The arena was crowded. The Twelve had gathered in their seats and the duelists were in their respective positions. The opposing sides, Corvan and Valeriana, were currently in the dugouts waiting for the commencement of the event.

Currently, Valeriana was filled with anxiety which she tried distracting herself from by bringing out her MP3 player and listening to Paramore.

Her aides had prepared a cheering squad in the audience area. In fact, they were beating drums and enthusiastically vocalizing their do-re-mi to the point that half the noise in the arena came from them. It was quite encouraging, to say the least. Out of all the ranking members of the Twelve, only Valeriana's side prepared a chant in advance. It had been a trademark of hers when she became the fifth-ranker.

"Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!"

The drum beats and the heavily-practiced song was becoming a highlight of the day, which made everyone else anticipate the impending fight.

Tamara was crazy excited. She had barely recovered but did not let the injuries hinder her from announcing once again. Aside from a few bruises and wounds she got from the fourth-ranker, she was in good condition. What she mostly worried about was the condition Corvan and Valeriana would be in. There was no doubt this fight would have a great impact on the performance the next day with the band.

"Hello ya'll excited folks," Tamara said. "I know I'm excited and I'm pretty darn sure in the name of the gods you're all too."

Charles massaged his forehead for an incoming headache. Despite yesterday's events, Tamara could still be this energetic. She was quite a stubborn one.

"Lord Corvan von Vaushna de la Wylden—he makes me tired just by saying his name, this guy—and Valeriana Kerrigan will be fighting today as a finale. However, we have an additional kaboom to show you all tomorrow. It'll be massive and it's a surprise. We don't want to get your hopes up, but we'll see at the end of this fight." Tamara continued announcing casually up the platform. "If you're interested in seeing the surprise, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. It's a happy event. We all need to relieve the tension."

And she was right. With the way all the fights had gone, there was a need for an ice-breaker. The band would do just that. The entirety of the Twelve was pretty determined to do this one, so injuries were not excuses. That statement was negotiable, anyhow.

This time, most of the Twelve were present again. Rowe, Charles, Raziel, Aneeka, Elfre, Keelan, and Brindon were present. Even Femeron was among them. She had fallen asleep very soon after she was left with Keelan though. The Twelve were curious about the Arlandian dragon youngling and tried several times to interrogate Keelan. They came out empty-handed and was only given the answers Valeriana had given him.

There was also Vallore, but he sat in the common area inconspicuously.

Only Genevieve and Zevlin were still absent. By the looks of it, the older twin still had not woken up. Genevieve could not leave his side.

The Twelve themselves were also quite worried.

"Zevlin still not awake?" Aneeka asked.

"No. No sign," Raziel said.

"Anyhow, let's not delay this any further. Valeriana, Corvan! Duelists, come forth!"

The cheering got louder that the entire arena was practically in an uproar. The drumbeats were very effective in rousing the spirit. Valeriana was being fueled with all the support that she had no reason to be as discouraged like in her previous fights.

"She's got the eye of the tiger, a fighter! Dancing through the fire, 'cuz she is the champion, and you're gonna hear her roar! Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!"

"I must admit, I should have my aides do that too," Raziel said, whistling. Soon, he was singing along.

The entire arena was suddenly swept with silence. Valeriana and Corvan appeared and walked to the middle to greet each other before the battle. Like the other duelists have done before them, it was a means of paying respect to one's opponent.

Valeriana took pride in her team members' hard work. Amaranthine was a very effective battle armor. When guarding against fire-wielders, it was practically invincible. Not to mention she felt very confident in her new getup. The test run they did a while ago made her even more confident.

However, Corvan did not shine any less. He had his hair in a high ponytail with a ruby red band around his forehead. His clothes bore the proud color of Arlandia. They did away with heavy armors and mixed his overall gear with leather and metal. The combination of black, red, silver, and gold, gave him a searing and somewhat rough aura. However, he brought it with regality and sophistication.

His armor emphasized his figure, mapping out the curves of muscles while giving way to flexibility. The design was intricate and was obviously given deep thought to suit his character in battle.

Words did not give him justice.

"Nice armor." Valeriana decided to speak first, seeing as if she didn't, he might think to insult her first.

He was silent.

"What?" she asked. "Never saw a girl like this?"

"You look different," he said. "But you sound the same."

