"Bam! You're dead now."
The mont I opened my eyes, Eleonora's teasing voice greeted .
I groaned.
"...Agh, that hurts."
Blinking, I reached up, rubbing my aching forehead.
A dull throb pulsed where she had flicked .
Eleonora stood above , arms crossed, a smug grin on her lips.
"You really thought you could break through my mana pressure just by pushing harder?" She clicked her tongue, shaking her head.
"Aestrea, brute force isn't always the answer. You were wasting energy the entire ti."
I exhaled sharply, sitting up.
"I wasn't just pushing harder—I was trying to outmaneuver you."
"And that's the problem," she said, crouching beside .
"Your movent was predictable. You relied too much on speed and direct attacks, thinking you could overwhelm . But I barely needed to move."
I frowned.
"You did move."
"Only when I felt like it," she shot back.
"I never needed to dodge seriously. Your attacks were strong, but they didn't force
into a bad position. That's why I could counter you so easily."
She wasn't entirely wrong.
"You have talent, Aestrea, but talent alone won't carry you." She tapped my forehead again—gently this ti.
"Besides, now you've gotten used to fighting against weaker opponents, and because of that, your brute force always ends up working. But against a stronger opponent, that brute force won't work at all, only technique and the way you use your brain."
"You need to refine your instincts. Every attack should have a purpose. Every movent should put pressure on your opponent, not just throw punches and hope sothing lands."
I thought I was doing pretty well.
But thinking back, I always fought like how Aestrea used to fight.
And every ti, it was against a weaker opponent.
Not to ntion that my combat style is weapon-based, so I don't exactly have much experience in hand-to-hand combat.
"Haa..."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"So what do I do?"
She smirked.
"You fight
again, of course."
I blinked.
"Already?"
"Unless you'd rather sit there sulking?"
I shot to my feet.
"Like hell I would."
Eleonora chuckled, stepping back and stretching her arms.
"Good. But this ti, don't just attack blindly. Think. Watch my movents. Read my mana flow. And most importantly…"
Her light blue eyes glead.
"Surprise ."
I took a deep breath, rolling my shoulders.
If she wanted
to fight smarter, I'd fight smarter.
I took my stance.
Eleonora smirked, then—
FWOOOSH!
She vanished.
I barely had ti to react before—
BANG!
Sothing slamd into my side.
"Kh—!"
The force sent
skidding across the floor, my feet struggling to find grip. I dug my heels in, stopping myself just before crashing into the far wall.
My ribs ached where she struck , but I didn't have ti to complain.
She's faster than before.
I snapped my head up, scanning for her—
Too late.
THWAP!
A sharp blow landed on my shoulder from behind. My body twisted involuntarily from the impact, and I swung out with my arm, trying to hit her back—
Nothing.
She was already gone.
"Tsk, tsk~" Her voice echoed from sowhere above.
"You're still reacting too late, Aestrea. Just trust your instincts."
I clenched my jaw.
Calm yourself, Aestrea...
Rember...
Mana is the energy that flows through the entire planet...
I exhaled, calming my mind.
Instead of chasing her, I spread my mana outward, letting it flow through my body and sharpen my senses.
Watch the mana.
Feel the movent.
There—
A flicker of energy to my left.
I pivoted—just as she appeared, her fist already swinging toward my gut.
WHAM!
I barely managed to block with my forearm, but the impact sent a shockwave through my body. My feet scraped against the ground as I was pushed back.
Her light blue eyes widened slightly.
"Oho? You blocked that?"
I smiled faintly.
"Lucky."
"Good."
She stepped in again, twisting her body, aiming a high kick at my head.
SWISH!
I ducked just in ti, feeling the wind from her leg as it passed inches above . Without missing a beat, I countered—
BOOM!
A burst of icy mana exploded from my palm, freezing the air around us instantly.
Crystals of frost spread outward, coating the floor and walls in shimring blue.
Eleonora clicked her tongue, making
smirk.
She exhaled sharply, her breath turning to mist in the sudden cold.
Then, with nothing but a flick of her fingers—
CRACK!
The ice shattered.
My eyes widened.
Shit, I almost forgot that her mana control is simply too terryfying.
Before I could react, she moved—
FWOOOSH!
I saw the flicker of mana—her figure appearing just inches away.
She's fast—!
Her knee shot up—
BAM!
A direct hit to my stomach.
"Guh—!"
Air left my lungs as my body lifted off the ground from the impact. My vision blurred for a second, but I forced myself to recover.
Don't fall.
I twisted midair, channeling ice beneath —
FWIP!
The mont my foot touched the ground, I reinforced it with mana, stopping my fall.
Eleonora raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
I didn't give her ti to prepare.
CRACK!
Jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground, launching toward her.
She clicked her tongue, raising her hand—
BOOM!
A pulse of raw mana burst outward, shattering the spikes before they could reach her.
I didn't stop.
I lunged forward, my fist encased in a swirling storm of frost.
WHAM!
I aid straight for her chest—
But—
SWISH!
She sidestepped effortlessly.
Shit—!
I felt a presence behind .
I spun around—
TOO LATE.
BAM!
Her palm struck the back of my neck, and before I knew it—
THUD!
I was on the ground, gasping for air.
Eleonora stood over , arms crossed, smirking.
"Dead again."
I groaned.
"Dammit…"
She crouched, resting her elbow on her knee, watching
struggle.
"Better this ti. But you're still letting
control the flow of the fight."
I clenched my fists.
She was right.
Again.
"But," she continued, tilting her head, "you did manage to get
to move more than last ti."
I glanced up.
