Chapter 301 -: 300 Duel.[2]
’Time Leaps. All-Seeing Eyes.’
The names of the spell echoed silently within Kavin’s mind as mana surged through every vein in his body.
Beneath the flawless camouflage woven by Jasmine’s spell, his eyes instantly transformed, a brilliant golden radiance blooming within his pupils before the light was swallowed beneath the illusion, leaving them appearing as ordinary black eyes to everyone watching.
Yet hidden beneath that disguise, the world around him had already begun to change.
Time itself seemed to stretch before his vision, countless fragments of the immediate future unfolding like transparent layers laid one over another.
Every movement Lyra would make over the next few seconds appeared before him with frightening clarity, every shift of her feet, every twitch of her fingers, every swing of her swords, all exposed beneath the gaze of his enhanced perception.
Without wasting the opportunity, Kavin strengthened every muscle in his body with mana before launching forward.
The arena floor cracked beneath the force of his acceleration as he closed the distance between them almost instantly.
His sword shot forward in a precise thrust aimed directly at Lyra’s shoulder.
Simultaneously, Time Leaps accelerated the attack, compressing the time required for the strike until its speed doubled in an instant.
His objective wasn’t merely to wound her. If he could sever one of her arms before she properly reacted, the flow of the battle would immediately shift in his favor.
Then...
Within the countless visions unfolding before his eyes, he saw her move.
His pupils contracted.
The future clearly revealed the path her body would take.
But understanding the future and possessing the ability to change it were two entirely different matters.
Even after seeing her response, he realized there simply wasn’t enough time to alter his own attack.
The momentum behind his strike had already reached the point where withdrawing it would leave him even more vulnerable. There was no alternative route. No hidden opening.
He could only continue.
The sword pierced forward. At the same time, the corner of Lyra’s lips lifted ever so slightly.
"So... this is the famous spell, Time Leaps... huh?"
Her icy blue eyes gleamed with unmistakable amusement.
There was no panic. No surprise. Instead, she looked almost intrigued, as though finally confirming the rumors she had heard regarding Kavin’s Time Path.
Then she calmly spoke.
"Ice Field."
The instant the words left her lips, the atmosphere changed. An endless wave of frost erupted beneath her feet.
The ice didn’t spread like flowing water.
It exploded outward.
Within the blink of an eye, crystalline frost raced across the arena floor with terrifying speed, expanding in every direction before Kavin’s accelerated sword could even reach her.
It swallowed the stone beneath them almost instantly, transforming the entire battlefield into a frozen landscape shimmering beneath the sunlight.
White mist escaped Lyra’s lips as she slowly exhaled, her calm gaze shifting downward toward Kavin’s legs.
At that exact moment...an unbearable chill wrapped itself around his feet.
Crack...
Thin layers of ice rapidly climbed over his boots before spreading toward his ankles.
Kavin’s expression changed.
The freezing sensation wasn’t merely cold. It felt as though...as though..countless invisible hands were gripping his legs, attempting to anchor him permanently to the arena floor.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his attack, twisting his body away before channeling mana into his legs.
The ice shattered beneath the sudden burst of strength, scattering countless crystalline fragments across the ground.
Yet the moment he took another step...
Crack...
Fresh ice immediately reappeared.
His feet froze once more.
A deep frown slowly formed upon his face as he jumped. For an instant, both feet left the frozen ground entirely.
Yet even suspended in midair...the frost continued spreading.
"...What’s this?"
The thought flashed through his mind as he landed once again.
Almost simultaneously, the countless visions granted by All-Seeing Eyes shifted.
Fragments of the immediate future rapidly rearranged themselves, revealing details he had previously overlooked. The answer appeared within those fleeting glimpses.
Her eyes.
Kavin’s gaze immediately met those icy blue pupils.
Everywhere they looked....winter followed.
The freezing wasn’t originating from the ground. It wasn’t the arena itself...it was her vision.
The moment her gaze settled upon a location, frost naturally spread toward it as though reality itself obeyed her command.
"...I see."
Quietly exhaling, Kavin immediately covered his entire body with a dense layer of mana.
The invisible cloak wrapped around his limbs, shielding them from the relentless frost before it could completely immobilize him.
Exactly as Lyra intended.
The faintest trace of satisfaction flashed through her eyes.
