Stella quickly turned around as she sensed movement from the smoke behind her.
Clang!
Kurt and Stella clashed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kurt's attacks rained down upon Stella in a flurry of strikes. She managed to block them, but the speed made it difficult for her to keep up.
"Feeling like giving up already?" Kurt taunted, his attacks relentless.
Clang!
Stella blocked the attack but made a mistake, leaving herself completely open to the next attack.
Bang!
Kurt's powerful kick to the stomach sent Stella hurtling back, crashing against a wall of menacing spikes.
‘This is not good, the gap between steps is bigger than I thought. Plus, I’m starting to run low on energy. I need to finish this quickly,’ Stella thought, struggling to catch her breath as she rose to her feet.
Bang!
Stella evaded a spike that erupted from the ground and impacted against the spiked wall behind her. But before she could react, Kurt appeared in front of her, a blurry figure.
Bang!
His knee struck her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Stella fell to the ground, gasping for air.
Kurt confidently walked up to her, while Stella slowly recovered her breath and channeled energy across her body and to her sword. The patterns adorning her sword lit up, bathing them in a vibrant, pulsating purple glow.
‘So, this is her final move,’ Kurt pondered, sensing the surge of energy within the glowing marks.
Suddenly, Stella got up, launching a swift sword slash toward Kurt. Her speed drastically increased as she channeled energy throughout her entire body.
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Yet, Kurt wasn’t surprised.
CLANG!
He blocked Stella's attack with such force that her sword flew from her grip and was sent spiraling upwards. He then turned his attention back to Stella, who had already hurled her last knife toward him.
Clang!
Like swatting a fly, Kurt effortlessly deflected the knife, sending it to the ground.
‘So she had one last knife,’ Kurt thought.
Crash!
He shattered the knife with a strike from his spear.
"Now you have no options left. Want to do this the easy way and surrender, or the hard way and have me knock you out?" Kurt asked with a hint of arrogance.
Stella remained silent.
"I guess that means the hard way," Kurt replied, raising his spear.
Several things happened in the next few milliseconds. Kurt swung his spear toward Stella, confident in his victory, causing him to drop his guard. Simultaneously, Stella channeled the last reserves of her energy, activating her ability one last time. Her eyes glowed with a vibrant purple hue, while bolts of purple energy started dancing around her body. Enveloped by the shroud of smoke, both espers were blind to their surroundings, except for Stella, who could sense something amidst the smoke, a glowing purple mark. Falling from above, the mark would end up just behind Kurt.
Kurt realized the change in Stella and his mistake way too late. Just as his spear was about to hit Stella, the purple mark aligned perfectly.
Shing!
"Game over," Stella declared, her sword's blade pressed against Kurt's throat. She had teleported herself to the mark on her sword's hilt, appearing behind Kurt in an instant.
"You got me there, well played. I give up," Kurt admitted, a defeated smile gracing his lips as he raised his hands in surrender. Mr. Calder appeared next to them and announced Stella as the winner.
From the window, Principal Falker released a sigh of relief, while Executioner Leywin's expression remained unchanged.
Principal Falker stayed in silence, awaiting Executioner Leywin's words, as Stella, Kurt, and Mr. Calder left the gymnasium.
‘Performing a two-step jump at such a young age is an impressive feat. Not only that, but she also is a manipulation stage esper, she truly is a prodigy,’ Executioner Leywin concluded, her interest piqued. She turned to Principal Falker.
"I will submit my report to my superiors. It may take a week for you to receive a response," she informed him before turning around to leave. However, after taking a few steps, she paused.
"What's her name?" she asked.
"Stella Gunvald," the principal replied.
"Let her know I’m looking forward to seeing her in the Black Guard," Executioner Leywin said before walking away.
With those words, the principal finally breathed a sigh of relief. Recommending Stella had been a risk, but one that had paid off. With a positive review from Executioner Leywin, Stella was assured of being accepted into the Black Guard. This would bring immense credit and renown to Hyperion Academy, and the principal would also be greatly rewarded. His gamble had paid off, following his intuition and recommending Stella had been the right choice.
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As Executioner Leywin left the principal, she strolled through the hallways surrounding the gymnasiums. Although she knew the way out, an inexplicable feeling made her want to look around, which was unlike her. Leywin herself didn't exactly know why she felt like wandering around; she knew she had to go back to the headquarters and deliver her report on Stella, however, she still decided to stay and look around the gymnasiums. Perhaps it was the nostalgia of returning to an academy or a genuine curiosity in the new generation of espers. Whatever the reason, she decided to follow her intuition and wander in the academy’s hallways. It was a weird feeling, like a gut feeling she couldn't quite explain or shake off.
And so, she strolled through the hallways, passing by several windows that offered glimpses of young espers sparring with one another and improving their skills. Nothing seemed to capture her interest.
Just as she was about to turn away, her attention was drawn to a wide window. Something about this window felt different, the same kind of gut feeling that led her to wander through the academy’s hallways, increased as she approached the window.