There was a thin line of frost on her sleeve.
A grin tugged at my lips.
She noticed, following my gaze.
Then, she chuckled.
"Oh? You think that's enough to count as a win?"
I smirked.
"Didn't you say I needed to surprise you?"
Eleonora smiled, shaking her head.
"You really don't give up, huh?"
I pushed myself up, breathing hard but determined.
"Not a chance."
She laughed softly, standing up.
Then, she stretched her arms, rolling her shoulders.
"Good."
She raised her fists again.
"One more round."
Alright.
I lowered my center of gravity, keeping my weight balanced.
No unnecessary movents.
No wasted energy.
I have to get a clean hit this ti.
Eleonora made the first move.
FWOOOSH!
She blurred toward , her mana pressure slamming against my body like a tidal wave.
I clenched my teeth—ignore it.
She threw a lightning-fast jab at my ribs—
SWISH!
I barely managed to twist my body out of the way, feeling the wind from her punch rush past .
She's testing .
She followed up imdiately, her knee snapping toward my stomach—
I stepped back just in ti—
But she was already spinning.
WHAM!
Her elbow crashed into my shoulder, sending
stumbling back.
"Fuck!"
I barely kept my balance, but she wasn't done.
She dashed forward—faster than before.
I saw her arm move—another strike aid at my stomach.
I see it.
I inhaled sharply.
NOW!
I twisted my body at the last second—just enough to avoid the brunt of the impact.
Her fist grazed past my ribs—
And in that instant—
"Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Combat Style Variant..."
『 Frost Bound Arcana! (?? Flash Freeze Counter ??)』
I countered.
BOOM!
My fist shot forward, aiming straight for her chest.
I felt it—
A clean hit.
Right against her—
…
Wait.
Sothing felt off.
Her light blue eyes widened slightly, and then—
FWOOM!
Everything around
froze.
Not physically—
But like it was ti itself.
I blinked.
Or at least, I tried to blink.
My body wouldn't move.
My mind raced—what the hell just happened?
And then—
THUMP.
I felt warmth against my palm.
The soft, undeniable sensation of—
…
Oh.
My fingers were sinking into sothing warm.
Sothing… large.
Sothing… very, very soft.
A cold chill ran down my spine.
I didn't dare look down.
But I didn't have to.
I knew exactly what my hand was touching.
Right in the center of Eleonora's massive, barely-contained—
"Hoh…?"
Her voice purred through the frozen ti.
I swallowed hard.
Shit.
The glow in her light blue eyes pulsed.
Then, ti resud.
BOOM!
A sudden force blasted
backward, sending
flying through the air.
"GAAAH—!"
I barely had ti to react before I crashed—THUD!—into the far wall, cracking it from the impact.
"Kh—!"
Dust and debris rained down around
as I gasped for air.
My entire body ached.
My nerves scread.
What the hell was that?!
I looked up—
Eleonora stood where I had just been, arms crossed, an unreadable smirk on her lips.
Her light blue eyes still glowed faintly, though they were slowly dimming.
She let out a small hum.
"Interesting counter," she mused, tilting her head.
I quickly pushed myself up, wiping the dust from my face.
As I did so, Eleonora tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"You did manage to land a solid hit, so I suppose that counts as progress…"
Her gaze lowered slightly—to where my hand had been just monts ago.
"Ahhh~" She let out a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on her hip.
"That sensation was… quite comfortable indeed~"
Her tongue darted out, running along her lower lip, her narrowed eyes watching
like a predator eyeing wounded prey.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Do you want
to touch them again?"
The second the words left my mouth, her smirk widened.
"Hmm… next ti for sure." She waved a hand dismissively, but the mischievous gleam in her eyes told
she was far from uninterested.
Then, her tone shifted.
"But let's talk about your actual mistakes."
I nodded.
She stepped forward, her posture shifting back into sothing more serious.
"Your counter just now was good. You read my movents well and acted imdiately. But…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You hesitated just enough for
to hit you back."
Listening to her words, I frowned.
"...What you did to block my counter... what exactly was that?"
Eleonora blinked.
For the first ti, a genuine look of surprise flickered across her face.
"Y-you... actually saw that?"
Her voice lost its usual confidence, turning into sothing more… speechless.
I tilted my head.
"Yeah...? Wasn't I supposed to see it?"
I tilted my head.
Her light blue eyes widened slightly.
"N-no... not really." She shook her head quickly, composing herself.
Then, she took a breath and explained:
"What I did just now is sothing only I can do for now—manipulating the laws of ti itself through mana."
She crossed her arms.
"I stopped ti for a few seconds to dodge your blow. It was purely instinct, but..." Her gaze locked onto mine.
"I can't believe you actually felt
stopping ti."
I kept my expression neutral.
"Huh… really?" I faked a surprised tone.
Of course, I wouldn't tell her my second elent was Ti itself.
Eleonora stared at
for a mont longer before shaking her head.
"Not even a 9th-level mage has ever sensed it before… but you did."
Curiosity flashed in her eyes, but she didn't press further.
Instead, she furrowed her brows.
"Anyways..."
She took a step forward.
"You're relying too much on reading the fight instead of feeling it," she continued.
"A good fighter reacts without thinking. You're still caught in that split-second mont of decision-making. I told you to follow your instincts, rember?"
Her words sunk in.
I clenched my fists, but not out of frustration.
Excitent burned in my veins.
I had just felt sothing that was very useful to .
A clue about my Ti elent.
And I wouldn't waste this opportunity.
I exhaled slowly, eting Eleonora's sharp gaze.
"Let's go again!"
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