"Are you two going to fight or what?" Wukong hollered, uo watch the staring test any longer.

  Wukong's shout successfully snapped both children out of their daze. It also reminded Amira of Ace having previously called her a little kid.

  Her angry gre returning as she slowly uhed her swords. "[Supersonic]."

  'Ooh shit.' Ace thought to himself as he suddenly ducked out of the way, just in time to avoid the katana sshing towards his neck. 'Is she trying to kill me?'

  Though he didn't know before, Ace could immediately tell by her current speed that 'Supersonic' ell that increased movement speed. It was the only possible expnation for an early sed-rank warrior moving at the speed of a third-rank warrior.

  If it wasn't for his haki, there was no way Ace would be able to keep up, and even then, it was only just. Fet ter-attag, it took everything he had to barely respond to each of her strikes.

  Her twin swordsmanship reached a level where Ace felt like he was fighting against two swordsmen who were able to work fwlessly together. Though she hadn't reached the level of being oh her swords, it wasn't too far off at all.

  A, despite being thhly suppressed, Ace was smiling. He couldn't help but think back to a good friend who was also a dual-wielding swordsman – 5th Division ander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Vista of the Flower Swords.

  All the other students were shocked by what they were witnessing. Ace had long since proved himself as araordinary warrior. In each of their hearts, Ace was undoubtedly the stro student of their cohort, yet that very student was being thhly dominated, even after being healed.

  The only students who still seemed to have fiden Ace were Killian, Alissa, and Kannal, all of whom uood Ace's true strength.

  Amira, who was the one in plete trol of the fight, frowned harder as the fight went oually, with her overwhelming speed, she mao draw first blood as her sword sshed Ace's cheek.

  She watched as he jumped back to put some distaween them but didn't chase him.

  "You're holding back." She decred whilst gring ily at her oppo. "Why are you still holding back?"

  "I don't want to hurt you," Astinctively replied. By the time he realised what he'd said, it was too te to take it back, and unfortunately, his answer only served to truly anger her.

  If before she was frustrated due to being called a little kid, now she was genuinely enraged. It was true she was talented, but the thing she prided herself on most was her hard work, and she couldn't easily five someone making light of the blood, sweat, and effort she'd put in to reach her current level at her age.

  "Is it because I'm a girl?" Amira asked, her voice frosty.

  Ace didn't know how to react to that. He knew how he felt. He just couldn't find the words to expin.

  How do you tell someohat you just met that there was something about them that made you innately want to spend the rest of your life proteg them? That the thought of you being the o them any pain made you sick.

  Seeing her oppo's hesitation, Amira took it as a yes. Her grip tightened around her swords as she felt an overwhelming sense of disappoihat quickly turned into anger. "[Wind Bde]!"

  Time seemed to slow as Ace watched his oppo slowly raise her dainty right hand, pointing directly at him. With his [Observation] still active, he clearly saw the wind esseake the shape of a crest bde of wind, but the only thing he could think about was how he was the cause of her disappoi.

  As she poi him, he felt a pain in his chest that didn't make sense. Even after the wind bde nded and made a deep cut along his torso, the only pain he could feel came from his heart.

  "ACE!" Milianna cried as she prepared to run to aid her only son, only to be forcibly stopped by Wukong. "Let me go! 't you see my son's hurt?!"

  It wasn't just her. Even Killian had to be restrained by his master to keep him from intervening.

  "Ace is fine," Lannounced, being the only one of the three who was able to keep a clear head after Ace was injured. "It's just a flesh wound."

  "You…

  You didn't dodge!" Amira said as she looked at the wound on Ace's chest. "Why didn't you dodge?!"

  There was a big part of her that wao stay angry, believing he was still uimating her, but when she saw the damage she'd doo him, she found herself wracked with guilt, something that made no seo her.

  "I'm sorry," Ace said, catg the caramel-skinned dual sword-wielding girl by surprise. "You were right, I was holding back, and it was disrespectful to you and your hard work, so I'm sorry."

  As Ace said that, he allowed his mind, body, and soul to bee oh the give in his hand. There was no physical ge in appearanor was there a distinctive surge in power, but everyone could sense a clear differen his presence.

  "This…

  Did he…?" Lazerim uood what he was witnessing, but the shock prevented him from getting his words out clearly.

  "Oh the give!" Kimika firmed, her face showing no less shock than her senior brother's.

