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A strange tension flowed through the Second Public Affairs Office Training Ground.

All the public affairs officers looked on with excited faces at the two men.

“Who will win?”
“I bet the ‘battlefield demon’ will.”
“But we can’t underestimate Harsen the Archmage, can we?”
“That’s true. He single-handedly took down an Archdemon.”
“When it comes down to knights and wizards, knights have the upper hand, though.”

There was a reason they couldn’t help but feel eager for this match.

Kasis Lenokhnen, who had earned the nickname ‘battlefield demon’ after mercilessly slaughtering the southern barbarians on the front lines.

Johan Harsen, who had defeated an Archdemon all by himself during his first reconnaissance mission.

Since it was a duel between the two, it was bound to be captivating.

“Before we start,” Kasis raised his hand to pause the flow.

“Interference is prohibited until one of us is too exhausted or injured to continue.”

At this, the training ground buzzed once more.

“What, does he have a grudge against Harsen the Archmage?”
“I’ve never seen Lenokhnen the Knight act like this before…”
“I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

Ignoring the murmurs, Kasis gazed at Fedelian, who was on the central platform.

“Hmm. This should be interesting. The atmosphere felt a bit stagnant, so this should do.”

Fedelian spread his palm with a grin, indicating that he permitted Kasis’s request.

As for Johan…

‘Well, this is just perfect.’

Watching Kasis and Fedelian, he clicked his tongue inwardly.

It was quite the spectacle to see two men trying to entangle themselves with him, both eyeing Fransia.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. That guy who’s not using Mana Blade can’t possibly beat me.’

Johan interfered with the surrounding mana, infusing more power into the strength of his thread.

“Are we starting right away?”
“Yep. I’ll concede the first move.”
“How generous of you.”

It was as if they were shackling themselves in a knights versus wizards duel, but it was also a clear act of dismissing Johan.

To concede the first move against a wizard was itself a contradiction.

“Let’s give it a go.”

Johan smiled coldly, pointing his fingertip at Kasis.

” Ignite.”

A red aura spread from his fingertip, drawing a line in the air and forming a magic circle.

“Burn.”

In an instant, a wave of scorching heat distorted the air around them.
The wind howled violently, generating tremendous pressure around Johan.

“Flame up.”

As he reached the final incantation, even more mana erupted forth. The mana swirled like a flame.

“Ra Entus, Fire.”

With Johan’s voice, the magic circle fully opened. Flames shot forth like a meteor from his fingertip.

KABOOM!!

As if bursting a dam, flames poured out of the magic circle in tumultuous waves.
The raging inferno engulfed everything in its reach, exploding outward.
The scorching heat even scorched the air itself, rushing towards Kasis.

“…!”

Though merely fire magic, its power was far from trivial.

In that fleeting moment, Kasis raised his mana and reinforced his body. His violet eyes glimmered ominously.

“Hah!”

The wooden sword swung diagonally. SWISH! The gushing wave of filthy fire was cleaved apart. The flames scattered into the air.

“…!”

Johan’s eyes widened in shock.

No matter how basic the fire spell was, he had poured his mana to its limits and wrapped it in incantation.
To cut it down in one swing, and with a wooden sword enhanced by mana at that? Unbelievable.

“If you’re this distracted, you’re just asking to be approached.”

Before Johan knew it, Kasis had closed the distance with a swing of his sword. The trajectory was powerful. Johan heard the sound of his thread snapping.

‘Oh no!’

He hastily twisted his waist. SWISH! The lightning-fast wooden sword barely missed him.

The attack didn’t stop there. His arms and wrists moved fluidly, changing trajectory. A combo! Johan infused mana into All-Flow Perception, heightening his recognition ability.

Swish!
Once again, he narrowly evaded. Johan kicked the ground and distanced himself.
Kasis’s eyebrows flickered.

“You’ve got some decent physical ability for a wizard.”
“I just practice fighting for exercise.”
“……”

Watching Johan deftly evade his sword strikes, Kasis felt frustrated but quickly contained his rising emotions.

