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The crowd buzzed with hushed whispers, their fingers pointing.
After all, both Sephylia and Melina, these two young women, had become prominent figures within the Knight Academy over the past two years, even if they weren’t universally known.
Their reputations, however, stood at starkly opposite ends of the spectrum.
Sephylia shone with blinding brilliance, adored and pursued by many; those who harbored feelings for her, even those bold enough to confess, could form a line stretching from the rooftop of the academic building all the way to the cafeteria’s sewers.
Melina, conversely, had long been the academy’s designated punching bag, a victim of relentless bullying; not only did no one wish to associate with her, but spurred on and coerced by her tormentors, those around her deliberately ostracized her.
Later, following Sephylia’s enrollment and her subsequent actions, the number of people paying attention to Melina had significantly dwindled; her original bullies had either found new targets or had themselves been thoroughly beaten into submission by Sephylia, who operated on an entirely different level.
Yet, just ten days prior, during the Spirit Weaver’s Contract ceremony, Melina’s name had once again echoed through the ears of the assembled crowd.
Even more astonishingly, these two individuals, whose reputations at the academy were polar opposites, were now set to duel in this very training ground!
Who was Sephylia?
She was, without a doubt, the academy’s reigning super-freshman! A prodigy who, despite having only been enrolled for a year and completing her contract less than half a month ago, had already elevated her resonance rate to 20%!
And Melina?
After making a brief, public display of her presence, she had vanished without a trace, leaving everyone to wonder what she had been doing during those ten days.
Thus, a collective curiosity rippled through the onlookers: what reason could Melina possibly have to challenge Sephylia to a duel?
“Are you ready?”
Sephylia, her heavy hammer resting on her shoulder and her arms encased in armor, exuded an air of arrogance, her entire being radiating an intense, soaring battle aura.
In stark contrast, Melina displayed no such overt power.
She merely gripped her dull, golden knight’s longsword, no formidable aura emanating from her form.
She nodded to Sephylia, indicating, “We can begin.”
“Huh?”
Sephylia’s surprise quickly morphed into a furious glare.
“You dare to fight me without even manifesting your external armor? Are you mocking me?!”
No sooner had the words left her lips than she surged forward, heedless of Melina’s potential reply.
As she neared Melina, she pushed off the ground with immense force, leaping high into the air, and brought her massive hammer crashing down.
Her pride forbade her from resorting to a sneak attack.
Yet, that same pride absolutely would not tolerate being underestimated.
Since Melina was so arrogant, Sephylia would make her pay the price for her overconfidence!
Melina, however, merely smiled, and a faint glow finally emanated from her golden longsword.
In the next instant, Melina crouched low, seizing the opportune moment to suddenly step forward.
Sephylia’s pupils constricted.
While she registered Melina’s movement, she found herself utterly unable to alter her own attack trajectory.
Thus, in the following second, the hilt of the golden knight’s longsword solidly struck Sephylia in the stomach.
“Puwah!”
A mouthful of gastric fluid erupted from her lips.
The impact was so sudden and severe that Sephylia’s mind went blank for a split second, her eyes involuntarily rolled back, and the heavy hammer she clutched flew from her grasp as she was sent hurtling backward.
Collapsing onto the ground, Sephylia clutched her stomach, her body curling in agony as she coughed incessantly.
Judging by the sound of her coughs, even her breathing seemed labored and irregular.
A profound silence descended upon the training ground.
Everyone present was dumbfounded by the sight.
‘What… just happened?’
‘What did Melina do?’
Sephylia’s aura had been so overwhelmingly powerful, and that airborne hammer strike was something no one in the arena, not even the seasoned upperclassmen, would have dared to face head-on.
While it was true Melina hadn’t met it head-on, still…
‘Was it… that simple?’
“Are you alright?” Melina asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
Due to the nature of Thorn’s Kiss, and to ensure she could unleash sufficient combat power during a fight, Melina and Melo had devised a unique technique.
Instant Resonance!
Just moments ago, in the split second before Sephylia’s hammer descended, Melina had achieved resonance with Melo, though the duration of that resonance lasted for merely one second!
Within that single second, based on her empathy with Melo, she had gained Melo’s combat experience and real-time judgment!
In other words…
For that one second, she possessed Melo’s entire combat prowess!
Any judgment Melo made in battle would be transmitted directly to Melina’s mind without delay.
This was the power of resonance; this was the meaning of empathy!
Thus, she had been able to pinpoint the exact moment, discerning precisely how to counter Sephylia’s powerful, heavy strike.
