Tired of Lorenzo's persistence, Elizabeth decided to challenge him to a duel and put him in his place.
The arena trembled with tension as Elizabeth and Lorenzo faced each other. The Class 1A students held their breath, anticipating a clash of power and strategy.
The students watched expectantly. A knight versus a mage. Physical strength against absolute control over mana.
Lorenzo made the first move.
The wind began to roar around him, stirring whirlwinds of dust across the platform. Every step made the reinforced arena floor tremble ever so slightly.
Some students instinctively stepped back.
"Level fifty-two..."
"He's stronger than I expected..."
Lorenzo ignored the murmurs.
I won't lose this time.
He gripped his sword with both hands and wrapped it in Beta-affinity wind. The pressure of the air slightly distorted the space before the blade.
Elizabeth remained perfectly still.
Her hair swayed gently as tiny sparks danced across her body.
There was no nervousness in her expression.
Only focus.
Level fifty-nine.
Delta affinity.
The difference in raw power between them wasn't that great.
But the difference in mana efficiency could decide a prolonged battle.
I just need to survive the opening.
Lorenzo vanished from his position.
His sword came crashing down, wrapped in a violent current of wind.
Elizabeth raised one hand.
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky before the blade could reach her.
The explosion forced Lorenzo to veer away and retreat several meters.
He clenched his teeth.
The hit hadn't been serious.
But blocking that strike had cost him far more mana than expected.
Elizabeth didn't waste the opportunity.
Five spheres of electricity slowly materialized around her.
They rotated silently.
They didn't attack all at once.
They fired one after another.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
Each blast was powerful enough to force Lorenzo to shield himself with reinforced wind.
They weren't trying to defeat him.
They were forcing him to spend mana.
Lorenzo frowned.
She's managing her mana...
Each spell costs her less than my defense costs me.
She isn't trying to beat me quickly.
She's trying to drain me.
He realized her strategy too late.
With a roar, he drove one knee into the ground and unleashed a massive whirlwind around himself.
Blades of wind swept across the platform.
Elizabeth leaped backward.
One of the gusts sliced across her thigh, leaving a thin cut that immediately began to bleed.
She looked down at the wound.
Then back at Lorenzo.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Interesting."
Lorenzo was breathing heavily.
His chest rose and fell violently.
The wind surrounding him was no longer as stable as it had been at the start.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, looked almost unchanged.
The five electric spheres continued orbiting slowly around her.
She had spent far less mana than Lorenzo had imagined.
Exactly as she intended.
Lorenzo took a deep breath.
His hands trembled from the strain.
He looked at his sword.
Then at Elizabeth.
No...
Not yet.
He clenched his teeth so hard it hurt.
Instead of dodging the next barrage, he charged straight through it, wrapped in reinforced wind.
Lightning struck his armor head-on.
Pain coursed through every muscle in his body.
His vision blurred for an instant.
But he didn't stop.
"I'm not done yet!"
Every last bit of mana he had exploded outward.
The wind no longer surrounded only his sword.
Now it enveloped his entire body.
The pressure became so overwhelming that cracks spread across the platform beneath his feet.
Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly.
Too much mana...
No.
Too much desperation.
Lorenzo disappeared.
It wasn't an elegant movement.
It was one final burst.
His entire mana reserve condensed into a single attack.
He appeared before Elizabeth before one of the spheres could intercept him.
His sword descended.
Elizabeth raised her hand to summon lightning.
She miscalculated.
She thought Lorenzo could no longer accelerate.
She was too late.
The blade grazed her shoulder, tearing through the sleeve of her uniform before slicing into her skin.
Blood splattered through the air.
Her pupils contracted.
For an instant, she lost control of two of the spheres, which exploded before reaching their target.
Lorenzo smiled.
I did it...
Elizabeth stumbled back several steps.
She gripped her wounded shoulder tightly.
For the first time since the battle had begun, her breathing quickened.
