---------------------
She wanted to bring fame to her household and meet the expectations of her elders.
She has never been defeated in a hand-to-hand battle till she reached the academy where she faced off many strong villains and villainesses.
The Schultz family was a family that strictly believed in the rule of the jungle and believed weak has no use and that's also why Caroline detested losers.
'Sigh…'
"I am Caroline Schultz, a proud member of the Schultz family, what is your name?"
"I am Ellis."
"Ellis, huh, very well, I hope you will fight and challenge me with all you have got, I won't hold back either, I want to see how are the people enrolling with me in this academy."
"Okay…"
I reply half-heartedly but that seemed to satisfy her.
I was in deep trouble, there was a chance that the academy will kick me out if I lose too quickly, and seeing her with a sword ready to attack, I have a pretty slim chance of winning.
And even if the academy allowed me to stay seeing my powerful element, they would assign me to the lowest of class which will limit my access and I need to find a way to cancel this slave mark.
I could not let that happen.
'I'll have to fight with my full power.'
"Start!"
The judge shouted and Caroline immediately drew her sword and went for my throat.
Of course, with the judges there, no casualty would happen.
Grabbing the steel sword, I took before entering the match, I parried her attack.
'Fast!'
Her speed and strength were monstrous for someone her age.
She seemed surprised and immediately backed away.
But…
Instantly long sharp spikes of ice attacked flying at her with a terrifying speed.
As Caroline saw the velocity of the ice crystals, she widened her eyes in surprise. Without a moment's hesitation, she activated her yellow-hued aura, which enveloped her body. Quickly applying it to her sword, she effortlessly sliced the ice crystal in half.
She took a moment to examine her hand, feeling a vibration from the immense power she had wielded.
"That was something else. I could feel my hand shaking," she thought to herself.
With a smirk, she appraised the young woman standing before her, who appeared to be fighting for her life.
"It's been a while since I've let loose," Caroline mused, her love for battle rising to the surface.
As she walked forward, her aura grew stronger, engulfing her entire body.
Ellis, intimidated by Caroline's approach, took a step back.
Gulping nervously, Ellis summoned her magic and rapidly grew ice spikes from the ground, targeting Caroline.
However, before the spikes could reach Caroline, she vanished from her original position.
The battle maniac in Caroline was eager for a proper fight, and she wanted Ellis to show her full potential.
_______
In a dimly lit room, a group of esteemed professors had gathered to observe the highly anticipated battle between Ellis and Caroline. They were on the search for the perfect pupil to succeed them in the future, or to be a valuable assistant to their own pupils, if they had any. Both Ellis and Caroline were among the top students, according to the reports they had received.
As they watched the display of power, many of the professors were awestruck by the raw talent displayed by both contenders. "The girl from the Shultz family is truly as talented as the rumors suggest. With her speed and strength, she will undoubtedly make an exceptional warrior," one professor commented. "The ice mage, Ellis, is no less. I can attest to the power of those ice spikes, considering her young age," added another.
Despite their admiration, the professors remained cautious, hiding their faces and speaking in hushed tones. They did not wish to reveal their identity to the other professors present, as they could be rivals or harbor ill feelings towards each other. Such a revelation would only lead to more complications and waste precious time they could be using to secure the promising pupil they had their eyes set on.
______________
"What!? She disappeared…?'
'No! She's there…'
Ellis watched in disbelief as Caroline seemingly vanished before reappearing at her back and unleashing a powerful blast of aura that sent her flying. Ellis tumbled across the ground, her lips bleeding and her body scratched from the impact.
As she tried to regain her footing, she could see Caroline's typical expressionless demeanor as the other girl took note of her resilience.
"Damnit! That hit was so strong, I think I might have broken a bone in my back," Ellis muttered, wincing in pain.
But she didn't give up, and stood back up to face Caroline once again. The latter was starting to take notice of her opponent's determination, impressed by her stubbornness.
"Stubborn, huh..." Caroline whispered as she disappeared once again, reappearing at Ellis' back, ready to deliver another strike. However, she quickly backed away, her instincts warning her of danger. And indeed, there was a massive, sharp ice spike standing in her path, ready to pierce anyone who dared approach.
Determined to keep the upper hand, Caroline started to circle around Ellis, creating after-images to confuse her. The dust began to swirl, making it difficult for Ellis to focus.
But then, with a shout of "Tch… SO BE IT!", the entire ground started to freeze over as a massive ice storm descended, with Ellis at its center. Spinning around her was a tornado of ice spikes, each one capable of killing anyone who entered its path.
