Chapter 73: Demon Combat Practice. (4)
The arena remained silent for a few seconds.
Antony’s body still lay where it had fallen. The blood had mixed with the purple sand, darkening the tone in that area. The chimera remained nearby, breathing calmly, as if the previous effort had meant nothing.
Morgana tilted her head, observing the result without moving.
"Bianca Sargas," she said afterward, with the same uniform tone.
The name took a moment to find a response.
From the stands, a girl stood up stiffly. Black hair, short, slightly messy at the tips. Her brown eyes avoided looking directly toward the arena. Her posture was closed, shoulders hunched, hands tense against her sides.
She descended the steps carefully.
Each step seemed measured, as if she feared stumbling.
Gerald followed her with his gaze.
"Doesn’t look good..." he murmured, adjusting his glasses.
Aku didn’t respond.
Bianca reached the center.
She stopped several meters from the chimera.
She didn’t adopt any combat posture.
She was just there.
Morgana looked at her.
"Whenever you’re ready," she said.
The girl didn’t answer.
The chimera moved first.
The feline head leaned forward. The front paws tensed. The impulse was direct, without detours.
Bianca reacted late.
She tried to take a step back.
Her feet failed.
She fell.
The impact against the sand was dry. Her hands remained supported in front of her, trembling. Her breathing became irregular in seconds.
The chimera closed the distance.
The ground vibrated under its strides.
Bianca raised her gaze.
Her eyes opened wider than normal.
Her body stopped responding.
A faint smell spread in the air.
The fabric of her uniform darkened at the bottom.
She remained motionless.
"N-no..." she murmured, barely audible. "No... I can’t..."
Her voice broke.
Tears began falling without control. Her hands closed on themselves, unable to form anything, to activate anything.
"Please..." she added, lowering her head. "Please..."
The chimera was a few meters away.
Morgana raised a hand.
"That’s enough."
The creature stopped.
There was no resistance.
It simply stopped advancing.
Silence filled the space again.
Bianca didn’t move. She remained on the ground, trembling, with broken breathing.
Morgana observed her a few seconds.
"Disappointing," she said.
There was no harshness in the tone. No compassion either.
Just an assessment.
"Withdraw, and take your companion to the infirmary."
Bianca didn’t respond.
She took a few seconds to react, as if she hadn’t understood. Then she tried to stand up. Her legs didn’t respond well. She ended up supporting herself on one hand to get up halfway and approach Antony fearfully, then leave the arena without looking at anyone, taking him to the infirmary.
Some students looked away.
Others kept observing in silence.
Morgana lowered her hand.
"Next."
Her eyes swept the stands.
They stopped.
"Bīng Xuě."
The boy stood up almost instantly.
He stretched his arms above his head, as if he had just woken up.
"My turn already?" he said, descending the steps with light pace. "Thought it would take longer."
Upon reaching the arena, he looked at the chimera.
His expression changed.
He smiled.
"Okay..." he murmured. "This does look good."
Bīng Xuě descended the last step and stepped on the sand without stopping. He moved his shoulders, released his neck to one side and then the other, as if removing body stiffness. His eyes fixed on the chimera and swept each part without hurry.
"Can I go without abilities?" he asked, barely turning his head toward Morgana. "I feel like trying something simpler."
Morgana observed him a few seconds.
"Do what you want," she responded.
He nodded, satisfied.
"Perfect. Just hands, then."
He positioned himself in front of the beast. He didn’t adopt a rigid guard. His arms remained loose, at mid-height, with relaxed fingers. His feet rested lightly on the sand, adjusting the distance with short steps.
The chimera reacted.
The feline head lowered first. The front paws tensed. The impulse was quick, direct, seeking the body.
Bīng Xuě didn’t retreat.
He moved to one side at the last moment. A short hip turn, enough to let the charge pass centimeters away. His left hand touched the creature’s back as it passed, measuring the rhythm, the weight.
The tail lashed the air.
He was no longer there.
He had advanced to the side, entering the main head’s blind angle. He threw a short blow to the neck, right where the fur opened between the plates. He wasn’t seeking damage. He was testing resistance.
The reptilian head responded.
It turned quickly and launched a side bite.
Bīng Xuě lowered his body. The jaw passed over his shoulder. From that position, he supported one hand on the ground and turned, using the impulse to raise his leg and strike the base of the neck.
The chimera retreated a step.
Its claws dug into the sand to recover balance.
Bīng Xuě smiled.
"Okay... you have good weight," he said, breathing stably. "But you move before time."
The creature didn’t wait.
The wings opened suddenly, lifting sand in all directions. The body advanced with more speed, combining the charge with a descending swipe.
Bīng Xuě entered the trajectory.
He didn’t dodge outward. He got inside.
His arm rose to deflect the claw, absorbing part of the impact with his forearm as his body turned toward the attack’s interior. His other hand closed in a direct blow to the torso, just under the hardened ribs.
The contact was dry.
The chimera growled.
It tried to turn the feline head to bite.
Bīng Xuě had already moved to its back.
He briefly supported himself on the back to propel himself and fall behind. His feet touched the sand without losing stability. From there, he struck the joint of one of the rear paws.
The beast lost support for an instant.
Enough.
Bīng Xuě advanced and stuck to its body.
The tail launched toward him.
He caught it.
Not with brute force. He placed both hands at the base of the segment, turning his own body to deflect the trajectory. The stinger passed beside him, embedding itself in the sand.
"Too obvious," he added, adjusting the grip.
The chimera shook its body violently.
Bīng Xuě released the tail before losing balance. He retreated two steps, keeping his gaze fixed.
The creature turned again.
Now its movements were more abrupt.
Less controlled.
Bīng Xuě breathed deeply once.
Then he advanced.
This time he was the one who took the initiative.
He entered range with short steps, dodging the first bite with a slight head movement. His right hand struck the neck. The left followed with another impact on the same point. They weren’t wide blows. They were dry, placed, seeking to weaken.
The chimera tried to lift its body.
He was already climbing.
He supported his foot on the rear paw and jumped, passing over the back. His legs closed around the main neck as he fell. His right arm surrounded the base of the feline head. The left secured the grip.
The movement was quick.
Compact.
The arm closed under the jaw. The other pressed from above, blocking circulation and airflow.
The chimera reacted violently.
It shook. Hit the ground with its body. Tried to reach Bīng Xuě with the second head, but the angle didn’t allow it.
He adjusted the position.
He pressed his chest to the creature’s nape, closing the space even more. His legs tensed, fixing control.
"That’s it," he murmured, without losing his breathing rhythm. "Don’t move so much."
The pressure increased.
The chimera’s strength began to fall.
Its movements became erratic. Then slower. The paws stopped hitting with the same intensity.
The reptilian head opened its mouth one last time, releasing hot air without direction.
Bīng Xuě maintained the grip.
He didn’t squeeze suddenly.
He held.
He waited.
The creature’s body finished yielding.
The tension disappeared from its muscles. The weight collapsed on the sand.
Bīng Xuě released the grip and stood up with a short jump, falling to one side lightly.
He shook the dust from his hands.
"That was good," he said, looking at the motionless chimera. "You last longer than the previous ones."
He turned his head toward the stands.
"Well, now it’s the turn of..."