Chapter: 132
The second-year students from Rahelrn Academy were gathered in the arena, and among them stood Reed, the cousin of Mary Diana, who had once attempted to assassinate the princess. Despite being a distant relative of the Diana family, he held a thick-bladed sword that contrasted sharply with Glen’s spear.
Reed looked at Glen with a smug grin, “The prestige of the Diana family has surely fallen, hasn’t it? Supporting the Staroon side, right?”
Glen twirled his spear skillfully, showing just how long he had trained.
“I’m not siding with Staroon. I simply dislike seeing second-years like myself suffer injustices according to chivalry.”
“Chivalry, huh? Coming from a family that tried to assassinate a princess, spare me the nonsense.”
Glen’s eyebrows twitched as he aimed his spear at Reed.
“What your sister did is a crime that deserves the death penalty.”
He was well aware that the Mary he had once respected was now a shadow, forever marked as a criminal for attempting to murder the princess.
“Still, that does not give me a reason to abandon my ideals of chivalry.”
Glen’s dark eyes gleamed with intensity, enough to make even the imperial faction hesitate.
After a year of training, Glen had indeed grown, but in this world, talent matters as well. The average members of the local factions would hardly measure up to the elite from the academy—especially in a year, the exceptional ones would definitely surpass them.
With that in mind, the imperial member gripped his sword tightly. Today would be the last chance to make a point against their arrogance.
“Let’s see this ‘chivalry’ from a fallen central noble.”
“Begin!”
As soon as the referee’s call rang out, Reed immediately lifted his sword into a defensive stance. He had previously taken down Balak, the last fighter, opting to conserve stamina for the next in line.
But for some reason, his sword met no confrontation.
When the imperial member expressed confusion, Glen remained motionless, clutching his spear in his original position.
Reed’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. What was he waiting for?
“Just a trick.”
At that moment, Pandora’s voice sounded from behind with a sarcastic click of his tongue.
It didn’t take long for Reed to understand; both sides had decided against being the first to attack.
“What the hell! Didn’t you mention chivalry earlier? And now you’re being cowardly?”
“I don’t understand why we’re talking about cowardice. In battle, being picky about your methods is the height of stupidity. Let’s not invoke chivalry for petty excuses.”
Glen regarded Reed with disdain.
“And to hurl insults as soon as the situation shifts? If you aspire to be a central noble, how about fixing that foul tongue of yours first?”
Glen’s words struck true, and Reed’s face turned red with anger.
[ Isn’t that applicable to you too? ]
For some reason, that statement seemed applicable to Kraush as well, causing him to scratch the back of his head. Why was he suddenly throwing team insults?
[ More importantly, that kid over there is trying to do the same thing as you. ]
Kraush looked over at Glen, who, as mentioned by Crimsongarden, was indeed doing the same thing.
He was condensing his aura into the spear. A faint layer of aura began to form on the surface of the spear, gradually enveloping it.
Just like the technique of the Sword Demon.
The imperial member had yet to notice, but the well-trained Kraush could see it clearly.
[ He’s just mimicking what he saw at the entrance ceremony. Just goes to show, a fool is still a fool. ]
Well, after all, he was a scion of the prestigious Diana family, renowned for their spear arts.
Whatever the actual power behind it, it wasn’t a bad choice. While they were busy fooling around, Glen would certainly find an opening to break through even a defensive stance.
“Reed, now’s not the time.”
Just as that was said, Pandora warned Reed.
It was an unspoken rule not to interfere in duels, but it seemed Panda was willing to break that tradition, especially since they needed to win this match.
Upon hearing Pandora’s call, Reed finally turned towards Glen.
Glen’s spear began to emit a golden lightning-like aura.
“Ugh!”
Reed quickly switched his grip on his sword.
The ground cracked beneath him as he prepared to charge.
‘He’s chosen a reckless move.’
Kraush felt the inevitable conclusion as he watched Reed abandon his defense and charge towards Glen.
He had thrown away the last remnant of caution he had held onto.
Crackle!
With a flash of golden light, Glen’s spear launched toward Reed who was charging in.
Reed might have attempted to swing his sword, but Glen was faster, and his spear struck true.
Even without the same level of acceleration as Mary, Glen moved with blinding speed, knocking Reed’s sword away while simultaneously hitting him.
The moment it made contact, the aura exploded, sending Reed flying from the arena.
Thud!
He crashed to the ground, and the sword he had been holding buried itself into the dirt.
In an instant, the match was decided.
Pandora’s face twisted in disbelief, gazing at Glen.
Glen twirled his spear casually, letting out a light breath.
But even Kraush felt the aftereffects.
‘That’s a bit much.’
Trying to replicate a technique he had only just seen was no small feat.
Kraush had gained the Sword Demon’s arm, so he knew the effort involved quite well.
The strain was clear on Glen, especially with a slight tremor visible in his arm.
There was no doubt he would struggle to perform at his best in the next fight.
“Now, Haring, it’s your turn.”
“Got it.”
At least they had reduced the number on the opposing side.
Kraush glanced over at Arsoldar.
They just needed to leave him for last.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the next match, Glen surprisingly held his ground better than expected.
Like the imperial member had done initially, he merely focused on defense, gradually wearing Reed down.
As a result, the imperial member, in his eagerness to push, drained his own stamina before Glen landed a final counter that sent the imperial member sprawling.
Of course, Glen was equally spent after that bout.
“Two down.”
