Chapter 22 - Ambush

“Winner! Zer Aiur!!”

With the announcement, the crowd erupted into cheers. Without even a glance at the male who had been knocked out cold on the floor, Zer left the stage and headed toward the exit. At that moment, the two commentators began to review the match.

“That was quite a match, wasn’t it, Rialesta?”

“Indeed, Kevin. Even though both combatants were King-ranked in the earth element, the difference in strength and skill was evident. Zer demonstrated superior swordsmanship compared to Robin Wissmein and showcased a significant gap in proficiency and battle experience by forcing Robin to play at his pace throughout the match.”

“He certainly lives up to the reputation of Rhostaz Kingdom’s heralded prodigy, doesn’t he?”

“Absolutely. The way he seamlessly integrated his spells with his swordsmanship was both beautiful and deadly. Azrael Celeste and Zer Aiur have clearly emerged as the strongest contenders for the representative spots, alongside last year’s representatives.”

As the commentators spoke, Zer entered the corridor to find his two best friends waiting for him. Seeing their wide grins, he couldn’t help but smile. When he reached them, Azrael raised his right hand high, and Zer responded by raising his own and slapping Azrael’s hand.

“Good job out there, Zer.”

“Bah, it was too easy. Robin was never exceptional in the intermediate earth element course. I didn’t even need to use the steel element.”

Zer’s expression was a mix of disappointment and indifference. Azrael couldn’t help but agree with him. For both of them, this was their first official battle. For it to be so easy was, well, a disappointment.

“Haaa… It must be nice for you two~”

Winston, on the other hand, sighed deeply and looked gloomy. Although he had won his match earlier, it had not been easy. Specializing in defensive earth spells, he lacked offensive prowess apart from his swordsmanship. Despite his improvement over the past four months, it was still insufficient for someone new to training.

His opponent had been a Knight-ranked water user, whose power was insufficient to penetrate his defenses. It took a long time, but Winston won through sheer defense. When he saw Azrael and Zer, he lowered his head in shame. It took Azrael and Zer a while to console him.

“Anyway, now that we’re done, we should go eat dinner and relax. We’ll practice tomorrow morning instead of tonight, since Winston and I had our matches today. We don’t have school tomorrow, after all.”

All sixty-four matches of the first round had been held over the weekend. While Azrael fought on the first day, the other two had their matches the next day. Since all three advanced to the next round, they didn’t have to attend classes and could practice on their own.

The trio quickly finished dinner in the cafeteria and headed back to their dorms. Azrael and Zer decided that, instead of just sparring, they would also practice their magic the next day.

“Alright, I’m exhausted, so I’m heading to bed first, Az. Good night.”

When Winston and Azrael arrived at their room, Winston immediately flopped onto his bed. Within a minute, Azrael could hear soft snores from across the room. Shaking his head in amazement, he went to his own bed and began meditating. Despite spending so much time training at night, Azrael never neglected to purify his mana or run in the morning.

“Huu…”

After two hours of meditation, Azrael finally exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. His green aura was nearing peak condition. Once he reached Emperor rank, his aura would change to a misty purple.

‘Hm… I feel restless. It must be because I haven’t trained today. I should practice and release some energy before bed.’

With that thought, he rose from his bed and quietly left the room with his spear, careful not to disturb Winston. After gently closing the door, Azrael headed toward the forest. Upon reaching the clearing, he smiled, positioned himself, and began training.

For an hour, Azrael executed numerous strikes while simultaneously using magic. He created a wall of water for defense, then attacked like in his first battle. He conjured fireballs and hurled them to induce panic in his imagined opponent.

Azrael had learned from his previous life that he improved most when facing someone stronger than him, someone who threatened his life. Although training with others was ideal, he also progressed rapidly through shadow training. After several intense hours, he sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

“That was quite impressive, Azrael.”

The unexpected voice made Azrael instantly stand up, adopting a defensive crouch. When he saw the visitor, he relaxed.

“How did you find me here, Princess?”

The visitor was none other than Han Byul. With a smile, she tilted her head and answered.

