Fantasy Libary 37

Title: What He Truly Masters

Indeed, when Ark took the stage, his performance left the entire audience in stunned silence.

“...Did you see that?”

“No... I couldn’t see anything.”

“The pace of their battle is too fast! I can’t keep up with my eyes.”

“I’m not surprised that Lightning Blade is this strong, but what’s going on with the Wandering Star Swordsman?”

“Hasn’t he improved significantly since his last Official Rank Battle?”

Those who witnessed Ark’s final duel all wore expressions of astonishment, clearly shocked by his current performance.

“He’s really able to match Kirin’s speed?” Julis was also amazed, then said, “Was he holding back during his last Official Rank Battle?”

‘No, he wasn’t.’ Claudia silently dismissed Julis’ Assumption in her heart.

Although she wasn’t fully aware of Ark’s true capabilities, she was certain that he had never possessed this level of strength before.

Even Kouichirou had managed to gather detailed information about Ark, so it was impossible for Claudia—who had been secretly observing Ark lately—to miss anything.

Based on that information, Claudia easily concluded that Ark must not have reached this level of strength before.

Ark had grown significantly stronger in this short period of time!

As for how he did it… Claudia immediately thought of Manadyte.

After all, when Ark asked for Claudia’s help, he directly stated that with Manadyte, he could rapidly increase his strength.

It seemed his words at that time had indeed come true.

“What a truly astonishing turn of events.” Claudia murmured softly, unsure whether she felt amused or helpless.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Unaware of the commotion among the audience, Ark remained locked in a stalemate with Kirin.

“Your Toudou School’s Renzuru technique is truly remarkable. It’s really eye-opening.” Ark said with a faint smile. “But if you think this alone is enough to defeat me, it won’t be that easy.”

“Is that so?” Kirin looked at him and smiled. “Then shouldn’t you show me what Senpai’s swordsmanship can do?”

Hearing this, Ark shook his head.

“I don’t possess extraordinary swordsmanship like you. I’m also not a well-trained swordsman. It’s just that my first personal weapon was a sword, so I use it to fight.” Ark explained while gradually increasing his Prana.

“You’ve mentioned this before, haven’t you? My sword doesn’t feel like a technique designed to bring out my full potential; instead, it feels like a skill designed to maximize the weapon’s own performance.”

“That’s absolutely true.”

“Then, let me show you what I truly master.”

Ark poured a massive amount of Prana into Ser-Veresta, causing the Urm Manadyte embedded within it to emit a dazzling light.

*BUZZ!*

Black markings appeared around the blade, swirling as if alive. The markings encircled the sword and eventually merged with the Urm Manadyte, causing the once pure white blade to vibrate.

The heat gathered in Ser-Veresta’s blade suddenly surged, gradually transforming its pristine white surface into a deep, dark purple.

*BOOM!*

In an instant, Ark’s entire body seemed to ignite. His figure shimmered, as if wrapped in a blazing mirage, releasing a terrifying wave of heat in all directions.

“He’s coming!”

Kirin’s entire body tensed up.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“It’s so hot…!”

In the VIP seating area, Ayato and the others felt a gust of scorching wind blow toward them.

“That’s the same move as last time!”

“The one who instantly defeated Arcadi Finken…!”

“So, it’s finally come to this?”

The remaining audience members were either panicking or fully focused, as if preparing for the climax of this duel.

In this state, the heat emanating from Ark grew even more intense. The entire stage glowed red-hot from the high temperature, and the defensive barrier activated just in time to prevent further impact on the audience.

This scene immediately reminded them of the famous rumors surrounding Ser-Veresta:

“They say it melts anything it touches, and when it pierces the ground, it turns it into a furnace…”

Now, that legend had become reality, unfolding before everyone’s eyes.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Amidst this scorching environment, beads of sweat streamed down Kirin’s forehead. She stood frozen under the searing heat, staring at Ark across the stage.

At this moment, the heat waves surrounding Ark had transformed into a burning storm of energy. Standing at the center of this storm, he radiated an immense amount of Prana, flickering like a shining star.

This is…

“The Wandering Star Swordsman…!”

Kirin murmured unconsciously, her voice weak.

Then, the swordsman, enveloped in a brilliant light like a star amidst the heat storm, moved.

*BOOM!*

With a sound resembling an explosion, Ark, shrouded in blazing heat, vanished from sight.

Kirin’s heart suddenly screamed in alarm. Without thinking, she leaped away.

*BUZZ!*

As she moved, Ark, enveloped in a vortex of heat, suddenly appeared. Ser-Veresta in his hand released a wave of scorching flames, slashing at the spot Kirin had just occupied with lightning speed.

*BOOM!*

The next second, the heat around Ark exploded outward, and his figure disappeared again.

“This isn’t good!”

Although Kirin couldn’t see Ark’s figure, she could feel the overwhelming wave of heat rushing toward her at an incredible speed, fast enough to make her scalp tingle.

*SWOOSH!*

The sound of slicing wind filled the air as Ark, like a flash of fire, shot forward. Ser-Veresta slashed fiercely.

At the last moment, Kirin gathered all her Prana, twisting her body sideways with all her might to avoid the lightning-fast strike of the black-purple blade.

Ark blazed like a firestorm, shooting past Kirin in mid-air and streaking toward the stage ceiling. Landing upside down on the transparent defensive barrier, he planted his feet firmly before launching himself again with a burst of flames.

Repeatedly, Ark attacked Kirin with unimaginable speed. He became an unstoppable barrage of fire, darting across the stage so quickly that the audience could only see flashes of light moving back and forth. The spectators, mouths agape, watched in stunned silence, unable to react.

“No way! I can’t see him at all…!”

Kirin repeatedly escaped near-fatal situations, narrowly avoiding Ser-Veresta’s relentless attacks, which almost grazed her badge. If it weren’t for the searing heat that always preceded Ark’s arrival, alerting her to his presence, she would have already lost.

Gripping her sword tightly, Kirin calmed herself.

“Stay calm…”

Taking a deep breath, she listened to the explosions of fire around her and felt the suffocating waves of heat.

“Even though Ark-senpai is incredibly fast right now, it doesn’t mean he’s completely undetectable.”

Kirin raised her gaze, focusing on her surroundings.

“Take it seriously…”

“Focus…”

“See him!”

Repeating this mantra in her heart, Kirin’s eyes began to glow with a strange light.

But, unfortunately…

“You’re too late!”

The voice reached Kirin’s ears just as Ark’s figure appeared in her vision.

This time, there was no vortex of heat around him.

“NO…?!”

Kirin’s expression changed drastically.

*SWOOSH!*

The black-purple blade of Ser-Veresta swung down. The resonant hum of the high-temperature blade echoed briefly, then lingered, reverberating endlessly across the stage.

“—”

At that moment, all the spectators there unconsciously and simultaneously stood up.

Among them, Ayato, Julis, Claudia, and the others in the VIP seats also stood, their eyes wide with shock.

On the stage, Ark and Kirin had stopped moving.

Kirin’s body leaned back, frozen in a motion of trying to evade. Meanwhile, Ark held the vibrating Ser-Veresta, its black-purple blade frozen mid-slash.

The entire world seemed to pause at that moment.

*CRACK...!*

The sound of something breaking shattered the silence.

It came from the badge on Kirin’s chest.

A bright, burning red crack appeared on the badge, splitting it.

*CRUSH-BANG!*

The broken piece of the badge fell to the ground, producing a loud metallic clang.

“The match is over.”

“The winner is Ark.”

A mechanical voice announcing the result echoed through the air above the stage, marking the end of the match.