Caroline knew she had to use everything she had to stop the storm from reaching her, and summoned a massive yellow energy shield to fend it off. The judge, who was responsible for ensuring the safety of the students, became serious as well, ready to intervene if needed.
For a moment, Caroline managed to hold back the ice storm, but it was evident that the effort was taking a toll on her. She began to cough up blood as she knelt, still trying to maintain her shield.
Suddenly, she saw something dark and red in the heart of the storm, a black spot that seemed to be devouring everything in its path. It was the most frightening thing she had ever seen, and all she could think was that it was an unknown apocalypse, come to claim the world.
___________
P-a-t-r-e-o-n: https://tinyurl.com/atlasnovel
'I am going to die…'
This was the only thought in Caroline's head as she the incoming storm of ice, although for the onlookers and judges, it might not seem that strong, just some ice shards, for her, who was facing it directly was a huge pressure.
Caroline gritted her teeth as a golden light started shining and covering her rapidly while healing her cuts at the same time.
Caroline's aura was about to exhaust and she was maintaining it with great difficulty.
Ellis' was not any better.
The storm hit Caroline as her blood started oozing from the fresh wounds that were constantly getting formed on her dark skin.
"Cough-!"
But, all of sudden, Ellis coughed blood from her mouth and fell on the ground and so did the blizzard disappear.
Caroline saw as Ellis fell down and so did the storm calmed down and slowly dispersed on its own.
Ellis fainted probably due to her aura being exhausted completely and probably because she still over-exerted herself.
Caroline's shape was similar but she was able to maintain her state of self, due to her high endurance as a sword master and tough training that she could still remain conscious.
'Ellis, huh… what a great woman you are, such will and determin….'
She fainted as well not able to complete her thoughts.
The judge came inside and saw both sides, assuring that none of them was fatally wounded, he declared Caroline to be the winner.
Of course, even he won't agree with his judgment but one must be declared a winner in a match.
Caroline was almost the same as her… and she does not deserve to be the victor but oh well, the judge can't do anything about it.
***
"Ughh…"
I woke up to find myself on a white bed in a plain-looking room, it was the medical room I guess.
'I lost huh…'
I should be sad but instead, I felt refreshed and satisfied, it's been a while since I felt like this, I felt like I opened up a new aspect of my life.
To be finally able to give it my all to something felt great.
Although I lost, there's nothing I could have done...
Haha, but I am happy that I gave my best.
As I was resting my head on the soft pillow underneath me, the door to the room opened as a doctor came in to check on me after examining me and making sure I would be okay now, he left,
Followed by another woman entering the room, one I didn't recognize.
"Hello, Ellis, how are you feeling now?"
"I feel fine now, the doctor ensured of my condition."
"Great~! By the way, let me introduce myself, I am Isis, a magician and one of the judges who judged your match."
I felt shocked as I did not expect a judge to come personally to greet me, the thing is all the judges are either professors at the academy or someone important and they are usually busy with tons of work, well most of them are whether it be a personal or professional business.
She could have sent a student or something if she was being considerate of my condition which is hard to believe, in such a cruel world, it is expected of students to stay tough even after facing death experiences.
'Ah, she must be here for what I am thinking then…'
"You may have figured it out by now but let me still tell you in case you did not figure out my purpose of coming here, I am here to inform you that even though you lost, you are qualified to be admitted to the academy, we judge students on their potential rather than based on results of a single match."
"Thank you very much, professor!"
I thanked her profusely as it was a great relief to hear it coming out of her mouth, although I already expected such an outcome from my fight but in one corner of my mind, I was still thinking that what if they won't admit me and what will become if Freya came to know of this.
I dodged a flag there, and I am hopeful that Caroline won't think too negatively of me, in the novel although, her character was pretty nice and she won't hold a grudge over a duel ever as it would belittle her honor as a knight of Schultz family.
But it could also happen, although the possibility is very less that she would feel humiliated by how long she took to defeat or some shit like that and hold it against me in the future.
'Sigh, interacting with a heroine is as troublesome as I expected it to be.'
Isis told me she belonged to the water aura department and that I was welcome to join them in the future if I make up my mind.
'Hmm, it's not bad at all, the water aura department is pretty strong here at the academy and there are some heroines associated with it as well…'
Come to think of heroines, I think it is time that Freya's duel ended as well.
And if I remember correctly, she was matched with a heroine as well.
________
https://tinyurl.com/atlasnovel
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