With a sharp twist of his wrist, Nox whipped his sword behind him, aiming for Lyrium’s blind spot.
The blade cut through the air like a streak of silver, swift and deadly.
But—
Clank!
A sharp, metallic sound rang out as Lyrium caught the blade with his bare hand.
Nox’s eyes widened in disbelief.
’What…?!’
His sword had been moving at full speed, yet Lyrium had caught it so effortlessly—as if he had predicted it.
The pressure from Lyrium’s grip sent vibrations down the length of the blade.
Nox gritted his teeth, trying to pull it free, but Lyrium’s fingers tightened around the steel, refusing to budge.
Then—
Crack!
A faint sound echoed as the metal beneath Lyrium’s palm began to fracture.
’He’s crushing it with just his grip?!’
Panic surged through Nox, but he had no time to process it.
Because in the next second—
Lyrium pulled.
Hard.
Nox was yanked forward, completely off-balance.
His body lurched involuntarily, his feet skidding against the virtual battlefield.
And then—
A fist came flying toward his face.
BANG—!
The impact sent him hurtling backward like a ragdoll, his vision spinning as he crashed onto the ground, rolling across the dirt.
Pain exploded in his jaw.
His entire body shook from the sheer force of the punch.
’That… hurt like hell.’
He groaned, spitting out a bit of blood as he pushed himself up.
And when he looked up—
Lyrium was already in front of him.
’Shit!’
He barely had time to react before Lyrium drove his knee into his stomach.
WHAM—!
Nox’s breath vanished.
His ribs screamed in pain as he was lifted off the ground, his body curling inward from the force.
Before he could even register the pain—
Lyrium grabbed him by the collar and threw him.
His vision blurred as he flew through the air, crashing into the ground once more.
Dust scattered.
Nox lay there, his limbs aching, his breathing ragged.
And yet—
Even as pain pulsed through his entire body, even as he felt like his bones might break—
His mind was racing.
’He’s overwhelming me…’
Lyrium wasn’t just strong.
He was fast.
Precise.
Unrelenting.
And worst of all—he wasn’t even serious yet.
He could tell.
Lyrium’s breathing hadn’t changed.
His stance was still perfect.
He was fighting with complete ease.
’This… this is the strength of Rank 1?’
A bitter taste filled Nox’s mouth.
He had trained so damn hard for this.
He had fought and clawed his way through every challenge, refusing to be left behind.
And yet—here he was.
Being dominated.
No.
His eyes flashed with defiance.
’I won’t just roll over and lose.’
He forced himself up, shaking off the pain.
Lyrium watched him silently, his gaze unreadable.
Then—
He smirked.
"Not bad,"
Lyrium said, rolling his shoulders.
"You’ve got a strong will."
Nox gritted his teeth.
"Shut up."
Lyrium chuckled.
"Still have some fight left in you?"
In response, Nox tightened his grip on his sword.
’There has to be a way to turn this around.’
And then—he saw it.
A faint glow pulsed around Lyrium’s feet.
A skill.
’So that’s how he’s moving so fast.’
It wasn’t just raw speed—it was an enhancement ability.
Which meant…
If he could disrupt it, he could change the flow of the fight.
Nox’s fingers twitched.
His sword was still intact, though it had cracks from Lyrium’s grip.
He could use that.
He took a deep breath, focusing his mana.
’If I can land just one solid hit…’
Crackle—!
A sharp, electric-blue aura flickered around his blade.
And then—he moved.
BOOM—!
The ground shattered as he propelled himself forward, twisting his body mid-air to generate momentum.
His sword came crashing down toward Lyrium’s shoulder—
"—Not bad."
A whisper.
Then—
Lyrium vanished.
Before Nox could even blink, Lyrium was behind him.
And before he could react—
A hand grasped the back of his head.
SLAM—!
His face was driven into the ground with brutal force.
A deafening silence filled the battlefield.
The dust slowly settled, revealing Nox’s body sprawled across the dirt.
It was over.
.
.
.
Silence
The only sound was the faint whistle of the wind.
Lyrium sighed, shaking his head as he stood over Nox’s fallen form.
’That was his final gamble.’
He had expected something clever.
A trick.
A desperate counterattack.
Instead, it was just brute force.
’Disappointing.’
He had seen potential in Nox.
But potential alone wasn’t enough.
Not in this world.
"You should have surrendered,"
Lyrium muttered.
But as he turned to walk away—
A voice, hoarse but firm, spoke.
"...Not yet."
