They reached a clearing with a few boulders close to the dorm compound.
"Please wait a minute.", Seventeen and Ruth said as they each walked to one of the boulders.
Faster than the eyes could see, an 8-foot boulder got vaporized as Seventeen hit it with his fist and another was completely encased in ice which Ruth then shattered.
Two waves of magia broke the nearby boulders and shook the trees around them. Ray gulped. He had never seen their instructors this mad.
"By the name of the Founder, I hate that man.", Ruth spat out. She looked at Seventeen, "It's a good thing you stopped me. Otherwise, I would've died and he would've had a missing arm."
He nodded, "Don't worry. You'll soon be able to defeat him."
"You better give him hell in the Festival.", she said, poking him in the chest.
"Anyway.", she looked at Ray, "You mentioned that Arthur is having his bout. Who is he paired with?"
Ray remembered their conversation before being rudely interrupted by Marvin, "Oh yeah. Vanessa volunteered to be his sparring partner."
The instructors stared at him. "His opponent is Vanessa?", Seventeen asked.
"Is that a bad thing?", Ray asked. "Well. It depends.", Ruth replied, looking at Seventeen, "We must hasten to the dorm."
He nodded and the three of them went towards the Special Class A dormitory at a quickened pace.
*******
Arthur was surprised to see Vanessa participating in the combat spar despite not taking part in the Battle Festival. Perhaps she had a condition, but Miss Ruth told them that their new friend is unable to take part with them.
And she volunteered to be his sparring partner.
'Very interesting.', he thought as he watched her getting used to the combat uniform which was a black sleeveless turtleneck, black shorts, and black sleeves that reached her elbows.
She wore a hairpin with a purple rose on her long silvery hair, which seems to be her signature look. For a brief moment, he thought she looked like the mythical Vampire of the Purple Rose.
He had read myths and stories about the most powerful vampire to ever exist and he was fascinated by them.
A few vampires, including the Aria Family, still revere that divine being and it looks like Vanessa is one of that few.
"Shall we get started Arthur?", She asked him. Arthur snapped away from his fascination and nodded with a smile, "Very well."
They both took their stances. The first bout will be hand-to-hand combat while the second bout will see the use of weapons. They are allowed to use magia for fortifying their bodies and attacks but they're not allowed to use attributes.
Jason stood between them, his arm extended. "Go!", he called out.
In the blink of an eye, Vanessa was right in front of him, a strike aimed at his torso, he quickly countered it and jumped backward.
He was taken by surprise, 'She's quick.', he thought as she came at him, striking fast. He dodged and countered her attacks.
Suddenly, she aimed a kick at his head in the middle of her constant attacks. Arthur lifted his arm, fortified it with magia, and stopped the attack, the air rippled from the force.
Vanessa's calm smile was unwavering from the beginning. She quickly jumped back from his attack range and hopped, her fists out.
"Come on Arthur. Is that all you got?", she called out. Arthur smiled. He was taken by surprise at first. No way is he holding back. He has a feeling that if he did, it would be instant death.
The others watched the spar in anticipation, wondering who would be the winner. They too were surprised at Vanessa's skill.
"She pushed Arthur back in hand-to-hand combat.", Minerva said, impressed.
The two students circled each other, waiting for the right moment to strike.
They attacked at the same time. For a moment, the two opponents disappeared in a cloud of dust. The next moment they clashed in the middle, each blocking the other.
A shockwave burst from the contact followed by a wave of magia as Arthur and Vanessa stood at a deadlock, neither of them budging.
"Impressive.", she grinned and aimed a kick at his head. Arthur released himself and leaned back, her foot barely grazing his hair.
Vanessa spun and executed another kick. He blocked it with his arms and was pushed back. She suddenly came up to him and aimed a blow at his exposed side. He reinforced his left hand with magia and deflected the blow.
In quick succession, he slammed the heel of his palm on her temple, surprising and momentarily dazing his opponent. He then grabbed Vanessa's shoulders and kneed her in the stomach.
It felt like hitting a wall but the move worked. She grunted but quickly recovered, shrugging off his hands and striking him in the chest with the heel of her palm.
Arthur flew back, air escaping his lungs. He twisted and landed on his feet before he hit the ground, coughing and breathing deeply.
