"Huff... uff..."

Sera exhaled faint trails of frost as she panted.

Her trembling hand gripped the hilt of her C-rank sword, its faint blue enchantments flickering weakly. She held it pointed straight ahead, though her arms quivered from fatigue.

"No way..." Fiona muttered, standing calmly a few paces away. "Are you really the commander? There’s not even an ounce of aura in you."

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion gleaming in them. Something’s off. Is this a setup? Is this girl even Lydia? she thought.

Sera bit her lower lip, frustration and fear twisting inside her. Then she swung her sword in a sharp burst, frost mana exploding from the blade. A wave of ice shot forward in a cone, freezing the red sand between them into glittering shards.

Fiona only sighed. A faint green spark danced at her fingertip as she lazily pointed at the oncoming frost. The spark shot along the frozen ground like lightning, and in the next instant, the entire wave of ice shattered into a thousand pieces, scattering into the wind.

"There’s no way a first-circle mana output could flare against aura," Fiona said, her tone dripping with boredom. Her thoughts raced. Reports said Lydia’s attribute is water... this girl’s is ice. She’s not Lydia.

Sera’s grip tightened. I practiced hard. I formed my circle... Commander Quinn guided me herself... so why... Her throat went dry. Her chest hurt, not from the fight, but from the sinking despair clawing at her heart.

She didn’t even think about dying; all she could think was, Why can’t I do anything?

Fiona bent her knees slightly, and in the blink of an eye, blurred forward.

Sera’s instincts screamed. She jolted her head to the side just as air split beside her ear. Fiona’s red heel had cut through the air, sharp and fast enough to tear skin if she’d been a second slower.

"Keck!" Sera groaned, her teeth clenched, eyes wide as she slashed horizontally, frost spilling from her sword in desperation. But Fiona was already gone.

Sera’s eyes shot up just in time to see Fiona midair, her long green dress splitting at the thigh, revealing her muscular leg aimed right at Sera. The heel came down like a hammer.

Sera twisted away again, barely. The ground beside her exploded, leaving a deep crater as green sparks spread through the air.

The shockwave tossed Sera like a ragdoll; she hit the ground, rolled, and scrambled up, her blue dress now coated in red sand.

She panted heavily, sweat mixing with frost on her skin. Dust settled between them, revealing Fiona calmly walking toward her through the haze, her fan now closed and resting against her shoulder.

"For a bottom feeder," Fiona said, her voice cool but laced with irritation, "you sure are persistent. If you just die quickly, I can go find the real commander. You’ll be relieved of this suffering too. It’s a win-win."

Sera clenched her teeth, anger pushing back the fear. "You talk a lot for someone who couldn’t land a single blow on a bottom feeder."

Fiona’s brow twitched, a vein bulging slightly on her otherwise elegant face. "I see," she said, voice colder now.

She took her stance, her long leg sliding forward, revealing more of her thigh through the slit of her green martial dress. The fan that had been idle in her off-hand now shifted into her dominant one, ready to strike.

Sera closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

This was Rune’s strategy. In other words, he believed I could play my part.

"Huff..."

Her breath came out as mist. She lowered her center of gravity, her sword steadying. It was the same stance she had spent her days perfecting under Commander Quinn’s watchful eyes.

The air between them tensed. Cold frost pulsed against the whipping wind.

Frost mana pulsed out from Sera’s legs, while a green aura flared around Fiona’s body.

In the next instant, both blurred forward, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Sera’s sword came down in a powerful vertical slash, the frost around her blade glowing with sharp blue light. Fiona raised her folded metal fan, catching the blow. Sparks and frost burst at the point of contact.

Sera gritted her teeth and pushed harder, the frost mana surging brighter as her sword slowly forced Fiona’s fan backward.

"Ahhhh!" she shouted, drawing out more of her mana, the enchanted C-rank sword driving closer and closer.

But Fiona only smirked.

"Is that all?" she said.

The next second, a pulse of green aura exploded from her fan. Sera’s sword was flung back, her arms raised high, her torso wide open.

"Keuk!" Sera’s eyes were wide with shock.

Fiona’s leg folded, then shot out like a whip.

Thud!

The sharp edge of her red heel dug deep into Sera’s stomach.

"Ghhk!" Blood gushed from Sera’s mouth as her body flew backward like a ragdoll.

Boom!

She crashed into a large boulder with a heavy sound, leaving a deep crater before sliding down to the ground. Blood trickled from her lips, drawing thin crimson lines down her chin.

"That’s what happens when y—" Fiona began, stepping closer, but stopped mid-sentence as her balance faltered. Her body tilted forward, and she caught herself before hitting the ground.

Her eyes dropped to her leg, the same leg she’d kicked Sera with.

It was frozen solid below the knee.

"When did she—?" Fiona’s eyes widened. She tried to channel her aura to break the ice, but her energy wouldn’t flow past her knee.

"Did she... freeze my circuits too?" she thought, panic flickering in her mind as the frost slowly crept higher up her thigh.

Biting her lip, she swung her fan down hard. The metal edge struck the ice, shattering it into shards that cut deep into her own skin.

"Ghh.." she groaned as blood streaked down her leg. Her aura flared wildly, breaking the frozen mana circuits, forcing the shards out.

Pain rippled up her leg, but fury burned hotter.

She turned to Sera, now lying motionless at the base of the boulder, eyes half-lidded, her hands limp at her sides.

"I’ll kill that bitch," Fiona hissed, limping forward.

But then she froze.

Her head turned slowly, her eyes widening as she saw dark hair fluttering in the wind.

A figure stood behind her, eyes filled with cold anger.

When did she get here...? Fiona thought, her heart skipping a beat.

Is she... Lydia?

Before she could even react, Lydia had already passed her, crouching beside Sera’s still body.

Fiona turned again, her fan trembling slightly in her grip.

Lydia’s expression was unreadable, calm and emotionless, but something about it made a bead of sweat roll down Fiona’s cheek.