Chapter: 131
As Kraush retorted, Pandora offered a faint smile.
He felt that Kraush had taken the bait.
“Well, I guess it’ll be about 10 to 10 then? The second-years seem to be around that amount,” he remarked with a playful glint in his eyes.
Indeed, there appeared to be roughly nine Staroon students behind Kraush.
“I’ll join your team, Kraush!”
At that moment, Haring, who had been observing from the sidelines, stepped forward.
Instantly, the attention of the imperial faction turned toward Haring.
And their expressions became visibly uncomfortable.
After all, Haring was originally a part of the imperial faction!
“Haring, what are you thinking?”
Pandora also stared at Haring with a look of disbelief.
He couldn’t make sense of why a member of the imperial faction would side with Kraush from Staroon.
“You just mentioned second-years, didn’t you?”
Unbothered, Haring boldly declared, “I’m also a second-year!”
Pandora’s brows furrowed ominously behind his glasses.
By that very definition, Haring was indeed a second-year.
Referring to the second-years without specifically mentioning Staroon could lead to troublesome consequences later.
Honestly, Kraush thought he could handle it alone, but having Haring participate was even better for taking joy in Pandora’s frustration.
“Are you sure about this?”
Kraush asked, glancing at Haring. She nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m on Kraush’s side.”
I mean, Haring had always been sharp in her responses to strangers.
Anyone familiar feels comfortable, right?
“I want in, I want in, I want in! I’m also a second-year!”
With that, Balak jumped up excitedly, eager to join as well.
For Balak’s team, the opposition couldn’t say much considering he was also a second-year from Staroon.
“…I’m also a second-year,”
At that moment, Glen, gripping his spear tightly, announced to Kraush’s side.
This already constituted a breach of chivalry, and with an embarrassing proclamation like that, Glen, despite the imperial faction’s standing, was unwilling to forgive them.
Furthermore, he had started to look at Kraush differently, perhaps due to the recent statement.
Deep within him, the strong image of Mary lingered.
Recognizing her only fueled his commitment to uphold his chivalry even further.
Murmurs spread among the imperial faction.
In total, four members hailed from the elite class, including Kraush.
Their initial plan was to pounce on Kraush alone, but things were already beginning to unravel.
“What are you doing, Glen?”
Pandora scoffed, attempting to intimidate Glen.
But Glen wouldn’t back down an inch.
“I’m doing this to uphold my chivalry.”
Seeing Glen’s resolute determination, Pandora’s eyebrows knit tightly.
He found himself in a situation he certainly hadn’t wanted.
“So, it looks like our team only needs to pick a few more from over there,”
Kraush commented, glancing at the imperial faction members.
“After all, you guys can increase your numbers too,”
He added with a provocative grin, causing Pandora to grit his teeth.
Honestly, he thought Kraush was a lightweight with short-sighted ideas.
Surely he believed no one in this vicinity would see him as an arrogant jerk like Charlotte.
Thankfully, at least Kraush hung around Aslan, who was involved with magic.
“Ha ha ha! This is getting interesting!”
It was at that moment, strange laughter erupted, shaking the ground with a thud.
As Kraush turned towards the source of the bizarre laughter, he realized its identity.
Standing there was a towering giant, casting a shadow big enough to cover a part of the training ground.
With deep green eyes and unique tattoos on his body.
The fearsome mountain range, Freya, known for its treacherous terrain.
The minority tribe of Freya was named after that mountain.
He was a child from Freya, known for their innate combat prowess and poised to become a member of the Sky Generation later on.
Duel Emperor
Arsoldar Freya
He was one whose combat abilities had always been monstrous among the Sky Generation.
“Can I join in too?”
He ambled over and casually threw an arm over an imperial faction member’s shoulder.
Given the sheer size of his arm, it sent the imperial member teetering.
“Arsoldar,”
Pandora’s expression brightened upon seeing him.
He knew all too well about his strengths.
What is he doing here?
Kraush suddenly felt a wave of irritation wash over him.
