As soon as the match bell rang, the cadets sprang into motion and began the first Triple Threat match of the day.
The key to winning this match is becoming the last warrior remaining standing.
So until one of them renders the other two incapable of continuing the fight — by either knocking them out or making them surrender — and wins, the match won't be over.
Chase dashed at Lucas, while the silver-haired girl named Trish Zenith simply stayed put before summoning a Jian sword in her hand, trying to look for an opening before attacking.
Summoning his weapon, Lucas drew a deep breath.
Thrusting his spear forward, Lucas met Chase head-on as the latter tried to cross his arms and use his triangular shield gauntlets to guard against the spear attack.
Pushing away Lucas' spear to deflect his attack, Chase stepped in along the shaft of the Morningstar's spear.
A spear is a formidable weapon. Its long reach and simple learning requirements had dominated the battlefield during the age of cold weapons.
However, unlike a sword — the king of weapons — there are so many ways to counter a spear.
The first and easiest is to deflect the thrust attack of the spear or simply move out of the spearhead's way and then close in on its wielder.
Like any other polearm-type weapon, the spear doesn't have a long blade. It's a mid-range weapon, after all.
So once you move in too close, the spear is useless. Naturally, a guy who specializes in a shield-type weapon can easily render the spear useless after predicting one attack and using a bit of speed.
So, as soon as Chase pushed away Lucas' spear and rushed in, he thought his victory over the silver-haired guy was certain.
With a triumphant smirk, Chase threw a fist forward, intending to bash Lucas' skull with the rim of his triangular shield with only enough power to knock him out cold.
Lucas, however, only mirrored Chase's triumphant smirk. Not seeing even a bit of hesitation on the silver-haired boy's face, Chase frowned a little.
Then, suddenly Chase's eyes widened. It took him a second but he quickly realized that he had willingly stepped into a trap.
Unfortunately for him, it was already too late for him. Lucas simply raised his chin and yelled out a defiant roar, "Mana Burst!"
Tendrils of scarlet flame appeared from out of his spear and danced around Lucas' body.
Chase reacted in the nick of time and canceled his attack before crossing his hands over his face while simultaneously strengthening his core to brace for the incoming impact.
'This is going to hurt!' he thought.
As if waiting for that cue, in the next moment, instead of an azure explosion, a fiery blast detonated with the young Morningstar's body at its epicenter.
Booom—!!
The blast was akin to a ton load of TNT going off. The sheer impact of it alone sent Chase crashing back a few meters.
If he hadn't covered his body with mana and protected his head with his gauntlets, he wouldn't have come out of that attack without at least half of his bones shattered to dust.
Lucas had only noticed this aspect of his Gift recently. If he employs his Mana Burst in conjunction with a fire magic spell, instead of a mana blast, his Gift casts a fiery explosion. That, in turn, enhances the potency of his attack.
Wisps of smoke rose from Chase's shield as he uncrossed his arms and shot a death glare at Lucas. He tried to stand up but staggered back to his knees, seemingly concussed by the previous attack.
Just right then, Lucas felt a presence trying to sneak up on him from behind. Without wasting a breath, he quickly spun around and raised his spear.
Clang—!!
Almost instantly, a short blade of a sword, with beautiful intricate patterns engraved on it, struck the shaft of his spear.
If not for that, the blade would've slashed his shoulder muscles, rendering him incapable of using his weapon.
Lucas moved his eyes from the blade of the jian to the person grabbing its hilt. Just as he had guessed already, the wielder of the sword was a lithe young woman with silver hair and matching eyes.
"Attacking from behind? And I thought the princess of Mount Hua would have some pride," Lucas smugly remarked before saturating his body with mana and pushing away the silver-haired girl with force.
Trish hopped a few steps back and raised her blade again, tilting her head slightly and speaking, "You sensed my presence? It seems like the rumors are actually true. He has indeed taken in a disciple."
Trish was the daughter of the Zenith Clan. The Zenith Clan was the one who founded the Mount Hua Sect, or rather, re-founded it.
Mount Hua Sect is not only the most influential martial arts sect in the Northern Continent but also the whole world.
It is said, the warriors who train there and join the military are a force to be reckoned with because their battle prowess is just on another level.
Mount Hua Sect also has its own militia and is permitted to command its own military corps into the Northern border.
With that much influence, and such rich history, it's not uncommon for them to know every person worth knowing.
Leo Kurogami was obviously one such person. That fact that he had refused to train Mount Hua's disciples in the past but took one on his own must have reached their ears.
But unbothered by such facts, Lucas simply readied his spear and engulfed it in blazing red flames.
As if responding to his beckoning, Trish raised her own sword and ran her fingers down the flat edge of her blade.
The intricate markings on her blade began to emit a faint, pink glow. Following that, several fiery wisps appeared around her jian before quickly taking the shape of petals.
…Plum blossom petals.
Lucas shuddered for a second, noticing the rise in the temperature around them.
With an icy cold expression still present in her eyes, Trish dashed forward at Lucas.