"Jerk, what." She wasn't actually asking a question, but rather expressing her disbelief at his words.

"It seems your team did a good job, but I'd rather see what you have for me in this duel."

His eyes became cold as he drew out his sword from its sheath. Valeriana was already used seeing him be aloof and everything, but it would be the first time he was this cold. It was a total contradiction to the blazing heat of his fire.

Cold Prince, now I see why they named him that.

Valeriana drew out the Empyrean and let its blade flash against the light. Her focus was trained sharp on Corvan. Faintly, she sensed Tamara's voice echoing in the background, but it was not enough to break away her concentration.

"The duel will start in three, two, one!"

A light was launched, but neither of them moved just yet. The stillness of the atmosphere drilled tension into the audience. They didn't know who would make the first move. Valeriana herself was a bit hesitant in attacking first. She didn't know what sort of tricks Corvan got up his sleeve.

But, of course, her hesitations were quick to fade and the excitement of the fight replaced it. If she didn't make the first move, she doubted with all of Corvan's ego that he would. Instead, she let all the months' worth of training flow in and calmed herself. Everybody might think she would lose, but this wasn't a fight she would let go very easily.

She moved into position and brandished her weapon. Its lightness was astounding, yet the way it whistled as it cut through the air was clear as day—it also came with unprecedented sharpness!

Her muscles quivered from the thrill as she bounded forward, delivering the first strike. Corvan was quick to act and held up his own weapon to counter. He moved very casually, yet the cold and calculating look in his eyes only further intensified. He let Valeriana get the first move, but did not let her control the pace.

Instead, he decided to remove the wind from her sails and lashed out an attack himself. After parrying the blow, he willed his body to strike. His own blade cut sharp from the right, targeting Valeriana's side.

Lady Seraphina had beaten the instinct of counterattacking on Valeriana. Although her impulses have yet to improve, it was more than enough to keep her from being wounded from a simple attack so easily. She held up her arm guards and blocked the blade with it with a clang, letting the force drive down her wrist before swinging hard with the Empyrean.

Corvan evaded her blade and drew back himself. His movements were smooth as he momentarily sprung back in order to gain momentum for another blow. Despite this, Valeriana was unyielding. She had learned from her previous battles with Courtney and Zion that there was no use talking when in the field. The weapons should do them all. There would be no room to breathe, so wasting air on useless words was a no-go.

Corvan seemed to get the idea. He was quiet save for the look in his eyes. The coldness wasn't the regular coldness that one would see on a detached, cruel person. In fact, it was chilling and scalding at the same time.

Very much like cold fire.

And all he wanted to say was clear; I won't lose.

So Valeriana answered with all her strength and determination—everything she had that let her get to that point. From winning the title, to defending it, and finally challenging the ranker with the highest position. If all of these duels were not necessary, she would have not gone through them at all.

But they were necessary, so she could only shut up and do it.

Their exchange allowed no pausing.

Valeriana still lacked the experience, but her body had gone through several changes starting from when she first entered the academy. It had finally developed sufficient stamina to solidly last in battle. Her muscles were finally showing and she had managed to shed off most of the fat she had been wanting to remove ever since she stepped on high school.

She learned to make use of her body to perform maneuvers, using parts of it in ways she never thought she would.

Her feet automatically shifted beneath her to accommodate her movements as she swung her blade from the right. Teeth gritted, she felt the vibrations being sent up her arms as their blades clashed. Her wounds weren't fully healed yet, and she felt mild tenderness from her right arm whenever she did something taxing. If she kept going, she might stress the injury. However, if she let this impede her, did she truly deserve the name of the fifth-ranker?

But of course, she wasn't the only one who suffered from that trip in Arlandia.

There was Corvan too.

She drove the Empyrean forward for a bold jab. Corvan weaved to the side to avoid it and struck the pommel of his sword against Valeriana's side. Most of the impact had been absorbed by her armor, but the pain it sent up her ribs still managed to make her teeth chatter.

"Damn, I leave too many openings," she muttered to herself after landing on the dirt. In just one attack, she lost all her balance.

Corvan was a merciless opponent, anyhow. He did not allow Valeriana to take a few breaths to compose herself, swiftly attacking from above. Valeriana readily parried the blow and stood up when the opportunity came.

It only took a few seconds, and she was back in the game. However, this was one point for Corvan, zero for her.