“Sorry, Azrael. I was just walking in the area when I noticed a bright light in the forest. When I went to investigate, I saw you training here.”

“I see. Why didn’t you say anything when you saw me?”

“You looked so focused that I hesitated to disturb you.”

“Hmmm… I see. Thank you for waiting, Princess. Ah! Where are my manners? Would you like to sit? I doubt you would have waited if you didn’t have something to say.”

She nodded and joined him on the grass. Initially, she was silent, gazing at the bright stars. Azrael, however, found her face, full of wonder, more dazzling than any star.

They remained like this for a while until Han Byul reluctantly looked at Azrael, lowering her head in apology.

“I want to apologize for last weekend, Azrael.”

“Eh?”

Azrael’s surprise was evident at Han Byul’s sudden apology. Before he could fully react, she continued.

“I shouldn’t have asked you to talk about Crystal. I made you revisit an old wound.”

Hearing this, Azrael chuckled. Han Byul looked at him, puzzled.

‘She really is as pure as ever, isn’t she? Feeling remorseful over something like this…’

Azrael regarded her with a warm smile.

“There’s no need to apologize, Princess. It was my choice to speak about it. You didn’t force me. Talking about her actually had a healing effect on me. I should be the one thanking you.”

Surprised, Han Byul stared at him before a smile spread across her face.

“Hehe, is that so? Anyway, you were very impressive in your first match. The way you…”

They began discussing the tournament and their thoughts. Azrael enjoyed seeing Han Byul so animated; it was the first time he’d seen her this excited. After over an hour of conversation, they decided it was time to head to bed.

Azrael was delighted by the unexpected encounter. As they walked through the forest, continuing their chat, he received an urgent warning.

‘Master! Watch out!’

Without hesitation, Azrael jumped toward Han Byul and pushed her down. As they fell, he felt the air distort as a projectile passed where they had been. Looking in the direction of the projectile, Azrael saw a shadow move.

‘Shit. Why would someone attack us here?’

‘Be careful, Master. This person is likely an Emperor-ranked darkness mage.’

Azrael’s face paled at Samjoko’s assessment. Despite the one-rank difference, the gap between ranks grew exponentially.

‘Shit, where is that bastard?’

The shadows of the trees made it hard to locate the attacker. Alone, Azrael would have felt more confident using his own darkness element to hide his presence and escape. But with Han Byul in danger, he couldn’t do that.

The assailant decided to attack, rushing toward Azrael without hiding. Azrael took a defensive stance in front of Han Byul, prepared to protect her at all costs.

When the attacker was ten yards away, Azrael cast a fireball spell directly in their path. The pause allowed him to summon an ice spear above his head, which impaled the attacker’s torso.

‘If Samjoko’s assessment is correct, it shouldn’t be this easy…’

As the impaled attacker flew backward, his body began to disfigure and fell to the ground. Realizing he’d been tricked, Azrael turned too late. An intense pain erupted in his left waist as he was thrown forward by a powerful impact. In midair, he heard a deep baritone voice.

“Dark Impalement.”

“GAAAH!”

A dark mass formed in the attacker’s right arm, shaping into a spear. He threw it toward Azrael, hitting him in the left chest. Spitting blood, Azrael hit the ground, bouncing a few times before lying on his back. As he turned his head, he saw Han Byul rushing toward him, her face etched with horror as darkness overtook his vision.

“AZRAEL!!!”

Han Byul’s face was pale as she saw the blood flowing from Azrael’s chest and waist. She grabbed him and looked at the approaching figure with deep hatred. She didn’t flinch as the attacker raised a dagger in his hand.

Just then, she felt a large hand grip her shoulder. In a panic, she struck the arm, causing the man to lose his grip. As she broke free, gravity pulled her beside Azrael’s body.

Tears streamed down her face as she held Azrael and glared at the attacker. She remained resolute even as the assailant slowly raised his dagger.

At that moment, neither noticed the black smoke emanating from Azrael’s body. The smoke gathered and began to solidify. A loud cry rang out from the smoke.

“Caw! Caw!”