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The True Ascension-Chapter 45: Between Blades and Feelings
Chapter 45: Between Blades and Feelings
When they collided, it was as if a thunderclap had exploded inside the chamber.
BOOM!
The impact opened a small crater beneath their feet, cracking the floor around them. Shards of stone flew like the shrapnel of a controlled explosion, but neither of them seemed to notice.
Selene struck with absurd speed and precision—every thrust, every sweep of her spear was like a war dance choreographed to the edge of perfection.
But Aziz kept up with all of it. His eyes read the movements before they happened, as if he could see a few seconds into the future.
He moved with unnatural lightness, dodging by mere millimeters, his sword rising to meet every strike at the perfect moment. It wasn’t just skill—it was intuition, something primal and otherworldly guiding his hands.
The spectators, once tense, were now completely silent.
Stella clutched her own arms, eyes wide. Sylvia stood frozen, her lips slightly parted. Sofia held Zia’s hand without even noticing, and neither of them blinked. Astrid had her arms crossed, a proud smile playing on her lips, while Isis observed in silence, like a sculptor watching her masterpiece move on its own.
The battle had surpassed the physical plane.
It was art.
It was spirituality.
It was intimacy.
Selene, attacking, defending, and countering in perfect rhythm, felt her heart burn with excitement. What was supposed to be just another test—one of many she had conducted with promising adventurers—had turned into something different. It wasn’t simply a contest of strength or skill. It was a dance. A dance of weapons. A dance of two hearts.
Aziz felt it too. As he exchanged blow after blow with Selene, watching her beautiful smile as she fought, he realized this test had become something more. And he was definitely enjoying it.
The rhythm of the fight intensified even further, their weapons clashing in a cacophony of steel, sweat, and will. Two young warriors, each carrying their own burdens, fears, and promises.
At some point, they both began to let their guards down, attacking with every ounce of mastery and experience they had earned.
"This is so much fun! Don’t stop! Let’s keep going until we can’t anymore!" Selene shouted, her voice full of genuine desire to prolong the moment.
Aziz responded with an even wider smile, launching himself toward her like a falling star.
CLANG!
The impact sent them both skidding back a few steps. Now several meters apart, Aziz and Selene were slightly winded—not from exhaustion, but from the adrenaline surging through their veins. From the joy of finally finding someone who, without words, understood exactly how the other felt. Who shared the same pulse.
Channeling more mana into their weapons, they prepared for the next clash. As if by silent agreement, their figures blurred, meeting once more at the center of the room with another thunderous explosion.
And it went on. To ordinary eyes, they were nothing more than flashes of blades, sparks flying through the air, and explosive sounds echoing across the chamber.
But those present could see everything clearly—except for Sofia and Zia, who at times couldn’t follow the movements at all.
That visual gap triggered something unexpected in them.
During the five years Aziz had spent training, they hadn’t been idle. They had trained too—moved by the unwavering focus and determination he radiated.
But now, with a tightness in their chests, they realized it hadn’t been enough. If they compared their dedication to Aziz’s relentless discipline, they had managed maybe a quarter of his effort.
In their minds, Aziz was never going to become a wandering adventurer. He wasn’t someone who would leave the comfort of home to throw himself into a world full of danger. They were certain that once his training was done, he’d return home—to them. To their lives full of small joys, playful rivalries, and peaceful days filled with teasing and laughter. They had dreamed of it countless times. It was almost a silent pact between the two: that when Aziz came back, he would spoil them. That they would live out their adventures inside the home they shared.
But... they were wrong.
When they found out he had finally left home, their hearts burst with joy. They ran to him without hesitation. Buried themselves in his arms... only to then hear, from his own mouth, that he intended to set out on a real journey. An actual adventure.
It would be a lie to say they didn’t feel betrayed.
Each of them had their own plans for him. More than that—they wanted to capture his heart entirely. To have him, each in her own way.
Because both Sofia and Zia were in love with him.
