Neon stood quietly, her expression calm as she looked at the boy currently receiving treatment.
He had red hair and dark red eyes, and though he was trying to sit upright, the exhaustion and pain in his face made it obvious how rough his match had been.
The boy looked up at her and forced a weak smile.
"Sorry I lost," he said. "I thought I could win… I thought I had enough strength. But it turns out that I am still weak."
Neon stared at him for a moment, her face barely changing.
This was the same boy who had just fought against Nel and lost.
To her, the outcome had been expected.
There had been too much of a gap between them—in rank, in power, and in combat ability. It had never been a fair fight from the start.
And yet, despite having done his best, he was still apologizing.
Neon's eyes softened just a little.
"Don't worry," she said, her voice calm and strangely soothing. "It was not an outcome you could control. He was just that powerful. And you managed to fight him for that long—you should feel proud instead. No need for an apology."
She paused for a moment before adding,
"And I just need you to wish me luck for my match. Do you understand, Ben?"
Ben looked at her for a second before letting out a small laugh and smiling more honestly this time.
"Yeah… I guess you're right," he said. "And I have faith that you can win your match, so just give it your all."
Neon gave a small nod.
"Yeah," she said simply. "I will."
Then she turned and began walking toward the podium.
The match between Ben and Nel had not surprised her in the slightest.
In fact, she had already predicted it.
So when it happened exactly as she expected, she felt no shock at all.
The only thing that truly bothered her now… was the person who had taken first place in the C ranks.
If he was the top of the C ranks, then that meant one thing for sure—
He was strong enough to beat Nel.
And that alone already made him dangerous.
She couldn't beat Nel.
So if this person had defeated him… then her chances were already low from the start.
Still, just like she had told Ben—
She had already decided.
She would simply give it her all.
As Neon walked, she spotted Greg, the Guardian in charge of their section, along with Warren, another Guardian. Beside them stood a boy with black hair, black eyes, a slightly tall build, and an average frame.
Then Greg noticed her.
She stepped forward and greeted them politely.
"Good morning, instructors," Neon said.
Greg looked at her, then turned toward Michael.
"Oh, you're here. Michael, let me introduce to you your opponent and the top recruit of the D ranks—Neon Simzeal," Greg said.
Neon blinked internally.
So he's my opponent…
Then her expression remained calm, but her thoughts turned slightly awkward.
But what kind of introduction was that?
It sounded like an introduction for a boxing match.
Well… they are going to fight too, but still…
That wasn't exactly the type of introduction I was hoping for.
Michael then stretched out his hand toward her with a smile.
"I am Michael. I would be your opponent for the upcoming match, so I hope we have a good match," Michael said.
Neon looked down at his hand, then at him.
And internally—
She was confused.
This guy… how did he beat Nel?
Michael's build wasn't particularly large or intimidating.
And from what she could sense, his energy level wasn't high either.
Even his amount of internal energy felt surprisingly small.
So how?
That was what baffled her.
Because she had personally seen what Nel was capable of.
She knew how strong he was.
So for someone like this to defeat him…
It didn't make sense.
Still, after a short pause, Neon took his hand.
"Same here," she said calmly. "I hope you won't disappoint me."
The slightest flicker of surprise crossed Michael's face.
It lasted only a second.
Then he composed himself again and smiled.
"I hope you don't disappoint me either," Michael said.
Neon looked at him quietly.
Oh…
Looks like I struck a nerve.
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
But we'll see during the duel.
***
Neon slowly pushed herself back up, one hand resting against her stomach.
Her breathing had become heavier now, and for the first time since the match had started, her calm expression was carrying something deeper beneath it.
Confusion.
Surprise.
And the quiet sting of realizing just how dangerous Michael actually was.
He had turned out to be far stronger than she had initially expected.
Now she could at least understand how he had managed to beat Nel.
And more importantly—
She understood something else too.
If Michael hadn't been caught off guard by her power at the beginning of the match…
Then he probably would have beaten her a long time ago.
Now, however, things had changed.
He had already adapted.
He had already gotten used to her ability.
And that made things much worse for her.
Neon's fingers tightened slightly.
Then I'll have to try it.
The technique I created…
Even though it isn't ready yet…
It's the only way I still have a chance at victory.