Maintaining such a defense demanded a constant flow of mana. Every passing second slowly drained his reserves without him launching a single attack. She wasn’t attempting to freeze him immediately.
She was forcing him to exhaust himself.
The instant she sensed the mana surrounding his body stabilize, the frost creeping toward him abruptly ceased.
Without granting him even a heartbeat to think, Lyra stepped forward once more.
Her twin swords flashed beneath the sunlight.
Kavin gritted his teeth.
Despite recognizing the trap, he refused to allow frustration to cloud his judgment. Tightening his grip around the hilt of his sword, he surged toward her once again with explosive speed.
The distance between them disappeared almost instantly as Lyra answered his charge with one of her own, her movements as graceful as ever.
Steel collided against ice.
Clang!
Another deafening metallic impact echoed throughout the arena.
One exchange became two, two became five.
Soon, neither combatant retreated.
Instead, the two became entangled within another relentless dance of swordsmanship.
Kavin’s blade swept through the air with explosive force while Lyra’s twin swords responded with elegant precision, every movement flowing naturally into the next without the slightest hesitation.
Sparks scattered with every collision, shockwaves rippled across the frozen battlefield, and countless spectators found themselves unable to even follow the speed of the exchanges unfolding before their eyes.
The battle had long since become more than a simple duel. It had become a breathtaking performance.
Every clash drew thunderous cheers from the audience as the two strongest young spell casters of Sun Clan City repeatedly crossed blades, neither willing to surrender even a single step.
Far above the arena, within the luxurious VIP stands reserved for the city’s highest-ranking figures, two familiar faces silently observed the ongoing battle.
Magnus...and beside him...
Princess Salena.
Unlike the excited spectators surrounding them, neither appeared capable of enjoying the spectacle.
Salena tightly clasped both hands together, her gaze never leaving Kavin’s figure for even a moment.
Every exchange caused her expression to grow increasingly anxious, while every near miss made her heart skip a beat.
Finally, unable to suppress her worry any longer, she turned toward the elderly man beside her.
"Uncle... what do you think?"
Her voice carried unmistakable nervousness.
"Can Sir Kavin... win?"
Magnus remained silent for several moments.
Only after another exchange echoed throughout the arena did he slowly drag his gaze away from the battlefield.
Looking toward the anxious princess, a faint smile appeared on his masculine face, though it carried little confidence.
"I do not know."
He answered honestly.
"Lyra possesses far more experience than he does. More importantly... she stands two entire realms above him. That difference alone is enough to decide most battles before they even begin."
His eyes gradually returned toward the arena.
"And then... there is her domain."
A trace of seriousness flashed across his face.
"No one truly understands the full extent of her domain. Even among those who have witnessed it, very few can accurately explain what happened. Against such an unknown ability... preparation becomes nearly impossible."
He watched as Kavin narrowly escaped another deadly strike before continuing in a quiet voice.
"Even though Kavin managed to defeat Honjo Masamune... asking him to repeat such a miracle against Lyra may be expecting too much."
Salena’s complexion immediately paled.
"Does... does that mean he’ll lose?"
Magnus didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed upon the arena where Kavin continued struggling against the relentless assault of the Ice Goddess. Every instinct told him Lyra possessed the overwhelming advantage.
And yet...whenever he looked at Kavin...
Doubt inevitably surfaced within his heart.
That young man had already shattered expectations time and time again.
His talent...his instincts...Even the terrifying abilities displayed by Jasmine...
Magnus had lived for countless years and met the heirs of every great family within the floating continents, including the descendants of the mighty Solarian Family.
Though there were exceptions he hadn’t met, for instance, Julius Augustus Hayes of the Hayes clan, and Rosalina Velentina of the Velentina clan, and from recent sources the youngest Thorne was said to be generational genius even though his innate talent regarding mana was trash.
So he could say that no one had ever left him with the same indescribable feeling those two possessed. It wasn’t something he could explain with words or reason through logic.
It simply lingered in his mind, refusing to fade, growing stronger the longer he watched them with his calm, unreadable gaze.
Slowly releasing a long sigh, Magnus folded his arms as his eyes remained fixed upon the battlefield.
Even after all his years of experience, the strange sensation refused to disappear, lingering quietly within his thoughts still.
"...Let’s see what happens."