How to put it…
For Melo, it felt rather like bullying a child.
Sephylia, however, remained entirely ignorant of all this.
When she heard Melina’s concerned tone, asking if she was alright, Sephylia felt a surge of heat rush to her face.
Her pride had been utterly insulted in that moment!
Finally catching her breath, Sephylia’s face contorted into a snarl.
She struggled to her feet, her posture somewhat disheveled, yet her eyes, blazing with fury, were alight with renewed fighting spirit!
Suddenly, she roared, “Radiance!”
With a flash of light, her massive hammer, which had flown far away, reappeared in Sephylia’s grasp.
Melina’s casual demeanor had infuriated her; Sephylia believed her opponent’s attitude implied she wasn’t taken seriously at all, especially after being repelled by a single blow.
“Again!”
She bellowed, charging forward once more!
Sephylia, however, was unaware that Melina remained entirely focused, without a hint of complacency, from start to finish.
This was because, prior to initiating instant resonance with Melo, Melina herself had to judge the opportune moment for battle, deciding precisely when to activate the resonance.
Thus, seeing Sephylia charge again, Melina remained vigilant, calmly observing Sephylia’s movements and gathering information about her opponent.
Her weapon was a heavy hammer, and her fighting style was broad and sweeping.
Yet, this did not diminish her speed or agility.
The success of her previous strike had relied on catching her opponent off guard.
Therefore, to be safe, her opponent’s next attack would certainly not be a straightforward, direct assault.
There would be a change!
Melina’s eyes gleamed with an unnerving intensity; in her state of complete focus, Sephylia’s movements seemed to slow.
She clearly saw Sephylia close the distance once more, clearly watched as Sephylia again swung her heavy hammer, bringing it down with immense force!
She could not meet it head-on; that was not what she and Melo excelled at.
If she dodged, where should she move, and how would she counterattack afterward?
In an instant, countless thoughts flooded Melina’s mind as she analyzed the current situation.
However, in the heat of battle, opportunities were fleeting; while she was indeed cautious and did not underestimate her foe, she was ultimately still too green.
She was ultimately still too green.
She was, perhaps… overly cautious!
Instant Resonance activated once more!
This time, however, it was not Melina who initiated it.
“Eh?”
Melina herself paused in surprise, but within that single second, everything in her vision transformed again!
All the dozens of judgments she had considered were instantly purged, leaving only one definitive choice.
And her body reacted even faster than her mind!
With a subtle shift of her feet, she sidestepped.
Yet, Sephylia, across from her, had already made an even swifter adjustment!
The heavy hammer, initially plummeting downward, was suddenly used as a pivot; Sephylia, using the hammer as her center, leapt up, leveraged her hands on the long handle, and astonishingly, launched a fierce kick mid-air!
One second passed…
Two seconds passed…
Dark, thorny patterns began to emerge from Melina’s wrists, and a sharp pain suddenly assaulted her.
Yet… this level of pain was something she had grown accustomed to over the past ten days!
Veins bulged on her forehead as the young woman gritted her teeth!
She raised her knight’s longsword horizontally to parry, blocking Sephylia’s kick, but to her surprise, her opponent used the momentum to step down, treating her sword as a springboard, and then…
The deadly heavy hammer was immediately swung up again and brought crashing down!
Melina’s pupils constricted.
Her opponent had gained the upper hand because of her earlier hesitation!
‘What should I do?’
There was only one answer…
In the very next second, armor materialized on her arms, thorny black patterns coiled around them, and a surge of spiritual energy abruptly spread outwards!
In that instant, everyone present felt an overwhelming pressure, as if the very heavens had suddenly descended!
“Hooah!”
Melina’s face contorted, twisted by the sheer agony.
She let out a fierce cry!
Her golden longsword suddenly erupted with a dazzling brilliance, and a powerful surge of energy was unleashed from it, cleaving outwards!
Sensing impending danger, Sephylia hastily reined in her attack, bringing her heavy hammer up to block, but…
The golden radiance emanating from the longsword struck the hammer’s body like an energy cannon, pushing against her and blasting her clear out of the training ground.
As the resonance dissipated, Melina leaned on her sword, panting heavily, using deep breaths to alleviate the pain wracking her body.
Once again, absolute silence enveloped the entire arena.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Seoljungmae: I Became the Northern Grand Prince’s Fake Concubine is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Seoljungmae: I Became the Northern Grand Prince’s Fake Concubine
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