"Nice going, you guys." Tamara's voice reverberated. "I'm honestly interested in how this fight would turn out seeing as it hasn't been long since Valeriana's arrival in the academy, not to mention Valemnia. Our little human missy has shown drastic improvement in her swordsmanship skills, which is impressive considering she's up against our number one prodigy, Lord Corvan. And yeah, just so you people know, she isn't actually human."

The entire arena burst into an uproar at the news. Valeriana's energetic cheerleaders faltered and the drumbeats ceased.

"What?!"

"Was it alright for her to announce that?" Rowe asked Charles, who shook his head.

"They were going to find out sooner or later," Charles said. "But I preferred it kept a secret for a while longer until we manage to find concrete information about her background. Tamara and her loud mouth."

"And she's a rare find, people! She's a Direct Controller!"

The chatter became even louder.

Valeriana's discovery of her not-so-human heritage was not yet publicly known, but rumors had been circulating ever since she was removed from her original Power Control class and transferred into the special class. People sensed something going on, but were unsure what to conclude.

"Yeah, I wasn't supposed to announce that, foolish me," Tamara said. "But yes, that's the truth. Back to the fight."

A Direct Controller among the Twelve's ranks was not the usual business as the majority of them could be found in the Development Department. The spectators were unsure what to expect now. The truth seemed hard to bear, especially since they intensely discriminated against the girl after she won the position from Courtney—using cheating as an excuse.

Courtney, who was watching, already knew as she was present during the Preluresian encounter. Julian, however, was in disbelief. Suzanne, who sat by her side, was equally taken a back.

"Is that true, Courtney?" she asked.

"Yes, it is."

Valeriana and Corvan did not stop with their exchange. The pace was still casual and had yet to pick up, but the current fifth-ranker was already feeling the weariness tugging at her muscles. The earliest part of physical exertion was always the hardest, but once the engine is warmed up, it works well until it runs out of oil.

Corvan, however, did not show any sign of exhaustion on his face. Despite the sickness he had experienced in Arlandia, he was moving as though nothing had happened. His calmness and composure while their blades crossed totally threw Valeriana off. His arrogance was seeping through his performance, pissing off his opponent.

"Is that all you have, Valeriana?" he asked.

"Goddamn it, you idiot devil!" Valeriana growled, sending her will to her blade as she went for another attack. "Why do you have to be so stuck up even in battle?"

"You've shown improvement," he said as he effortlessly evaded. "Unlike the last time I sparred with you."

Ah, that.

Still, he was not even showing half of what he can do! When he was battling with Faolan in Loquin, he was a hundred times faster!

"Are you going easy on me?" she asked, jumping back and putting distance between them. With the way things were going, if he suddenly upped the pace, she would be a goner. She needed to catch her breath.

"Can you handle it?" He let his blade hang on his side.

"Why don't we find out?" She advanced slowly. "If you're treating me like this because of what happened in Arlandia, then you shouldn't."

"I'm not." He moved forward as well. "I'm like this because of what will happen tomorrow."

"I don't care. You're making this a really half-assed battle, and I honestly don't like that. I'm sure people are expecting a lot. You don't want them getting disappointed, do you?"

"You want to get a beating?"

"Jerk. They want to see a fight. What's a fight when it's one-sided?"

She pushed against the ground to give her momentum, her blade on her side as she got into position. She silently prayed to all the gods in Valemnia to aid her in this, telling them to fuel her with all the luck they can spare.

Backed with Seraphina's advices, she moved. Of course, she would not let this round become like the first. She would put more effort into it and mix it up like she'd seen the others from the Twelve do.

As the Empyrean screeched while running down the length of Corvan's sword, she rapidly squatted and swept out her feet low beneath Corvan. The move had caused him to lose his balance, forcing him to the ground.

"Whooo! Good one!" Tamara yelled. "Keep doing that, Val! I'm not supposed to side on anyone but come what may! You gotta get that pace up, Corvan!"

And get the pace up he did.

The moment he hit ground, he rebounded as fast as he could. Like a ball, the moment his back hit the ground, he threw his feet high and sprung up. He landed perfectly and sent a high kick Valeriana's way.

Valeriana was a little slow to react. However, the moment she saw the kick coming her way, she quickly crossed her arms in front of her and blocked it from hitting her face. In return, she got pushed back a bit.

