BOOOOMMM!!!
Sylvana's thoughts were interrupted by the successive booms. As she squinted and looked at the area about 2 km away where dust and smoke were mixing, the others also focused their attention. Several more explosions echoed following the loud explosion that had just occurred.
"Oh, this kid loves dramatic entrances."
As Gaelia looked towards the direction of the sounds, her smile suddenly disappeared, and her eyes widened. When they all focused on the never-ending hum, they realized that the battle had already begun for them too. Gaelia, who thought she was not a priority and waited comfortably, managed to protect herself by raising the shield she was leaning on at the last moment with a sudden reflex.
BOOOMMMM!!!
The magnetic cannonball that had just torn through the fight reached them at a speed multiple times faster than the sound and exploded with a loud boom on Gaelia's shield. She was dragged back meters by the pressure, with the soil dug by her heels and shield piling up behind her. Staring in shock over the top of her shield, she was left with her mouth agape.
"What was wrong with a spear, kid!!"
While the others, who narrowly escaped the explosion, looked around in shock, a pleased smile appeared on Sylvana's face. She quickly leaned to the left and started running. As she headed in the direction where Kled was last seen, water began to rise and gush from between the cobblestones immediately behind her. The area, which turned into a lake in an instant, took on a large wall-like form as the waters gathered in the next moment. The incoming cannonball was not alone, and the others had realized this too. Marella, with her ability, had created a large wall of water to stop the incoming electromagnetic cannonballs.
***
As Kled watched his surprise attack, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. Seeing the cannonballs exploding one after another over the group of five and their defensive efforts, he panicked for a moment.
"Oops, I wasn't expecting this much."
While trying to showcase his newly developed weapons, he hadn't realized he had overdone it.
'Gaelia will be very angry.'
Biting his lower lip, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"I'm sure Sylvana liked it."
Tossing his hair back, he grasped the odachi and moved towards the area with the five beautiful women, calculating that Sylvana had already taken action and increased his speed, ready for a clash at any moment. The real battle was about to begin. Diving once more into his virtual pool, he placed one of the two new capsules into the slot on his belt. Today wouldn't end with just one surprise. He pressed the button on the other capsule. As soon as he heard the click, he determined the spot to throw it and launched it quickly towards the place where he wanted to meet Sylvana. The capsule, upon hitting the ground, shot out eight different capsules in a hissing sound. Each capsule released a moist mist around it with a fizzing sound upon landing.
Winning against Sylvana with just strength had a zero percent chance. The woman who trained Kled was a complete storm. The true winner of this battle would be whoever was more determined. Because Sylvana's greatest strength was her incredible determination. She had the confidence of a queen who could rule the world. She was always sharp and clear. Of course, she wasn't a reserved person. If it wasn't about training, she had a very sweet and warm demeanor.
As Kled advanced towards the nearest mist wave on his board, he pressed the button on another capsule, which was part of his plan. From the capsule he threw behind him, smoke emerged with a pinging sound. It was time for the next phase. From the smoke emitted by the capsule, eight blurry objects fast enough to catch attention only by their shadows shot out and each dived into a different mist. The sound of soil being dug echoed from everywhere.
When he directed his rapidly advancing board towards the mist cloud remaining in the center, he activated the last capsule and released it from his hand. He had prepared the final state of the battle and made the moves to draw everyone to where he wanted.
***
Sylvana looked at the mist waves rising here and there. She was slightly offended by the tactic Kled used in his first trial being tested on her.
'So you see us as your prey, huh!'
As she advanced, she allowed her medium-weight half armor to make as much noise as possible, making her presence known. She had been looking forward to today just as much as Kled. Unlike training, she had prepared surprises for Kled as well. She dove into her own virtual pool, gliding forward. Sylvana's virtual pool was different from Kled's. It extended with a water body surrounded by steps made of dark-green marble with white veins and was completed with a 4-meter-tall statue of a woman made of white marble. The woman's hands held two different swords, their tips touching the ground, and they shone. The sky sparkled with the reflection of the red color from occasionally clustered white clouds.
At the other end of the pool was a monument-sized stone inscription. As she approached, the writings started to move. Sylvana touched the stone's surface with her hand, and the ancient writings disappeared, turning into a smooth surface. New writings began to etch onto the stone surface from the point she touched.
Touching some of the writings, she sensed Kled's presence outside and stepped back. Outside, she raised her eyes to the sky and looked at Kled, who was diving towards her. At that moment, the air under her hand warped and condensed, becoming blurry. Supporting it with her other hand, she gripped the zweihänder sword that appeared in her single hand. It was a massive sword with a curved, wide, sharp surface over a meter long and a hilt extending over a meter. She had specially prepared this sword for Kled. It would be a nice surprise for Kled, who was always used to swords of normal size.
"Syyyyllll--vanaaaaaaa!!!"
As Kled dove without hesitation, Sylvana's sword had not yet appeared in the air. As he glided down, he pulled his odachi to his left side and swung his sword with extra momentum along with his descent. The zweihänder appeared at the last moment and met the odachi with its weight.
"ZINNNNNNNN!!!"
Sylvana, who stood firm against the powerful strike that could shatter a wall without moving a millimeter, had a smile on her face that indicated her high expectations were being met.
"It's not that easy!"
Under the impact of the clash, the stones beneath Sylvana's feet crumbled and sank.
"I hope so!"
Kled replied with a wide grin. Inside, he genuinely hoped it wouldn't be easy. Of course, it wasn't because it would be easy. It was just that Kled was inexplicably very lucky, and something unexpected could happen in his favor at any moment. If someone saw his ability list, they could easily confuse that brilliant detail with his main ability.
As he used the impact of the clash to retreat, Kled launched another attack. This time, Sylvana didn't hesitate and lunged forward, being the first to strike. When the swords clashed, the zweihänder, with its weight, forced Kled to take a step back. Suddenly, the clash accelerated, with each clanging sound bursting within milliseconds. The force of the blows was so strong that the air around them shook, creating waves.
As the seconds passed, hundreds of sword strikes rang out. Kled had never seen Sylvana prefer a light sword, but he had also never seen her fight with such a heavy sword. Naturally, her swordsmanship was very different. While trying to dodge the curved, sharp edge of the sword, he had to be cautious because even if it didn't cut, the heavy, momentum-laden sword could deliver a powerful blow with every inch.
Kled had never agreed to wear metal armor. He was against anything that would hinder his flexibility and movement speed. Of course, he wasn't fighting unprotected. The outfit he had specially designed for himself served more than adequately as armor, at least for now. Besides being resistant to blows, it also provided protection against heat and intense electrical attacks. With one exception, he had all the protection he needed today. He was vulnerable to Lucina.
"Your new outfit looks nice, handsome."
Sylvana spoke as the tip of her sword grazed Kled's jacket.
"I picked it just for you today!!"
Kled had to shout to be heard over the sound of the clash. His mischievous smile spread across his face once again. Taking every opportunity to check his surroundings, he calculated the timing for his next move. Although he was currently one-on-one with Sylvana, it was likely only a short time before the other six beautiful women rejoined the battle. It was time for his next surprise.