The entire class surrounded the combat area. The test dummies were moved aside and high-strength glass enclosed the center in a square ready to receive the impacts of a powerful duel.
In the center was Kaito holding his two daggers and concentrating for what might come. He first observed the room, which was lined with metal from floor to ceiling. This could give him an advantage. As he looked at Gilliard, he thought about what he could do. The opponent was a D rank warrior, so he would fight in a basic way, using heavy weapons with wide spins. This would not be a problem for Kaito who already had experience in this type of combat.
However, even though he was prepared, Kaito could not maintain his full concentration. He was irritated, even more than he should have been. He normally wouldn't mind such events, but somehow seeing the professor get his hopes up and throw him away like that bothered him deeply.
Professor Caligan assisted Gilliard with a brief advice or two, from what Kaito could observe. The warrior chose a full body shield that could protect him from head to toe and a spear, heading straight for the center of the arena.
The choice of weapons surprised Kaito, who had expected something like an axe, or sledgehammer, something that had a large swing and gave him the advantage of close proximity and quick attacks. If Gilliard had chosen those weapons, then Professor Caligan had said something to him. Looking at the daggers in his own hands, Kaito felt foolish. He should have waited to see what his opponent would choose. Now he was at a disadvantage in the fight against that huge shield.
"Go boss! Rip that idiot's head off!" shouted Hakon.
"No need to offend the boy, you stupid barbarian!" protested Saphyra.
"Oh, so I can't say this? Okay..." Hakon got to thinking and then continued "Go boss! Rip this guy's head, who isn't an idiot, off!"
"Hakon! There has to be another way you can cheer for Kaito!"
The cheering increased even more and to Kaito's surprise there were those who were supporting him. This made him smile and feel confident. But as he looked around his class he noticed that Erika, Saphyra and Theo were not cheering for him. Instead, the two were keeping quiet and analyzing the situation.
"The rules of the combat are clear, but I will say them nonetheless. It is a ten minute long combat. If the time runs out and neither of the two defeats their opponent, it will be considered a draw. If one of the two can no longer fight the other will be considered the winner. If a fighter continues the attack with the opponent clearly defeated, victory will be awarded to whoever is the injured party." said the professor calmly.
Kaito watched Gilliard in the eyes and noticed that the red of his gaze glowed a little, which meant that the opponent had already activated his blood. Perhaps the weapons were too heavy for him and so he needed extra strength. Still, it was an advantage for Kaito.
The teacher raised his hand and projected a sphere of light that flew to the center of the arena and stood between the two. The light grew and dimmed like gasping breaths, and soon everyone there was immersed in what might happen. Silence filled the room and at that moment it seemed as if there were only the two of them facing each other in an upcoming duel.
The sphere burst into a spark and the duel began. Without giving his opponent a moment to react, Kaito accelerated his blood and advanced at high speed against Gilliard. The generalist took advantage of the speed and in one swing used his weight to deliver a powerful kick to the opponent's shield, who to his surprise remained motionless.
Realizing that his attack had failed, Kaito used what he had seen Theo do. With speed still in his body the boy circled the opponent quickly and attacked from the flanks and back, but to his surprise Gilliard turned from side to side and avoided the attacks with his huge shield. The impact of Kaito's dagger on his defense was so strong that he dropped the weapon at the enemy's feet.
Kaito wanted to attack more, but when he saw that the opponent's spear was coming towards him he backed off and decided that it was better to approach in a safer way. Speed had not worked as well as he had hoped, so he needed another way. Concentrating, Kaito activated his blood and felt the weight and stamina of a warrior in him. If speed didn't work, then all he had to do was add brute force.
With his weight and speed, Kaito moved forward once more, but to his surprise Gilliard stepped back a few steps, standing with his back to the thick glass and taking away one of the attack areas Kaito could use. The generalist realized that he had no other way to attack other than head-on, and so he would.
"Force Flow!"
A dim light illuminated the boy who felt a little stronger, but for what he wanted to do that was more than enough. Kaito moved forward with all the speed of a rogue and adding the strength of a warrior and the blessing, he landed another powerful kick, this time throwing Gilliard against the wall and making him lower his shield a little. It was what he had wanted all along.
