Arthur was silent as the crowd raged around him, untouched by the chaos around him. He stepped atop the stone platform, and unsheathed his blade without saying a word.
"Kid, withdraw now before it's too late." Rudolf gritted.
"Bro, that guy is gonna get himself killed."
"He's handsome! So bad it'll all go to waste."
"I admire his courage."
Richard was going to drag Zach off the stage himself, but he saw something in Zach he had never seen before.
Cold resolve.
Zach raised his hand. "I think it'll be fair if I get a proper weapon." He gestured at the wooden blade in his hands.
The instructors looked at each other, pondering.
"Okay, give the kid a weapon." Vale snapped his fingers, ordering some onlooking guards to go get the weapons rack.
"Vale, explain yourself..." Rudolf hissed.
"Nope." Vale replied flatly.
"So you want this kid to die... You know how crazy Arthur can be at times; he doesn't know how to hold back!" Rudolf shouted so loud that the entire assembly could hear him.
"And so..." Vale responded casually.
Rudolf helplessly sat back in his chair; there was nothing he could do. If the brown-haired student challenged Arthur, he couldn't stop it.
The guard hurried back with a weapon rack. Zach walked over to it and selected two hook blades.
"Rodolf, seems you're not the only trap master." Vale laughed.
Rudolf was amazed that the instructor could still joke in such a situation.
Arthur crouched down into his unusual stance, setting his blade at shoulder length. 'Let's do this.'
Zach poured essence into his legs, turning them arched like a cheetah's.
"He's a shifter class..." Vale thought, his lips curled into a smirk.
"Ready."
Silence...
"Go."
_Boom_
Zach strained his body and, with every ounce of soul essence in him, launched so fast it created a sonic boom, shocking everyone, including Arthur.
Arthur didn't have time to properly get into a stance; he underestimated his opponent.
Zach wasn't going to let this opportunity slide.
"Speed isn't about how fast you are—it's about how slow your opponent feels."
He wielded both of his hook blades with masterful precision. His reflexes morphed into that of a mantis in a blink of an eye, sending the attack flying like the edge of a whip, creating a sonic boom.
Arthur's dazed expression was met with an explosive attack from Zach's side. In a frantic attempt, he tried to raise his sword, but it was a bit too late.
Boom
The attack sent him flying out of the platform, blasting him into a nearby tree. His back collided with the tree, shattering it.
The onlookers looked in horror and amazement.
"Did he just do that?"
"Who's that cadet?"
Arthur struggled to stand up; his arms were bent at an unnatural angle, his back was caved in, his body was battered and bruised.
But a large smile was plastered all over his good-looking face, which made no sense to the onlookers.
"He... he's laughing." One cadet gasped.
"Perfect!!!!!... Ha ha... just perfect!!!!!!... Exactly what I was looking for!" He yelled in battle excitement.
Arthur arched his body; his body glowed with a bright red aura.
Zach got into his lounging stance too. His legs morphed into those of a cheetah, his reflexes like that of a mantis, and his perception morphed to that of an eagle.
Arthur's body automatically repaired itself; bone snapped back in seconds.
He blasted off the ground towards the platform, and Zach did the same, launching himself towards the charging prince.
Their figures collided in the middle, blasting everything away.
The ground cracked under pressure; slashed and cut, turning the smooth grass jagged.
Zach cranked up the speed; his soul essence would deplete soon so he'd have to end the battle quickly.
And there was the issue of the Algera Thrust. Zach had tried countless times to perform the flawless technique, but it felt like everything he did was wrong. So if the prince pulls it out, he didn't know how to defend.
The battle raged on, away from the stone slab. Students walked forward, forming a circle around the monsters that were battling like their lives depended on it.
Arthur moved with his incandescent blade of destruction, flashing through the air like a deafening screech, sending furious open furies of attacks at the trainee.
Zach was no better. He had activated the gorilla's strength and the bat's awareness; he couldn't drop any of it, and his soul essence plummeted.