Michael watched her carefully as she stood up.
Then he noticed it.
Her stance had changed.
It was different from the one she had been using before.
A subtle shift—but enough for someone like him to notice.
So she decided to change strategies, Michael thought.
He kept his sword steady in front of him, his expression calm but alert.
Well, I guess she could tell I've already gotten used to her Innate Ability.
Even though it's my first time seeing one… I guess they really are powerful.
Innate Abilities.
They were abilities that only people who were either lucky enough or strong enough could awaken.
Unlike Celestial Energy—which required a person to reach a certain threshold before they could use it—Innate Abilities worked differently.
They didn't care about that threshold.
Even someone who couldn't use Celestial Energy at all could still awaken an Innate Ability.
And for those rare individuals who possessed both—
They became especially troublesome in battle.
Because Innate Abilities only consumed internal energy, it was entirely possible to use both systems at the same time.
And Neon was a perfect example of that.
Michael steadied his stance.
Then Neon moved.
She charged toward him again.
This time, Michael was ready for the sword.
But then—
She did something he didn't expect.
She let go of it.
Her sword slipped from her hand.
And instead of attacking with the blade—
She threw a punch directly at Michael's face.
Michael's eyes sharpened.
He was about to defend with one hand and end the exchange quickly—
But then his instincts screamed at him.
Without hesitating, he dodged to the side.
The punch missed him.
At almost the exact same moment, Michael quickly shifted his sword to cover his right side—
Clang!
A sharp impact rang out.
Neon's sword had struck his blade from the side.
Michael gritted his teeth and pushed the weapon away, forcing space between them as he quickly stepped back.
His eyes narrowed.
She let go of her sword… and used that third hand to catch it behind her.
His expression darkened slightly.
If I hadn't noticed that there wasn't a sound of the sword hitting the floor… I might not have realized the blade was coming from the side.
Then Neon's yellow energy shifted.
It began flowing around her fists.
She entered a hand-to-hand combat stance.
And beside her, her sword rose into the air—
Floating.
Suspended by that invisible third-hand ability.
Now both of them were ready to attack.
Michael's gaze hardened.
At that moment, the disadvantage was obvious.
He was now facing what was essentially two fighters at once.
One was Neon herself.
The other was her floating sword.
Two different attack patterns.
Two different fighting styles.
And both moved with frightening coordination.
How was he supposed to deal with that?
There was only one of him.
Then—
Michael had an idea.
His expression sharpened.
This is going to be risky…
But it's the only way.
Neon charged forward again.
This time, her sword came first.
It flew toward Michael with force, slicing through the air as if it had a will of its own.
Michael raised his sword and blocked it.
Then the exchange began.
He started clashing with the floating blade—
Then Neon came from the side and threw a punch.
Michael deflected it with his free hand.
Neon's eyes widened.
Her surprise was visible now.
The hand that was supposed to be occupied by the sword…
Was instead free enough to block her punch.
And Michael was fighting her floating sword with one hand while using the other to stop her hand-to-hand attacks.
Something in Neon's chest tightened.
Then irritation flared.
No—
It was more than irritation.
It was anger.
She gritted her teeth and pressed harder.
Then she started attacking with both fists, while her sword kept attacking at the same time.
Now all three angles came at him together.
Again and again.
But Michael blocked.
Deflected.
Moved.
Reacted.
He handled every strike that came his way.
The clash of metal and the sound of impact echoed repeatedly through the arena as the two of them continued to exchange blows.
Then Neon made a wide strike.
At the same time, both her fists and the sword came at him together.
Michael's eyes sharpened.
Then he ducked low beneath the attacks.
Neon's eyes widened in surprise.
Michael moved instantly.
In one clean motion, he swept both of Neon's legs out from under her.
Her body lost balance.
She immediately tried to use Celestial Energy to stabilize herself—
But before she could recover—
Michael was already there.
Still low beneath her, he rose up sharply, caught hold of her momentum—
And slammed her onto the floor of the arena.
The impact rang out hard.
Neon's breath caught in her throat.
Before she could stand—
She felt something cold at her neck.
Her eyes shifted upward.
Michael stood over her, looking down calmly.
His sword was at her throat.
The match was over.
Then Warren's voice rang out across the platform.
"Match over! The winner—Michael Covar!"