Tap, tap, tap.
Morgana charged directly at Garrett with immense explosive speed. Garrett's sphere was in front of him; the sphere moved and shot at the approaching Morgana. The sphere was fast, but Morgana was able to react quickly, moving to her right and evading the sphere.
The sphere curved, chasing after Morgana.
Garrett was moving his right hand, controlling where the sphere was headed; he wanted to make sure Morgana didn't approach him and engage in a close-combat fight. Morgana seemingly couldn't approach Garrett due to the sphere, but she suddenly jumped high in the air until she reached the mansion's ceiling. Once her feet touched the ceiling, she launched herself toward Garrett.
It took her about two seconds to jump and reach the ceiling; once she reached the ceiling, she directly launched at Garrett. As she launched, he moved in another direction and placed his sphere where she was going to land.
While still in the air, Morgana extended two arms. The Qi around her moved violently, then shot at Garrett as if they were ropes. Garrett dodged this attack, but Morgana grabbed these Qi ropes and ran on them, changing her trajectory toward Garrett. Seeing her change her trajectory, Garrett wanted to run, but the ropes formed like a cage with Qi, giving the illusion of a flame around it.
'Shit,' he cursed inwardly. His sphere was trying to approach Morgana under his control, but she was simply too fast.
'Qi Cage.'
A technique that Morgana uses; it takes advantage of her huge Qi output. First, she sends out chains or ropes which she intends for her opponent to evade. The reason she sends these chains out is because she wants to create a space where chains are surrounding her opponent. Once these chains are there, she sends a rapid amount of Qi to create a flame-like illusion; although it looks like a flame, it's more like a wall. Breaking out is possible, but it would require time, which Morgana wasn't going to give.
Morgana soon reached the top of the cage. A distance away from her was Garrett's sphere. Morgana touched the cage with her right arm; Qi flooded the area she was touching. This Qi soon entered the cage, but it didn't enter politely. They were like bolts of lightning striking the whole cage from the inside while being reflected on the cage walls.
'Electrification.'
A technique that sends one's Qi in the form of lightning to another person's body. When it comes in contact, the body's Qi will reject it, creating a wave of pain.
"Lady Morgana, I concede."
Garrett's voice was soon heard. Once Morgana heard this, she released her Qi, dismantling the cage and the Qi on her limbs. Garrett's sphere had also disappeared. Soon, all the Qi was gone. Garrett was standing at the center; his clothes were intact, but his body ached. He could still feel the Qi moving around his body.
It wasn't that Garrett was weak; it was just that he was up against Morgana. She was considered among the top five individuals with immense strength for a reason. Everyone watching the fight knew this, Garrett included; he knew that victory wasn't going to him even before they fought. The only reason he accepted the fight was to save face.
'Morgana.'
Looking at her, a strange feeling rose in Leonard. No matter how much time passed, Leonard would always see Morgana as this untouchable creature that had once ended his life.
After the match ended, congratulations were given to Morgana by the crowd; Garrett was also given a few good words. Lillian didn't particularly do anything noteworthy; however, Richard, on the other hand, seemed to have a few words saved up. After some time, he couldn't hold it in and went close to Leonard, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Leonard, since my brother and Lady Morgana were able to show us their sparring match, how about we do the same?" He spoke with a grin on his face.
Once his words came out, the room fell quiet again. Melissa, who was close to Leonard, also had a reaction to this; she seemed worried. Lillian's attention was on the two of them; her eyebrows furrowed for a brief moment. Garrett looked at his brother, wanting to speak up, but he soon glanced at Morgana. Morgana seemed calm, as if she expected this to happen.
Leonard was slightly shocked at this development but soon understood it.
'It's part of the Astra family's ploy.'
Garrett losing made his family lose some face; however, since Leonard and Richard were almost the same age—with Richard only being ahead by a year—Richard asking for a spar was the same as Morgana asking Garrett for a spar. If Leonard refused, his family would be the one losing face. After all, Morgana proved her strength by winning her fight. If Leonard's family status lowers further than it already is, it will risk being assimilated by the Astra family.
This was most likely what they hoped for. They likely challenged Garrett knowing Morgana would win and that Richard would challenge Leonard. If Leonard were to win, he wouldn't worry about their ploy, but Leonard himself knew that winning was nothing but a dream.
Richard was rumored to still be at Rank One as he was maintaining a high Qi reserve. Qi reserves are the Qi stored in one's body. Those like Morgana with a high Qi output have a high Qi reserve; for Morgana, this happened naturally. Richard most likely wants to build up his Qi to have a high Qi output in the future, but even if he did, it wouldn't compare to Morgana; it would just be an imitation.
However, this didn't mean Richard was weak. If he has been saving his Qi for three years straight, then it must be something Leonard couldn't handle. Even when it came to physical strength, Richard was superior due to the boost having a Rank gives.
'Even if one worked his hardest, in the face of true talent, your hard work is rendered useless.'
A strange smile found itself on Leonard's face.