For now, he appeared to be siding with Sigryn.
That could only be because Sigryn found a way to stimulate his interest.
Naturally, the current situation might have intrigued him too.
“You’re Charlotte’s little brother, right?”
He surveyed Kraush with a face that could hardly belong to a teenager.
“I’m looking forward to it. Give me a good match.”
That toothy grin almost had Kraush wondering if he should throw a punch right then and there, but he refrained.
After all, he could already see how this would unfold.
“Ah, fine.”
Kraush figured he would have to at least face off against this guy once.
Arsoldar enjoyed dueling someone as strong as Charlotte, after all.
“Let’s get on with it!”
He was getting tired of waiting.
＊ ＊ ＊
Suddenly, a match between first-year and second-year students was about to begin.
As expected, Kraush found himself pushed to the very end of the lineup.
“Kraush can take a break. I’ll take care of everything.”
“I want to go first!”
“I’m handling the imperial matters. Let me take care of it.”
Kraush watched the three of them who all wanted to go first.
Originally, this was supposed to be a clean sweep for them, so how did it end up like this?
[You brought this upon yourself, didn’t you?]
He didn’t think so.
But Kraush also felt hesitant to jump to the head of the line.
It didn’t matter if there were ten or a hundred imperials.
That wasn’t the issue; it was Arsoldar’s participation.
That guy is beyond what these three can handle.
It wasn’t for nothing that he was related to the future Director of Rahelrn Academy, Tuhwang.
While his own skills were impressive, a one-year gap at Rahelrn Academy was significant.
I need to step up.
Kraush glanced at Arsoldar, who flashed a grin in response.
It was clear Arsoldar was ready to spring into action the moment Kraush moved.
“Uh, we…”
Meanwhile, the Staroon second-years standing awkwardly to the side felt uncertain.
After all, they were unwillingly caught up in this matter; they were on edge.
Kraush looked at them quietly and said, “Pandora is after me from the beginning and approached you guys.”
If he managed to subdue them, he could gain several advantages.
Kraush waved his hands as if to say not to worry.
“So just sit back and watch. I’ll show you how second-years shouldn’t let themselves be belittled.”
Kraush stated confidently, glancing back at the still eager trio wanting to lead the charge.
“Balak, you go first.”
“Yay!”
As soon as Kraush finished speaking, Balak jumped up with excitement.
Haring and Glen both turned back, looking displeased.
“Kraush, why am I not going first?”
“Why send Balak instead of me?”
Both protested at once, so Kraush pointed at Balak.
“Do you think that guy will have the patience to wait until you’re both done smashing each other?”
The two were left speechless.
They nodded along; Kraush’s reasoning made sense.
While Balak stepped out to the center of the informal combat training ground, everyone else naturally stepped back to watch.
Just then, one of the members from the imperial faction emerged.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Balak will take it. That guy is quite strong.”
As Haring glanced at Kraush while asking, Glen was the one who answered.
However, Kraush had a differing opinion.
“It likely won’t be that significant.”
“What?”
Glen turned to Kraush with a confused look.
That was understandable since Balak was no slouch, being part of the elite division.
Yet, Kraush understood the disparity between first-years and second-years.
“Just so you know, you’re all under a misconception, and I’ll clarify it for you,”
Kraush said, regarding confident Balak and the imperial member.
“There’s this thing called summer training at Rahelrn Academy.”
Summer training, or as many referred to it, hell training.
It was a time for students to grow through relentless training up until death.
Essentially, it was a core training program that could not be bypassed, even with the establishment of the dorm.
Because it was directly executed by former Tuhwang Durandal himself.
“After experiencing that, even the average joe becomes competent.”
And during this rigorous training, students learned the most crucial lesson.
“How the weak can pull down the strong.”
It’s easy to target the weak.
Conversely, it goes without saying that facing the strong is tough.
As one lives in this world, you encounter stronger beings countless times.
And if those strong beings happen to be world eroders, one’s fate may be met with death.
Thus, Rahelrn Academy teaches precisely that.
