For a brief moment, the entire arena fell silent. Then the reaction came almost immediately.
Captain Alaric Voss's expression darkened.
The knight slowly stepped forward from the edge of the arena, the faint clink of armor echoing against the stone floor as his boots stopped just outside the boundary line.
His eyes fixed on Knox with clear irritation.
"…You are quite arrogant," Alaric said coldly.
The murmurs among the spectators quieted again.
"You have defeated a few knights and now you believe yourself worthy of challenging the captain of the Fourth Order?"
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of one of his swords. "There are limits to confidence."
Beside him, Ingrid Weiss remained calm, though her sharp gaze had narrowed slightly as she studied Knox more carefully.
"Aren't you going a little too far?" she said quietly. Her voice was not angry like the captain's, but it carried a clear hint of disapproval.
"Just because you've been winning so far… you immediately challenge the captain?"
For a moment, Knox simply stared at them.
Then—
"Hmm?" A short sound escaped him.
And suddenly he laughed. "Pfft—"
"Hahaha!"
The laughter echoed across the courtyard, catching nearly everyone off guard. Several knights frowned. Even some of the nobles exchanged confused looks.
After a moment, Knox finally wiped the corner of his eye as though the situation had genuinely amused him.
"Captain… Vice Captain…"
He tilted his head slightly. "You must be misunderstanding something."
Alaric frowned. Ingrid's eyes sharpened.
Around the arena, whispers began spreading again as people tried to understand what Knox meant.
Even Gregor Halstein looked slightly puzzled.
Only one person seemed completely unfazed.
Jane.
She simply watched the exchange quietly, the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes.
Knox continued speaking. "You see…"
His smile widened slightly. "I never said I was challenging your captain."
The words caused several people in the audience to blink in confusion.
Knox casually raised one finger. "What I said was…"
He gestured lightly between the two knights.
"I feel like it would be quite an honor to spar with you two."
Then he shrugged. "Not just the captain."
The meaning of his words settled in the air like a sudden thunderclap.
For a brief moment—
Captain Alaric Voss froze. Ingrid Weiss froze.
Even the surrounding spectators looked stunned. The realization spread slowly across their faces.
Knox hadn't challenged the captain. He had challenged both of them.
A wave of murmurs immediately swept through the courtyard.
"What did he just say?"
"Both of them…?"
"He's serious?"
Several knights from the Fourth Order stiffened, their expressions twisting with anger.
"That bastard…!"
"He thinks he can fight both our captain and vice captain?!"
"Arrogant brat!"
Some of the knights who had already been defeated by Knox struggled to their feet, their faces burning with humiliation as they glared toward the arena.
"You've gone too far!"
"You think defeating a few of us means you can insult the entire Fourth Order?!"
The anger quickly spread among them, their voices rising louder as the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.
"I don't think losers have the right to bark like that." Jane's calm voice cut through the courtyard like a blade.
The effect was immediate. Every voice from the Fourth Order abruptly stopped.
The knights who had been shouting just moments earlier suddenly stiffened as if someone had poured cold water over their heads.
Jane had not raised her voice. She had not even looked at them directly. Yet the quiet disdain in her tone carried far more weight than any shout.
For several seconds, none of the knights dared to respond.
The defeated members of the Fourth Order slowly lowered their heads, their earlier anger shrinking into awkward silence. A few of them even looked away, their shoulders slumping slightly.
From the sidelines, it almost resembled a group of scolded puppies.
Jane finally turned her gaze toward the arena again. "…Now then."
Her eyes settled calmly on Captain Alaric Voss and Ingrid Weiss.
"Are you accepting the spar… or not?"
The question hung in the air. All eyes returned to the two leaders of the Fourth Knight Order.
Captain Alaric's jaw tightened slightly. Beside him, Ingrid's expression remained composed, though her eyes had shifted back toward Knox once more.
This time, however, there was no hint of dismissal in her gaze.
Only quiet focus. Because by now, both of them had realized something important.
Knox Aznable…was not joking.
The courtyard remained silent after Jane's words.
All eyes once again turned toward the center of the arena, where Knox stood with the same relaxed smile as before, as though the tension surrounding him had nothing to do with him at all.
Then Knox spoke again.