“I’m coming.”

Kasis stomped forward, seamlessly penetrating toward Johan’s position. The wooden sword drew a line across the horizon.

All-Flow Perception perfectly sensed Kasis’s movements.

Johan twisted his waist. Whoosh! Once again, the wooden sword passed by, mere paper’s width away.
However, the downpour of sword strikes showed no signs of stopping. Johan was only barely evading by stepping back.

‘At this rate, I’ll just keep getting pushed back.’

It felt as if he was merely wielding strength, yet the Shadow Flow Array’s thread began to snap. Even without using the Mana Blade.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Amidst the storm-like attacks, Johan made up his mind. The swirling mana enveloped his body.

[Mana Enhancement: Mugol]

This was the unarmed combat technique he learned during his knight training back at the academy.
While its power and proficiency were still lacking in real combat, the vast mana supported him.

WHAM!
The wooden sword surged forward. Johan glared and moved his arm. His sharpened palm struck against the blade.

TING!

“…!”

Kasis’s wooden sword unexpectedly ricocheted, and his eyes widened.

‘Is this unarmed combat?’

Why would a wizard use martial arts typically employed by knights?
However, he had little time to ponder this before Johan’s fist came flying at him.

Swoosh! Johan’s punch grazed Kasis’s cheek.

“Fire.”

And suddenly, the magic circle he’d drawn flickered with a wave of flames. Kasis pushed off the ground, widening the distance, and swung the wooden sword vertically.

SWISH!
The blow seemed to slice through mana itself, parting the flames.
The fire dissolved into nothingness in the air.

“Evenly matched, huh?”
“Harsen the Archmage fights well, huh?”
“A wizard who’s learned martial arts…”

The heat of the training ground surged, as intense as Johan’s flame magic.

It was an encounter no one had ever expected, but it was anything but one-sided.

“……”

Kasis,

‘This is annoying.’

His expression darkened like a shadow. His violet eyes burned fervently, and his brows twitched in irritation.

In truth, his reason for targeting Johan was simple.

He felt unpleasant seeing Fransia talk comfortably with him.

It didn’t matter if people called him cowardly or unfair around him.
His own feelings mattered more.

He had never cared about how others viewed him.

“So, he didn’t take down that Archdemon for nothing, huh.”

Kasis muttered quietly. Johan shrugged.

“I’m not your average wizard.”
“Right, I suppose not…”

After a brief exchange, silence settled, but it didn’t last long.

WHOOSH!
Kasis stomped forward again. The wooden sword surged toward Johan’s neck.

Now was the perfect opportunity for Johan to strike back, grinning as he poured every bit of mana into the Shadow Flow Array.

WHAM!
The wooden sword that approached Johan suddenly seemed caught by something, unable to advance.

Perhaps it was because, unlike before, the thread had thickened considerably, and it couldn’t be severed.

Kasis’s eyes flickered with confusion.

“Ra Entus, Chain.”

Kasis hastily tried to withdraw, but the chains ensnared his ankles.
Johan leisurely twisted his body, delivering a punch weighted with his entire body.

CRACK!
Kasis’s face crumpled as he took the punch directly.

“Cough…!”
Kasis sailed through the air, crashing to the ground.

“Wooow!”
“Crazy, he really hit him!”
“Harsen! Harsen!”

The training ground erupted in cheers at this unexpected spectacle.
Johan smiled, his eyes looking down coldly at Kasis.

“Seems you haven’t heard from the hyenas?”
“……”
“So you thought you could win without worry?”
“…This bastard…”

Kasis gritted his teeth, using his sword as a makeshift staff to rise.
His gaze was filled with killing intent.

SPIT.
As Kasis spat, blood dripped from his torn cheek.

And then…

WHOOM!!
The purple mana surrounding Kasis began to resonate. His muscles tightened, pushing his physical abilities to their limits.

‘Looks like he’s serious about this.’

