"Are you two going to fight or what?" Wukong hollered, unable to watch the staring contest any longer.

Wukong's shout successfully snapped both children out of their daze. It also reminded Amira of Ace having previously called her a little kid.

Her angry glare returning as she slowly unsheathed her swords. "[Supersonic]."

'Ooh shit.' Ace thought to himself as he suddenly ducked out of the way, just in time to avoid the katana slashing towards his neck. 'Is she trying to kill me?'

Though he didn't know before, Ace could immediately tell by her current speed that 'Supersonic' was a spell that increased movement speed. It was the only possible explanation for an early second-rank warrior moving at the speed of a third-rank warrior.

If it wasn't for his haki, there was no way Ace would be able to keep up, and even then, it was only just. Forget counter-attacking, it took everything he had to barely respond to each of her strikes.

Her twin swordsmanship reached a level where Ace felt like he was fighting against two swordsmen who were able to work flawlessly together. Though she hadn't reached the level of becoming one with her swords, it wasn't too far off at all.

And yet, despite being thoroughly suppressed, Ace was smiling. He couldn't help but think back to a good friend who was also a dual-wielding swordsman – 5th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Vista of the Flower Swords.

All the other students were shocked by what they were witnessing. Ace had long since proved himself as an extraordinary warrior. In each of their hearts, Ace was undoubtedly the strongest student of their cohort, yet that very student was being thoroughly dominated, even after being healed.

The only students who still seemed to have confidence in Ace were Killian, Alissa, and Kannal, all of whom understood Ace's true strength.

Amira, who was the one in complete control of the fight, frowned harder as the fight went on. Eventually, with her overwhelming speed, she managed to draw first blood as her sword slashed Ace's cheek.

She watched as he jumped back to put some distance between them but didn't chase him.

"You're holding back." She declared whilst glaring intently at her opponent. "Why are you still holding back?"

"I don't want to hurt you," Ace instinctively replied. By the time he realised what he'd said, it was too late to take it back, and unfortunately, his answer only served to truly anger her.

If before she was frustrated due to being called a little kid, now she was genuinely enraged. It was true she was talented, but the thing she prided herself on most was her hard work, and she couldn't easily forgive someone making light of the blood, sweat, and effort she'd put in to reach her current level at her age.

"Is it because I'm a girl?" Amira asked, her voice frosty.

Ace didn't know how to react to that. He knew how he felt. He just couldn't find the words to explain.

How do you tell someone that you just met that there was something about them that made you innately want to spend the rest of your life protecting them? That the thought of you being the one to bring them any pain made you sick.

Seeing her opponent's hesitation, Amira took it as a yes. Her grip tightened around her swords as she felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment that quickly turned into anger. "[Wind Blade]!"

Time seemed to slow as Ace watched his opponent slowly raise her dainty right hand, pointing directly at him. With his [Observation] still active, he clearly saw the wind essence take the shape of a crescent blade of wind, but the only thing he could think about was how he was the cause of her disappointment.

As she pointed at him, he felt a pain in his chest that didn't make sense. Even after the wind blade landed and made a deep cut along his torso, the only pain he could feel came from his heart.

"ACE!" Milianna cried as she prepared to run to aid her only son, only to be forcibly stopped by Wukong. "Let me go! Can't you see my son's hurt?!"

It wasn't just her. Even Killian had to be restrained by his master to keep him from intervening.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Ace is fine," Lance announced, being the only one of the three who was able to keep a clear head after Ace was injured. "It's just a flesh wound."

"You…

You didn't dodge!" Amira said as she looked at the wound on Ace's chest. "Why didn't you dodge?!"

There was a big part of her that wanted to stay angry, believing he was still underestimating her, but when she saw the damage she'd done to him, she found herself wracked with guilt, something that made no sense to her.

"I'm sorry," Ace said, catching the caramel-skinned dual sword-wielding girl by surprise. "You were right, I was holding back, and it was disrespectful to you and your hard work, so I'm sorry."

As Ace said that, he allowed his mind, body, and soul to become one with the glaive in his hand. There was no physical change in appearance, nor was there a distinctive surge in power, but everyone could sense a clear difference in his presence.

"This…

Did he…?" Lazerim understood what he was witnessing, but the shock prevented him from getting his words out clearly.

