Chapter 53

53. Exchange Battle (2)

We don’t know the West’s order.

The core of the captain’s battle could be said to be the order of combatants, so if this is leaked in advance, it naturally gives the opposing side an advantage in arranging their order accordingly. Therefore, neither the East nor the West reveals the order of combatants even after the exchange battle begins.

However, it’s natural for the West to predict that Carla from the East will be the first to appear. At the current point, she has the weakest combat power, and even if she can inflict some damage on her first opponent, that would be enough—were Carla to hear this reasoning, her pride would be significantly hurt.

Carla took a deep breath as she sat in a corner of the waiting room.

The swelling on her cheek where she’d been hit by Enrico had already gone down and no longer bothered her.

But the pressure gripping her at this moment was whether she could truly do it—a suspicion she held about herself.

“…To be afraid of fighting… I shouldn’t be like this.”

Carla took another deep breath. It was her turn first.

After all, this was just the freshmen’s exchange battle—it didn’t merit much attention. At most, some parents might show up to watch.

But Carla was tense because Enrico was sitting in the audience.

“Ivan better do well…”

Unconsciously, Carla’s gaze turned toward Ivan. He was doing some light jumping jacks to loosen up his shoulders, clearly slightly nervous too. When he noticed Carla’s gaze, Ivan turned and looked at her.

Their eyes met instantly.

Ivan’s smile—there was something in it that prickled at her heart, making her feel uneasy. Maybe that’s why Carla quickly turned away.

Somewhere deep down, even she might not have realized why.

Footsteps approached, and someone sat next to Carla.

“Carla, are you nervous?”

“No. Why would I be?”

“It’s alright, Carla. No need to be nervous. Just do what we practiced… If you can do just that one thing properly, you’ll be fine. You’ll be alright.”

Carla didn’t respond to Ivan’s words.

“I trust you.”

“…You better do well too, Ivan. I haven’t forgotten that you said you’d bring me victory.”

“Well of course, silly. I’ll win everything and bring you the victory.”

Carla slowly turned her head to glance at Ivan again, and behind him, she saw Regina, her face rigid with tension.

“Regina looks like she’s frozen. Maybe that’s how all Ice Mages are?”

At Carla’s words, Ivan turned around. Regina, who had been stiff as a board, immediately relaxed upon seeing Ivan and smiled.

“Get over there quickly. Help Regina first; she looks worse than me, you idiot.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, alright.”

As Ivan hesitated with a perplexed expression, Carla subtly nodded at Regina before pushing him toward her.

*

‘My opponent is… hmm. Zofia von der Chauver.’

A brown-haired girl.

At a glance, she seemed cute, lively, and full of energy—reminding Carla a bit of Regina. However, she looked younger than Regina with a fresher naivety about her.

– Zofia von der Chauver. A middling noble from the east. Uses Puppet Magic. Carla, stop spacing out if you get it.

Lorenzo’s voice came back to her—how he had explained everyone on the West team one by one.

“A Puppet Mage. That’s going to be a hassle.”

– …And one more thing you should know. It’s not that the Academy purposely assigned students into teams. Meaning, the Western team… the kids have a bit of a temper. In particular, Zofia von der Chauver… she’s…

‘Arrogant and despises the weak,’ Carla recalled.

Yes, it certainly fit. Even Carla could see the smug, condescending smile Zofia wore on her face.

“My, my… isn’t that Miss Carla? Do you really think you can take me on in your current state?”

Their voices—loud enough for each other to hear but too soft to reach the audience.

Carla wasn’t weak enough to complain about being insulted, and neither was Zofia likely to have meant it as an insult.

“It would be better if you just forfeit before you lose the use of even your remaining arm, don’t you think?”

“Zofia von der Chauver.”

Speaking the girl’s name, Carla took a stance, widening her stance slightly.

“You’re known for controlling puppets well, right?”

Her fists clenched in front of her chest. The magical energy flowed smoothly even though it was blocked in one spot.

“Sorry, but I’m going to beat you—even without an arm.”

Upon hearing Carla’s words, Zofia’s smile vanished. Her now emotionless face bore a half-closed, disconcerting gaze as she glared at Carla.

“…I’ll make you regret saying that.”

“I won’t regret it. I told you, I’m going to beat you. Even without an arm.”

