Book 4: Chapter 219: Intense Battle
âDefeat her?â
The young man could not help but question, because he was not even sure if that mysterious ball that Lilith just tossed at him could be referred to as her.
It was just a ball of⦠blanket.
âAre you fooling around with me, Lilith?â The young man asked angrily. âYou donât have to make up something as ridiculous as this just because you donât want to fight me.â
âIâm not fooling around and I donât have any reason to. Iâm being very serious here.â Lilith shrugged and continued saying, âLet me warn you first, proceed carefully. You donât want to walk away with psychological trauma.â
âHaha.â The young man laughed angrily.
How dare she throw a ball of blanket at me and spout all that nonsense about psychological trauma. What can possibly happen? Itâs not like a hideous monster will crawl out of it and eat me alive, right?
âDonât tell me youâre scared now.â
âThink whatever you want.â Lilith shrugged and ignored the young manâs pointed tone. She patted the ball of blanket and whispered, âHave fun, just donât go overboard.â
After saying that, she turned around and left the stage, leaving behind the young man who could only grit his teeth and seethe.
The judge once again appeared on the stage with a puzzled look on his face. He swept his gaze over the ball of blankety, but remembered the message he received earlier. The corner of his eyes twitched, but he still dutifully announced, âCornelia from first-year versus Reg from seventh-year.â
The guy named Reg stared at the ball of blanket in shock as he wondered to himself aloud if that was really a person. Judging by the thickness and the size of the blanket, it definitely did not seem like a normal person could hide inside it.
âEeeyah~â
It was at that moment, an adorable voice was heard coming inside it. The ball then started squirming. Before long, a handful of pure white hair peeked from between the layers.
Whatâs this? Hair?
Reg quickly dismissed the thought in the next moment. Everyone knew that hair could not move by itself.
However, the handful of white hair started swaying like weeds waving in the strong wind. Shortly after that, it stopped, perhaps because it sensed that someone else was nearby. The tip curled upward, as if provoking Reg like it had a mind of its own.
The expression on Regâs face immediately grew serious.
He was almost sure that this was not hair, but a kind of creature that he could not identify.
The Holy Dragon Empire had always been known for its high tolerance toward diversity, except for the demon race. Therefore, aside from humans, there were beautiful elves, wild beastmen and other shape-shifting demonic beasts and creatures living in the empire.
As the epitome of this empire, it was no surprise that St. Caroline Academy was also filled with all sorts of strange creatures and races. Even so, he was more concerned that perhaps Lilith was telling the truthâthis tuft of hair could be very strong.
Reg could not sense her presence. She was in plain sight, yet he could only perceive her as a still object in front of him.
One could only imagine how powerful she was, to be able to fully conceal her aura.
Reg drew the longsword at his waist and pointed it at the unknown creature named Cornelia, his eyes filled with determination.
There was only one objective for his two-year-and-five-month long seclusionâbeing the academyâs representative. No matter how terrifying the enemy before him was, he would defeat it!
Hence, no matter what this strange creature in front of him was, he would neither cower nor flee!
âIâve been training with a sword since young, for more than a decade. My swordsmanship has long reached perfection. At the very least, Iâm sure that I wonât lose to my peers. So watch out, Cornelia.â
His sword flashed. Reg showed no mercy when he struck. The long sword in his hand turned into the brightest lightning as it came down on the unknown creature named Cornelia.
However, Cornelia, that unknown creature that resembled a tuft of hair, was obviously not weak. Moments before the gleaming sword came down, she rolled over a little and took Regâs all-out attack head on.
Reg drew back, but kept his burning gaze on her. âI didnât expect to meet an even match here. My heart is racing with excitement.â
âEeeeyah~â
âHowever, I absolutely have to win this tournament. So I can only offer my apologies, Cornelia.â
Reg focused himself and ran his finger along the blade of his sword, leaving a trail of blood on the sharp edge.
Stained by fresh blood, the black longsword began to change slowly. It emitted a low rumble, like a ferocious beast awakening. It was hypnotizing, like the rhythmic heartbeats.
Reg charged at Cornelia, slashing at her with his sword. There were no fancy moves, but the power in every swing was incomparable with the first attack.
Every swing shook the space and left faint black trails on the ground. Even so, Cornelia remained unfazed. Her long and slender body moved, and easily absorbed every powerful attack that Reg landed on her.
ROAR!
Reg was not discouraged by the fact that his attacks were all rendered ineffective. It lit a fire in him instead. His eyes turned red as he roared like a wild beast. All the pent up frustrations he had accumulated over the past two years and five months were released at this moment.
The sword in his hand moved so fast that it became a blur. Every attack he made was countered, and soon a blade storm was formed on the stage. It was so strong that even if it started raining, not even a single raindrop would land on those two on the stage.
âWhat an intense battle.â The vice dean stroked his beard as he watched the battle going on on the stage, with an impressed look on his face.
âItâs no surprise that Reg is fully able to control that ancestral sword of his by now, but I did not expect his swordsmanship to have reached such a level after he secluded himself for more than two years. I reckon that his skills may even be on par with Durance now. If both of them were to fight in the same cultivation realm, itâd be hard to determine the winner.â
While saying that, the vice dean looked to the side. âI see that Lilith did not lie to me. This Cornelia whom youâve recommended is indeed as terrifying as you have claimed. Although she has been on the defensive, she is as sturdy as a boulder in the sea. No matter how hard the waves crash on her, she remains unaffected. Regâs attacks are relentless, yet it is not working on her. And most importantly, Corneliaâs fighting style is unconventional. She looks almost like a child, waving a wooden stick however she wants to. It may look random, yet it is so natural that enemies are stumped. Marvelous, simply marvelous.â
Lilith nodded with a proud look on her face. âAs expected of Vice Dean. Your observation is just and true.â
âHowever, thereâs one thing I simply canât understand.â
âWhat is it, Vice Dean?â
âJust what race is Cornelia? I donât think Iâve encountered anyone like her before.â
âSheâs human.â
ââ¦W-Whatâ¦?â
âSheâs human.â
Seeing the disbelief on the vice deanâs face, Lilith was puzzled. âIs there a problem?â
âHumanâ¦? But the way she looks isâ¦ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lilith grew even more puzzled. She lifted a lock of her hair and said, âItâs her hair. Donât tell me you couldnât tell itâs hair, Vice Dean.â
âHairâ¦?â The vice dean nearly choked.
That person named Cornelia was actually fighting evenly with one of the candidates for the academy representative with her hair? How absurd!
Wait. Corneliaâ¦
The young girl, whom Lilith wanted him to make an exception and allow her to enroll in the academy, suddenly popped into his mind⦠If he wasnât mistaken, her name was also Cornelia. And that hair color⦠perfectly matched her description.
Oh my, this young lady was whopping one of his students with her hair. The vice dean almost immediately wondered how shocking it would be for his so-called proud children of the academy, once they saw Corneliaâs real appearance.
To think that they could hardly even compare to a tuft of her hair.
The vice dean gulped audibly as he started doubting himself.
Was he getting old or was the world changing too quickly? Why were there so many things he could hardly fathom nowadays?
Sitting next to him, Lilith was resting her head in her hands and watching the fierce fight on the stage. Without her realizing it, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
For some reason, Cornelia had been hiding under the blanket lately and seemed to not be interested in doing anything. Although Lilith did not want to admit it, she was actually a little worried about her. But now it seemed likeâ¦
Cornelia was having quite a lot of fun.