Chapter 578: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Past Encounter II

"Please, this way, Young Lady of Ash."

A Senior Royal Guard spoke calmly while moving one hand toward the side of the training ground where Vera and her maids were supposed to wait before the match began.

His voice carried through the training quarters without needing to be loud, and his posture remained straight even as he directed the young lady of Ashenlocke toward her assigned position. The man was not merely an ordinary Royal Guard. He was a Captain of one of the divisions within the Kingdom’s Royal Guard military system, and the gold details on his uniform made his position clear even to those who did not know him personally.

Vera nodded calmly.

Her maids followed her lead and bowed appropriately toward the Senior Royal Guard before moving after her.

They walked toward the waiting area.

Vera’s steps were quiet against the polished floor surrounding the training ground. The sound of her shoes mixed with the low voices of nobles gathered around the second floor, though most of those voices became quieter as the two young ladies prepared to enter the spar.

Once she reached the place assigned to her, Vera sat down.

Her back remained straight, and her hands rested loosely against her lap.

Yet, before she settled completely, her dull black eyes moved toward the direction where her father stood.

Valentine stared back at Vera.

There was not much emotion on his face. His expression remained as composed, while his right hand rested against the railing in front of him.

He did not wave.

He did not smile.

He simply watched.

Behind him, Elder Portia stood while speaking with Elder Paul and several of the present High-board members of Ashenlocke. Whatever they were discussing seemed to have amused them, judging by the faint smiles that appeared on their faces from time to time.

Vera’s eyes stayed there for another moment before moving again.

This time, they went toward the center of the room.

The King and Queen were seated there.

Both were speaking with one another while the Queen kept her left hand resting on the King’s shoulder. Her fingers moved slightly from time to time, perhaps rubbing his back while they continued their quiet conversation.

Vera narrowed her eyes a little.

She could not see properly from this distance.

There were too many people between them, and the angle did not help either.

So, after another moment, she stopped trying.

Her eyes returned to the place where she was.

Across from her stood the person she was about to fight, along with five maids.

The two groups were separated by the training ground.

"Please, both Young Ladies, make your way forward."

The Senior Royal Guard now stood in the center of the fight ground itself.

His voice drew the attention of the remaining nobles, and the conversations around the training quarters gradually faded.

Vera stood up.

"You can do it, my Lady."

Becky spoke a little louder than before.

The other maids immediately joined her encouragement.

"Lady Diane, you got this!"

Loud cheering voices also erupted from Diane’s maids as she began walking toward the direction they had been told to move.

Their voices were noticeably more energetic, and one of the maids even clasped her hands together in front of her chest as she watched Diane approach the center.

Vera did not react much to the cheering.

She simply walked forward.

Finally,

Diane and Vera faced each other.

For a brief moment, neither girl moved.

They had seen each other since the day they became Flowers of Britannia.

They had also eaten together with the Queen and the former Flowers who were still alive during a dinner meeting.

Because of that, neither of them was looking at a complete stranger.

They already knew each other’s faces.

They knew each other’s names.

Well, only Vera knew.

And although they had not spent enough time together to call each other friends, there was still a certain familiarity between them.

Diane looked at Vera through her half-closed light-blue eyes.

"You have already reached the stage of being able to hide your Cognis level."

Her voice carried her usual light tone, almost as if she were making an ordinary observation instead of standing in front of someone she was about to fight.

Vera looked back at her.

"I can say the same for you."

Her answer came calmly, and there was a dry quality to the way she looked at Diane, as though neither of them had said anything particularly surprising.

The Senior Royal Guard stepped forward.

"The rules of the spar."

His voice became louder so everyone could hear him.

The crowd gradually settled.

"The winner would be decided by knockout, or submission."

He stood at ease with both hands behind his back while looking up toward the nobles gathered on the second floor.

"No weapons allowed. Only martial arts and Cognis enhancement are allowed. No serious injuries or dislocation of bones. No Alchemy scrolls, Alchemy weapons, or Alchemy accessories. No Circuit Weapons allowed. In general, only hand-to-hand combat with Cognis enhancement is allowed."

The Senior Royal Guard paused.

The rules settled over the training ground.

Vera listened without changing her expression.

Diane’s half-closed eyes remained on the Royal Guard for a moment before returning to Vera.

"If any of these rules are broken, then you will lose by default, and the other person will win. Do you understand the rules, Young Ladies?"

The Senior Royal Guard looked at both girls.

"I understand."

Diane replied tiredly.

