Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 55: Combat (II)

Elara:

Liliana’s smirk made it painfully obvious that she had no intention of making this easy for me. Fortunately, I wasn’t looking for an easy match either. I might have preferred to avoid conflict with these people whenever possible, but avoiding unnecessary trouble was very different from being afraid of them.

I had spent twelve years learning different forms of martial arts, starting when I was young enough to think kicking people was a perfectly reasonable way to solve every problem. By the time I was fifteen, I had become good enough that neither Felix nor my father had been able to take me down despite both of them having years of martial arts experience themselves.

Still, I wasn’t foolish enough to assume supernatural students would be weak, but without magic, this was finally something I knew how to do.

Liliana stepped closer, rolling her shoulders as she looked me over. "Be careful, Princess," she said loudly enough for the students around us to hear. "One wrong move and you might leave this class with a broken nose. It would be a shame to ruin that pretty face."

I smiled at her as I replied, "We’ll wait and see whose nose ends up broken."

Her expression darkened immediately, but I didn’t bother saying anything else. I wasn’t trying to provoke her into doing something stupid. I simply knew what I could do, and I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise just because she came from a powerful family.

Esmeray stepped between us and raised one hand. "Begin."

Liliana moved instantly. There was no hesitation, no testing the waters, no careful circling. Her fist came directly toward my face with enough force to make it obvious she had genuinely intended to break my nose. The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.

I saw the punch coming long before it reached me. I shifted my weight and redirected her wrist with one clean movement. Her fist passed harmlessly beside my cheek.

She stumbled half a step and stared at her clenched hand as though it had betrayed her. Then her eyes snapped toward me. I simply waited. She came again, this time aiming for my ribs. I stepped aside and caught her arm before using her momentum to turn her away from me.

Another attack followed almost immediately, a kick aimed toward my stomach. I moved backward just enough for her boot to miss before sweeping her leg away from mine. She landed firmly, but her expression had changed. The confidence was gone.

Around us, the whispers had stopped. I could feel dozens of eyes watching us now, and someone finally muttered, "This is going to be fun."

Liliana heard it too and her jaw tightened. She was getting impatient, and that was exactly what I wanted. People made mistakes when they became angry.

"Stop running!" she snapped. "Fight me properly!"

I tilted my head. "I’m only holding back because I’m afraid you won’t last a minute if I don’t."

Her face turned crimson. "Shut up!" she screamed before charging again.

This time, I didn’t move away. I met her attack head-on. Her fist came toward my shoulder, and I blocked it with my forearm before striking her ribs. She staggered. Before she could recover, I stepped forward, caught her wrist, twisted it just enough to break her balance, and struck the side of her shoulder.

All it took were two moves and two strikes. Liliana dropped onto her knees. My hand was already moving toward her face when I stopped myself a fraction of a second before my knuckles could connect with her nose.

I had promised myself I wouldn’t become like the people who enjoyed hurting others simply because they could. I could defeat her without breaking her bones.

For a moment, the entire hall was silent. Then the silence shattered as applause erupted from several parts of the room, followed by cheers and whistles.

I stepped back while Liliana remained on her knees, staring up at me with a hatred so intense that I could practically feel it. I extended my hand anyway. "Come on."

She slapped my hand away. And before I could even react, she lunged at me again. I moved instinctively. Her second attack missed, and after only a few exchanges, I had her on the ground again.

"Enough," Esmeray finally announced. His voice carried through the hall. "Winner is Eleanora Argentis. Five credit points."

A small wave of cheers followed the announcement. I stared at the five points beside my name on the board for a moment. My first credit score. Somehow, after everything that had happened at this academy, it felt strangely satisfying.

I didn’t look at Liliana again. I simply turned and began walking back toward my classmates.

I had barely taken three steps when I heard a shrill cry behind me. I turned and found Liliana was already on her feet, but the look on her face was no longer that of someone who wanted to win a combat practice. There was something wild in her eyes. Her hand was raised, and the air around her palm twisted violently.

Magic.

My mind barely had time to register what she was doing before a blast of wind and energy shot toward me. My body reacted before my brain did. I threw both hands up instinctively, trying to protect my face, and then something inside me exploded awake.

Warmth surged through my body. Not like what I had experienced while practicing with Crazy, nor the tiny pulse that appeared whenever I tried to cast a spell. This was something entirely different. It erupted from somewhere deep inside my chest and raced through my arms so violently that my fingers tingled.

The air in front of me distorted, and for one impossible second, I saw a flash of silver-white light, followed by a violent burst of cold that collided with Liliana’s attack.

The impact sounded like thunder.

The hall erupted into chaos.

I couldn’t understand what had happened. I only knew something had struck me with tremendous force. My feet left the ground, and I went flying backward. My back slammed against the wall hard enough to knock the breath out of my lungs.

Pain exploded through my spine. I slid down the wall, dazed and barely aware of people shouting around me. Something warm trickled from the corner of my mouth. I touched it with trembling fingers and stared at the metallic smear of blood on my fingertips.

My vision blurred.

Across the hall, Liliana had also been thrown backward, but I couldn’t focus on her. My head was spinning. The voices around me became distant, muffled as though I were underwater.

Someone was shouting my name. Someone else was yelling for a professor.

I tried to lift my head, only for the ceiling to tilt. Then the warmth inside me pulsed once more, followed by a sharp throb behind my ear where the seal was buried.

And everything went black.