"Sooo… Captain and Vice Captain," he said casually, spreading his hands slightly, "do you accept my humble challenge~?"
He tilted his head, his tone almost cheerful. "I mean… it would make a perfect closing event for today, right? Hehe."
For a moment, the courtyard fell completely silent.
Almost everyone present shared the exact same thought.
Humble your head!
Several knights nearly choked on their own breath. Even some of the nobles looked utterly speechless.
How could someone who had just defeated half of the Fourth Knight Order say something like that with a straight face?
Near the royal seats, Princess Molly covered her mouth, clearly trying to hold back a laugh. Meanwhile, the Queen's expression darkened even further.
In the arena, Captain Alaric Voss slowly stepped forward.
The faint metallic sound of his armor echoed against the stone floor as he crossed the boundary line.
His eyes locked onto Knox. "…You truly have no sense of fear," Alaric said coldly.
The air around him began to shift. A faint aura started to gather around the two swords at his waist.
Beside him, Ingrid Weiss exhaled quietly. For a moment she looked toward the captain, then back at Knox.
"…You really don't make things easy," she muttered.
Yet despite her words, she stepped forward as well. The slender rapier at her side glinted faintly as her hand rested near its hilt.
From the edge of the arena, Gregor Halstein watched the scene unfold with sharp eyes.
A small sigh escaped him. "…Very well."
He stepped forward once more. "If both sides agree…"
Gregor raised his hand again. "Then this spar will proceed."
His gaze moved across the arena.
"Captain Alaric Voss. Vice Captain Ingrid Weiss."
Then toward Knox.
"…and Knox Aznable."
The tension in the courtyard tightened instantly.
Gregor lowered his hand.
"Prepare yourselves."
Captain Alaric Voss stepped fully into the arena.
The faint scrape of armored boots against stone echoed across the courtyard as he came to a stop a few paces from Knox. His expression had hardened, the irritation from earlier now settling into something colder and far more serious.
Without breaking eye contact, Alaric reached toward his waist.
Both swords slid free from their scabbards with a clean metallic sound.
The twin blades caught the afternoon light as he lowered them to his sides, the faint shimmer of mana already beginning to gather along their edges.
Beside him, Ingrid Weiss moved a moment later.
Her motion was quieter, almost effortless.
The slender rapier at her side slipped from its sheath in one smooth motion, the narrow blade glinting faintly as she raised it into a ready stance. Unlike the captain's heavy presence, Ingrid's posture remained light and balanced, her weight shifting subtly across the balls of her feet as though preparing to move at any moment.
Across from them, Knox watched the two knights calmly. A faint smile lingered on his face.
A ripple of violet light briefly flickered across his hand. Then, from the empty air beside him, a familiar weapon began to form.
Particles of shadow-like mana gathered together, slowly shaping themselves into the long, curved blade of an odachi.
The weapon solidified in Knox's grasp as he lifted it lightly onto his shoulder.
Several knights watching from the sidelines frowned. They had just seen him use a completely different sword moments ago.
Yet now the odachi had returned as if it had never disappeared.
Knox casually adjusted his grip before lowering the blade to his side.
His crimson eyes moved between the captain and vice captain standing before him.
"Alright then," he said lightly.
"Shall we?"
From the edge of the arena, Gregor Halstein observed the three figures with narrowed eyes.
The atmosphere had changed completely. What had begun as a spectacle was now beginning to resemble something far more serious.
Slowly, Gregor raised his hand once again.
"Begin."
Gregor's hand fell.
The instant the signal was given, Captain Alaric Voss moved.
A surge of mana erupted from his body as both swords swept outward, and in the next moment a dense aura wrapped itself around the twin blades. The energy burned along the edges like dark blue fire, distorting the air around them.
Sword Aura.
A ripple spread through the courtyard.
"So he's using it already…"
"Captain Voss isn't holding back."
"Against a student…?"
The murmurs among the spectators quickly turned uneasy. Some of the nobles who had been impressed by Knox earlier now exchanged doubtful looks.
Sword Aura was not something ordinary knights could wield. For many of them, the appearance of that power immediately shifted the balance of the duel.
Near the royal seats, Princess Molly leaned forward slightly, her brows knitting together.
"Can Knox handle that…?"