"Noted."

Vera replied casually.

The Senior Royal Guard nodded.

"Okay. Please take your fighting stance."

He moved away from the center.

Vera shifted her feet.

Her posture changed almost immediately.

She took the fighting stance of the Steel Snake Arts of the Steel Sutra of Ashenlocke.

Her body lowered slightly, with her weight distributed in a way that allowed her to move in any direction without wasting much motion. One hand stayed closer to her body while the other remained ready in front of her. Her fingers relaxed rather than curling into a tight fist, and her eyes stayed fixed on Diane.

Across from her, Diane also changed her posture.

She took the fighting stance of the Titan Arts of Bergwyn.

The exclusive martial arts of the Duke House of Bergwyn.

Unlike Vera’s stance, Diane’s posture looked heavier.

Her feet were firmly planted against the ground, and her shoulders remained steady. There was no unnecessary movement in her body. Even her hands stayed close to where they could immediately generate force.

Both girls said nothing.

They simply stared at each other.

The training ground became strangely quiet.

The nobles who had been talking only moments ago had stopped.

Even the maids seemed to understand that the moment before the fight was different from everything that came before it.

The Senior Royal Guard looked at the two girls.

"On my command, you will begin."

He raised his right hand.

The crowd of nobles settled down even further.

Everyone’s eyes locked onto the Young Lady of Bergwyn and the Young Lady of Ashenlocke.

The Senior Royal Guard’s raised hand remained in the air for a moment.

"Begin!"

His right hand dropped.

Immediately after the word left his mouth...

Little Vera moved.

Her small leg pushed against the ground.

She shot forward.

Her body moved with much more speed than her size suggested, and the distance between her and Diane disappeared within a few steps. Her right hand tightened into a fist as her shoulder turned with the motion.

Her target was Diane’s stomach.

Diane had not moved from her original position.

Yet her light-blue eyes followed Vera’s entire movement without difficulty.

She saw the approaching footwork.

She saw the rotation of Vera’s shoulder.

She saw the tightening of Vera’s fist.

And as Vera’s punch closed in toward her stomach, Diane dropped her left fist downward.

Vera’s eyes shifted slightly.

She expected a block.

But Diane didn’t block.

Instead, Diane moved her hand forward and struck toward Vera’s incoming punch.

The two attacks were about to collide.

Vera immediately changed her movement.

Her left hand shot forward and caught Diane’s left wrist before Diane’s fist could make contact with her right hand.

The grip stopped Diane’s punch.

At the same time, it also stopped Vera’s own right punch from reaching Diane.

For a brief instant, both girls were locked together.

Their arms were pressed against each other.

Their eyes met.

"Your grip is soft."

Diane said it lightly.

Then she moved her hand.

Not with a sudden burst.

Not with a dramatic motion.

She simply applied more force.

Her left fist pushed downward while her wrist remained trapped in Vera’s grasp.

The strength behind the movement immediately forced Vera’s arm lower.

Vera’s fingers tightened around Diane’s wrist.

Her feet shifted.

The muscles in her small arms tensed as she tried to maintain control.

Her eyes faintly widened.

She knew Diane would go for something like this.

She had already expected Diane to use her physical strength.

But knowing something would happen and actually feeling it were two different things.

Diane’s strength surprised her completely.

The next moment...

Bam!

Diane’s fist struck the training ground.

The impact shook the sand beneath them.

Vera’s body followed the movement because her grip had caused her to remain connected to Diane’s arm. Her small body was dragged downward, and she twisted before the impact could fully catch her.

Diane swiftly straightened.

Her right leg rose.

Vera saw it.

There was barely enough time.

She immediately rolled across the ground.

BAM!

Diane’s leg crashed down on the exact spot where Vera had been.

The sand burst outward.

Dust rose around Diane’s foot, and when it settled enough to see the ground, a small hole appeared where her kick had landed.

The sound echoed softly through the training quarters.

Several nobles reacted at once.

Voices of amazement spread throughout the spectators.

"The Young Lady of Bergwyn has quite the strength for a young child of her age."

One of the Elders of Drakes spoke with a stunned expression.

His eyes remained fixed on Diane’s position.

Another noble beside him continued staring at the damaged ground.

"Then this must be a problem for the Young Lady of Ash, because how will she be able to handle the Young Lady of Bergwyn?"

A Count spoke without taking his eyes away from the fight.

Back on the training ground...

Vera moved backward.

Her sandals scraped against the sandy surface as she created distance, but Diane followed her without hesitation.