“This body of yours will make you regret it. [Der Beginn des Pols].”

Thin, almost imperceptible threads imbued with magical energy shot out from the tips of Zofia’s spread fingers, swirling through the air like weapons. In an instant, they plunged into the arena floor.

‘There’s only one thing I can do: stand my ground and not back down. And… somehow, I need to grab hold of that.’

Carla closed her eyes and remembered her practice with Ivan.

‘I can do it with just one arm. I can do this…’

Silently, she repeated those words in her mind like a mantra. It was the only thing left that she and Ivan had created together.

“[Celestial Thunder].”

Carla was enveloped in a purple glow. This moment brought her to life like nothing else.

The excitement of battle,

The thrill of fighting,

The adrenaline of the battlefield—it all awakened her.

Even surrounded by the countless puppets summoned forth by the silver threads of Zofia’s magic, enveloped by their menacing claws and sharp fangs, she remained unfazed.

As Carla stood poised, the threads emanating from Zofia’s fingertips spread rapidly around her. Her vigorous gestures made the puppets’ movements even more precise and intricate.

“There’s no place to run, Miss Carla. How about you just give up now?”

Zofia lightly twirled her fingers, manipulating the silver threads as if they were living beings.

The puppets that sprang from the ground leaped with agility, relentlessly targeting Carla’s empty left side. Even when she dodged them by quickly maneuvering her feet, Zofia’s threads darted like snakes chasing after her ankles.

“Gah…”

Letting out a faint groan, Carla rolled along the ground. She immediately sprang up using her lower body strength, regaining her stance just in time. She smashed her fist into a puppet, destroying it, but another puppet lunged at her from behind, aiming for her leg.

-Klang!

The sound of metal clanging rang out as the puppet’s head shattered.

In the brief moment it took Carla to stomp and destroy one, another puppet lunged at her with its claws, aiming for her right arm.

‘This is going to be hard to dodge.’

Biting her teeth, Carla took a step back to avoid the attack.

It was a tactical retreat, but her lost balance made her body wobble. Right at that moment, another puppet charged toward her side.

‘Now!’

A bolt of purple lightning surged from her fingertips where electrical energy gathered.

“[Stemming Thunder]!”

The lightning flashed, smashing into the puppet’s body, and then flashed again, tearing it apart. Using the opening, Carla straightened herself up and smirked.

“This isn’t over yet.”

“Of course not!”

Zofia’s fingers danced gracefully. With every graceful motion, nearly twenty puppets advanced toward Carla.

Carla watched them and thought. If she were at full strength, these puppets would be no challenge.

But accepting the situation for what it was, strangely enough, Ivan’s voice came to mind in that moment.

– Let’s make a situation, Carla.

– Martial artists don’t always need to strike the opponent, right?

– Can’t you hit the ground and release… shockwaves?

“…I don’t want to admit it, but that guy Ivan really is a genius.”

“Looks like it’s over.”

Zofia’s mocking voice echoed.

Over?

Me?

Not a chance.

Instead, Carla smirked.

There was still one trick—one spell made possible thanks to Ivan’s advice, and it was still waiting.

She gathered strength in the legs bracing the ground, holding her position with the unshakable balance that wouldn’t falter even if she were one-armed.

‘Now!’

In one swift motion, Carla channeled all the gathered energy into her fist. A bright, intense purple light consumed her fist, as Carla slammed it into the arena floor with all her might.

“[Crushing Thunder]!”

– KA-BOOM!

A powerful purple explosion shook the entire arena. The lightning radiating from her body consumed the silver threads and the puppets, erasing every last trace.

Caught in the backlash, Zofia stumbled backward, shielding her face with her hands.

“What… what is this? What’s happening… Lucas never mentioned anything like this…”

The silver threads extending from her fingers disintegrated one by one, severing all connections with her puppets.

As the view blurred in purple began to clear, an unexpected kick struck Zofia’s ankle.

Before she could even scream, Zofia lost her balance and spun around.

– CLUNK

A devastating punch sent her crashing to the ground.

– KA-BOOM!

Carla wiped the side of her mouth with the back of her hand as she looked down at Zofia sprawled across the arena floor. Her sweat-drenched, flushed face breathed heavily. With fiery eyes, Carla declared:

“I told you, I was going to win.”