Beside the arena, however, Jane remained completely calm. Her arms were crossed loosely, her gaze steady as she watched the unfolding duel. Not a trace of concern appeared on her face.
Back in the arena, Alaric attacked without hesitation.
Both swords cut through the air in a wide crossing arc, the aura surrounding them amplifying the force of each swing as he closed the distance in a single explosive dash.
At the same time, Ingrid moved as well.
Unlike the captain, her steps were almost silent. She circled outward rather than charging directly, the rapier in her hand already seeking an opening as she approached Knox from the flank.
Power from the front. Precision from the side. Their coordination was seamless.
Steel clashed.
Knox's odachi rose just in time to intercept the first strike. The impact rang sharply across the arena as Alaric's aura-enhanced blade crashed against it, the force strong enough to crack the stone beneath Knox's feet.
Yet Knox was already moving.
He slid backward with a light step, the odachi guiding the second sword away as Alaric followed immediately with another strike.
And another.
And another.
Alaric's style was relentless.
His twin blades moved like heavy storm winds, each swing overlapping the previous one as he pressed forward without giving Knox a moment to breathe.
At the same time, Ingrid slipped in and out of the edge of the exchange.
Her rapier darted forward like a silver needle whenever Knox's defense shifted, targeting small openings rather than trading strength head-on.
The rhythm of the fight changed instantly.
To the ordinary spectators watching from the stands, the duel had already become difficult to follow.
Blades flashed. Footsteps blurred.
The three figures in the arena seemed to appear and disappear as their movements accelerated.
But Knox's expression remained relaxed.
As another strike from Alaric descended, Knox pivoted lightly and redirected the blade with a smooth motion of his odachi. The movement flowed naturally into a step that carried him past Ingrid's thrust, his body twisting just enough for the rapier to miss him by a hair's breadth.
The counter came immediately.
Knox's sword moved in a single clean arc.
"Eight Leaves One Blade: Second Form — Gale."
The odachi blurred.
A flurry of rapid strikes exploded outward, forcing both Alaric and Ingrid to disengage as the storm of slashes swept across the space between them.
Gasps rose from the spectators.
The speed of the exchange had already surpassed what most of them could follow.
To many of the nobles watching from the gallery, the duel looked less like a fight and more like flashes of steel appearing and disappearing across the arena floor.
Only the experienced knights present could still track the movements clearly. Even Gregor Halstein's eyes had narrowed slightly.
Back in the arena, the clash continued.
For a brief moment, the rhythm of the duel settled into a rapid exchange of steel.
Alaric's twin blades came down again and again, each strike reinforced by Sword Aura that rattled the air with heavy pressure. Ingrid circled like a shadow at the edge of the clash, her rapier flashing in precise thrusts whenever Knox's guard shifted even slightly.
Knox slid backward half a step, narrowly avoiding Ingrid's blade as it darted toward his shoulder.
Then his stance changed. The shift was subtle. But Alaric noticed it immediately.
The angle of the odachi. The lowering of Knox's center of gravity. The same posture he had shown earlier.
Alaric's eyes hardened as he adjusted his footing. Beside him, Ingrid angled her rapier slightly outward, already preparing to exploit the opening she expected Knox to leave.
They had already seen this technique once.
They were ready for it.
Knox exhaled softly.
"Eight Leaves One Blade: Second Form — Shizuna's version, Silver Winds."
For a fraction of a second, nothing happened. Then Knox suddenly leapt sideways.
His body left the ground in a swift sideways motion, the odachi gleaming as it traced a silver arc through the air.
When his feet touched the arena floor again, the space around him erupted into motion.
The blade flashed once—
then again—
then again.
Dozens of slashes burst outward in rapid succession, each arc of steel spreading like violent gusts of wind. Silver trails flickered through the air as Knox's movements blurred across the battlefield.
The strikes came from everywhere.
Front.
Flank.
Behind.
The momentum of his sideways leap turned each swing into a sweeping rush of steel that forced both Alaric and Ingrid to react instantly.
Alaric brought both swords up to intercept, sparks exploding as the aura-coated blades crashed against Knox's odachi. Before he could stabilize, another slash tore in from a different angle, forcing him to shift his guard again.
