Her voice echoed off the cavern walls, sounding more threatening than she probably intended.
So, this was her plan.
A small smile bloomed across my face.
It wasn’t surprising.
I knew Thalia was going to pull something during the test.
Honestly, I was waiting for it.
In the game, like every other Cadet, Thalia focused on winning the team test.
She even had to fight Michael, along with Alice and Willem, in a three-way battle.
It was an awesome scene in the story — the commoner protagonist courageously standing his ground against a high-noble heir and two royals.
It gave me chills when I played it.
During the battle, they all raced for the Essence Stone, and Michael won by crushing it in front of them.
By doing that, he cemented his place as the top Cadet in their batch.
But in this reality, things had veered off course.
Instead of striving for victory, Thalia practically abandoned her Squad, leaving them to fend for themselves while she rushed to get here.
She never wanted to win.
She just wanted to confront me in this cave.
Where we would be alone and relatively without any interruptions.
“I have to say,” I started, “I’m flattered. You believed in me enough to think I’d make it here. So much so that you threw away your own chances of winning just to face me.”
Thalia’s smile turned sharp. Her golden eyes gleamed with something between amusement and challenge. “What kind of Ace would you be if you couldn’t manage even that?”
Ahh, I see.
So it was like that.
She had said she was going to take my title from me when we met during the party. So this was her way of declaring war.
In the game, Thalia and Samael barely had any interactions. It was believed that she had given up on her twin brother, dismissing him as a useless disgrace unworthy of her time.
But it didn’t seem like the case here at all.
If anything, in this reality, she seemed to consider me as a threat.
I was someone who could challenge her authority.
And so, I was someone she needed to actively take out.
That was why didn’t destroy the Essence Stone.
She wanted to force me into fighting her for it.
I let out a measured breath. “Can I say just one thing before we begin?”
Thalia tilted her head, her lips curling in disdain. “Go ahead.”
“You’ll never become the Ace, Lia.” I said, my voice calm but absolute, as if I was reciting a simple fact. “You’ll lose. Anyone who tries to challenge me for my title will lose. I may not be the strongest or the smartest in our batch, but I will always have the last laugh. I will always win.”
Thalia didn’t flinch.
She didn’t even blink.
Instead, two more Cards materialized over her shoulder.
Simultaneously, a silver sword was woven into existence in her grasp from a rain of shimmering light sparks.
In the same breath, even more glowing light particles clustered together and took the shape of a set of heavy golden armor that encased her figure.
First came the chainmail, then vambraces, a breastplate, and greaves.
Boots and gauntlets clicked into place, and a golden helmet with a white plume crowning its crest completed the look, its visor sliding down to cover her face.
A crimson cape attached to her pauldrons billowed behind her, giving her the appearance of a radiant knight.
From head to toe, she was a vision of war — a moving fortress encased in shining gold.
“Let’s see if you survive long enough to laugh!” she snarled, and in the blink of an eye, she was upon me.
Even clad in heavy armor, she was fast.
But not fast enough.
Her blade sliced toward my midsection, forcing me to step back just in time to avoid it.
Before she could react, I raised my leg and drove my foot into her chest, sending her stumbling backward.
Not giving her a moment to regain her footing, I rushed forward and kicked her squarely in the chest one more time.
The impact pushed her back even further, her boots scraping against the stone floor.
Once there was enough distance between us, I pointed my palm in her direction and summoned some of my Cards.
Two heartbeats later, a flash of energy shot from my hand, striking her breastplate with the speed of light.
⟨Piercing Bolt — Allows the user to fire a small energy projectile that can pierce through light armor.⟩
The force of the blow sent her staggering back another step, and a faint, barely noticeable dent appeared on her golden armor.
The momentum was mine now — I had her on the back foot.
Throughout this entire test, I hardly drained my Essence reserves.
I didn’t use my innate power — even while I was fighting with the Draken twins — and had barely used any of my other Cards.
Sure, my shoulder was injured, and moving my right arm felt like someone was driving nails into it.
Every muscle in my body ached, and the leg I’d used to kick that Bladewraith at the start of this test still throbbed.
But thanks to the two alchemical pills I took earlier — and thanks to Ivan who smuggled them to me, I guess — my stamina wasn’t as drained as it should have been, and the pain was manageable.
In contrast, Thalia wasn’t in the best shape.
Earlier when I saw her, I didn’t fail to notice some faint cuts and bruises on her body — she must’ve gotten those from fighting against Spirit Beasts while making her way here.
That also meant she used a good chunk of her Essence since she basically had to fight alone.
In short, I was in a much better condition than her.
Well, fine, maybe not much.
Still, I could win this fight.
A fiery arrow flared in my grip, blazing with heat, and I hurled it at my twin sister like a missile.
But Thalia wasn’t going to make it easy.
She charged at me, dodging to the side with effortless grace, and letting the fiery projectile streaking past her.
The arrow struck the cavern wall behind her and exploded with a thunderous roar, shaking the cave and raining loose debris from the ceiling.