How the weak can surface against the strong.
“The weak struggle to defeat the strong.”
“Ready both sides!”
So suddenly, a student dragged in as a referee yelled this, interrupting Kraush’s train of thought.
“Therefore, at the very least, you fight to ensure your effort inspires others.”
“Start!”
With the start call, Balak drew two swords and charged forth immediately.
The swords, longer than Balak’s arms, surpassed the reach typically expected from his small frame.
Clang!
With the clash of blades, Balak’s fierce onslaught commenced.
Balak’s innate agility coupled with his combat sense made his barrage relentless, resembling a flurry of attacks.
Yet before him, the imperial member thoroughly defended against Balak’s fury.
He was conserving stamina, distributing energy to maintain his defenses.
In contrast, Balak’s powerful strikes were wide open.
Balak, mixing in feints and distractions, was expending energy faster than his opponent.
The battle began to stretch on, and though the imperial member was the one taking hits, Balak’s face was growing more and more tense.
“Wow, you’re fighting dirty!”
As Balak swung his sword down, frustrated, he began to throw tantrums.
Nevertheless, the imperial member silently continued to block, focused solely on wearing down his opponent’s stamina.
Such strategies would gradually unsettle their opponents’ mentality.
No matter how fierce the assault, if it continued to be repelled, even Balak would start to feel rattled.
Breathing heavily, Balak felt the strain of battle weighing on him.
And then, not surprisingly, a brief moment of carelessness emerged.
With his eyes peeled upon the opening, the imperial faction member swiftly threw a punch.
That punch struck Balak squarely in the abdomen.
Guh!
Balak hit the ground hard and bit down on his lip, swiftly pushing himself back up.
He sprang into action to counter the impending attack, forcing his drained body to respond.
Yet, the opponent simply stood there, like before, awaiting Balak’s next move.
“Ugh, this is getting on my nerves!”
Seeing how nonchalantly his opponent was playing it cool only fueled Balak’s frustration.
And his subsequent charges into furious assaults were of a completely different level from before.
Fueled by this spirit, he started pouring his stamina into attacks.
Finally, the imperial member could only defend instead of stand idle.
Wham!
Balak’s sword connected hard against the imperial member’s face.
As he staggered from that moment, Balak seized the chance to follow up, and soon the imperial faction member was slumped on the floor.
Huff, huff.
Breathing heavily, Balak struggled, completely spent from trying to take down his target.
Though he had won, he hadn’t executed the kind of dominating performance Kraush expected.
Glen and Haring frowned, not pleased at all.
Why? Because the next imperial member walking up was sporting a very calm expression.
This was a game where losing sides were at a disadvantage.
Kraush’s elite forces included Balak, Haring, Glen, and himself—four in total, while the rest consisted of second-years from Staroon who hadn’t even made it to the elite faction.
On the other hand, the opposition comprised elite forces—they clearly had an advantage.
Inevitably, losses would begin to mount on their side.
“Start!”
The battle between Balak and the imperial member began.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
From the very first clash, Balak was forced backward.
It was evident that he had already spent most of his energy upfront.
Balak tried to keep up, but his efforts were futile.
The imperial member’s blade pierced Balak’s chest, sending him down.
The sharpened edge of the imperial’s weapon was now pointing directly at Balak’s throat.
Victory was clearly determined.
Pandora looked over, sporting an ominous grin.
It seemed he was sure of victory.
What a joke! Should I just sock that smug grin right off his face?
“I’ll step in now.”
Suddenly, Glen stood up from his spot.
Kraush looked at him quietly and finally spoke.
“Want me to offer you some advice?”
Glen subtly glanced over at Kraush.
“If they refuse to fight till the end, don’t bother fighting at all.”
Understanding dawned on Glen, and he showed signs of disbelief.
“Looks like it could drag on.”
“The anxious ones aren’t just us, you see.”
Glen gripped his spear firmly, a grin reflecting eagerness in his eyes.
“I’ll exceed your expectations.”
A tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye!
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