Kaito held the remaining dagger as hard as he could and aimed at his opponent's shoulder, but before he could hit him Gilliard leaped to the side, avoiding his attack. Kaito's blow hit the air, narrowly tearing his opponent's blazer and leaving the generalist open to receive a counterattack.
Gilliard held the spear tightly and attempted to pierce Kaito in a spiral motion. It was a powerful attack that Kaito would fully receive. But that was still within the generalist's plans, who made his blood flutter and put his foot against the dagger he had brought down earlier in the fight.
"Enchant weapon: Lightning!"
The electric discharge passed through his body and went to the weapon, which had its metal blade resting against the floor that was also metal. The shock spread around and went up the body of the warrior, who felt his body lock up and burn with the electric discharge.
Gilliard's blow had been interrupted by the shock, and now it was Kaito who would take advantage of the opening. The generalist took advantage of the swing of his body and from bottom to top went up with his dagger aiming at his opponent's chin. A simple and quick move to end that battle.
But Kaito's attack missed. To his surprise the shock had not been enough to stop the warrior for long enough. Gilliard's spear may have missed the attack, but his shield was still standing, and he used it together with the weight of his strength to charge Kaito.
The generalist had been thrown against the wall on the other side, feeling his body complain about the damage he had received. Everyt part of his body ached and fatigue spread through every limb. He stood and assumed a combat stance, but his vision was blurred and everything seemed scrambled. Kaito took a deep breath, concentrated as best he could and tried to activate his blood once more, but in doing so he felt very weak and ended up falling on one of his knees.
"End of match! The winner is Mr. Romanus!" announced Professor Caligan already in the middle of the arena.
Kaito tried to stand, but his body did not obey him. He was weak and completely out of energy. More than that, he felt pathetic to have lost like that, against an enemy who didn't even try to attack him properly.
Erika approached him and with her hands emanated a gentle healing that restored his energy. As he recovered he noticed that his class was in an uproar. More than that, he saw at that moment that even Gilliard was surprised by the victory. This irritated him more than it should have.
"That's... that's not fair..." he said still exhausted.
The class turned to Kaito. Intrigued, Professor Caligan approached with a serious and heavy expression.
"What was not fair in that duel, Mr. Arturis? Could you enlighten us?"
"You helped him...." Kaito stared at the professor overcome with anger and shame "you gave tips on how to beat me!"
The professor raised an eyebrow and shook his head from side to side. He then turned to Gilliard and asked simply and clearly.
"Mister Romanus, could you please tell everyone here what I told you before the fight?"
"You told me to fight the way I always fight. And you also told me not to hurt Kaito too much. That's what you told me."
Kaito felt the weight of those words resonate with him. He was ashamed, but still disgusted. Again he looked at the glass with the names written on it and seeing that it wasn't there, he gritted his teeth.
"I am an avid supporter of all those who hate to lose, Mr. Arturis, but in no way will I approve of a loser who acts in a pathetic manner." said the professor seriously.
"Losing is pathetic... I lost and I wasn't chosen.... that's pathetic," Kaito replied, standing up.
"No, Mr. Arturis. Losing and not accepting that you have been overcome is pathetic. Losing and blaming others is pathetic. Now if you lose and learn to become stronger from it you can become a better person in the future. Much can be learned from victory, yet it is incomparable to the learning that comes from defeat," said the teacher approaching him and putting his hand on his shoulder.
Kaito lowered his head without much acceptance. He had lost something that he took for granted, and now he was out of what he wanted to do. But the professor went to the glass of names and with the light wrote one more thing. Upon reading what he had written Kaito was surprised and confused.
Class D Team
1- Hakon Gundahar
2- Erika Blane
3- Theo Someriel
4- Gilliard Romanus
5- Saphyra Vizzora (Captain)
Coach: Kaito Arturis
"Coach? What does that mean?"
"That, Mr. Arturis, means that you have something that can help everyone here." said the teacher approaching the boy and staring at him closely with a clever smile "There are things that only you see and your job is to make sure that Class D sees the same!"
Kaito bowed his head and looked down at his hand holding the dagger.
"What about me? Am I just going to be a coach?"
"There is no shame in making the weak strong, Mr. Arturis. I've spent my life trying to do that myself. But don't get me wrong..." the teacher stroked Kaito's unruly hair "With the training I have prepared you will become stronger than you can anticipate. Starting tomorrow we will show you a world that would take you years to reach."