The afternoon sun hung high, casting golden rays over the courtyard as students gradually gathered around the edges of the training field. Word spread quickly—Serina, the high-ranking priestess-mage, had challenged Inigo to a duel after witnessing his wild new moves. It was rare for any student, let alone someone like her, to call for an open challenge.
Even rarer was Inigo accepting it with a grin.
They now stood on opposite ends of the training yard, a magic barrier already in place to absorb stray projectiles. Professors and students lined the perimeter, some perched on benches, others hovering above on enchanted platforms.
Inigo rolled his neck once and unsnapped the holster that held his Desert Eagle. He didn’t draw it yet. His feet shifted into a relaxed stance, arms at his sides.
Serina spun her staff once and tapped its base on the ground. A ripple of holy magic pulsed from her, and golden runes lit up beneath her boots.
"You ready?" she asked, smirking.
"I was born ready," Inigo replied, blinking once—literally.
The sound of displacement cracked the air as Serina twisted, her eyes darting. A second later, Inigo reappeared directly to her left, fist swinging.
She barely blocked with her staff, the blow rippling through her arms. The sheer speed stunned her—he was faster than most elite martial duelists she’d seen.
Serina gritted her teeth and retaliated, casting a flare spell. A burst of blinding light erupted around her, meant to disorient close-range attackers.
But Inigo was already gone.
A streak of white light zipped past her vision and suddenly—BANG.
A shot rang out from behind. Serina jerked back, activating a magical shield just in time as the enchanted bullet collided with it, sending crackling golden sparks into the air.
"He’s fast..." she muttered, preparing a volley of radiant bolts.
Three spheres of condensed light hovered over her shoulder, then fired in succession toward where Inigo had last appeared.
He blinked again—midair this time—dodging each bolt with impossible precision, rebounding off an illusion platform he summoned underfoot. Inigo twisted, spun sideways, and fired two shots while upside-down.
Serina raised her staff and chanted a protective phrase. A dome of light encased her, absorbing the first bullet. The second curved unnaturally—thanks to Inigo’s enchantment—and struck the edge of her shield, shattering it like glass.
He landed in a crouch, rolled forward, and dashed again—his blink-dash cutting a white streak through the arena.
Serina fired a shockwave from her palm. The force blasted across the field, cracking the ground and tossing loose gravel into the air.
But again, he wasn’t there.
"Inigo!" she called, trying to predict his next move.
"I’m everywhere," came his voice—from above.
She looked up, eyes widening.
Inigo was mid-air, spinning in a dive. He double-jumped to extend the fall, flipping into a divekick pose. His enchanted boots sparked with kinetic energy as he dropped like a meteor.
The impact wasn’t devastating, but it blew a dust cloud over the field. Serina skidded backward, forced to use a barrier spell again just to stay on her feet.
By the time the dust cleared, Inigo was already behind her.
He pointed the gun point-blank at her forehead.
But the round stopped just inches from her skin—suspended in mid-air by a quick-cast ward that glowed between them.
Serina took the opportunity to leap back and chant a longer spell. Her hands drew intricate shapes in the air, golden threads weaving around her body.
"Fiery Lances!" she cried.
Five radiant lances burst forth from the heavens, slamming toward Inigo.
The courtyard lit up with holy light.
A massive cloud of radiant mist covered the area.
Serina panted, lowering her staff slightly, eyes squinting into the smoke.
The smoke rippled outward as a bullet pierced it. A warning shot. The lance of light dissipated just inches from Serina’s face as Inigo emerged from the fading glow—unscathed.
He had blinked out right before the lances hit. His hair was slightly singed. But he was smiling.
"How...?" she whispered.
"I learned to pre-blink," he said, tapping the side of his temple. "Anticipate the incoming attack, teleport one beat ahead. The moment I saw your hands shift to long-form casting, I knew."
"You monster," she breathed, then laughed. "You’re not just fast. You’re strategic."
Serina charged again, this time without a spell—staff swinging, radiant aura flaring.
Inigo dodged the first swing, blinked past the second, and parried the third with the frame of his gun. He kicked the base of her staff, spinning her weapon sideways, then blinked behind her—
—but this time, Serina turned and cast a wide cone of blinding light.
It hit him square in the eyes.
"Got you!" she shouted.
For a second, he flinched.
But the grin never left his face.
Inigo pulled out a second Desert Eagle and shot downward.
BANG. A concussive blast hit the ground, launching him backward through the air and out of her radius.
He landed nimbly, eyes red from the flash, but still seeing enough.
"You always keep a second gun?" she gasped.
Inigo didn’t respond.
Serina smirked, then cast a quick heal on herself. "Let’s see how long you can dance."
The next thirty seconds were a blur.
Teleportations, mid-air dodges, rebounds off walls, misdirection, ricochet shots.
But Serina was slowing down.
Her spells became shorter. Her breathing heavier. Even her heals began to lag in cast time.
Inigo, meanwhile, was as sharp as ever.
Eventually, with one last blink-dash behind her—
Her staff flew from her hand and hit the ground with a clatter.
Inigo was standing behind her, barrel resting on her shoulder.
She raised her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I yield."
The field erupted in scattered applause and amazed murmurs.
A professor nearby nodded in approval.
"That... was not what I expected," Serina said, stepping away and summoning her staff back with a gesture. "I thought I’d at least push you harder."
"You did," Inigo said. "I just trained like hell."
She smiled, then tilted her head. "So what are you going to do with all this power?"
He holstered both guns. "Make burgers. And maybe protect the world if it ever needs it."
Lyra finally stepped into the field, clapping slowly. "You two were amazing. Honestly, Serina, you kept up way longer than I expected."
Inigo flopped onto the same bench under the elm tree. "I need a nap after that."
"You don’t look tired at all," Serina remarked.
"I said I need a nap. Didn’t say I earned one."
Lyra giggled. "Tomorrow, rematch?"
"Sure," Inigo said, closing his eyes. "But next time, no light-blinding spells. I’m still seeing stars."