Chapter 19: The Knight Vs the Sun
However, Blair wasn't just a newbie; his senses as an apprentice were strong enough to easily alert him to the incoming attack. He immediately twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the kick as Adelard shot across to the other side of the room. In less than a second, he had crossed 10 meters. He was so far away that most couldn't see him clearly.
Soon, Adelard kicked off again, his body blurring and melding with the air itself, granting him an invisibility-like state. Even Ciel, with his enhanced reader perception, could not make out Adelard's image.
A whistling sound tore through the air, heading towards Blair, who immediately took a stance, raised his staff, and thrust in the direction of the incoming ethereal gust of wind. Adelard was most likely within that wind. Blair believed.
The wind and the spear thrust collided, sending a shockwave that blew open the uniforms of many readers; some girls even hurriedly closed their clothes to avoid the gazes of boys.
Once the wave of wind cleared, what was left was Adelard's leg, thrust forward, and Blair's spear pointed at his heel.
"You're good," Adelard complimented.
"Thanks. If you train for a few years, perhaps you might someday reach my level," Blair replied with a grin on his face.
"Hmm!" Adelard suddenly disappeared in a gust of wind.
His speed had increased! Even Ciel, with his apprentice-level perception, could see nothing; there was not a single sound, nor a disturbance in the wind. Everything fell into a silent calm.
But at the peak of the silence, a blurred image suddenly appeared behind Blair! A huge "Bang" echoed in the air, and Blair was suddenly sent flying.
His body rolled in mid-air; he immediately twisted his body, nimbly landing on his feet—a grin appeared on his face.
The air was pierced once again; it was like an illusion, each time it appeared, Blair would be sent flying.
It seemed like Adelard had completely disappeared or perhaps ceased to exist.
However, the truth was that he was moving so fast that the human eye was incapable of perceiving it. Ciel focused everything in his eyes, and even then, he only noticed a vague blur streaking through the air.
In less than a second, Adelard appeared once again in front of Blair, his fist clenched, followed by a devastating blow that resounded through the room.
Ciel, for a moment, felt that Blair might actually lose.
However, despite the speed, Blair had quickly adjusted to it; he somehow managed to react in time, using the spear to block the incoming fist.
The sound of fist and iron colliding pierced the air. But it wasn't enough. Although Blair had blocked the attack, Adelard's fist managed to push him a few steps back, shattering his center of balance.
Not wasting any time, Adelard disappeared again. His plan was simple: he needed to end this fight quickly. So, as Blair was still regaining his center of balance, Adelard would circle around him and attack from the back, a distance that the spear couldn't easily reach.
The iron-blooded knight appeared behind Blair, ready to finish the fight with one unstoppable blow. His physical strength wasn't something that could simply be endured. All he needed was one true hit to end the fight.
Just as he had planned, Blair seemed to be stumbling, attempting to quickly regain his balance. Elated, Adelard clenched his fist; his muscles bulged, threatening to rip his clothes off.
However, in the final second, Blair suddenly clenched his spear, and a golden light shot out from his back.
Adelard's eyes widened. It was all a feint!
But now, he was too committed to the strike; there was no easy way to stop. No matter how fast he moved, he still wasn't a teleporter and could not suddenly disappear and reappear at will. He watched as the golden light approached his face, a deep sense of the unavoidable attack dawning on him.
Yet, Adelard wasn't going to give up. He was the first son of the iron-blood family; giving up was simply not an option. He gritted his teeth, and at the last second, his eyes suddenly curtained with a crimson color that seemed to be a mixture of iron and blood.
And by a hair's breadth, his body dodged the attack.
He then proceeded to flip backward, his knee finally resting on the ground.
Everyone in the room was amazed. Some cheered for Adelard, others stared in awe at Blair's skill. To anyone who was watching, it seemed that Adelard was the one having a hard time in the duel.
Kneeling, Adelard looked at Blair, who stood a few meters away. His eyes suddenly turned red, and at that moment, Adelard stood up, his body immediately erupting into a blazing blood-red inferno!
The stench of iron quickly filled the air. Adelard had finally gotten serious.
Ciel's eyes dilated. He knew that form.
The form of a body like the pit of a furnace. The smell of blood and iron permeating through the air. This was the note ability publicly known to be attributed to the unique name: Iron-blooded knight!
Normally, unique names had no influence on the powers one acquired. However, as the reader grows stronger, their powers would slowly mutate and advance to become something that aligns with the unique name. But this wasn't something an apprentice could achieve; it was a level reserved for masters and higher.
At this point, Ciel had no hope for Blair's victory, even though he had little knowledge of his teammate's powers. They would inevitably pale in comparison to the note ability attributed to a unique name. Such powers were like the amalgamation of the unique name. In essence, Adelard had truly turned into an iron-blooded knight!
The air burned. Sweat dripped. The eyes of many were glued to the spectacle.
A smile suddenly emerged on Blair's face.
He turned his gaze to Ciel and winked. His expression conveyed a single message:
"Get ready to see something cool!"
