The moment Leona Onazatella accepted the duel, the torches on the dungeon walls flared with blue light, casting twin shadows behind the knight and the boy.
Kai didn't waste another second.
He bolted forward, mana igniting around him like a halo of violet fire, his katana slicing through the dust-thick air.
Steel clashed with steel. The force of the impact sent shockwaves that cracked the stone beneath their feet.
Leona parried smoothly, her blade singing as it deflected his strikes one by one. Every blow she blocked felt as if carved from divine instinct. Her strength, even while restrained, towered far above Kai's.
She struck back—a horizontal arc meant to decapitate.
Kai ducked, rolled, and countered with a backward slash. It grazed her armor but didn't pierce it.
She was faster. Stronger. And even though she seemed to be holding back, Kai was barely hanging on.
Still, he kept fighting.
