54. Exchange Battle (3)
Since becoming a woman, and continuing to train with Ivan, one of the issues Karla noticed was none other than stamina.
Karla realized that her first-ever spell, the Ground Lightning, consumed much more stamina than she had anticipated—though the consumption of mana wasn’t much of a problem, stamina still posed a significant challenge.
Karla wiped the sweat dripping down her face and clenched her fists. Despite the exhaustion and fatigue, the exhilaration of victory was exactly like this.
It was something akin to routine, something she had almost forgotten about. But now, being reminded of it after such a long time, the thrill was as electrifying as ever.
‘I won.’
‘I won.’
Karla bit her lip, trembling with the intensity of the impending excitement. She wanted to jump around and cheer like a little girl, but even so, that’d just be too much.
—Exchange Battle, First Match, Main Event.
—First Match: Karla della Cascata vs. Zofia von der Chauver.
—Winner: Karla della Cascata.
The announcement clearly declared Karla the victor. This announcement reignited the long-forgotten joy of victory deep within her heart.
‘Just one more time. Let’s win one more match. That’s all I ask.’
Karla clenched her fist and turned around. In the waiting room, clearly visible and wide open, Ivan stood with both arms raised, cheering boisterously. His smiling face was a testament to how genuinely happy he was about Karla’s victory.
‘What an idiot.’
And yet, Karla found herself smiling involuntarily. Ivan, you idiot.
—Next opponent, Lucas von Scheiskel.
The moment the announcement echoed, Karla flinched and tightened her fists again. From the opponent’s waiting room, a blonde man was approaching the arena—Lucas von Scheiskel.
How could his grin be so despicable?
Compared to Ivan, his smile paled in comparison, and without even realizing it, Karla glared at Lucas.
Lucas, now standing in the arena, stretched his arms in a casual warm-up.
“Hey, Lady Cascata. Lookin’ pretty exhausted, aren’t you?”
Indeed, Karla’s uniform was torn in many places, exposing cuts where blood oozed from her pale skin. Her breathing was still labored, and her condition clearly showed her fatigue.
Karla didn’t bother responding. After all, whatever Lucas’ purpose might be, it was probably just to rile her up, and engaging with each of his taunts would only tire her out further.
“Winning against someone like Zofia with so much difficulty—who would’ve thought you’d end up like this? Isn’t that right, dear?”
“—Shut your mouth, Lucas. That’s something you wouldn’t even dare say.”
At her retort, Lucas chuckled.
“Figured you’d be in a bad state. Don’t worry, I also care about my dear opponent, don’t I?”
‘… I must defeat this guy, no matter what.’
Karla’s strong point was, without a doubt, her indomitable spirit. She didn’t falter against any opponent, and this spirit was what defined her.
As the excitement settled, the pain across her entire body became more noticeable. Slowly, she relaxed her shoulders. The discomfort in her prosthetic arm had lessened, but it was still unsatisfactory.
—Both sides, are you ready?
Karla waved her hand to signal that she was ready. However, Lucas instead raised both of his hands.
A sinister, deep green mass of mana began to form. As the mana gathered in both his hands, Karla furrowed her brow.
There was no way Karla wouldn’t recognize this magic.
The Shaiskeil family’s inherited magic—Poison Chain Magic.
The very magic that had played a crucial role in war and helped the Shaiskeil family become a pillar of the empire.
By using Poison Chain Magic against Karla, Lucas was strongly demonstrating his intent to defeat her.
“Alright, let’s go. It’s about time I showed you the difference in skill. [Poison Fang]!”
The dark green mana surged and gradually pressed down on the ground, slowly fading into the air as if it were dissolving. But despite its seeming disappearance, it still existed, now making even breathing precarious.
Karla summoned a violet mana. The violet mana wrapped around her upper body, crackling with energy. Her hair, bound by Ivan, stood up fiercely against the energy.
“I may not have one arm, so I’ve gotten weaker. But you, you haven’t grown any stronger, have you?”
“Hah! Yes, Karla. That confidence of yours is admirable. I actually like it. But right now, your opponent is too strong for you to handle—and that’s me.”
The mana, surely laden with poison, burst into a bright sphere that floated lightly in the air. The dense, emerald orbs hovering around Lucas followed his gestures and shot toward Karla with a “Pop!”
“[Thunder]!”
Karla’s fist shattered the orb. Spells had to be quick—inhaling the poison would only tighten its noose around her.
As she shattered the sphere incoming toward her, Karla glared at Lucas. Poison-based magic was nearly her direct opposite. The longer it went on, the more poison she could accidentally inhale, making it a chainsaw cutting her down. She needed to land a direct blow on Lucas.