That was close...
If that strike had landed just a few centimeters deeper...
I would have lost control of my spells.
Lorenzo tried to take another step.
His body refused.
His legs gave out.
The wind surrounding him vanished like a flame deprived of fuel.
Elizabeth realized Lorenzo had reached his limit.
Lorenzo realized it too.
He hadn't lost because he lacked determination.
He had lost because he could no longer sustain his own fighting pace.
Elizabeth slowly raised her hand.
"It's over."
A bolt of lightning descended from above with the certainty of judgment.
Lorenzo barely managed to raise his sword before the impact struck.
The lightning pierced straight through his defense.
His body was hurled several meters before crashing heavily onto the arena floor.
Silence engulfed the stadium.
The battle was over.
The electricity surrounding Elizabeth slowly faded as she caught her breath.
She looked at Lorenzo, who still lay motionless on the arena floor.
"I hope this is the last time you chase after me."
She turned and walked off the platform.
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
Then the stands erupted into applause.
Instructor Clara smiled with unmistakable satisfaction.
Elizabeth had been her student during her first two years at the academy.
Seeing how much she had grown filled her with quiet pride.
She waited until the noise subsided before speaking.
"Did anyone understand why Elizabeth won?"
Naomi raised her hand almost immediately.
"Because she was stronger."
Clara shook her head.
"Only slightly."
She pointed at the marks still covering the arena floor.
"The real difference was in how they fought."
She began walking slowly in front of the students.
"Knights and mages follow completely different paths."
She raised one hand.
"A knight uses mana to strengthen their body. It enhances their strength, speed, endurance, and even the toughness of their muscles and bones."
She paused briefly.
"That allows them to dominate close combat."
Many students nodded.
It was something they had all witnessed countless times.
"But there's a price."
Clara held up two fingers.
"Maintaining physical enhancement constantly consumes mana."
"The more intense the battle..."
"The faster their reserves run dry."
She raised her other hand.
"Mages are different."
"They don't rely on their bodies."
"They transform nearly all of their mana into spells."
"Their strength lies in attacking from a distance and carefully managing every spell they cast."
She looked directly at Emily.
"That's why a good mage must never allow a knight to close the distance."
"Once the fight becomes close-quarters combat..."
"They'll usually lose."
Silence settled over the students.
Clara pointed toward the arena again.
"Elizabeth understood that difference perfectly."
"She never tried to overpower Lorenzo."
"She forced him to chase her."
"To keep his physical enhancement active."
"To constantly defend against her spells."
She smiled.
"While he spent mana attacking and defending..."
"She spent only what was necessary to maintain control of the battle."
Naomi raised her hand again.
"So... was Delta affinity what decided the fight?"
"Not exactly."
Clara calmly shook her head.
"Affinity doesn't make a spell dramatically more powerful."
"The difference in damage is minimal."
"What truly changes is how efficiently you use mana."
She crossed her arms.
"Two people can cast the exact same spell."
"One will spend far more mana than the other."
"After several minutes..."
"Only one of them will still have enough energy to keep fighting."
She looked toward the exit where Elizabeth had already disappeared.
"That's what you just witnessed."
"She didn't win because her magic was vastly stronger."
"She won because she managed every drop of mana more efficiently."
She spun gracefully on her heel, her playful movement infecting the nearby students with renewed enthusiasm.
"Remember this: raw power isn't everything," she said, pointing toward the arena. "Speed when casting, precision in your calculations, and never underestimating your opponent—not even the toughest knights—are just as important. Elizabeth was able to maintain that relentless offense while controlling the entire battle because she turned her strategy into a weapon."
Several students exchanged surprised glances, realizing they felt encouraged for the first time since such an intense fight had ended. Clara smiled when she noticed the faint blushes on their faces.
"So..." she added with a playful wink, "back to training! And make sure you stay awake. I'd hate for someone to end up with a tiny burn... purely for educational purposes, of course."