Diane’s movements were not as fast as Vera’s initial dash, but every step carried enough force to keep the pressure on.

She moved her right leg.

Then her left.

A series of powerful side kicks followed.

Vera shifted her body.

The first kick passed beside her waist.

She leaned away from the second.

The third came toward her ribs, forcing her to twist her upper body while moving one foot backward.

The attacks kept coming.

There was almost no space between them.

Diane’s legs moved one after another, her hips turning with every kick while she maintained her balance. She did not throw herself forward blindly. Each kick forced Vera toward another position, slowly reducing the space available for her to escape.

Vera’s eyes followed every movement.

She shifted left.

Then right.

Another kick passed only inches from her face.

The wind from it brushed against her hair.

She lowered her head.

Another kick swept over her shoulder.

Her feet continued moving across the training ground, barely staying ahead of Diane’s attacks.

The crowd began to react more loudly.

Some could barely follow the exchange.

Others watched the movement of the two young girls with tense expressions, especially whenever Diane’s foot came close enough to Vera to make them think the next kick would connect.

Diane continued the series.

Then, in the middle of the same sequence, she changed the rhythm.

Her body lowered for an instant.

Then she jumped.

Her body spun slightly in the air.

The movement was not large, but it changed the angle of her attack.

Vera’s eyes immediately rose.

She knew the kick was coming before Diane’s leg had fully extended.

Both of Vera’s arms rose.

She brought them together in front of her body just before the attack arrived.

Bam!

Diane’s right leg struck Vera’s arms.

Crack!

The sound of impact traveled across the training ground.

Vera felt the weight of Diane’s leg press down against her arms.

Her elbows bent from the force.

Her feet slid backward.

For a brief moment, she managed to hold her position.

Then Diane’s strength broke through her defense.

The impact sent Vera flying backward.

"Argh."

Vera’s body hit the ground.

She rolled.

Her shoulder struck the sand first, followed by her side, and she continued rolling until she managed to plant one hand against the ground.

She pushed herself up.

Her hair had become slightly disordered from the movement, and a thin layer of dust clung to part of her clothing.

She lifted her eyes.

Diane was already coming toward her.

There was no pause.

No chance to breathe.

No time to stand properly.

Bam!

Vera raised one arm.

Diane’s fist struck against it.

Bam!

Another punch came from the opposite side.

Vera turned her shoulder and allowed the attack to slide past.

Bam!

Diane’s knee struck toward her body.

Vera shifted her waist, barely avoiding the full force of it.

Bam!

A fist slammed into the ground beside her.

The sound of fists colliding with the ground and occasionally with a body continued to echo across the training area.

The sand beneath their feet was no longer smooth.

Footprints, dragged lines, and small dents had begun appearing everywhere the two girls moved.

Vera continued to retreat.

Diane continued to follow.

Each time Vera tried to create enough space to counterattack, Diane closed the distance again.

Each time Diane attacked, Vera moved just enough to prevent the blow from landing cleanly.

But the pressure was becoming heavier.

"Oh, my scholars..."

Becky placed both hands over her mouth.

Her eyes were wide.

The spar was completely different from what they had expected.

The other three maids looked devastated by what they were seeing.

Their expressions had changed from excitement to worry.

One of them even took a small step forward before stopping herself.

She wanted to stop the fight.

But she could not do anything.

It was not within her rights.

The Royal Guard had established the rules, and the spar between the two young ladies was being especially watched by the Royal Guard, the present Dukes, the Duchess, and the Royal Family.

They could only watch.

And the worst thing was...

Surrendering was not part of the options among the rules the Senior Royal Guard had given them.

There was no simple way for them to step onto the training ground and pull their lady away.

So, they remained where they were.

Watching.

Their eyes followed Vera as she raised her arms again.

Diane’s fist crashed against them.

Vera’s feet slid across the sand.

Another kick followed.

She turned her body.

The kick passed by her side.

Another punch came immediately after it.

She brought her arm up.

Bam!

The impact pushed her backward again.

Diane did not give her enough time to counter.

She did not give Vera enough time to rest.

The Titan Arts of Bergwyn continued to press forward with heavy, direct attacks, while the Steel Snake Arts forced Vera to keep moving, twisting, and adjusting her body with every strike.

For the maids watching from the side, however, there was only one thing they could see.

Their lady was being pushed back.

And they could do nothing except watch her block, evade, and endure every heavy punch and kick that Diane continued to throw at her.