[112/312]
Zach's mystic arts ruin were on the edge—the ability to think faster than the opponent, shifting between forms mid-fight.
The clash only lasted for a couple of seconds, yet Zach's essence was going down the drain faster than ever.
The battle accelerated; Arthur took the lead with his powerful and dominant attacks, overshadowing Zach's cool and concise strikes.
The battlefield was a whirlwind of grace and devastation. Arthur had let go of all his restrained fighting, with all his might.
Zach gritted his teeth. "The speed's increased again."
[87/312]
His soul essence was soon going to be depleted; he needed a way to end the battle fast.
Zach bent low, swinging both blades at Arthur's legs.
Arthur responded by skidding backwards, baring his sword.
"You're strong..."
He laughed.
"Obviously." Zach grinned.
"Then prepare." Arthur stomped his ground, sending a massive wave of cracks all over. He coiled his body, bending like a whip.
Zach gritted his teeth. "The Algera Thrust!!"
Zach didn't know what came over him, but he got into his stance too.
Gale had already stood off his chair because the battle was happening in the crowd of students. All students had scurried away from the sight of the clash, leaving a massive circle in the middle of the field containing the two sparring monsters.
Arthur's body lashed forward, and Zach followed, activating the flexibility of a monkey. Zach's arms stretched unnaturally as he launched forward.
'Turn your entire body into a whip. Curled up like a spring. And explode.'
Zach gritted; his body screamed; his mind raged. He felt his bones scattering.
Then their blades clashed. The shock and sound sent ripples around the training field.
"That kid!? No way!!!"
The sound exploded.
"That guy's a monster."
Richard stared in the distance, perplexed. "Zach..." he muttered.
Beatrice, on the other hand, was perhaps the most shocked. She watched in silence, her mouth slightly open.
In her mind, this was the same boy that she rejected a month ago, who was not overshadowing her but surpassing her in every way.
'And why is he... so handsome?' Or was it her imagination? Probably was. She vowed never to say that out loud.
The field had erupted with murmurs; some yelling Zach's name, while others chanted the prince's name.
Zach skidded back; his feet dug into the soil. He could feel it; his arms were broken, his legs were fractured, his ribs were cracked.
The dust cloud died down, and Arthur stood, his blade gleaming.
Zach, on the other hand, knelt down, his body bleeding.
"I think that's enough." Vale murmured.
"Don't you dare..." Rudolf hissed at Vale, watching the fight intently, even nodding occasionally.
"I thought you were the one against the battle in the frist place"
"Come on, man... you can't be out yet." Rudolf bit his fingers in anticipation.
Rudolf was really hooked on this fight.
Vale couldn't blame him though, all the other instructors were at the edge of their seats.
"I win..." Arthur walked forward.
"You think..." Zach grinned.
He still had a trick up his sleeve.
Zach stood up; his bones were a bit broken but He'd manage regardless.
The pain was real; his legs, arms, and shoulders screamed for relief, but there was none till the battle was over.
It felt like needles were heating up his bones. His arms shook, but he gritted through the pain.
He had to.
Zach hunched over again, startling Arthur.
"You still have enough strength to do that...?"
Zach lunged forward, much slower than he initially did.
Arthur groaned; the first attack Zach did to him really messed up his body, disorienting him all through the fight.
Arthur swung his blade, and instantly Zach was wrapped by shadows, turning into a slithering serpent.
He skidded in between Arthur's legs.
[2/312]
He reverted to his human form and, with a sweep of the hook blades, took Arthur right off his feet.
Arthur didn't expect the bronze-rank trainee to have such a trump card.
Arthur didn't have strength left. The attack swept him off his feet, landing him on the field's grass.
Zach pointed a weapon at him, signaling the end of the duel.
"It's decided." The instructor shouted.
"You... you cheated..." Arthur gritted.
Zach shrugged.
"Anything to win am I right?"