After the announcement by the host, a girl dressed in a pleated miniskirt gracefully leaped into the air at the top of the grand bridge. After flipping mid-air, she landed with ease, displaying her body's incredible flexibility and agility even before the battle had begun.
"Edith Academy, Sitasia, Blood Pupil Sequence 5: Crimson Claw Blade," the host announced her name. The girl shook her fluffy black hair, revealing the deep red dyed beneath, which complemented her equally crimson eyes, giving her an indescribable aura of aggression.
At the same time, another girl leaped down on the opposite side of the bridge. She had chestnut shoulder-length hair, wore a coffee-colored uniform, and white knee-high socks that showcased the elegance of a noble girls' academy while not losing the beauty of youth.
This girl stood still, tossed her hair slightly, and took a few steps forward, approaching Sitasia boldly and with a bit of brashness until they were only ten meters apart.
"Swarm's Reign Academy, Xia Kui, Primordial Sequence 5: Hornet's Sharp Sting."
As the host read out her name, the girl drew a jet-black sword edge from her side, then casually tossed the sword scabbard aside. The elongated, sharp triangular sword blade swung through the air, reflecting a bit of light, resembling a bee's jet-black poison sting.
"It's actually Xia Kui, I thought she'd only appear in the final match."
"Is she very famous?"
"Quite famous in the Swarm's Reign Academy. She's the top student of the third year, and currently one of the top five fighters in the academy, second in prestige only to the current student council president."
"It's about to start. If Edith Academy loses this match, the pressure will be even greater later on."
At the top of the bridge, Efnie also took the opportunity to remind Tilan in her ear.
"That's Xia Kui, a girl I've known since I was little, and even my dad often brags about her in front of me." Xia Kui's father is an official in the Star Domain government, not in the same department as Efnie's father, but as both have daughters that are dazzling and the envy of everyone, they are often compared and discussed by their colleagues.
"She's indeed remarkable," Tilan nodded slightly, feeling the ostentatious aura coming from afar. The momentum was already oppressive before the battle had even started.
"Here it begins." As the host announced, Tilan also raised a hand, signaling to the members behind her. They nodded in acknowledgement, and then Geyin silently put down the bass he was holding and picked up the trumpet beside him.
The exquisite trumpet, shaped like a bellflower, bore fine colors and textures like the leaves of a fairytale flower. As Geyin blew into it, the nearby drum set followed suit, and the spirited, endless melody began to play.
In the rising tune, Tilan, holding a violin, also slowly closed her eyes and entered the zone.
On the stage, Xia Kui, wielding her jet-black triangular sword, interweaved with Sitasia continuously. Both moved at breakneck speeds. Initially, the audience could see their consistent back and forth, but as the match progressed, vicious moves were rapidly exchanged. The sharp sword edges and blood-red claws created smooth, sharp cuts in the icy stage.
After yet another pass, Xia Kui flipped backward, her form leaping up as transparent cicada-like wings suddenly appeared behind her. Then, defying what was common sense, her body surged forward at an abnormal speed, catching up with Sitasia who was also leaping backward. The hilt of the jet-black triangular sword, slightly wider at the base, hacked repeatedly, breaking through Sitasia's defense until she finally exposed an opening due to the inability to brace herself in mid-air. The black triangular sword, held back slightly in Xia Kui's hand, then thrust forward violently, piercing through Sitasia's chest, with the bloodied jet-black poison sting extending out her back.
With her left hand on Sitasia's shoulder, Xia Kui whispered in her ear, then gently pushed, swiftly pulling out the sword edge, drawing a long trail of blood, and watched as Sitasia fell from the sky.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment, Xia Kui's indifferent eyes looking down from the sky, the audience members nearly rising to shout, the host referee lifting the microphone, ready to announce, and that fragile, unwilling silhouette plummeting like a broken doll.
The serene violin bow drew across the strings, the taut metallic strands emitting music, and as this world rapidly descended into chaos, that sudden burst of violin sound was like a signal, followed by music as grand as the opening of an epic.
Like the rushing of thousands of soldiers and horses, countless memories and oaths descended upon this world of despair, this land shrouded in darkness, so dazzling, so sublime, impossible to ignore, drawing tears involuntarily.
'Flash,' the composition as its name suggests, signifying the most unyielding defiance, the unforgettably sworn oaths, and memories.
The figure falling from the sky was enveloped in golden particles of light, within which the gash on her chest swiftly healed, the bloodstains on her clothing disappearing rapidly, until at the end, there was no sign of injury, not even a tear in her black and blue school uniform.
Sitasia opened her eyes once more, cloaked in light particles. One of her originally red pupils had now turned gold as if a clock were turning within it.
In midair, she flipped her body and flung a claw from one arm, embedding it into an ice pillar, then stepped on it and leaped up again like an arrow climbing rapidly.
The fierce wind resistance brushed against her body, compressing the gold-red magic power she emitted into an elliptical shield.
Charging to Xia Kui's side, Sitasia launched another attack. Three blood-red scratch marks tore through the air in an instant, but Xia Kui was well-prepared, swinging the jet-black triangular sword repeatedly to block the incoming sharp claws.
The claw blade scraped across the sword blade's surface, sparking high-temperature sparks. Their gazes interlocked and then parted again.
"Bee Commanding Secret Art: Hornet Tumbling Dance!" Unable to take down Sitasia with a single move, Xia Kui once again employed the secret technique. Her figure moved rapidly in the air as if inertia were absent. She first dodged Sitasia's attack and then reappeared behind her, the sword blade poised to pierce Sitasia once more, the melody played on the bridge changing along with it.
With her back to Xia Kui, Sitasia twisted her body as if she knew the scene behind her, sidestepping the thrust sword blade. Then, the blood-colored claw pressed on the sword blade, and another hand stretched out fiercely, grabbing Xia Kui's neck directly.
The bright red nails sank into the smooth skin, and then tightened in an instant.
The sounds of the continuous exchange of blows on the stage suddenly fell silent, and as Sitasia slowly lifted Xia Kui off the ground, the jet-black triangular sword slipped from her relaxed fingers, hitting the ice pillar stage and creating a few ice flakes before rolling to a stop.
The warm crimson liquid oozed from the fingertips sinking into the skin, trailing down into Xia Kui's collar in the cold night breeze. As her breath and blood were locked away, Xia Kui gazed up at the lights atop the bridge, her vision blurring, gradually losing consciousness, until eventually she was gently laid down, collapsing to the ground in a pool of blood.