Lyrium’s eyes flickered with mild surprise.
Slowly, Nox pushed himself up.
His face was bloodied.
His body trembled.
And yet—he stood.
Lyrium’s lips curled into a smirk.
"...You’re stubborn, I’ll give you that."
’This scene looks so familiar’
Lyrium on his mind thoughts as he remembers the time when he fought Eugene.
Nox wiped the blood from his mouth, his crimson eyes burning with defiance.
"You’re strong,"
He admitted.
"But…"
He exhaled, steadying himself.
"I refuse to lose like this."
Lyrium crossed his arms.
"Then show me."
*****
(Ren’s Perspective)
Ren’s breath came in sharp, controlled bursts as he propelled himself through the treetops, his body moving on instinct.
The wind howled past his ears, but he barely noticed.
His focus was sharp, his frustration sharper.
He leaped onto a thick branch, landing lightly before scanning the dense forest below.
"Where the hell are you, mate?!"
Ren growled, his voice cutting through the silence of the virtual battlefield.
Nothing.
No response.
He clicked his tongue, fingers twitching in irritation.
That damn bastard.
He had just vanished.
Lyrium told him to recruit more people from Team 2, but before Ren could even get started—he was gone.
No explanation.
No warning.
Just poof—disappeared into thin air.
"Unbelievable,"
Ren muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"You want me to find new members, but you don’t even stick around to lead them? What the hell are you thinking?"
He let out a deep sigh.
It wasn’t like Lyrium to just disappear.
At least, not without a reason.
Ren had known Lyrium long enough to realize something—he wasn’t the type to waste time.
Every move he made had a purpose, and if he had gone off somewhere…
Then something big was happening.
Ren’s gut twisted.
The question was—what?
And more importantly—was he in trouble?
He clenched his fists.
No.
That didn’t seem right.
This was Lyrium, after all.
If anything, it was the poor bastard who ran into him that was in trouble.
Still… something didn’t sit right with him.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
The sharp, metallic clash of swords.
Ren’s breath hitched.
He wasn’t alone.
Someone was fighting.
And it could be Lyrium.
His body moved before his mind did.
Ren shot forward, leaping from tree to tree with practiced ease, his movements fueled by urgency.
He needed to see what was happening.
The noise grew louder with each step.
And then—
He saw it.
*****
Ren landed silently on a high branch, his breath catching in his throat.
The forest floor was littered with bodies.
A battle had taken place here.
A brutal one.
And standing in the center of it all—
Was Lyrium.
His white hair was slightly disheveled, his crimson eyes glowing with something dangerous.
His sword rested casually at his side, but Ren knew that stance—
Lyrium was ready.
Across from him stood a tall, black-hair figure. His sword was rusted with dust particles.
Ren’s gut twisted.
Who the hell is that?
Something about him felt off.
It wasn’t just his presence—it was the way he stood.
Composed.
Unshaken.
Like he belonged in this chaos.
Ren’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his weapon, instinct screaming at him to jump in—
But something stopped him.
Lyrium wasn’t worried.
If anything… he seemed excited.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"Lyrium… what the hell are you up to?"
*****
Eugene sat in his chair, arms crossed, his sharp eyes locked onto the screen in front of him.
The dim glow of the monitors reflected in his glasses as he watched the fight unfold in the VR world.
The silence in the observation room was deafening, save for the quiet hum of machinery tracking the battle.
And yet, despite the stillness in the room, his thoughts were anything but calm.
Because right now, the person standing in that battlefield was the same one he had fought before.
Lyrium Blackwood.
The person he had personally voted to be Rank 1.
The so-called
"strongest first-year."
Eugene tapped his finger against the desk, watching the screen with a faint smirk.
"Let’s see if I made the right call."
The Start of the Battle
Nox made the first move.
A standard approach—fast, controlled, testing the waters.
And yet—
Lyrium didn’t move.
He just stood there.
Eugene raised an eyebrow.
Waiting?
Watching?
Or just being cocky?
The sword came down—clean, precise.
A textbook strike aimed at the shoulder.
A probe.
Then—
CLANG!
The impact rang through the air as Lyrium caught the blade with his bare hand.
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Silence.
Even Eugene found himself pausing.
"Seriously?"
The screen zoomed in, showing Lyrium’s fingers wrapped tightly around the steel, stopping the blade as if it were nothing.
"He’s doing it again."
"Damn brat copying my aura farming technique."
That insufferable, arrogant confidence.
Eugene clenched his jaw slightly, memories flashing through his mind.
Their fight.
