Chapter 382 Volume VI - 15: The Duels

Chapter 382 Volume VI - 15: The Duels

*(A/N: Well... I thought that only three chapters daily might be a little too small considering the time I was away. So I decided to upload not one but two chapters for three days, then one chapter for another three days, and then the usual schedule of one chapter every two days. But the second chapters may come a little bit later, not at the same time as the first chapters, just so you know.)*

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It didn't take us long to decide on the matches. It was quite simple... there were three of us and we would take turns to go out into the arena. And then, one by one, we would fight the enemies that we would face.

It was as simple as that.

The number of people we had to face was almost thirty. And we had to plan accordingly, actually...

But who cared?

Well... most people would have cared, probably.

But we didn't need that.

We had only one plan, and that was the order of battle. The person in front would fight until they were tired, and then it would be the turn of the person behind them.

And so... Lucia was the first to step into the arena on my side.

She stepped forward with her sword drawn, her blood-red eyes gleaming slightly. Her opponent was a third year, someone on Jack's side. He was high in the rankings... in the top twenty of the third years, if I remember correctly.

Before the duel began, I observed Lucia's slender body. Honestly... she didn't seem to have changed much, except for her hair, at least. But... something was different at the same time. A little bit different from the person she used to be.

And that's why I actually decided to do something like this, to get two other people besides myself to fight on my side, I mean.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

I wanted to see what exactly had changed. How much she had changed... and what she could do or be able to do compared to before.

That's exactly why I took the long way around, when I could have gone into the arena myself and done everything quickly.

It was at this moment that a bell echoed in the arena. A screen appeared between the duelists, and on the screen a number... three.

Then two.

And one.

Finally, a "go" sign.

The third-year student moved quickly as if he wanted to finish everything in one move. He didn't even seem to take Lucia very seriously... his eyes were on us contrary to her opponent... as if to tell us, 'watch, it's your turn.'

But the biggest mistake he made was to think that his opponent was an ordinary person.

Raising her sword slightly, Lucia tightened her grip and met her opponent's attack head-on. Her blood-red eyes suddenly flashed with fury as her surroundings rippled slightly as if they were heating up.

I saw the eyes of her opponent, the third-year, widen and turn away from us, but by then... it was too late.

Lucia's flame-covered fist sailed past her opponent's sword and landed directly on his face. It was such a solid punch that it was enough to create a slight wave of pressure... and the third-year was thrown straight back.

But he was not in the top twenty of the third years for nothing. He moved quickly to regain his balance before collapsing to the ground, ignoring the not-so-serious-looking burn on his face, looking for Lucia... only to find her suddenly in front of him.

Lucia grabbed him by the collar, pulled him slightly toward her, and then threw him even further. Then she turned her sword slightly so that she could use it like a baseball bat and swung it at his face.

The third-year was thrown out of the dueling arena just like that, disqualified. When he hit the wall just below the stands, his unconscious face was exposed and clearly visible to everyone.

"It's your turn."

Adrian curled his lips upward. He took out his spear that he had stuck in the ground and simply spun it around before taking a simple stance. Then, he walked slowly to the center of the arena. He had a look on his face as if he had been waiting for this the entire time.

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Adrian naturally attracted even more attention than Lucia the moment he entered the arena. He was the strongest in the eyes of most people because... the number of people who saw me in action was almost non-existent here. There were a lot of people who thought that I only got first place because I was a war hero.

So Adrian was seen as the real 'first rank'. And his coming forward caused a lot of people to hold their breath. Including Jack and Cassandra, of course.

But it was Adrian's next words that really stirred the pot.

"Send two people."

It wasn't a request, not a plea. With the gentle smile still on his face and his emerald green eyes on his opponents... he was practically giving orders.

"Three is also fine."

He was different from who he normally was. But... not in a bad way.

It was like he was... imitating me.

I couldn't help but smile.

Jack and Cassandra were silent for a while after Adrian's words. Still... they didn't reject him. After what Lucia had done, they didn't want to take any risks. And so Adrian was confronted by two people at once, both third-years.

When the duel began, one of them, a big man, with an axe held in both hands, rushed forward. The other, a girl, wielded a spear like Adrian.

Adrian didn't do much. He didn't even use his mana.... His feet moved as if dancing. His spear accompanied him mesmerizingly.

As his opponent's axe threatened to slice him in half at a wide angle, his spear ended beside him. His body felt weightless, like a feather... but his spear?

When his spear made contact with the side of the axe, as if it actually weighed tons, it caused the student with the axe to lose all balance. The axe slipped out of his hand and flew to the other side.

But it didn't matter. Because the girl with the spear used the gap created by his friend with the axe... There was nothing protecting Adrian.

It was as if this duel was over...

But it wasn't.

Adrian turned around in a sudden movement as if time had slowed down. He was like a feather again, graceful... seemingly slow, but actually extremely fast. And his spear, despite its sheer force, was as light as he was.

With that, the girl with the spear suddenly found Adrian staring at her. She didn't stop his attack, she kept going... but to no avail.

Adrian's spear moved in such a minimal way that it was very easy to follow, yet very... difficult. But the effect of this minimal movement on the opponent's weapon was unimaginable.

When the student closed and opened her eyes... her attack was completely manipulated, directed by Adrian. It was no longer him she was attacking... but his friend with the axe.

And before she had time to stop herself, her attack met her friend's body.

That's how Adrian's first duel ended. With his use of pure spear techniques... without using any skills.

Not only the stands were stunned, but also Jack and Cassandra. But Adrian didn't care, he looked toward them and spoke indifferently.

"Next? It might be better if there are three of you this time."