Ingrid stepped in at the same moment, her rapier snapping forward to deflect a strike aimed at the captain's side.
Steel rang sharply across the courtyard. The exchange lasted only seconds, yet the flurry of slashes forced both knights several steps back before Knox's feet finally settled.
But Knox was already moving again.
"Eight Leaves One Blade – Fourth Form – Shizuna's Version – Duality."
His body slipped forward with a single light step. The motion looked almost gentle compared to the violent flurry from moments earlier.
Alaric swung one sword downward to intercept. The blade passed through empty air. Knox had already moved past him.
A faint silver line flashed across Alaric's armor before the captain even realized what had happened. The strike had been so quick that it felt less like a slash and more like a passing breeze.
At the same instant, a second arc of steel followed half a heartbeat behind the first. The delayed strike snapped into existence along the same path as the earlier slash.
Ingrid's eyes widened.
Her rapier shot forward just in time to intercept the phantom follow-up, the thin blade ringing sharply as it diverted the second strike away from Alaric's flank.
Knox did not pause.
The moment his feet touched the ground again, he lowered his stance. The odachi dipped close to the floor. Cold mana gathered along the blade.
"Eight Leaves One Blade – First Form – Shizuna's Version – Raging Blizzard."
Knox spun.
The movement began with a low sweeping motion before his body rotated in a full circle, the odachi carving a wide arc through the air. Mana burst outward with the rotation, swirling around him in a violent spiral of frost-laden wind.
The spin ended with a powerful downward slash.
A shock of cold air exploded across the arena floor as the strike landed, the force of the blow sending a freezing gust outward in all directions.
Alaric crossed both swords in front of him to absorb the impact, the aura around his blades flaring as the ground beneath his boots cracked.
Several meters away, Ingrid slid backward across the stone tiles before regaining her footing, her rapier raised again as the lingering wind from the attack faded.
Across the arena, Knox straightened slowly, the odachi resting lightly in his hand as the last traces of frost-tinged air drifted away.
The gust from Raging Blizzard had swept through the arena like a sudden winter storm. The stone tiles beneath Knox's feet were now veined with thin fractures, pale frost clinging briefly to the cracked surface before melting away.
Several seconds passed before the full aftermath of the strike became clear.
A few meters away, Captain Alaric Voss remained standing where the attack had forced him to halt. Both swords were still raised in front of him, crossed instinctively in a defensive guard.
The aura surrounding his blades flickered unevenly now, no longer as stable as it had been earlier in the duel.
The captain slowly lowered his arms.
A long scrape ran across the front of his breastplate where Knox's strike had collided with his guard. The metal had not broken completely, but the reinforced plate now bore a deep fracture running diagonally across its surface.
Faint frost still clung to the damaged armor.
Alaric exhaled slowly through his nose. The pressure from the technique had driven him several steps backward, his boots carving shallow grooves into the stone floor before he had finally managed to stop himself.
For a moment he said nothing. But the tightening of his jaw made it clear that absorbing that attack had not been easy.
Beside him, Ingrid Weiss regained her footing a short distance away.
The vice captain had been pushed farther back by the shockwave of the strike. One knee briefly touched the ground before she steadied herself and rose again, her rapier still held firmly in her hand.
The condition of her armor had changed as well.
A thin crack now ran along the shoulder guard where Knox's blade had struck earlier, and another shallow cut had torn across the outer layer of her sleeve. Beneath the damaged cloth, a faint line of blood had begun to seep through.
Ingrid wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand before straightening again. Her breathing had grown noticeably heavier.
The murmurs spreading through the spectators began to grow louder. Many of the knights from the Fourth Order stared toward the arena in stunned silence.
Even from a distance, it was obvious that their captain and vice captain were no longer in perfect condition.
Scratches marked their armor. Several pieces of metal plating had been dented or cracked. Their movements, though still controlled, no longer carried the same ease they had shown at the start of the duel.
Across the battlefield, Knox remained exactly where he had been.
The odachi rested loosely in his hand, its blade angled slightly downward as the final traces of swirling wind faded around him. His expression remained calm as he observed the two knights recovering their stances.
Neither Alaric nor Ingrid had fallen. But the state they were in now made one thing clear.
The earlier clash hadn't left them unscathed.