Battle Royale [3]

"Huh?" I reacted, surprised, to see that my attack had been blocked.

Without wasting time, Yuki's companion channeled his mana to his arms. With a slight gap between our blades, he launched a series of quick and precise strikes.

Caught off guard, I raised my katana, initiating a frantic exchange of blows. The blades clashed, but I was clearly at a disadvantage. "Is there anyone less skilled with a sword than me?" I thought ironically, feeling the pressure of the combat.

He made a vertical cut that almost hit me. Managing to dodge by a hair, I took a step back, trying to catch my breath. "Using 'Dismantle' now would be very tempting, but I know I can't... yet," I reflected, panting.

Yuki's companion, then, pointed the blade directly at me, starting to say: "I am---"

"I'm not interested in who you are," I interrupted, with a cold and direct tone. Putting the katana in the sheath, I assumed a combat posture, preparing to fight with my own hands. "Let's settle this in the old-fashioned way," I said, a confident and challenging smile forming on my face, ready for the hand-to-hand confrontation.

The boy in front of me sported a shocked expression worthy of an anime character, clearly stunned by being so abruptly ignored. He tried to insist: "My name is--"

"I really don't care," I interrupted, without a hint of interest. "Haven't you gotten the message yet?"

Visibly annoyed, he clenched his teeth, the frustration clear on his face. "Are you underestimating me, huh, weakling?" he said. At that moment, a blue aura began to emanate from him, signaling an increase in his power. "I'll give you a beating before I finish you off," he added, his voice loaded with challenge.

I smiled, a smile that was both provocation and invitation. "Then come," I replied calmly, keeping my posture relaxed, but ready for the confrontation.

Next to me, the duel between Chloe and Yuki reached a climax of intensity and skill. Chloe, with fluid movements, spun her spear and delivered a series of quick thrusts in Yuki's direction. He, in turn, showed an impressive dodge, moving with the agility of a cat, and each counterattack was a spectacle of precision.

They danced at a frantic pace, a ballet of sharp instincts forged by years of hard training. With every move, every exchange of blows, the experience and dexterity of both combatants was evident.

After a particularly intense exchange, their blades collided with such force that they were both thrown back. Chloe landed with characteristic elegance, while Yuki recovered with an agile jump, landing firmly on his feet.

Chloe stared at Yuki with an evaluative look. "What's your name again?" she asked, curiosity painted on her face.

"I already introduced myself before," Yuki replied, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"I apologize," Chloe admitted, driving her spear into the ground. "I'm terrible with names." Holding firmly to the handle of her spear, she mentally traced her next move. "Time to use my innate skill and end this," she thought, preparing to advance.

As Chloe prepared for her decisive attack, a sudden and powerful roar interrupted the intensity of the duel, immediately attracting the attention of both. They turned, surprised and alert, to the source of the deafening noise - a large explosion that tore the sky with a wave of energy.

"What is this about?" Yuki muttered, his eyes widening in recognition of the magnitude of the mana released.

From the smoke and flames of the explosion emerged a figure - a student, visibly injured, his body marked by blood and wounds. He was unconscious, displaced in the air as if he had been thrown by the force of the explosion. The scene was as dramatic as it was disturbing.

Soon after the injured student, Ellie emerged, overflowing with an aura of triumph and power. The energy that emanated from her made it clear that she had been responsible for that overwhelming impact, a demonstration of strength that reverberated through the battlefield.

Chloe and Yuki, although adversaries until then, shared an expression of concern mixed with caution. The battle between them had been momentarily forgotten, replaced by the urgency of the situation before them.

Ellie, landing on a pile of rubble, watched the unconscious boy dematerialize in the air, his body disappearing in a blue glow. With her katana in hand, she cast a severe and challenging look over everyone present.

Her green eyes swept the battlefield, landing first on Chloe and Yuki, involved in a tense duel. Then, she quickly diverted them from Yuki's companion, whose shocked expression did not interest her. Finally, her gaze met Dean, who stared at her with a bored expression.

There was a brief moment of eye contact between Ellie and Dean. She felt simultaneously hypnotized and annoyed by the boy with black hair and blue eyes. Something in his expression provoked her deeply, awakening a feeling of aversion. "So you're here..." she thought, with a mix of determination and anger.

Suddenly, Ellie released all her mana. A green aura, intense and wild, erupted around her, manifesting itself with an impressive ferocity. The power that emanated from her was palpable, filling the air with an energy that made even the most experienced combatants on the battlefield pause and observe. Ellie was ready for whatever came, her posture and green aura openly declaring her willingness to fight.

Ellie stared at Dean with a look that mixed suspicion and irritation. "It was you, wasn't it?" she thought, fixing her gaze on him. "You must have done something to Blake." Although she didn't feel hatred for Dean, something about him bothered her deeply.

Dean always seemed to act with an attitude of superiority, an air of confidence that annoyed Ellie, even though the records indicated that he was not as powerful as he appeared. "In the dungeon, you and Blake met. Something happened there," she reasoned, her eyes narrowing in distrust.

"A demon, perhaps?" She pondered, remembering the camouflage method used by the demon they had faced. "How could you know such a technique, unless..." Her thoughts were full of contempt. "Sam doesn't even know how to detect demons, but you did. That doesn't make sense, unless you are something... more than you appear to be."

Raising her katana, Ellie prepared, her body tense and ready to act. "If you're not a demon, you're certainly something equally evil. Someone who definitely doesn't belong to this school, to this planet." Her thoughts in the form of words were an accusation, a statement of challenge and suspicion against Dean.

Facing Ellie with a bored look, I turned to the boy I was facing. "Did she fall in love with me? She won't stop staring at me," I commented, with an air of disinterest.

The boy looked at me shocked, as if he was seeing a madman, and retorted: "I think she wants to kill you."

I let out a laugh, finding the idea absurd. "Damn, is this funny? The creation wanting to end the creator. It's something worthy of a dramatic novel," I thought, mocking the situation.

"What are you laughing at?" Ellie interrupted coldly, her voice carrying a weight of seriousness.

Damn, did she hear me? Really, the hearing of these super-humans is something out of this world. "At you," I replied, unfazed. "It's just that you look so serious... it's like we're in a book or something."

Ellie hardened her face, visibly annoyed by my answer, "Maybe I really should stop getting into trouble, especially if I want to have a peaceful retirement." I thought to myself.

"You..." Ellie began, her voice trembling with anger.

Raising my hands in a defensive posture, I continued with my sarcastic tone: "Calm down, no need to get upset. We're all here to see our potentials, right?" My voice was full of humor, while I kept an expression of indifference, provoking her even more.