She still had to work on her martial arts, but she knew a few moves. She had been working on her flexibility for a bit in class. The lessons helped a lot.

"Damn it all, I'm siding with the underdog!" Tamara yelled. "I know Corvan is great, but I'd like to see what Val can do!" She pumped her fists in the air.

It was like round two in an upgraded Tekken face off. Corvan felt like a boss and she was the challenger.

"I've got nothing to lose." She drove in an elbow which Corvan caught. With the attempt failed, she sent a kick to his shin and he quickly retorted by letting his leg shoot out and stomp down on her foot.

Valeriana clenched her jaws but swung her weapon low and twisted her body to a more comfortable position. She then chopped fiercely from above, right at Corvan's face. He put up his weapon just in time and pushed her off.

The recent exchange was bolder. Corvan's movements made it clear he was still hesitant, but the pace he was at was better than before.

"Intense! That's what I'm talking about! Keep at that!"

"Why are you holding back?" she asked.

"If I went all out on you, where would all the excitement go? Like it's supposed to be, I'm putting on a show. I can't reveal all my cards at once."

The fight continued. Blades flashed and clangs resounded. Valeriana urged her limbs to move faster, pushing them to their limits. Her muscles protested at the torture but she did not hold back.

She attacked from the right and followed it up by another from the left. Corvan blocked them all with ease and retaliated by sending a critical swing Valeriana's way—the speed of which grazed at her armor but left her unwounded.

"What a durable piece," he commented under his breath.

Valeriana thanked her team for such a good metalwork.

"I'll have to send my compliments to Team Five! That's fine work right there! Not bad for Team One as well!" Seems like Tamara had the same thoughts.

"You're not mixing up your movements very well. You keep on repeating the same moves over and over," Corvan said, letting one strike pass him by. "If you continue at that pace, do you seriously think you can defeat me?"

"No, not really." Valeriana shook her head.

A small smile pulled on the corners of her lips as a dark look flashed in her eyes. A look of suspicion crept on Corvan's face, his brows knitting further.

She took a deep breath between strikes before withdrawing for a moment and launching herself again. When she attacked, it began to seem as though she was another person. The power behind her assaults were the same, but the movements took a very drastic change. Previously, she had only been using simple maneuvers, unwilling to draw all her cards against Corvan at the beginning. If he was hesitant in showing what he can do, she was as well.

"Whoa, what's this?!"

With a battle cry, she sent the Empyrean launching like a missile towards Corvan. The young lord had been too flustered to act that he could not move away until the last second. The execution of that attack was almost flawless! With proper posture and propelling, Valeriana has managed to increase her speed by threefold. To the naked eye, that move took a lot of agility and training to pull off!

"By the gods!" Tamara exclaimed. "Larkov, what is this? I've been saying that since a while ago but WHAT IS THIS?!"

The spectators could not believe their eyes. They were suddenly given a reason why Valeriana managed to win her position from Courtney. Despite the meager training, to think this girl had improved that much within such a short amount of time was astounding.

Lady Seraphina smiled as Kylon and Aeron looked her way in incredulity. She was oozing with pride!

"What in the world is this, Seraphina?" Kylon asked. "What sort of training did you give that girl?"

"It's just a bit of coaching." Seraphina crossed her arms as she leaned back and started enjoying the match some more. "Believe it or not, Valeriana has real talent when holding the sword. Her clumsiness fails her sometimes, but she finds a way to overcome her shortcomings. Aside from that, she has been working really hard for this match. Not to mention," she paused, giving them a knowing look. "She's using her brain to make up for what she doesn't have."

"She's been holding back?" Kylon followed up.

"In terms of effort, no," she said. "What changed is technique and manner of execution."

Lord Aeron cackled. "Haha, that child may be slow but she does have a brain! If she's interested in scheming, I may even teach her a thing or two! She has potential!"

Corvan gritted his teeth as the skin on his neck broke. The blade managed to graze him a bit. However, he was quick to react, bringing up his own sword to strike away the Empyrean to the side. Valeriana recovered smoothly and brought up her leg to kick his side. He blocked it with his arm, grabbed her ankles and pulled her forward to throw her off-balance.

Valeriana did not have anything against that and fell forward with a stumble. Even so, she rapidly held out her arms and grabbed Corvan around the waist to tackle him and bring him down with her.

She still had a few cards, and that included a John Cena.

"What are you doing?"

