"…" Stella was shocked as well, but the battle was still going on. So, she had to focus on the opponent before her. "You have something unique, you know. However, if you think that's enough, then you're wrong."
Stella suddenly jumped forth while swinging her blade. "Let's see how good your swordsmanship is."
Noel narrowed his eyes. On the one hand, he could block all Stella's strikes, but if he did it the usual way, Stella might notice it.
Hence, Noel jumped to the side. Instead of engaging her, Noel left behind a small fire that would touch her sword.
Flame Conjuring.
"Hmm?" Stella frowned, not understanding why Noel escaped instead of fighting her. She hurriedly used her wind to suppress this flame, but to her surprise, the moment the two mixed, the flame suddenly burst up, devouring the wind.
"!!!" Stella was dumbstruck while using her wind to throw her to the side. "Kh."
"What? Stella is pushed back?" Paul narrowed his eyes in surprise. Although Stella looked like she underestimated him a bit, it didn't change the fact that there was a huge gap between Noel and Stella.
'Normally, a flame that small would be suppressed by the wind. Just like blowing a candle. However, that flame actually devours the wind…' Jonathan analyzed the situation with his extensive knowledge of Spiritual Energy. 'Don't tell me, the fire is so superior that the wind ends up getting devoured?
'Although the wind is weaker than water in case of extinguishing the fire, it still can't explain how a fire that small can win unless that fire surpasses the elemental advantage itself.
'If this is true, then I don't know what will happen if the fire engulfs a person. There is a chance that the flame can't be extinguished.'
Jonathan contemplated for a moment and shouted, "Can both of you stop the spar for a second? I must confirm something since this is related to your safety."
"Huh?" Stella was taken aback. She had just gotten excited by the challenge, but Jonathan destroyed her excitement.
On the other hand, Noel followed Jonathan's words, wanting to see what Jonathan had discovered.
Jonathan looked at Noel and asked, "How strong is your fire? Can you extinguish it in case of an emergency? I can see that your fire is so strong that it can devour the wind, so I have to confirm this before anything big happens.
Noel thought for a moment and explained, "I can extinguish my fire, yes. Though, you don't have to worry that much because I'm using my fire at a level where I can stop it before it leaves a scar for the rest of your life."
"So, that means you have a stronger fire? No, it's more like you aren't utilizing your fire completely to avoid an accident?"
"Yes."
"It seems that you're underestimating me." Stella smirked, pretty frustrated by how Noel looked down on her. Noel must think she couldn't handle that kind of flame, so he held back.
But Paul actually agreed with Jonathan this time. He said, "Shut up for a little bit, Stella."
"What? Me?" Stella pointed at herself, confused.
Jonathan asked again, "How much force do I need to use to extinguish your fire? If I don't know the limit, I'm afraid I can't let this spar continue."
"If I use my fire at its full strength, a joint effort from Spirit Masters shouldn't have any problem in extinguishing my power. Or if possible, you can bring a Spirit Grandmaster here to suppress it. I have tested it on an Advanced Level Demon and it… couldn't be extinguished."
"Oh!" Paul and the others were impressed by his statement. It didn't look like he was lying, so this was worthy of consideration.
Jonathan, on the other hand, had made a decision. "In that case, you can use the current output for your flame. More than that, I have to stop the spar. Understood?"
"Yes." Noel nodded.
"Hmph. If that's the case, I'll hold back as well." Stella harrumphed, not wanting to lose.
Noel shrugged as if he didn't care. He tried to make a different impression from the Noel in their head, so he had to be as indifferent as possible.
As soon as the match restarted, Noel took the initiative to attack Stella. He waved his sword to show his raw strength.
*Clink!*
The two swords clicked as Stella stopped the sword without budging. No matter how hard Noel pushed it, he couldn't push her back.
"Hehe. You—" Stella wanted to show off her strength, but suddenly, Noel's Spiritual Energy gathered in the tip of his sword. "!!!"
*Boom!*
An explosion occurred, blowing Stella away and kicking the dust up so that no one could see her.
This was Noel's Ignition Sword. It was still useful against Stella as the latter had to form a concentrated wind barrier in front of her to disperse the explosion.
Stella gritted her teeth. Although the wind barrier managed to absorb most of the damage, her hand still felt numb after that explosion.
"…" Stella realized the man before her might be stronger than she expected. In fact, he might be stronger than the Noel she knew.
She didn't realize that Noel had been holding back to a great extent, considering he only used pure Swordsmanship and Ice Ability. Meanwhile, the current him could use the superior spirit, Ardagan, as well as the main supporting ability, his runes.
Noel took a deep breath and pointed his sword at her.
Stella narrowed her eyes. It was a clear provocation from Noel's side, but instead of getting angry again, she took a deep breath and calmed her heart.
This was the Stella he knew. Although Stella looked rash, the moment she was at a disadvantage, that rash personality of hers suddenly disappeared.
"I've underestimated you. I'm sorry for that. You might have just graduated, but I promise you that I'll be serious this time. Be prepared." Stella stated with a calm expression.
Noel released his Spiritual Energy again as if acknowledging her words and preparing for her attack.
Stella clenched her sword tighter, planning to charge ahead. But the one who made the first move was Noel.
He turned around and ran away.
"Wha—!"