As Glen was escorted off by the referee, he proudly declared to Balak.
“Ugh, I showed them everything they were up to! I didn’t lose, not really!”
Balak shouted in frustration as Glen smirked and glanced over at Kraush.
Having just endured a similar effort as Kraush, Glen acknowledged how exhausting it truly was to wield that energy technique.
He realized how much effort Kraush must have put in to perform that effortlessly at the entrance ceremony.
‘It’s not that my sister is weak; it’s that he’s strong.’
That realization seemed more true than he had expected.
“Well done.”
As Glen descended, Kraush lightly tossed a compliment in his direction.
Glen, feeling a swell of pride, thought his chivalry had been validated.
“Yep.”
With Glen’s answer, Haring was about to step into the arena.
Kraush firmly placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re not ready yet.”
“Eh? But you told me to prepare.”
“Not for that.”
Kraush pointed subtly at Haring’s pouch.
“We have that.”
Haring blinked in confusion.
“Hey, you lot, come over here!”
Ignoring her confusion, Kraush called the second-years over.
Currently, three members from the imperial faction had already retired.
Kraush’s team of second-years had lost two members.
By the numbers, Kraush’s side had the advantage, though Haring and Kraush still had to contend with two remaining imperial members who were significantly stronger than the other second-years.
The second-years gathered, their faces filled with determination, ready to take on the challenge after witnessing Balak and Glen’s struggle.
This was why they sent Balak and Glen first; had they gone earlier, the others would have been too scared to intervene.
Kraush opened the pouch Haring had given him and inspected its contents before handing one item to each second-year.
“You all want to win, right?”
At Kraush’s question, every second-year nodded earnestly in agreement.
They were all Staroon students and well aware of the fraught history between the Empire and Staroon.
A deep-rooted belief that the Empire simply had to be defeated ran through them.
And now, they stood before Kraush, the true authority from Staroon—the direct descendant of Valheim.
They would fight with everything they had to impress him.
“Then take one of these and eat it just before battle.”
“What, what’s this, Kraush?”
One of them asked cautiously.
They had likely heard stories about the Legren family and their dynamics, and the association with Haring naturally raised concerns.
“Poison.”
Kraush replied, clearing their doubts.
The tension was palpable as that reply registered.
The questioner’s mouth snapped shut as Kraush placed a reassuring arm around their shoulders.
“Don’t worry. It won’t kill you; it’ll just make you a bit uncomfortable. No big deal. But I promise you, with this, you’ll be able to take down one of the imperial first-years.”
Kraush slowly smiled, a concoction of confidence and menace.
“Staroon is all about endurance. No one talks down about us, do they?”
The faces of the Staroon second-years turned pale in fear.
When Kraush received no reply, he tilted his head in curiosity.
“Why is everyone so quiet?”
“Of course, we’ll win!”
“We will triumph!”
“Long live Staroon!”
Kraush nodded approvingly, satisfaction evident on his face.
[ That devil spawn. ]
Crimsongarden muttered something, but Kraush wasn’t listening. He was simply proud to watch his second-years rally together.
In that moment, one second-year took the risky step of heading into the arena with the poison in his mouth.
As he entered, an imperial member scoffed, clearly underestimating him.
“Hah, such a bunch of kids.”
His earlier nervousness about facing Haring vanished in an instant.
The Staroon second-year flushed with indignation.
After all, he hadn’t come to Rahelrn Academy to be belittled so easily.
With that, he made up his mind.
Crack!
He bit down on the poison he had been holding in his mouth.
A surge of energy coursed through him, muscles bulking visibly.
“Hooah!”
His breath was filled with newfound strength, his vision sharpened and clarity settling in.
Suddenly, confidence burst forth, energizing him further.
With this, he could win!
“Huh?”
The imperial member also felt the impending air change and turned to see the cocky second-year charging toward him.
“Start!”
And with that, the referee announced the match’s beginning.
Boom!
The second-year propelled himself forward, launching into an incredible leap toward the imperial member.
Surprised, the imperial student readied his sword but was overwhelmed by the force of the attack as they clashed.
It was more force than Reed had expected, and he was knocked back.
“GRAAAAAAH!”
The second-year roared, eyes wild with a primal urge as he continued his assault.
With reckless abandon, the fight spiraled out—a fierce struggle of raw, unpolished energy.
Although the imperial member inserted significant strikes into the second-year, it was clear the latter’s physical abilities had risen greatly, but his control was still terribly lacking.
Yet, he pressed on, seemingly unfazed by the pain of the hits he received.
What unfolded was a battle with little regard for defense on either side.
“I can win!”
“Go, Beria, you got this!”
The fellow Staroon second-years rallied, shouting words of encouragement.
Their cheers ignited emotions in themselves, even as they knew their turn could soon follow.
In that very moment of frantic enthusiasm, the clash escalated.
Crack!
Yet ultimately, both the second-year and the imperial member hit the ground, defeated and rolling.
Neither of them seemed inclined to get back up.
The battle ended in a draw.
“WAAAAH!”
The second-year’s paralleled resilience against the imperial member earned him loud cheers as his peers celebrated wildly.
Unfortunately, he was also foaming at the mouth, tremors racking his exhausted body.
Pandora gaped over the scene, glasses glinting ominously beneath raised brows as he fixed a penetrating glare on Kraush.
Kraush met Pandora’s gaze with a wicked grin.
“We still have five more to go.”
Let the doping self-destruction commence!
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