The impact sent Corvan grunting as the back of his head hit the ground pretty hard. Valeriana quickly took advantage of this and sent Corvan to his stomach. She grabbed one of his legs and pulled his ankle between her thighs as she quickly hooked her arms around his head. She had thought back on their first few days together and that time when wrestled with him in the middle of the hallway and that gave him a few ideas.

She gave him a few moments to breathe. "Take this!"

She pulled back and began stretching his neck, knee, and back at the same time. A scream tore itself out of his throat as she tightened and pulled further. It did not take long before he started choking.

"Holy what?!"

"This, ladies and gentlemen," she whispered under her breath. She wasn't expecting them to hear any of it, but did it to satisfy herself. "Is why you should be watching TV."

"Val! You've got to teach me that!"

Corvan struggled to breath, feeling his supply of air cut off. How could he forget about Valeriana's fearsome holds? He struck his fist against the ground, helpless, before deciding there was only one way to get out of it.

He sent his will into his protesting muscles and fought against her grip. Eventually, his struggling paid off as he managed to pull back his ankle. After that, he mustered all his strength and reversed the position, forcing Valeriana to break off her hold.

"Crap," she grumbled as she fell back. He's stronger.

She quickly brandished her sword which she had been holding the entire while and readied herself for another bout.

"You witch," he breathed, warily positioning his blade in front of him.

"Not so stupid now, am I?" she said, smiling as though she managed to steal a cookie from the jar without anyone noticing.

He then smirked. "You think you're so smart now, do you?"

She frowned.

"You're not the only one with hidden cards."

His blade dauntingly flashed against the light as he propelled himself forward. The blade whistled as it sliced down at Valeriana. The girl clumsily held up her own weapon to block the incoming attack, sending it sliding down its length to divert the attack away from herself.

Corvan, however, did not let it end there as he rapidly reinforced his moves with another swing while using his feet to drive in a simultaneous attack. As Valeriana parried the blow of his sword, she failed to pay attention to his legs, leaving herself with a large blow on the stomach that sent her stumbling backwards from the pain.

"Ooh, that was sort of harsh," Tamara said. "But that move from before was equally harsh too. It's square now, I suppose."

The air was knocked out of her lungs. She fell on her back, wheezing as she tried to recover. Her knees felt weakened and the muscles on her stomach shot into spasms, tightening without her wanting it to. This was worse than feeling a stitch on one's side after eating a heavy meal and hurrying home.

"Goddammit," she said, taking in short breaths of air.

Corvan looked down at her from above, his blade pointed at her throat. "Why don't you just surrender?"

She stubbornly held his gaze, pushing his blade away with her hand. "It's too early in the fight for me to surrender. In fact, I—"

Her eyes suddenly shot to the audience's area as though she caught something interesting, her eyes widening a bit and her mouth forming an 'o'. Unconsciously, most of the spectators looked towards the place she was gazing at as well, curious as to what took her attention all of a sudden.

"Is that Emmillyse and Lady Saskia?" she whispered.

Corvan could not help and looked at where her gaze was pinned.

Valeriana did a victory dance inside her head and removed herself from knifepoint, dashing for the forest the previous battles had destroyed. The audience's attention was redirected to the fight when they saw the current fifth-ranker run away. In a moment, they all realized they've been tricked. Corvan clicked his tongue and sprinted after the escapee.

"Sly! Sly!" Tamara screamed. "I can't believe that worked! It worked on me too! What the heck, Valeriana?! How?"

Lord Aeron stood up clapping his heads as he laughed madly. "Well done, Valeriana! Well done!" he yelled into the arena, so loud that even the girl heard him.

"I learned from you," Valeriana said and took cover behind one of the trees.

"She's starting to take after me," Lord Aeron said, cackling. "I should really take her as an apprentice! Her potential is limitless!"

Seraphina sighed.

Corvan was losing his patience faster than the burning of a string in a lighted fuse. He entered the forest himself, water splashing all over his boots as he stepped on a puddle. The water-fight between Charles and Tamara turned the area halfway into a marsh. The terrain in the immediate vicinity was muddy.

Valeriana held her breath as she felt Corvan appear behind her. She drew the throwing knives from the hidden compartment in her leg guards and positioned them between her fingers. She wanted to use these babies and it seemed the perfect moment to try them out.