Johan casually shrugged, raising his own mana.
The [Mana Enhancement: Mugol] shrouded his body, and the senses of All-Flow Perception activated further.
The threads of the Shadow Flow Array fortified, absorbing the churning mana.

“Don’t blame me if you break a few bones.”
THWAM!
The figure of Kasis in front of him disappeared, leaving only a black afterimage.

The senses of All-Flow Perception heightened to their limits, pinpointing Kasis’s position.

‘To the side!’

But the wooden sword was already surging forward. Realizing he couldn’t dodge, Johan resolutely reinforced the Shadow Flow Array’s thread.

SWISH!!
The wooden sword sliced through the air. The Shadow Flow Array’s thread seized the sword.

THWACK!
The relentless wooden sword cleaved the threads. Frankly, Johan was amazed. To cut through with a wooden sword and not even the Mana Blade?

While Johan’s proficiency with the Shadow Flow Array wasn’t very high yet, Kasis’s overwhelming strength was the main reason.

However, Johan had faith in his Shadow Flow Array, which he had poured his mana into.

THWAM!
The wooden sword that surged toward Johan came to an unexpected halt in the air.

“…!”

Kasis’s eyes widened in sheer shock. He never thought his fully powered attack would be halted.

“Ra Entus, Bolt.”

Anticipating Kasis’s attack, Johan lightly rotated his waist.
The current coiling around his fist crackled, sending sparks through the air.
The lightning-infused energy swirled, tracing a curve as it raced forward, leaving a blue flash in its wake.

“…!”

Kasis attempted to withdraw, but Johan’s punch, now mixed with lightning, was far too swift.
The weighty punch released a jolt of electricity that coursed through Kasis’s entire body.

CRACKLE!
A combination strike of electrical shock and physical blow hit him. In the blink of an eye, Kasis’s muscles jerked in convulsion.

“Urrgh!”
Kasis let out a petty whimper, spinning through the air about three times before crashing to the ground in disgrace.

“I think that’s a wrap.”
“Not… not yet…”

Seeing Kasis barely able to stand again, Johan shook his head in disbelief.
The electric shock from the Bolt and the impacts reinforced by Mugol were clearly landed against his chin.
No matter how much mana strengthened his body, did that even make sense?

‘He truly is a battlefield demon.’
At this rate, they could fight for days without settling it.

“Captain?”
Johan turned to Fedelian. He had looked quite eager before they started the duel, but now wore a deadpan expression.

“Shall we continue?”
“Hmm.”

With his chin resting on his hand, Fedelian waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s call it a victory for Johan Harsen the Archmage. Continuing further seems pointless.”
“There’s a rule against interference!”
“Rules are rules, but you know it too, right? If you can’t use the Mana Blade, the outcome will be the same.”

“……”

That was an undeniable fact. Despite utilizing physical enhancements to their limits, Kasis could not penetrate Johan’s defenses.

Hearing this, Johan smiled smugly.

“Well, it’s over now. Oh, and you suggested we use all our magic, didn’t you, Lenokhnen the Knight?”
“……”
“You won’t call it unfair now, will you? Then I’ll be taking my leave.”

It was an overwhelming victory for Johan.
Though that didn’t mean he was stronger than Kasis.
He’d mainly used mana enhancement without employing swordsmanship.
But a loss was a loss.
Kasis ground his teeth in frustration, but he had no retorts.

“Did I really lose? To a wizard against a knight?”
“He’s nothing like your average wizard…”
“Was that Shadow Flow Array just now?”
“Did he really just use that notoriously difficult spell?”

The knights and wizards observing the duel couldn’t hide their astonishment.
No matter how skilled Kasis was, this was a battle between a knight and a wizard without a front line.

It was simply unbelievable that Johan had won.

“Hmm.”
Fedelian, who had been watching with his chin propped up, raised his hand.

“It seems the atmosphere has become quite heated, so let’s conclude this joint training here.”

The joint training session came to an end.
Along with the rumor that Johan had overwhelmingly defeated Kasis.