Chapter 105: Chloe is Dangerous
The gymnasium remained strangely quiet after Silas and Alpha’s spar.
Even after Sir Wesley ordered them back into formation, many students were still stealing glances at Alpha, who kept staring at his own feet with a confused expression.
He hadn’t understood what had changed. He only knew something had. Sir Wesley glanced around the room before opening his attendance tablet.
"Next."
His sharp eyes landed on two names.
"Chloe Montreal. Alicia Hart."
The room erupted into whispers.
"Seriously?"
"That’s a good matchup."
"Alicia’s dead."
"No... Chloe’s dead."
"You’re both wrong."
"They’re both monsters."
Alicia stepped onto the stage first. She rolled her shoulders before tightening the wraps around her hands. Unlike Chloe’s graceful appearance, Alicia possessed the physique of someone who trained every single day. She wasn’t bulky, but every movement she made radiated strength and explosiveness.
She looked toward Chloe and smiled.
"I’ve always wanted this match."
Chloe walked onto the stage calmly, her white ponytail swaying gently behind her.
"So have I," she responded coldly. There was no hostility in her stance or arrogance, just mutual respect. After surviving the rift together, the two had become considerably closer.
Sir Wesley looked between them.
"You know the rules. No abilities. No mana. No killing. And you stop when I say stop."
Both girls nodded. Sir Wesley looked at the two of them and nodded. He could only pray they listened.
"Begin."
The instant the whistle sounded, they both disappeared from their positions. The collision of their fists exploded with a loud crack, and the shockwave alone pushed nearby students backward.
"Damn!"
"They’re fast!"
Neither girl retreated. They followed up with punches, kicks, elbows, and palms. Every exchange happened almost too quickly for most students to follow.
Alicia attacked aggressively. Her style resembled a military close-quarters combat system. Efficient and direct, her every strike aimed to disable her opponent.
Chloe, on the other hand, moved differently... Gracefully. Her feet barely seemed to touch the floor. She flowed around Alicia’s attacks instead of meeting them directly. Silas folded his arms, a small smile appearing on his face.
Though Chloe wasn’t using ice, she had inherited far more than just an elemental affinity. The Ice Empress’s instincts, her discipline, and her combat experience. All of it lingered within Chloe like echoes carved into her soul.
Alicia threw a powerful straight punch, but Chloe turned sideways, causing the fist to brush past her shoulder almost lazily. A chop from Alicia immediately followed, but Chloe caught Alicia’s wrist and twisted it.
Alicia spun with the motion instead of resisting, her knee shooting upward in a vicious and powerful attack, causing Chloe to block with her forearm.
The collision caused both of them to separate. None of them had gained an advantage. Sir Wesley nodded slightly.
"Excellent."
Unlike Silas, Chloe wasn’t holding back, and neither was Alicia. They were giving it their all. This was the part where rank didn’t matter much. It was all about skill and prowess. That also didn’t mean that an F-Rank could go up against a B-Rank in terms of physical prowess.
The floor trembled under their rapid footsteps. Alicia’s attacks became faster. She closed the distance relentlessly. Punch. Hook. Low kick. Spinning elbow.
Chloe defended every single strike with minimal movement. Each block naturally flowed into the next. Each dodge positioned her for a counter. Her martial arts looked beautiful. It was almost like she was dancing, but every movement carried frightening efficiency.
Sir Wesley’s eyes narrowed.
"Imperial."
"What?" Mr. Fatars asked in confusion at his sudden exclamation.
"That style." Sir Wesley didn’t take his eyes off Chloe. "I’ve never seen it before. But... it resembles the combat doctrines once used by royalty."
Fatars frowned. "Royalty?"
"It isn’t something you learn from books," Sir Wesley nodded slowly and said in an almost respectful tone.
Meanwhile, Alicia was breathing harder.
’Why?!’
She attacked again with her strongest combination, but Chloe avoided everything. Then... she attacked. Her movements were confusing, causing Alicia’s balance to break.
A second strike landed against her shoulder, then a third touched her ribs. Each hit interrupted Alicia’s movements before they fully formed.
Silas smiled. ’Beautiful...’
The Ice Empress’s martial arts weren’t about overwhelming force: they were absolute control.
Alicia grit her teeth.
"I won’t lose!"
She rushed in again, this time abandoning her technique and changing to pure aggression. Each of her punches cracked through the air, causing Chloe to retreat a few steps until she suddenly stepped forward instead, causing everything to slow.
At least, that’s how it looked. She slipped inside Alicia’s guard, turned her hips, and placed one foot behind Alicia’s ankle; her hand caught Alicia’s wrist, while the other rested lightly against her shoulder.
Then, she rotated, causing Alicia’s own momentum to betray her. The entire class watched as Alicia’s body was lifted clean off the ground and slammed on the floor. The impact echoed across the gym.
Before Alicia could recover, Chloe’s knee gently pressed against her shoulder while one hand stopped an inch from her throat.
Silence engulfed the hall as everyone stared at the two girls, especially Chloe, in shock.
Sir Wesley looked at the position for several seconds before finally announcing.
"Winner. Chloe Montreal."
Only then did Chloe remove her hand and help Alicia back to her feet.
"You almost had me."
Alicia stared at her. "Liar."
Chloe blinked innocently.
"I mean it. You would’ve landed that shoulder tackle."
Alicia burst into laughter.
"And then what?"
"I would’ve flown."
The two girls laughed together before bumping fists. Well, Alicia did the laughing while Chloe just gave a small smile. She hadn’t been much of a people person even before awakening. She could only laugh freely around Silas, Gromda, and Anna.
The surrounding students finally erupted into applause. Sir Wesley gave a single approving nod.
"Excellent restraint and excellent technique."
He looked directly at Chloe.
"Your martial arts... continue refining them. They are extraordinary."
Chloe bowed slightly. "Thank you, Sir."
As she walked back toward Silas, he smiled warmly.
"You looked amazing."
A faint blush appeared on Chloe’s cheeks.
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"You were beautiful."
The blush deepened instantly.
She quietly stood beside him, trying and completely failing to hide the tiny smile tugging at her lips.
Alpha watched the exchange before muttering under his breath,
"Disgustingly sweet."
Silas heard him.
"I know you’re jealous."
"I’m not."
"You want compliments too?"
"Shut up."
The class burst into laughter once more, and even Sir Wesley had to clear his throat to keep the corner of his mouth from rising before calling out the next pair.