She peaked past the fallen log she had hidden behind and saw Corvan with his back on her. Taking deep, calming breaths, she drew back her arm and launched the knives at him in succession.

Feeling something coming for him, he turned and struck away the knives that dangerously came near. However, he did not have much to worry about since most of them were off-course.

Valeriana inwardly cursed and thought aloud, "Geez, my control needs some work."

"Valeriana!" Corvan exclaimed, turning to face where she was hiding.

"Oh, shoot. Gotta run." She broke into a sprint, her feet splashing against the muddy ground.

Corvan dashed after her, seething. He held his blade ready and jumped over obstacle after obstacle. Valeriana refused to give in and kept throwing whatever she had in her person at him.

"What are you doing, girl?!" Tamara exclaimed. "Come on, fight! Dammit!"

"She went from zeroooo! To her own herroooo!" the cheering continued. "You held her down, but she got up! Already brushing off the dust!"

She then stopped and turned to face the first-ranker. The fight between Zevlin and Genevieve gave her an idea, but it seemed as though the fight between Charles and Tamara left no more water for her. She released a huge breath of disappointment and decided to face Corvan, but going toe-to-toe with the first-ranker spelled one word; loss. She lacked the strength, techniques, experience, and definitely the talent. The only reason why she managed to get the fight to last this far was because she was outsmarting him somewhat while appealing to his pride at the same time.

"You hear that voice, you hear that sound!"

Without warning, Corvan appeared, his eyes burning. The tie keeping his hair together had fallen off. The silky strands flowed softly down his back and over his shoulder. Since when?

"I want this fight to immediately end. This useless chase has dried my patience."

His body suddenly blazed with fire. He let his flames lick at his armor and surround him with searing hotness. To Valeriana's eyes, he suddenly seemed like the sun, and what was more intimidating was his sword. It was bathed in fire.

She grunted, feeling the helplessness wash in like tall waves.

"I still have Amaranthine," she said. "Besides, this is where I face him. I can't keep on running," she told herself. "Man up, Val—or whatever."

She took in a deep breath as she positioned her sword, gazing at Corvan with all the stubbornness she could muster. He may have things she didn't have, but she had things he didn't as well.

"She's got the eye of the tiger, a fighter! Dancing through the fire!"

She steadied herself and found the center of gravity in her body. She wasn't going to be knocked over. Even if she lost this fight, she was going to lose the battle with everything she had.

Valeriana gave Corvan a long, hard stare. He looked like a mountain. An insurmountable mountain. She let all the tension go from her body. If she kept herself stiff, she wasn't going to move properly.

What have she got against this guy? What did she have against Courtney? What did she have against Zion?

"Do you mind?" she asked Corvan for the first attack.

She was given no answer. Instead, his grip visibly tightened around his sword and he got into the proper stance as though he was getting ready. Taking this as his response, Valeriana shot forward with a smile on her face, her eyes smoldered with all the will and courage she had. Corvan came shooting forward as well.

Their blades crossed. The first-ranker's fire roared at the contact, reiterating the feeling of excitement that coursed through both their bodies. Valeriana sweated at the sudden rise in temperature the moment she got near, but did not complain.

She gave a battle cry as she swung repeatedly at him. The pace thrilled her to the bones. In comparison to all the fights she had gone through, this gave her rare happiness and joy—like riding a roller coaster in a park diving for a ninety-degree drop.

Corvan's fire was nothing against Amaranthine's defenses. Valeriana had no qualms about moving, unafraid of touching his flames. She elbowed his face and was given a kick in return. She blocked it with her arm and forced down his legs, grunting from the sheer force. The young lord then came at her with a barrage of attacks, his sword cutting the air between them. Valeriana was helpless against the swiftness of his blade that she could only hold up her sword to block. It felt like the fire empowered him. Despite her protection, she could not help but hesitate at the sight of it.

As a result, she gained a few wounds from the sharpness of his blades. The fabric was invincible against fire, but was as fragile as any other cloth to cutting. It did not catch fire, but the blade seared her flesh—and it hurt.

Corvan continued relentlessly, giving Valeriana no room to recover. He push-kicked her right at the chest, sending her crashing against a log, the impact of which sent cracks along the surface. Splinters flew and poked at her skin through the fabric. Her armor shielded her body from severe injuries, but did not buffer the force. Now, she also had splinters along her skin. God knew how much they hurt!

