[Arthur's Pov]
*Cough!*
Seeing the blood on my hand, I could only resign to the conclusion that I should have made long ago. 'Seems like there was a monster amongst the freshmen after all...'
Zero was strong, and not just strong for being a freshman. No, he was someone who rivaled, even eclipsed, a lot of the seniors at Ainu. Though mages usually had high firepower, his water was on another level, but more than that, it was so flexible.
It was as if he wasn't using spells at all, as if the water was just another part of him. The way it immediately intercepted my attack earlier wasn't something that a standard spell would do.
However, no matter how impressive he was, I wasn't going to lose. Just like Sophie felt a shared responsibility for me, I did the same for her. To be honest, I sympathized a lot with what Zero had said, and if I had a chance to talk to him, I would tell him just that.
There was also the fact that when he sent the vortex towards Sophie, I saw him look at me for a split second as if to make sure I would be in time. So a part of me knew that he wasn't actually going to hurt Sophie, it was just a means of trying to reach everyone, as well as to get me to be serious.
With that being said, there was a part of me that I knew would never forgive him for what he did. To make an example of Sophie was unforgivable, no matter the circumstances, and therefore I wouldn't give up this chance to teach him a lesson.
'But it seems like I will have to treat this like a real fight if I want to do so.'
While my mind was spinning, the water that he had sent out earlier to block my arc came back, much stronger than before, forcing me to dodge to the side. *BANG!* A small hole appeared where I had been standing as a result of the concentrated water piercing the ground like a spear.
Unlike me, it seemed like Zero wasn't hesitating in the slightest, a clear contrast from when he cried because he thought he might have hurt his classmate, showing that he clearly didn't regard me like the rest.
'-... you have done nothing but hide from the rest of the world.'
Was this his way of saying that I needed to stop hiding, that he wanted me to show everyone what I could really do? If that was the case, he was quite persuasive. Because suddenly, four smaller orbs of water appeared in front of him, rotating in a circular motion.
Filling my legs with mana, and fixing my grip on my sword, I had a feeling I had to get ready for whatever he was about to do, as, for some reason, I could feel more mana coming from those little orbs than the giant vortexes he had launched earlier.
*Zoom! Bang!*
Just as I was thinking that, a line of compressed water shot out of one of them, threatening to pierce the thigh I managed to move just in time. As I realized what was going on, I knew that I had no choice but to start getting serious. Right now.
'[Ascension]!'
Feeling the rise of power inside of me, putting me closer to [A]-rank than [B]-rank, I somehow managed to power up right before the chaos started.
*Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!*
All four of the orbs started to shoot out identical compressed beams as the first shot, and although they felt a bit slower thanks to my heightened senses, they were still incredibly fast. But I knew I had to get close to him if I wanted to win, so I dashed forward, zig-zagging between the attacks.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Ugh!"
Somehow, I succeeded in dodging three of them, making them hit the ground, but the fourth still managed to shred my chest that I had tried to turn sideways, creating a pretty deep gash where my blood could flow freely.
Yet, I had no time to stop, knowing that my ranged attacks would probably be obliterated. I had to get close to him.
*Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!*
Beams of water continued to target me, making my approach a lot slower than I would have wanted as I couldn't run straight into him, instead being forced to circle him while steadily decreasing the distance.
*Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!*
'Shit! How can he just continue sending out all those attacks?! Shouldn't he run out of mana?!'
It wasn't just to the point of being strange, it was insane! Just a single one of those shots seemed comparable to a spell that a [C]-rank or higher mage could cast, but there was no way they would be able to cast more than ten of those without running out of mana.
*Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!*
At this point, I had already lost count of how many beams he had launched, but there was no doubt that it was more than thirty. Luckily, I had somehow found a little bit of a rhythm in dodging his attacks, yet, as soon as I came closer than ten feet, I had to retreat a bit to dodge his water.
*Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!*
With the ground looking like a piece of cheddar cheese, I was almost starting to get desperate enough to just run in and use [Rebirth]. But then, something odd happened. Just for a moment long enough for me to take advantage of it, he had stopped launching his beams as he clutched his chest.
'[Arc of Light - Strengthened]!'
Sending out the biggest blade of light that I could conjure, in an as short amount of time as possible, it wasn't until it was sent that I felt my heart drop. Looking at the young man, he was still clutching his chest with a pale face as my attack was racing towards him, fully intent on slicing him in two.
In my mind, I knew that even if he was strong, there was no way he could take such an attack head-on and come out unscathed, even if he used those shields he had defended himself against Robert with.
"SHIT! DODGE IT, ZERO!"
*BOOM!*
Dust and debris filled the air, making it impossible for me to see if he had managed to get out of the way of my attack. "Fuck!"
Dashing forward, I hurried to see what the results of the impact were, my heart still weighing me down. Though I wanted to teach him a lesson, I had no intention of actually hurting him.
In my mind, he was still just an inexperienced youth that didn't know about the real world, and even with that, I believed him to be right. However, proving my worries wrong, I heard a voice coming out from the dust.
"We aren't done yet... Don't you remember? We aren't allowed to surrender, so the match will go on. Or is that not correct anymore?"
As the dust settled, my legs stopped moving, seeing the absolute insanity in front of me. Because in front of me stood Zero, smiling warmly, as if he was making sure to comfort me, and not only that, he was completely unscathed. Not a single scratch could be seen on his body.
And the reason for that was simple. A huge, blue angel made of water was kneeling in front of him, hugging him while her wings covered him from all sides. It was impossible not to feel just how potent the mana he had used to create her was, and even more impressive was its beauty.
If not for the fact that it was transparent and glowed blue with magical energy, one might have mistaken it for something alive.
Then, he continued to speak, turning his head to meet the ears of the other students as well "Actually, I'm sorry Arthur. And I'm sorry for scaring you all as well. I just wanted to show everyone how scary it is when someone who is strong decides to do whatever they want. I was never going to hurt anyone, but I felt like you needed to see this."
With him confirming my suspicions, a part of me felt incredibly relieved. But another part of me was still feeling like something was incredibly wrong. "... also, I'm sorry, Arthur. I don't think I can finish this duel in a proper way. I apologize."
And just as I was thinking this, the boy showed me what the feeling I had was about. "ZERO!"
*Splash!*
While the angel he had conjured sank to the ground and returned to its natural state, all of the orifices in his face started bleeding heavily, dirtying his pale face with the color red. *Thud!*
And then, mimicking the angel, he also fell to the ground, his breathing ragged and forced. Even before I had managed to make it to the small young man, another person made it there, red lightning empowering her body to make her as fast as possible.
"I'm going to take him to the infirmary."
With those words, Ms. Turner sprinted away, leaving us with a feeling of shame and anguish, and me with a thought that I hadn't been wanting to believe.
'He is really going to die, isn't he?'