The moment after Caelum's dagger hit the soft stone, he lunged forward.
And then all I saw was a blur of movement. He wasn't going so fast that I couldn't track him down, but his body literally became blurry. His surroundings merged with his body, making him look like some hazy, mirage-like figure.
"What—?" I was baffled, "How is he doing that?"
"Did he cast a spell before the battle? But... where are the mana programs that should be supplementing him with such an effect?" I squinted as I leaned forward. "There's no trace of any light blue lights signifying the presence of an ongoing spell..."
Weird...
If it wasn't some kind of spell, was it a movement technique? How did Caelum even learn something like this so swiftly?
I watched as Caelum accelerated, and the blurring of his body increased even further. It was quite difficult to spot him now, especially with how far I was.
Julius then roared in reply to Caelum's rapid approach. He unsheathed his sword and slashed forward.
Caelum continued his advance, unwavering and fearless. The only way I could properly track him down was through the distortions created by his special ability. A vague, dark blue shade was moving through the arena.
I watched as Julius's sword seemingly make contact with the dark blue shade. There was no blood that spurted out, however.
There was only a resounding,
BOOM—!
A conical blast suddenly shook the stage, forcing Julius's sword back and pushing him off balance.
While Julius was disoriented, the dark blue shade circled around him.
Thud—!
I heard the signature sound of a roundhouse kick making contact with someone's head. Julius's neck bent at a scary angle as he was sent stumbling to his side.
But Julius wasn't going to go down easily. He assumed a stance before delivering his blade forward. The wind whistled with his movement.
It looked as if his strike was going to hit, but it only slashed through the air. In the end,
Thud—!
"Oof," I grimaced as Julius's entire body bent from a powerful strike into his gut. His cheek was then gifted with the imprint of a fist. Saliva flew out of his mouth.
Julius staggered backwards with every strike, painting a pitiful figure.
There was then a gap in Caelum's attacks. Julius swiftly made use of it and swung his sword. He was desperate for a moment of respite.
A moment where he could turn the tides.
But,
BOOM—!
An almost instant spell cast allowed Caelum to parry the blade that was sent his way. A conical explosion brought about an orange tinge to the arena, dyeing the white marble with the stain of flames.
This time, Julius's sword was sent flying through the air. He could no longer keep his grip on his blade. But because he was no longer pulled by his own sword, he was lighter on his feet.
Thud—
He blocked the next barehanded strike that Caelum had sent him,
And the next,
And then the next.
But blocking was all that Julius could do. Whenever he tried to counter-attack, all he would hit was thin air.
The blurring was messing with his ability to target his foe.
Not a single injury had befallen Caelum while Julius was beaten black and blue. It was a one-sided battle.
"I don't even have to use Explosion on you directly," Caelum's voice echoed throughout the arena as he fought, "Pathetic."
His laughter then echoed out.
A familiar sight then blessed my eyes and chills ran down my spine. I could see what Caelum was now doing.
He was targeting every non-vital body part, slowly wearing his target down with painful strikes. He was not going to stop until Julius' entire body was covered in bruises.
All of the first years then bore witness to a noble becoming a commoner's punching bag. He was being used as an opportunity for training, in their eyes.
But I knew better. Caelum was simply indulging in his sadism.
Nonetheless, this battle depicted a clear difference in ability.
Caelum grew from being a total beginner to someone who could actually fight decently. He also had some special abilities on top of that.
The top ranker truly had a reason why he stood at the top. To learn techniques at this speed... He surpassed my own ability to do so. His battle sense was also outstanding. His movements were always in preparation for the future.
It felt like he could see things that I could not as he was always a step ahead of his opponent.
Thus,
Like the contrast between the nobility and the common folk, there was a massive gap between Rank 1 and Rank 311. It was now given a live example.
Caelum didn't even break a sweat.
Crash—!
Julius fell onto the soft rock at the edges of the stage. The rocks cracked and crumbled under the impact, softening his fall.
He lay there, unconscious and unmoving. His uniform was roughed up and torn in several places. Marks aplenty littered every part of his exposed body. It was probably the same for the areas hidden by his clothes.
"Indeed," Caelum spoke as he looked down on his opponent, "Pathetic."
He then looked around the coliseum, staring deep into the eyes of everyone present. But we couldn't see his eyes from under his hood. All we could see was a sly smile. One laced with mockery and amusement.
He then put on a serious expression as he turned to High Professor Deuzetai.
"I have studied hard in the past month, therefore achieving the requirement you have set for me, High Professor." He said with a bow.
Ah, I remembered now.
High Professor Deuzetai had given Caelum some sort of ultimatum. If he could not learn even the basics of combat in one month, he was going to be expelled. No questions asked.
It was clear that Caelum took those words seriously because such growth was only possible with a lot of hard work.
"I have confirmed your prowess," High Professor Deuzetai nodded, "Take your dagger back and continue with your day. I will have your requested reward sent to your room."
Thus, Deuzetai then began to announce the end of the duel. He regarded us from inside one of the VIP booths. He spoke slowly.
"Remember this one-sided beatdown well, students. This... is the division of status."