"That hurt like crap."

She gasped and cried softly, but stood up nonetheless. With her sword in front of her, she ran forward for the second time and swung at Corvan, jumping while she was at it. He parried the blow and she sent up a kick to his sensitive part. His eyes widened momentarily, but he managed to shield himself pretty well.

He dropped his guard. Her chance!

She let the Empyrean stab through the air, cutting the space on his right for his shoulder. He weaved to the side, avoiding the strike by hair's breath. Even so, his cheek was left a gash while the sword stabbed through the curtain of his hair that flew behind him. He clenched his jaw and turned away the sword, moving forward in a menacing speed. He used the pommel to hit the unprotected area around her stomach.

Valeriana wheezed, but continued to hold her sword tight.

"If I knock out the sword from your hands, will you concede?" he asked.

"If I knocked yours, will you?" she replied, gritting her teeth. This was the second time he struck at her core. If this continued, she might not be able to bear it.

"Alright then. We have a deal."

The force behind his strikes increased threefold, as well as the speed. Valeriana fought against the pain and continued to defend. Her wrists hurt as well as her fingers. Each time he sent a swing her way, the vibrations was crawled up her arms. The hurting in her both her hands were starting to get worse.

He was starting to dominate. Valeriana tried to fight but was suppressed every time she would try to get the rhythm back.

"Bastard!" she yelled, given no choice but to defend. She could not find any room to attack at all!

Corvan's eyes were hard. His face was stoic. His message was clear; let go.

"Urgh . . ." Her eyes tore up at the pain.

"I will have to apologize, Valeriana," he said.

With one final strike, he targeted the crucial point of her blade and simultaneously pushed her back. The sword was torn from her hands and was sent hurling. When it landed, the tip of its blade was buried two inches into the muddy dirt before falling over. At the same time, Valeriana fell on her rear, her hands trembling.

Corvan's flaming sword was pointed at her neck.

She let her head fall back. The strength had left her body as she greedily took in the air. The coolness of the wet dirt against her back was somewhat comforting, as well the sight of the sky above.

"Man," she mumbled.

Corvan's hands were steeled. The sword was pointed tenaciously at her. She gazed at his eyes, but then noticed something off with how he looked.

"Your hair . . ." she trailed off.

Strands had fallen off and fell to the ground. It must've been her move before. She managed to cut off quite a large bunch! Corvan suddenly noticed as well that his expression darkened.

Laughing, she threw her hands in surrender and yelled the words that ended the entire game, leaving Corvan to deepen his frown as he realized how much she actually scored against him.

"I concede!"

"Valeriana has conceded! Looks like this duel has a winner, but what the heck. Corvan! Looks like she gave you a haircut!" Tamara exclaimed.

"Tch." The flames on his body and blade died out as he looked at the space over his shoulder where his long locks should have been. He gave Valeriana a glare before positioning his sword over his nape while grabbing the remaining bunch.

Valeriana gaped at him. "Hey, wait. You can't be seriou—"

In one fell swoop, he cut at the strands, earning a gasps from all the onlookers.

"Oh my holy gods." Tamara's voice came.

With Corvan's hair cut off totally, he quietly walked out of the arena and into the dugout. He left Valeriana staring at his back as the rest of the Team Five ran out to help her. His team members greeted him with hesitant smiles while looking at his once glorious locks in a state of ruin.

"Good job, Valeriana," Sai said, holding out a hand for her to take. "You might not have won, but you got him good."

She was still in a state of shock as she took his hand. "Thanks . . ."

"Not bad, your first loss against Corvan. Was the fight fun?" Leticia helped her up with a smile.

"You guys . . . aren't you disappointed?"

"The fight was great, Valeriana. You had fun and we did too." Sai patted her back. "In fact, we were able to observe some major flaws on the fabric! You helped us advance pretty well!"

"You cannot win every fight," muttered the Lady Seraphina under her breath, watching the results. "But you must know loss or else you will not learn."

"The fight between the first and fifth-ranker has now officially ended. Lord Corvan is to keep his title as first-ranker. No swaps in the position either! Good job! Good fight! Thank you for coming!"

Valeriana looked down at her hands and fisted them. She looked at where Corvan had gone. Perhaps he felt the same.

"I'm gonna miss that hair," she muttered. Her heart echoed another sentiment as well.

That was a good fight.