After settling down in their rooms, Alex came out after taking his bath and changing into the clothes provided by the school. He wanted to take a walk around the school and get used to the new environment so he came out of his room and began by heading to the practice hall.
At the welcome party, he had paid attention during the fight and noticed how strong those second-years were. The one he paid most of his attention to was Klein, the leader of the second-year students — the guy was strong, he was strong enough to kill him but for some reason, he didn't and only ended up wounding him.
One of the things he came to realize is the fact that the school has no room for the weak. If you aren't strong enough to protect yourself, then you will end up dying. At this realization, he swore in his heart to get more stronger, he must try and survive in the school, not just him but Raphael and also Kelvin, his friends.
He gazed at the round building before him and then proceeded to go in. Entering inside, he saw a group of students there practicing and the moment they saw him, they stopped to stare at him. Among them was Klein who also stopped swinging his sword and began to look at him.
'Why are they all staring at me? Or am I in the wrong place?' He thought while staring back at them.
"Is that one of the first years?" A female student suddenly asked.
"You don't need to be told that he is one," another female student replied to the girl.
The girl that asked scoffed and flung her orange hair backward. "Let me go tell him welcome," she said with a beam and began to walk towards Alex who didn't know how to react towards her. When she got to where he was standing, she raised her hand to touch him but Klein interfered and stood between them. Seeing him, her face squeezed in a frown. "What is it, Klein?" She asked him coldly.
"Know your place and leave the boy," Klein said to her.
"What is your business? Get lost!" The girl replied and attempted to walk past him but he spread his arms open, not allowing her to do so. "What the hell is your problem? It's because of him that our mates were killed and you were also punished because of him, I must take my revenge!" She said. As a second-year student, she could not accept the fact that Alex killed most of her classmates and also caused Klein's punishment, and as such, she sought to take revenge on him.
"The others died because they weren't strong enough to protect themselves, it's no one's fault," Klein corrected her. "And I was punished because it is my responsibility, it's also no one's fault. Get hold of yourself and return," he added and pointed to where she was before.
"What if I refuse?" She asked him.
"I am using my authority as your leader to order you, now get back!" He ordered.
The girl glared at him, he was their leader after all and right now, he was using his superiority to order her. If she refuses, she will not only get punished by him but also the school management because it is one of the rules.
"Fine, I'll go but on one condition," she said to him.
"And what is it?" He asked her.
"You must fight with him, here and now! If he loses, I must punish him myself but if you lose, I'll give up and forget about everything that happened," the girl replied.
"That's not gonna happen—"
"Then, I must fight him myself, not just me but the rest," she said and pointed to the other students watching them.
Klein glanced at the students, they would do anything to avenge the deaths of their mates, even as far as killing him in the process. He won't let that happen and as such...
"Agreed!" He replied and turned to Alex who had least expected things to turn out the way they did. "Let's duel," he said to him.
"I-is that a good idea?" Alex asked him with a stammer.
"Face me or face them, the choice is yours," Klein replied and began to move to the center of the place.
'Can I really fight and defeat him?' Alex thought to himself. Klein was on a whole different stage, his power, speed, and vitality were something he had not encountered before. If not for the one-hour duration coming to an end during the earlier fight, they would have fought for a longer time and may end up injured severely.
"It seems making a decision right now is difficult for you, how about I make one for you?" Klein asked him after he noticed that he was reluctant to decide what to do next. Alex didn't reply to him so he took his silence for a yes and spoke. "If you win, I'll take you to a place you will like, it's good for practice. But if you lose, you won't get to use that place."
"It sounds interesting but I'm not interested," Alex replied. "Let's just fight and see who wins," he said and went to stand in the opposite direction.
"Okay, if you say so," Klein agreed without further talk. "How is the winner determined?" He turned and asked the girl.
"You two will exchange some blows, the first person to back down is the loser," the girl replied and the two boys turned and glanced at themselves. "Remember Klein, you are not allowed to lose," she said strictly to Klein.
"You heard what she said, right?" He asked Alex.
"Don't go easy on me," Alex said to him and took a fighting stance. ' In as much as I want to use my own strength, I can't do it yet because I'm currently no match for him ' He thought as he waited for Klein to start. ' Arthur, can you lend me your powers?' He asked his demon.
"No! You must fight him yourself!" Arthur replied.
'What—' Just as Alex was about to say something to Arthur, he received a blow on his belly and he was sent flying some meters away from his original position. He hit his back against the wall and fell to the ground, face down.
"When facing an opponent, do not let anything distract you," Klein said to Alex and then began to move toward him.
"Darn it!" Alex cursed and got up immediately. Since Arthur refused to help him out, he realized that he was in for some big shit because his opponent was far better than him in versatile ways.