'What is he trying to do...?'
At that moment, Blair tossed away his spear, and time seemed to slow down.
In a fraction of a second, the readers' movements slowed down, Adelard's flames, which had burned furiously, now swayed like leaves of a tree amidst a gentle wind.
Within this slowed time, Blair gracefully raised his arms to the air, his eyes transforming into orbs of pure golden light.
Ciel was dazed. Somehow, he wasn't affected by the phenomenon, but he grasped something crucial.
Adelard never had a chance at victory!
And with a soft whisper, Blair uttered a single word.
"Light!"
And then, the room brightened in a golden radiance!
As if the sun itself had descended!
.....
A relatively handsome man stood at the edge of the training room. He had dirt-blonde hair and carried a noble air about him, reminiscent of a high-ranking aristocrat.
Turning his head, he looked at the beautiful woman standing next to him and asked:
"What is your opinion of this batch?"
Staring at the golden light that brightened the entire room, the world seemed to have frozen to a standstill. Aurelie looked around and pointed at a few individuals.
"The one causing the time dilation is perhaps the strongest of the current batch. However, there are still some promising candidates. For me, Michael, Circe, Seth, Sinbad, that person, and obviously Blair."
Looking at where Aurelie pointed, the handsome man thoughtfully nodded.
"Well, it's obvious since most of them aren't really normal. But still, I find it strange that you added reader Sinbad to the list. Even though he isn't anything special, and furthermore, he lied about his identity."
Glancing at the man beside her, Aurelie revealed a knowing smile.
"Perhaps, but I haven't survived this long by trusting facts; my eyes hold a much greater truth than any paper. However, I do agree with the rest. None of them are normal. And as a Magister at the age of 25, that's saying something."
Chuckling softly, the man responded.
"Hmm, so shouldn't you interfere with the fight? Once time resumes, I doubt that reader can control this much power. In the best scenario, the entire room would likely be destroyed."
Looking at Aurelie, the man added:
"Oh. What's this about you being 25? Aren't you turning 31 tomorrow?"
Smiling at the man beside her, she threateningly spoke.
"Silas. If you call me 31 one more time, don't be surprised if you suddenly give birth to a baby. Just because you have a delicate position, doesn't mean I won't turn you into a tree at the earliest convenience."
"Hey, hey, I was joking. Of course, you're not 31. But seriously, can't you take a joke?"
Raising his hands in resignation, Silas smiled.
"That's alright. Just don't make the same mistake again."
Turning her head away, Aurelie watched the paused world for a while. She then opened her palm; a green thorn drilled out from her hand. Opening, it blossomed into a red flower.
Standing beside her, Silas's smile quickly disappeared as he stared at the flower growing out of Aurelie's hand. A frown appeared on his face.
"I always find that disgusting."
Not caring for what he said, Aurelie gently pulled out a petal from the flower. She brought it close to her nose, and a smile curled up on her face.
"Okay."
The paused world immediately brightened!
Time quickly returned to normal, with the screams of scared readers and the cracking sound that filled the air.
Ciel, dazed by what he saw, could only gape at the power this "Apprentice" had.
It just wasn't fair. Curses to the damn web!
...
Within the brightness of dawn that enveloped the training room, the great golden radiance could be seen from a distance; it was as if the sun had descended within the dome structure.
Cascaded by the radiance of day, Adelard suddenly found the flames that surged through his body diminishing under the light. His strength greatly waned with each passing second.
Adelard pressed his lips together, his eyes watery, his blood surging like a tidal wave. His legs vibrated underneath the light before dropping to the ground.
Adelard looked ahead; Blair, covered in a brilliant golden radiance, was truly breathtaking. If the believers from the world before the breaking saw this, they would instantly drop to their knees and worship.
However, Adelard was not so weak-minded. He managed to take a breath, looked ahead at Blair, when a purple flaming sword suddenly appeared in his hands. Despite the weight of the golden light, he managed to stand up, his body bent, his teeth gritted as he slowly approached the humanoid golden light.
His eyes had changed. Adelard no longer harbored a gaze of superiority. No, it had changed to something more sinister. If anyone could see through the golden light, they would simply regard Adelard as a man who moved to kill.
But at that moment, green vines tore out from the ground, quickly wrapping Adelard and Blair in a thorny cocoon! The vines seemed unaffected by the golden light...
Following that, a red flower standing over 3 meters tall extended from the ground. It bloomed into a crimson red rose. Instantly, a vortex-like effect took place.
The surrounding golden light was drawn into the flower, as if devoured by the rose. The light bent and flew into the dark hole at the center of the crimson flower.
And in less than a second, the room had returned to its usual state. However, certain equipment at the conclusion of the fight were charred black, with the room transformed into a forest of green giant thorns. Amidst it all, standing in the middle of the dome was Aurelie, her face holding its usual smile.
"So, attempting to destroy the academy on the first day, that has to be a record," she joked, a soft chuckle emanating from her lips.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone