Christmas Banquet [5]

Celestina's eyes were glued to the two princes standing in the middle of the ballroom.

There was no sound coming from anywhere, only utter silence.

'Caleus was right...he has changed.'

A lot.

The old Azriel would have never done everything he had done today.

It wasn't just that which surprised her.

The thing that surprised her the most was...

'He complimented me...'

It wasn't like getting complimented was something that shook her heart or made it flutter.

Celestina had received compliments from countless people already, so she had gotten used to it.

What shocked her the most was that 'he' was the one who complimented her.

As far as she could remember, Azriel would never compliment anyone.

Hell, he would barely even talk to her or Caleus as if he wasn't interested.

The air around him always seemed to say to stay away from him.

He was always someone who distanced himself from everyone around him.

But now?

It was like he was almost a different person.

Celestina didn't mean to speak out her desire to fight him as well.

It was just a thought that accidentally leaked out, which Azriel heard.

Yet he didn't ignore her; instead, he promised her a duel at the academy.

'Right... he will be joining the academy as well now.'

She had thought that he would never join the hero academy.

It made her a little happy as well.

Among the four great clans, Azriel was the only one who was the same age as her, but unfortunately, he had never held any interest in being a hero like her.

Until now.

Curiosity enveloped her as she gazed at Azriel's face.

'What happened during those 2 years...?'

She wanted to know more about him.

It was then that it happened.

"...!"

Chills ran down her back.

His face...

It changed abruptly.

Before, he looked determined, with a fire in his crimson eyes directed at Caelus.

But now...

It was gone.

All of it was gone.

His expression, his eyes, and the air around him.

They all turned into a blank canvas.

'W-what...'

Celestina felt like she would be swallowed up staring into those deepening crimson eyes.

She couldn't see any emotion on his face or in his eyes.

Only detachment.

A detached gaze directed straight at the surprised Caleus.

It was as if he wasn't looking at Caleus as a human but as something insignificant.

Like he was gazing at the open air.

She would have suspected that it was a skill or something, but that couldn't be true.

'Unless he found something like that in the Void Realm, but...'

It seemed rare.

A skill that suppressed one's emotions was unheard of.

And if it existed, anyone would kill for it.

Not letting your emotions get the better of you in battle was something anyone would desire.

So...

'Did he learn to suppress his emotions in the Void Realm...?'

His words from earlier echoed in her mind.

'Just like the boy, I have survived a land of unimaginable horror… the Void Realm.'

Does surviving in the Void Realm result in such a change?

To become emotionless?

'No... even if he survived the Void Realm, that doesn't mean he was the only one to have ever done it.'

There were other humans who had done what Azriel had done.

But they never learned the ability to suppress their emotions.

'Just what happened there...'

The curiosity inside her heart, like a little flame, only burned even more.

Without allowing anyone to think further, Caleus was the first to move.

He thrust his spear forward faster than a dormant or awakened eye could follow, the long weapon piercing the air with a whistling sound.

Swish—!

Yet...

To his and everyone else's surprise, Azriel sidestepped, the spear's tip missing him by inches. 

Azriel spun on his heel, bringing Void Eater down in a swift arc.

Clang—!

Void Eater clashed against the spear's shaft, the sound ringing through the ballroom like a ripple.

Sparks flew.

'No way...'

Celestina and the others were in disbelief.

Azriel had just dodged the attack of a grade 2 intermediate...

And countered.

Caleus wasn't just any grade 2 intermediate; he was the prince of the Nebula Clan, one who had more opportunities to train than most could dream of.

The children of the four great clans should be unrivaled in their ranks... except for Azriel Crimson.

Until now.

Azriel didn't allow him to breathe as he suddenly pressed the attack, his katana a blur of slashes.

Clang—!

Clang—!

Clang—!

The sound of their weapons clashing reverberated through the ballroom.

Caleus met him blow for blow, his spear twirling and parrying each of Azriel's attacks with calculated precision.

A quick lunge from Azriel forced Caleus back, making him grit his teeth.

He countered with a sweeping strike aimed at Azriel's legs.

"!!"

Yet to Caleus and everyone's surprise again, Azriel leaped, his body twisting unnaturally mid-air, Void Eater slashing downwards, forcing Caleus to roll to the side.

"Tch... were you out surviving in the Void Realm or secretly training under some master!?"

Caleus shouted, a little frustrated, yet everyone could clearly see the grin on his face.

Azriel didn't answer.

His eyes still looked at him with detachment.

They clashed again, Azriel's katana slicing in a horizontal sweep that Caleus blocked with his spear's shaft.

Clang—!

Azriel shifted his weight, pivoting to bring Void Eater down in a powerful overhead strike, but Caleus raised his spear just in time.

Clang—!

Celestina and the others were absorbed, watching the two try to gain the upper hand.

Caleus spun his spear in a wide arc to create distance, making Azriel leap back.

Clang—!

Clang—!

The duel took them across the ballroom, their movements a violent dance.

"Haaa!"

With a scream, Caleus retaliated with a series of rapid jabs, forcing Azriel to defend with Void Eater.

Clang—!

Clang—!

Clang—!

Azriel moved like lightning, parrying almost every thrust, but even he couldn't defend against them all.

His black tuxedo began to tear, and his cheek was grazed, causing him to leap back once again.

Drip... Drip...

The sound of his blood staining the floor resounded through the room.

"Azriel!?"

Jasmine shouted worriedly as she saw his wounds, yet...

Azriel didn't react.

Only a few managed to notice the slight twitch of his right eyebrow.

But that was it.

'Caleus is still stronger... he can't win in a contest of pure skill!'

Celestina had already concluded that it was going to be Azriel's loss.

The fact that he could fight Caleus evenly for this long was already tremendous.

But...

She clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white.

'...I want to see more.'

She didn't want it to end.

Celestina wanted to see more.

More of the one who was once called the unworthy prince.

*****

'Interesting.'

A singular thought ran through Azriel's mind as he gazed at Caleus.

Wiping the blood from his face, he looked at his red-stained fingertips.

Or at least, they should have been red since the world around him had turned colorless.

'I never thought I would get this far.'

Though [Void Mind] allowed his emotions to be suppressed and his thinking to be clearer, it didn't provide a physical boost.

But that didn't matter.

Winning was never his original plan.

At most, he wanted to draw against Caleus.

All he needed to do was put on a good performance for Freya.

At least that was what he was supposed to do, but now...

'It seems winning is a bigger possibility than I had thought.'

It was strange.

Azriel might have trained diligently, but not to the extent that he could keep up with Caleus.

It didn't take long for him to consider why he was managing to hold his own.

'The missing memories...'

It seemed that he had grown stronger than he realized, as his body was reacting instinctively against Caleus.

Azriel was sure of it since his footwork resembled a bit of Leo's as well.

There was a time when Leo had won the Muay Thai tournament in middle school.

But after winning, he had stopped practicing that sport, having grown tired of it.

'So I have managed to integrate a battle style consisting of Leo's and the old Azriel's.'

Truly interesting.

His plan had originally been to put on a good performance and, at best, draw against Caleus.

But now...

'Plans have changed.'

He was going for the win.