However, Lucas stood smugly amidst the swirling poisonous mist, his vile smile unwavering, observing her.
“Poison is wonderful. You see, I don’t even need to move—just prolonging the time is enough for me. But going on like this against you would be problematic, so let’s wrap this up.”
Lucas slapped the ground with an outstretched palm. The rising poisonous mist surged like a wave toward Karla with a will of its own.
“[Thunder Step]…!”
Karla was undoubtedly faster. Ever since transitioning from Carlo to Karla, her speed had improved. Cutting through the approaching wave of poison, Karla charged straight toward Lucas.
Poison was fundamentally delayed in its effect. It wasn’t quick-acting enough, and here lay its weakness. Karla judged that knocking Lucas out before she collapsed was the wiser move.
Karla surged forward. In contrast, Lucas took a step back.
‘I knew you’d do that…!’
Her legs planted into the ground. The swirling violet lightning encased her like a solid armor.
“[Thunder], [Charge Accumulation]…!”
The lightning armor protected her body, and she gathered the electrical mana into her fist. Sparks flew as the mana emanated from her clenched fist.
Drawing her arm back like a drawn bow,
she tightened her fist,
and prepared what would be,
the final blow—
right here!
“This is my finishing move, Lucas…!”
“Is that all?! It’s utterly laughable!”
However, things didn’t feel right.
Lucas sensed an unfamiliar danger from Karla’s deeply drawn-back stance.
Setting up a protective wall with his poison, Lucas charged his hands with poison-infused mana, and glared at Karla.
“[Explosion Strike]…!”
—BOOM!
The thunder exploded. In that explosion, Karla herself—rather, her entire body—shot toward Lucas like an arrow.
The wall of poison tried to block her. The dense emerald-green mist that materialized in front of Lucas darkened, and in that moment, the arena exploded, sending clouds of dust into the air.
“So this is your limit. Karla della Cascata.”
Lucas maintained an air of calmness, hiding his wobbling legs. Karla was merely supporting herself on one knee, using only her right arm to keep herself upright.
Karla’s “Explosion Strike” had failed to break through Lucas’ poisonous barrier. It had been so close—so very, very close—but ultimately, it failed.
And to Lucas, who had never defeated Karla before, this single victory—no matter how he saw it—was invigorating.
“My win. Karla della Cascata. Now, can you see your limit?”
Lucas smirked as he watched the remnants of the poisonous mist dissipate from his fingertips, but his own breathing was ragged.
Karla’s final explosive blow may not have shattered his defenses, but it had certainly affected him.
But at that exact moment, none of that mattered to Lucas. What mattered was Karla—Karla della Cascata.
The humiliation of defeat would crush her. Mocking her now would be the crowning glory of this battle to Lucas, but when he looked at Karla, he frowned.
“…Karla, why are you smiling?”
Karla wasn’t crushed. Instead, she wore a faint smile that bordered on mockery.
“Because it disgusts me to see you celebrating over someone with one arm less, someone who’s already fought multiple battles.”
“Y-you wretched…!”
Seeing Lucas tremble with anger was somewhat satisfying. Still, Karla sighed heavily. What good was her remaining mana when her stamina was drained?
“And… it’s not over yet.”
“What?”
“Huh, huhuhu… You’ll never win. Because there’s someone who promised me they’d bring me victory.”
“Hah, hilarious. What meaning does a victory you didn’t earn yourself even hold?”
Karla looked up at Lucas. She, who had always looked down on defeated Lucas, now had to look up at him. She expected to feel the sting of humiliation but felt none.
On the contrary, it felt freeing. She had bested the vanguard, Sophia, and she had managed to wear down the vice captain, Lucas, at least partially. With the amount of mana Lucas had wasted, there’s no way he’d be able to conjure such a poisonous mist again for the next round.
“Ivan promised me victory. A partner’s victory… is also my victory, after all.”
That was her final word. Karla slowly closed her eyes.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and the moment her consciousness faded, her thoughts turned to Ivan.
“It’s your turn now, Ivan. As you said… bring me… victory.”
A faint smile graced her lips.
And then she fell—
an announcement of the match’s end followed shortly after.
In the announcement, Lucas casually walked around the arena, waving to the crowd.
“Alright, who’s next? Whoever you are, step up. This Lucas von Scheiskel will take you all on. You’ll end up like the stretcher-bound Karla over there!”
Lucas slowly turned his head and sneered at Karla, who was being carried away on a stretcher.