The day he stood across from Lyrium, expecting a challenge.
Expecting a real opponent.
And yet—
Even back then, Lyrium had given him that same smirk.
That same unshakable confidence.
"I should break that smirk of his."
Nox pulled back, twisting the blade to free it, but Lyrium didn’t let go. Instead, his grip tightened.
Eugene could see it.
Nox wasn’t expecting that.
His stance shifted, adjusting, but—
BOOM—!
Lyrium swung, hurling Nox backward like a ragdoll.
The ground cracked under the force of the throw, and Nox skidded to a stop, barely keeping his balance.
Eugene let out a breath through his nose.
"Still the same brute strength. Nothing’s changed."
But then—
Nox smiled.
Wiping his mouth, he rolled his wrist, shaking off the impact.
His deep red eyes glowed slightly under the VR world’s artificial sky.
"You’re stronger than I expected,"
Nox admitted.
Lyrium chuckled, shaking out his hand as if catching a sword with his bare fingers was a minor inconvenience.
"You’re not the first to say that."
Eugene’s smirk twitched.
"You cocky bastard..."
Then—
Nox vanished.
Eugene leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.
He’s taking it seriously now.
Nox’s speed was different this time. It wasn’t just fast—it was intentional.
No wasted movements.
No unnecessary steps.
And yet—
Lyrium still didn’t flinch.
He sees it.
A blur of black and red appeared beside him—Nox, mid-air, sword aimed directly at Lyrium’s throat.
A finishing blow?
No.
A feint.
Eugene recognized it.
Lyrium, move.
But then—
At the last possible second—
Lyrium tilted his head.
The blade whistled past his ear.
A near-perfect dodge.
Nox’s eyes barely widened before—
BANG—!
Lyrium’s fist buried itself into his ribs.
Eugene could almost feel the impact through the screen.
But Nox—
He didn’t fall.
He twisted, minimizing the damage, using the momentum to spin and slash mid-air.
A perfect counterattack.
Eugene watched closely.
Lyrium, how will you react?
The blade came for his neck—
But Lyrium was gone.
No blur. No wasted movement.
Just—disappeared.
Eugene inhaled sharply.
"Teleportation? No… he’s just that fast."
The screen flickered, adjusting to track him—
Lyrium reappeared behind Nox.
Nox barely had time to turn before—
CRACK—!
A fist to the jaw.
Nox staggered, blood trailing from his lip.
But he didn’t fall.
He grinned.
Eugene exhaled, rubbing his temples.
"He’s still toying with him."
Eugene’s Doubts
His fingers tapped against the desk, his expression unreadable.
Lyrium was winning.
But was he actually fighting seriously?
Eugene had fought him before.
He knew what Lyrium was capable of.
And right now?
This wasn’t it.
"Holding back again, huh?"
It pissed him off.
The same way it pissed him off during their own fight.
Lyrium had been stronger.
But he never took it seriously.
Eugene still remembered the way he stood there, smiling, dodging his attacks like it was nothing.
Like it was all just a game.
He gritted his teeth.
"Don’t play with him, Lyrium. Finish it."
On the screen, Nox wiped his mouth, smirking.
"You’re holding back,"
Nox said, tilting his head.
"Why?"
Lyrium sighed, stretching his arms lazily.
"Because I haven’t figured you out yet."
Eugene scoffed.
"Bullshit."
If anyone had figured this fight out, it was Lyrium.
He just wasn’t done playing.
Nox’s smirk widened.
"Holding back? Bad habit. You should fix that."
Then—
He disappeared.
No blur this time.
Just gone.
And Lyrium?
For the first time—
His smirk faded.
Eugene leaned forward.
What will you do, Lyrium?
This time—
He was on the defensive.
The blade was mere inches away.
And then—
Lyrium vanished.
A split-second later—
BOOM—!
A shockwave rippled through the battlefield.
Dust and debris scattered.
And when the screen adjusted—
Nox was on the ground.
Lyrium stood over him, shaking his head.
"You almost had me,"
He admitted.
"Almost."
Nox looked up, his crimson eyes burning.
Then—
He grinned.
"You’re fun,"
He admitted, rolling his shoulders.
"I like that."
Lyrium sighed, offering a hand.
"You’re a pain in the ass."
Despite his words, Eugene saw it.
He had enjoyed the fight.
And Eugene?
He smirked.
"You really are a monster, Lyrium."
*****
Why am I milking this fight too much with everyone’s perspective? Man, because this is where the real power scaling will start thats y..