"One with the glaive!" Kimika confirmed, her face showing no less shock than her senior brother's.

"Haha, about time." Wukong grinned.

"I hope you're ready," Ace said with a gentle smile. "I won't be holding back anymore."

As his voice waned, his body disappeared. He shot forward at a speed faster than he ever had before.

[Soru] was a technique that required the user to kick off the ground at least ten times almost instantaneously to move at high-speeds. Till now, ten had been the most he could do, but just then, he actually managed 11.

Even though it was only a difference of a single kick, it made a big difference. Though he was the weakest of the class, Kannal had always been able to follow Ace's movements when looking from afar – albeit barely – but now, it almost looked as if Ace had teleported.

Joel and the rest of Ace's previous opponents looked at the glaive-wielding boy with their jaws dropped. Not just because of the sudden burst of speed but also because they had overheard the instructor's words. It was then that they understood that Ace had actually been holding back against each of them. The difference in strength between Ace and them was like heaven and earth.

Surprised as she was, an enchanting smile suddenly found its way onto Amira's face as she clashed against Ace.

With [Supersonic] still active, Amira held the advantage when it came to movement speed, but whether it was the speed of their weapons, raw power, or technique, Ace had a clear advantage.

It wasn't long before Amira found herself being thoroughly suppressed in a similar fashion to how she had suppressed Ace not long ago. Still, her smile never waned.

The same was true for Ace. As they clashed, both he and Amira found themselves having the time of their lives. It wasn't about winning or losing for either of them. They just wanted to continue having fun, and that they did.

The others watched in shock as Amira and Ace went back and forth in what looked more like a dance than a battle.

Even Milianna and Killian, who had stopped struggling, stared in admiration at the pair's display.

"How interesting," Aiden said as he stared with fascination.

"What is?" Mathias asked absentmindedly, unable to peel his eyes away from the ring.

"Haven't you noticed yet?" Aiden asked. "Both Ace and Amira are improving at a noticeable speed."

As he said that, the eyes of Mathias and the others widened upon realising he was right.

"Is it sudden enlightenment?!" Lauriella asked in amazement.

"No, it can't be," Wukong shook his head. "They're both still completely conscious."

"Then what?" Kimika asked, unable to understand what they were witnessing.

"I have no idea," Aiden shrugged. "But it's fascinating, no?"

Since his reincarnation, Ace found that he loved fighting and everything it entailed more than ever, but never had he felt as happy as he did right now. Fighting against Amira like this was almost euphoric, so much so that he didn't even notice that he was actually improving at such a rapid speed. And Amira felt no different. It was as though they were dancing on cloud nine.

It was at that moment that the eyes of both children glazed over. The smiles on their faces widened, but they entered a state of total emptiness.

"Now that's sudden enlightenment!" Lauriella exclaimed dumbfoundedly as she watched both Ace and Amira erupt in speed.

"How is this possible?!" Kimika asked as if everything she'd ever learnt had just been turned upside down by two children, not even ten.

"Sudden enlightenment is just the act of you, or rather your soul, comprehending something new whilst in a state of extreme stimulation," Aiden explained. "The only reasonable explanation is that somehow, their souls are able to stimulate the others to the point where Amira's able to become one with her swords and Ace is able to wield heavy as though it were light…

It's just a shame Amira's only a rank two mage."

"What does that have to…" Lazerim didn't need to finish his question to understand what Aiden meant.

He and the others saw Amira's [Supersonic] spell dissipate as Amira's mageforce ran dry.

That spell was the only reason Amira could compete with Ace's ridiculous speed. Without it, Ace managed to easily speed past her defence.

Amira could do nothing as the tip of Ace's glaive stopped just short of her glabella. Yet instead of looking at the polearm mere inches away from claiming her life, she gently stared into Ace's dark but gentle eyes.

Neither of them said a word as Ace lowered his weapon, and Amira re-sheathed hers; they simply got lost in the eyes of the other.

Only when they heard the gentle sound of someone clearing their throat beside them did they remember they weren't alone.

Though it was only visible on Ace, the faces of both of them flushed with embarrassment as they finally broke eye contact.

An amused smile suffused lips as he saw the embarrassment on their faces, but Mathias chose not to make it any harder for the two love birds.

"Since there are no more challengers, that makes Ace the Pavilion's first King of the Ring," Mathias announced. "Congratulations."