to avoid them, the bent lightning would strike her.

Amelia watched intently, waiting for Iria’s reaction.

Then, Iria swung her wooden practice sword and slashed through two bolts of lightning.

The sound of lightning splitting echoed through the arena. Her movements were so fast that Amelia couldn’t even track them—she could only see Iria’s stance afterward.

“…”

Iria, having cut through the lightning, walked toward Amelia with her sword in hand, her red eyes gleaming intensely.

“This is… impossible…”

Amelia’s face contorted as she witnessed the unbelievable scene.

And before she could even process it, Iria had vanished from her line of sight. There was no time to fully grasp the situation.

Her body sent danger signals just as she turned to see Iria’s practice sword heading toward her.

“Aagh?!”

The sound of her lightning barrier shattering filled the air.

Despite the intense impact that twisted her entire body, Amelia was unharmed.

Her thick lightning barrier absorbed the physical shock, dispersing the force and projecting the lightning flames outward to counterattack.

This was why she was almost unbeatable in close combat against non-magical swordsmen. Her barrier was near invincible to them.

Not only was she powerful in defense, but her lightning sword could inflict severe damage with even a glancing blow.

It was because she excelled at both offense and defense that she was the top third-year student.

But…

“Ugh, my head…”

Despite her formidable defense, the latest blow had shaken Amelia. While the barrier had protected her, the residual shock left her head ringing.

“What kind of freakish strength is this…? One strike, and the barrier shattered…”

Amelia stepped back and reconstructed her lightning shield. The mana required wasn’t insignificant, and she hadn’t anticipated it would be broken in one hit.

Iria was far stronger than Amelia had expected.

She hadn’t let her guard down, but now was clearly not the time for complacency. If Iria could break the barrier in one blow, she couldn’t afford a war of attrition.

“So, this is why they all lost to her.”

It was simple yet powerful. The same moves, but somehow different.

Iria created the illusion that she was easy to understand, yet the reality was far more complex.

“Lightning flames… No, maybe it’s time to stop.”

Firing lightning was futile; Iria wasn’t going to stand there and take it. It would just be a waste of mana.

Instead, perhaps it would be better to force close combat. Despite Iria’s prowess in close-range, Amelia wasn’t helpless either.

Zzt!

Amelia gathered her mana to thicken her barrier further. She raised her lightning sword, readying her stance.

If Iria got slashed by her lightning sword, the flames would burrow into her, tearing through flesh. A single graze could be fatal.

She was surprised, but this wasn’t an unwinnable battle. If Iria had been at her full strength, perhaps it would have been different. But now, she was just a wounded predator.

Amelia pointed her sword at Iria, spreading the lightning flames to cover any gaps she might try to exploit.

The flames surrounding her became Amelia’s eyes, thousands of them, tracking Iria’s every move. There was no escaping her sight.

“I’ve got you now. You’re just a little fast, that’s all.”

Speed meant nothing if you could anticipate the moves in advance, just as Iria had dodged Amelia’s lightning earlier.

As Iria stepped forward, Amelia mocked her.

“Maybe you’re just slow. You can’t even land your magic.”

“If you’re trying to provoke me, save it. I don’t get reckless during a duel.”

“…”

Iria met Amelia’s gaze before leaping forward. She was trying to read Amelia’s intentions.

After understanding her strategy, Iria tilted her head slightly.

“You think you can block it if you know where I’m going?”

“Yes, so what?”

“You won’t be able to. At least not you, Amelia.”

At Iria’s calm statement, Amelia frowned, narrowing her eyes.

“What are you saying?”

“You’re weak, Amelia.”

“What?!”

Iria’s words struck Amelia where it hurt most.

If the goal was to provoke her, it worked. Amelia clenched her teeth, grinding them audibly.

But before Amelia could react, Iria launched herself forward.

This time, she moved even faster, as if her earlier display had been just a warm-up.

The countless eyes of lightning Amelia had conjured lost sight of Iria in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, Iria was in front of her, crimson eyes glaring down.

Perhaps this was what Amelia had feared all along.

“See? You really are slow.”

Iria swung her sword.

The barrier shattered.

“Hrk?!”

Amelia was sent flying by the impact.

She remained unharmed, but the fear of being struck stayed with her, ingrained in her bones. The force shook her to her core.

“Ugh… No… Please…”

Amelia, unsteady and dizzy, staggered. Iria closed in again.

“Is the barrier done for?”

“Wait… Please, stop…”

As Iria approached, Amelia instinctively raised her barrier. She wrung out every last bit of mana to surround herself in the lightning shield.

Iria swung her sword again.

The barrier shattered once more.

“Aaagh!”

And so it went on.

Each time Amelia raised her shield, Iria broke it down.

Iria patiently waited each time for Amelia to reconstruct her barrier, only to shatter it again.

The lightning barrier absorbed most of the physical damage, ensuring Amelia wasn’t fatally wounded.

But to Iria, it was just an interesting test of endurance.

It was when Iria broke the barrier for the twentieth time.

“Ugh… please… no more…”

“Won’t you put up another shield?”

“Please… just spare me… I can’t… I’m done…”

“Hmm.”

Maybe she had gone too far.

Amelia’s resilience was impressive, taking all those hits and emerging without a single scratch.

But it must have taken a significant toll on her mana.

Amelia lay collapsed, heaving and dry-heaving from exhaustion. She was no longer in any state to continue.

Iria spoke, breaking the silence.

“You might not believe me, but I hold no grudge. I don’t care what you think about me.”

“Ugh… please…”

“But it’s troublesome if my Academy life is disrupted. People seem to think I’ve just been lucky in my duels. I needed to prove them wrong.”

Despite beating many strong opponents, some people still underestimated her.

Like Amelia had done. If she held back, others like Amelia might challenge her again.

“After today, I’d like to avoid more duels. Amelia, you’re a lesson to them. No hard feelings.”

“Ugh…!”

Iria finished by kicking Amelia in the abdomen. She held back, striking lightly compared to what she could have done with her sword.

Amelia rolled across the arena floor. She couldn’t move.

Iria kicked her a few more times, repeating the process.

Since she’d never made an example of someone before, she wasn’t sure how else to send a clear message.

This would be her last duel at the Academy, after all.

“Everyone else who fought me ended up in the infirmary. It’s only fair you join them.”

“Aaahhh!”

That day, Amelia bore the weight of fairness, joining the other 67 students who had gone before her.