Chapter 41: Fight II
Kaiser calmly stepped into the clearing.
His expression remained relaxed as the remaining Spectral Blades floated silently behind him.
The injured student stared at him in surprise.
"So it was you."
Kaiser gave a small nod.
"Yes."
The student tightened his grip on his sword.
"You attacked me from behind."
Kaiser met his gaze without the slightest change in expression.
"This is a battle royale."
"There aren’t any rules saying I have to announce my presence first."
The student clenched his jaw.
"You..."
Without another word, he charged.
Death Mana surged around his blade as he swung it at Kaiser.
Kaiser didn’t move.
Three Spectral Blades shot forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ghostly swords intercepted every strike before forcing the student’s weapon aside.
Not wasting a second, the student cast another spell.
Dark spikes erupted from the ground beneath Kaiser.
"Spectral Hands."
Two translucent ghostly hands appeared and caught the spikes before crushing them into fragments.
The student’s eyes narrowed.
"Spectral Hands... Spectral Blades..."
"Are you from the Black Star Clan?"
Kaiser tilted his head slightly.
"I’ve never even heard of them."
The student’s expression darkened.
"It doesn’t matter."
"You’re still going to lose."
He rushed forward once more.
This time, six Spectral Blades surrounded him from every direction.
He desperately tried to dodge.
Slash!
One blade cut across his arm.
Slash!
Another tore through his robes.
He swung his sword wildly, destroying two of the blades.
But the remaining swords continued attacking without giving him a moment to recover.
His movements gradually slowed.
His Mana reserves were nearly exhausted.
Finally, a single Spectral Blade stopped just inches from his throat.
The student froze.
After a long moment, he slowly lowered his sword.
"I surrender."
The tip of the blade lightly touched his neck.
His body immediately dissolved into countless particles of light before disappearing from the Death Realm.
The forest fell silent once again.
Kaiser dismissed the remaining Spectral Blades with a wave of his hand.
He quietly looked around.
"No more enemies nearby."
High above the battlefield, Rite sent another report through their spiritual connection.
Only fourteen students remained.
The Deathstorm Hawk continued circling far above the clouds, carefully observing the battlefield.
Through their contract, Kaiser could clearly sense the movements of the remaining participants.
"They’re all heading toward the center."
He nodded to himself.
"The shrinking border is forcing everyone together."
Without rushing, he continued moving through the forest at a steady pace.
His Mana reserves were still nearly full.
The earlier battles had ended so quickly that he had barely spent any magical energy.
Several minutes later, another message came from Rite.
Three unusually powerful Mana signatures had entered the hawk’s detection range.
Kaiser immediately slowed down.
"Those are much stronger than the students I’ve fought so far."
He climbed onto the branch of a tall tree and quietly observed the distant battlefield.
Although the dense forest blocked his view, flashes of Mana illuminated the trees.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave rippled through the forest, causing branches and leaves to sway violently.
"They’ve already started fighting."
Kaiser made no move to interfere.
Instead, he silently watched from afar.
A few moments later, one of the Mana signatures disappeared.
"One of them has been eliminated."
The remaining two continued their fierce battle.
Neither seemed willing to retreat.
Kaiser remained hidden.
There was no reason to reveal himself while both opponents were still capable of fighting.
Several minutes passed before the battle finally ended.
A second Mana signature vanished.
Only one remained.
Just as Kaiser prepared to move, Rite sent another warning.
A fourth powerful Mana signature was rapidly approaching the battlefield.
Kaiser immediately stopped.
"So someone else had the same idea."
He quietly concealed himself among the trees.
The victorious student stood in the clearing, breathing heavily after the intense fight.
The moment he relaxed—
Slash!
A silver streak cut across the battlefield.
Before the exhausted student could react, his body dissolved into countless particles of light.
Standing where the attack had come from was a young man with short pink-blond hair.
He calmly lowered the silver spectral sword in his hand.
His face remained completely expressionless.
Kaiser narrowed his eyes.
"Ryder Blackstar."
Magnus had mentioned him during their lessons.
Ryder was considered one of the most talented students entering the academy this year.
He came from the prestigious Black Star Clan, one of the ten greatest clans in the world.
The clan had served the God of Death since the Church’s founding millions of years ago.
Ryder calmly scanned the surrounding forest.
For a brief moment, Kaiser felt Ryder’s gaze pass directly over his hiding place.
Neither of them moved.
The entire forest became deathly silent.
The silence lasted only a few seconds.
Then Ryder casually swung his sword.
"Spectral Slash."
A crescent-shaped blade of silver energy tore through the forest.
Slash!
Dozens of trees were sliced apart as the attack shot directly toward the branch where Kaiser had been hiding.
Kaiser immediately jumped backward.
Boom!
The massive tree split cleanly in half before crashing to the ground.
Landing several meters away, Kaiser looked at the destroyed tree before turning back toward Ryder.
"So... he noticed me."
His attention wasn’t on the sword.
It was on the attack itself.
"An Art..."
During the past month, Magnus had briefly explained the concept to him.
Unlike spells, Arts didn’t require Spell Slots.
Instead, they were advanced techniques created by manipulating Mana through an already-mastered spell or combat style.
However, every Art had one requirement.
A Divine Mark bearer first had to completely master the spell it was based on.
Only then could they begin learning its corresponding Art.
Kaiser quietly analyzed what he had just witnessed.
"So he used Spectral Blade as the foundation..."
"And evolved it into that slash."
"It has greater range."
"Greater power."
"And it consumes less Mana than repeatedly casting Spectral Blades."
Ryder slowly rested the silver sword across his shoulder.
"I know you’re there."
"You can come out now."
There was no longer any point in hiding.
Kaiser calmly stepped out from behind the fallen trees and walked into the clearing.
The two young men faced each other in silence.
Ryder studied him for a moment.
"So..."
"You’re the one who’s been hiding throughout the battle."
Kaiser nodded.
"I prefer fighting when the odds are in my favor."
Ryder gave a small nod.
"That’s not a bad strategy."
His eyes shifted toward the ghostly swords floating behind Kaiser.
"Spectral Blades."
"You’ve mastered them well."
Kaiser glanced at the silver sword resting on Ryder’s shoulder.
"And you’ve already learned an Art."