He channeled magia into his feet, giving him a boost as he rushed at her. Vanessa quickly took a defensive stance.
They traded strike after strike, both dodging, deflecting, and countering. Small shockwaves are formed with each blow. Waves of magia poured over the spectators, each of them watching the intense and impressive combat in great interest and anticipation.
Jason whistled, "That is what I call real combat. Looks like the claim of Arthur being the best in terms of combat is more than true."
"This much magia even without an attribute. I can't imagine how strong he'll be with one.", Kate agreed with her friend as she saw the spar in amazement.
"But Vanessa is not to be underestimated.", Minerva piped in. The new student is skillfully battling Arthur and that too calmly. Her expression barely changed as she faced the young Night.
Damien gulped. In terms of magia attributes and attacks, along with overall strength, he is the strongest in the class, helped also by the fact that he used to be a Class S student.
But if he were to hold back and fight Arthur in an actual battle, he would lose. That guy would play with his mind, reading his every move, using every trick out there, and eventually defeat him.
The fight was getting more intense. The strikes are getting stronger and magia started flooding out from the battle. Then something happened that made everyone freeze.
Arthur started laughing.
"This is getting fun!", he exclaimed with a huge smile. His strikes became so fast that everyone struggled to see them and they were getting more vicious, targetting Vanessa's vital points.
She too had a big smile on her face and increased her power. The magia energy produced with each strike started to push back the others. Powerful gusts of wind buffeted them.
"This isn't good!", Vesta appeared beside Jason, her scarf blowing in the wind generated. "Arthur's body will not be able to handle excess magia because of his lack of an attribute to stabilize it!"
But Jason was entirely focused on the fight. The Shadow turned to Kate who nodded and was about to end the match when it happened.
Despite his exhilaration, Arthur kept his mind stable and knew about the excess magia that has been released. He suddenly felt a surge in magia from within him which he quickly suppressed
His eyes glowed and Vanessa was taken aback as if she saw something in them.
Arthur saw his chance. He lunged forward, grabbed her throat, and proceeded to slam her to the ground.
But Vanessa was quicker. In the blink of an eye, she twisted from his grasp and the two of them switched positions.
Arthur fell on his back and she was on top of him. Her hand curled and raised. She then brought it down.
"Alright that's enough!", a familiar voice spoke.
Vanessa froze. Her hand was an inch away from his face, "You are fast.", she tilted her head.
Arthur smiled, the tip of his flattened hand also an inch from her throat, "I just have good reflexes."
They looked at each other before Arthur spoke, "Um. You're on top of me."
"Yes, I am.", she brought her face close to his, "Your blood smells delicious.", she whispered, her fangs gleaming. Arthur started blushing furiously.
"Can you please refrain from drinking the blood of your classmate.", the voice that stopped their spar said. Vanessa straightened and smiled at the person in front of her, "Oh hello, instructor Seventeen."
"Looks like you had a fun time.", Seventeen came up to them with a raised eyebrow.
"Sir.", Arthur said as Vanessa got off him. She offered her hand and he took it. "Are you okay Arthur?", Ruth asked as she came behind Seventeen.
He nodded, "I guess. I may have used a bit too much magia and almost lost control over it.", he swayed on the spot.
Seventeen looked concerned, "You must be exhausted. Go to your room and take some rest.", he instructed.
He nodded and Minerva came over to support him, "Jeez. You are always trouble.", she grumbled and helped him to the dorm.
Ruth went over to the others, "You take care of the vampire queen.", she whispered to Seventeen and started telling everyone about the visit of the Captains.
Seventeen nodded and stood next to Vanessa who was looking at Minerva and Arthur disappearing beyond the main doorway.
"Very Interesting.", she remarked with a small smile.
"What may have piqued your interest?", he asked.
"I just saw something that honestly shocked me."
"Something that shocked you? What is it?"
She winked at Seventeen, "You'll know soon enough."
"It better not be anything bad.", he said with a frown, "By the way. Why did you choose to be a sparring partner for Arthur."
Vanessa tilted her head, "I just wanted to see how strong he is. He is, after all, the parallel version of your creator.", "So what do your thousands of years of experience tell you?", Seventeen asked.
She looked up at him, showing the clear height difference, and said.
"Arthur Night is someone who will either preserve or destroy the world."