Lysandra rushed toward Klein without waiting. Using the fire as a propellant, her feet left the ground in a fluid movement, projecting liquid lava behind her. She covered the distance in a fraction of a second, her arms extended in front of her.

< Lance of Light >

She extended her right hand: a lance of pure white fire formed instantly in her palm, measuring nearly two meters. She hurled it with a sharp wrist movement, her arm following a straight and precise trajectory. The lance flew toward Klein’s torso at high speed, leaving a trail of light in the air.

Klein took a step back on his left foot, then pivoted on his right heel. His body turned just enough for the lance to pass beside his shoulder. The tip of the lance struck the ground behind him and exploded in a spray of flames that blackened the earth for several meters.

Without stopping, Lysandra continued. She planted her left foot on the ground to brake her momentum, then struck the ground with her right foot to leap to the side. Her two hands rose to chest height, fingers spread.

< Rain of Solar Meteors >

Small orange fire spheres appeared around her by the dozens. She launched them with a wide gesture of both arms, sending the projectiles in an arc toward Klein. Each sphere descended tracing a rapid curve, covering a wide area.

< Aura Repulsion >

Quickly, a wave of aura burst from Klein’s body, striking the rain of fire which was easily deflected, crashing down in all directions.

"You are wasting your mana," said Klein in a calm voice. He remained with his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless.

Lysandra clenched her teeth. Sweat flowed down her face. She took a deep breath to catch her breath.

< Domain of the Holy Flame: Intensification >

She suddenly increased the flow of mana in her body. A fire aura surrounded her body. The heat around her became even stronger, even melting the ground further under her feet. She propelled herself toward Klein. As she approached, she delivered a palm strike, aiming at Klein’s torso.

Klein dodged by shifting his weight onto his right foot and slightly pulling back his torso. But Lysandra did not slow down. She spun on herself to deliver a kick to Klein.

He blocked the knee with his own leg. He used a slight push of aura to repel the air around him, creating a small wave that pushed Lysandra a few extra centimeters away.

She retreated two quick steps, resuming her guard. Her hands trembled slightly from the effort. "You are only running away! Fight for real!" she shouted, her voice hoarse.

Klein shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I do not need to attack to win."

Furious, Lysandra raised both arms above her head. She joined her hands, palms pressed together.

< Total Nova Explosion >

A huge ball of white fire formed above her, growing rapidly until it reached several meters in diameter. She threw it toward Klein with a downward movement of her joined arms. The sphere descended while accelerating, releasing an intense heat that made the air vibrate.

The sphere exploded on impact with the ground, creating a wide crater and sending a burning shockwave. Lysandra, who had just launched an attack of this scale, was panting, out of breath. She as well as everyone present looked at the place where Klein had been standing.

As the smoke dissipated, one could see the ground completely charred: a crater had formed and, in the middle of it, stood Klein, hands in his pockets, a layer of energy covering him entirely, which had protected him from Lysandra’s attack.

Lysandra’s breathing became heavier and heavier. Her chest heaved in jerks, and her lungs burned as if they were on fire. Nevertheless, she found the strength to straighten up. With the back of her hand, she wiped the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, then she cast a glance toward her opponent.

"Shit...", she murmured while clenching her jaws.

Klein did not move immediately. He observed the scene from a few meters away, his hands still sunk in the pockets of his coat.

"You did not really think you were capable of defeating me, did you?" he finally said in a calm but contemptuous voice.

Lysandra did not reply. She simply clenched her fists.

"Although your level is S rank, you are still inferior to me." said Klein while tilting his head slightly to the side. He marked a short pause, then added: "So, what do you intend to do now?"

"I am going to force you to react, damn it!" shouted Lysandra.

Without waiting, she made her aura burst again. Her body began to shine with a more intense aura than ever, so much so that the air around her seemed to vibrate. The stone under her feet cracked under the pressure.

"Very well, since you insist, I will therefore grant your wish." said Klein while letting out a slight sigh.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Then, slowly, he reopened them. At the same time, he took his hands out of his pockets. The aura around him changed radically: what had been calm and contained suddenly became oppressive. When his eyes were fully open, his energy exploded in all directions. A violent wind swept the area, lifting a cloud of dust and gravel. Space itself twisted around him, as if reality struggled to support his power.

This demonstration shocked all the spectators. As for Lysandra, her face turned pale. Her hands trembled slightly, and fear was clearly visible in her expression. She wanted to retreat, but her legs refused to move.

Klein gave her no respite. He shifted to the right with a fluid step, then raised his right hand toward the sky. The air became oppressive. In a cold murmur that froze the blood of all the witnesses, he pronounced:

< Art Sundering Eclipse – Third Movement: New Moon. >

A colossal energy, of pure white, then burst from his hand. The beam crossed the space in a flash and rushed toward Lysandra. Before she could make a gesture, the light engulfed her entirely. A blinding flash illuminated the entire field, forcing several witnesses to look away.

A few seconds later, the intensity of the attack gradually decreased. The dust that had risen began to dissipate. In the returned silence, one first distinguished a standing silhouette. It was Lysandra. Her face was pale, her clothes torn, but she was still on her legs. However, her body began to tremble violently. She tried to take a step, then her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, on her knees.

Yet what stunned all the witnesses the most was not her fall. Barely a meter from where she had been standing, a huge furrow crossed the ground. The earth had been dug over several tens of meters long, and the edges of the ditch were still glowing with residual heat.

Klein had therefore not targeted Lysandra. He had voluntarily deviated his attack to graze her.

In the absolute silence that followed, footsteps echoed. Klein advanced calmly. He walked until he passed Lysandra, still on the ground, without even a glance for her. He stopped for a moment, as if nothing had happened.

"I think we are done here," he said simply.

Then he continued on his way, his hands once again sunk in his pockets, without turning back.