  "Haha, about time." Wukong grinned.

  "I hope you're ready," Ace said with a gentle smile. "I won't be holding baymore."

  As his voice waned, his body disappeared. He shot forward at a speed faster than he ever had before.

  [Soru] was a teique that required the user to kick off the ground at least ten times almost instantaneously to move at high-speeds. Till now, ten had been the most he could do, but just theually managed 11.

  Even though it was only a difference of a single kick, it made a big differehough he was the weakest of the css, Kannal had always been able to follow Ace's movements when looking from afar – albeit barely – but now, it almost looked as if Ace had teleported.

  Joel and the rest of Ace's previous oppos looked at the give-wielding boy with their jaws dropped. Not just because of the sudden burst of speed but also because they had overheard the instructor's words. It was then that they uood that Ace had actually been holding back against each of them. The differen strength between Ad them was like heaven ah.

  Surprised as she was, an enting smile suddenly found its way onto Amira's face as she cshed against Ace.

  With [Supersonic] still active, Amira held the advantage when it came to movement speed, but whether it was the speed of their ons, raw power, or teique, Ace had a clear advantage.

  It wasn't long before Amira found herself being thhly suppressed in a simir fashion to how she had suppressed Aot long ago. Still, her smile never waned.

  The same was true for Ace. As they cshed, both he and Amira found themselves having the time of their lives. It wasn't about winning or losing for either of them. They just wao tinue having fun, and that they did.

  The others watched in shock as Amira and Ace went bad forth in what looked more like a dahan a battle.

  Even Milianna and Killian, who had stopped struggling, stared in admiration at the pair's dispy.

  "How iing," Aiden said as he stared with fasation.

  "What is?" Mathias asked absentmindedly, uo peel his eyes away from the ring.

  "Haven't you noticed yet?" Aiden asked. "Both Ad Amira are improving at a noticeable speed."

  As he said that, the eyes of Mathias and the others widened upon realising he was right.

  "Is it sudden enlighte?!" Lauriel asked in amazement.

  "No, it 't be," Wukong shook his head. "They're both still pletely scious."

  "Then what?" Kimika asked, uo uand what they were witnessing.

  "I have no idea," Aiden shrugged. "But it's fasating, no?"

  Since his reination, Ace found that he loved fighting and everything it entailed more than ever, but never had he felt as happy as he did right now. Fighting against Amira like this was almost euphoriuch so that he didn't even notice that he was actually improving at such a rapid speed. And Amira felt no different. It was as though they were dang on cloud nine.

  It was at that moment that the eyes of both children gzed over. The smiles on their faces widened, but they entered a state of total emptiness.

  "Now that's sudden enlighte!" Lauriel excimed dumbfoundedly as she watched both Ad Amira erupt in speed.

  "How is this possible?!" Kimika asked as if everything she'd ever learnt had just been turned upside down by two children, not even ten.

  "Sudden enlighte is just the act of you, or rather your soul, prehending something new whilst in a state of extreme stimution," Aiden expined. "The only reasonable expnation is that somehow, their souls are able to stimute the others to the point where Amira's able to bee oh her swords and Ace is able to wield heavy as though it were light…

  It's just a shame Amira's only a rank two mage."

  "What does that have to…" Lazerim didn't o finish his question to uand what Aide.

  He and the others saw Amira's [Supersonic] spell dissipate as Amira's mageforce ran dry.

  That spell was the only reason Amira could pete with Ace's ridiculous speed. Without it, Ace mao easily speed past her defence.

  Amira could do nothing as the tip of Ace's give stopped just short of her gbel. Yet instead of looking at the polearm mere inches away from g her life, she gently stared into Ace's dark but gentle eyes.

  her of them said a word as Ace lowered his on, and Amira re-sheathed hers; they simply got lost in the eyes of the other.

  Only when they heard the gentle sound of someone clearing their throat beside them did they remember they weren't alone.

  Though it was only visible ohe faces of both of them flushed with embarrassment as they finally broke eye tact.

  An amused smile suffused lips as he saw the embarrassment on their faces, but Mathias chose not to make it any harder for the two love birds.

  "Sihere are no more challengers, that makes Ace the Pavilion's first King of the Ring," Mathias announced. "gratutions."

  P.S. Support me oreon listed below to read ahead - Release rate is at least 2x as many chapters every week! XD

  P.atreon./ACoilingDragon: Book 3 - Chapter 18