They didn’t even know exactly when it had started. They only remembered his calm, understanding smile. How even during the most grueling training, he always found time to listen to them, to comfort them, to step in when their childish fights got out of hand. He spoiled them. Kissed their foreheads. Ran his fingers through their hair. Even fed them personally at times.
It had happened so often that it became a habit. A refuge. A hope.
Sofia and Zia would pretend to fight just to catch his attention. Just to get a bit more of that affection.
And that’s how they realized—or rather, admitted—that they had loved him for a long time. Even without fully understanding it.
But now, seeing him smile like that—so deeply immersed in his duel with Selene—a quiet sadness began to take root in their hearts.
Not because he was having fun... but because they weren’t the ones making him smile like that.
They weren’t the ones who had ignited that fire.
Even if his smile held a hint of madness, it was still the smile of the man they loved.
And so, the feeling of inferiority began to take root. To germinate inside them.
Because of their own weakness. Their lack of dedication. The growing distance between their worlds.
They were being left behind.
In terms of strength, they could no longer walk beside him.
That is the nature of human feelings. They change, even when the heart tries to convince us otherwise. Even when a part of you screams that you’re right, that there’s still hope.
Meanwhile, Aziz—completely unaware of the dark thoughts plaguing the two girls who had once confessed their love for him—continued to fight with a broad smile on his face.
Small wounds began to appear on their bodies, even with the thin layers of mana shielding them. But they quickly healed, as if they were nothing more than fleeting illusions.
Cuts and gashes appeared again and again. One moment, Aziz’s cheek, arm, or shoulder was bleeding; the next, it was Selene’s body. Yet everything healed almost instantly, and the dance of blades continued.
But at a certain moment, Aziz felt a tightness in his chest. It wasn’t the threat of Selene’s spear. It was something deeper. Something more important.
His mind raced to make sense of it.
So he called on the system.
’System, do you know what’s happening? Why am I suddenly feeling this tightness in my chest?’
[Hmmm... my stallion should really figure this out on his own. But since I’m feeling generous today, I’ll give you a hint.]
’Then tell me, please. I feel like this matters.’
[Hahaha... of course, my beloved host. Here’s your hint: your women. Look at them, and you’ll understand.]
Dodging a sweeping arc of the spear, Aziz lifted his gaze. First, he saw Astrid and Isis, watching him with quiet pride.
When they noticed his eyes on them, they both nodded subtly and smiled even more warmly.
He smiled back.
Clang!
Parrying another strike, Aziz then glanced over at Stella and Sylvia. Their eyes shone with admiration. They were smiling too—Stella’s more reserved, and Sylvia’s shy and sweet.
He smiled at them as well.
And then, in the midst of a downward strike that was parried by Selene, his eyes finally landed on Sofia and Zia.
He saw the difference in their expressions. And at that moment, the tightness in his chest deepened.
He understood what he had been feeling.
’That’s enough. I need to end this test,’ he thought, making his decision.
Taking a few steps back and drawing a deep breath, he faced Selene once more.
"Huff... let’s wrap this up. We’ve had enough fun, don’t you think?" said Aziz, with a smile that tried to mask his inner concern.
Selene, who hadn’t taken her eyes off him for even a second, noticed the change. As much as he tried to hide it, part of him was no longer fully present in the fight.
And that irritated her. She had been enjoying the way they fought—not just with weapons, but with emotion.
When she saw his gaze shift to the other girls, she understood. It was after he looked at Sofia and Zia that he wanted to stop.
She had seen their expressions too. But she didn’t care about them.
What bothered her... was that he had stopped looking only at her.
Gritting her teeth slightly and drawing a slow breath, Selene smiled—as if her irritation had been just an illusion.
"Let’s... end it, then. But it was fun," she agreed with a smile.
"But... how about one final strike?" she offered, unwilling to let it end on such a dull note.
Aziz nodded, understanding that this would give their duel a proper conclusion.
In a silent agreement, both unleashed more mana, coating their bodies and weapons in overlapping layers.
From opposite ends of the room, they smiled at each other... and charged.
BOOM!