~Seraphim Lancaster~
Out of the corner a young man walked towards me. He was the only one who so far hadn't fought against me and thus he was the only one with any energy left.As the young man got into position I took note of everything I knew about him which wasn't much.
He came out of nowhere and paid for the entry for the test like it was nothing. He then slaughtered his way through the test until he reached the last 2000 participants where he seemed to take into account each student feigning difficulty before committing suicide by impaling himself on his opponent sword once he reached the top 250. Finally he scored average marks on his written test that just put him in the range of the lower positions. Something was wrong about him severely wrong like everything was a joke that only he knew about. Either he held boundless intelligence or he was just so insane and things happened to work out for him.
As he stood across from me with a cane in his hand he seemed almost Regal in a way. His aura seemed to pulsate slightly as if he was raring for an impossible battle, it seemed that he was made for the battlefield. Each step that he took before he reached his designated spot was precise with no wasted movement.
Signalling that he could begin I created the usual barrier that I had used for all students so far. It was a basic barrier that could be used by those at B rank and above. I could change the amount of mana inputted to change the rank of the barrier, This was useful to decrease the mana absorption and the students were of low rank so it wouldn't matter. Unfortunately it had the drawback of using a large amount of mana even when I do decrease the rank and mana absorption. Luckily since I was S rank my mana regeneration rate was close to the mana absorption rate of the barrier when I decreased the strength rank so I could do it for each student without getting tired.
Nodding at the signal he made the first move by slamming the cane into the ground until it bounced back into his hand. It was astonishing to see the ground crack slightly even with the kinetic energy absorption rune. Running at high speed he reached me in a decent time for a student before swinging his cane in a wide arch. It was a sloppy swing that easily bounced off of the barrier like nothing. He eyed the barrier as he seemingly calculated what he had felt from the barrier before changing his style to accommodate his plans.
Using the tip of the cane he kept smashing it into the barrier over and over again, Each hit was sloppy compared to his footwork which was extremely refined and the continuous sloppy swings seemed useless at the might of the barrier I had placed. Maybe I had overestimated him and his mind.
Surprisingly he created multiple low tier magic circles of what seemed to be non-elemental mana. Was he a Mage? Then why was he using a cane? But to my surprise the barrage of spells and hits made the barrier crack. Each time he hit the barrier a new web of cracks entwined with the old ones as they continued to spread as he kept pelting the barrier with low level magic and a new vigour in his attacks.
Finally he used his cane and the tip pierced the barrier and I actually had to dodge the cane from hitting me. I was legitimately surprised, how did someone with such crude magic and martial arts break a barrier that the rank 1-10 of the class had to group together to break? Then it finally hit me. The magic was a distraction that made me displace my mana equally while he used his cane to strike the same place over and over again. Each crude swing was actually precise and hit the same place.
Disabling the shattered barrier I pulled out my favourite blade once again from my dimensional storage ring. I was mainly a water magic user however I had mastered the use of claymores and rapiers just in case I had to do close combat although it was nowhere near as proficient as my magic, it would be enough to defend against a fledgling student.
~~~
The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the room as we danced the dance of battle. Each time he clashed against me his form with his cane was slightly better although it was so miniscule that I doubt others would notice. Each hit conveyed his emotions, the insanity that was hidden behind his eyes the desperation for power and the deep sorrow he held within him.
He was a walking time bomb and an enigma that I just couldn't figure out. The alarm bells in my head told me to be cautious of him, although theoretically he could do nothing against me if this was a real battle. His form began to blur slightly and distort as he moved, each swing of his weapon seemed to create ripples in the mana around us. I couldn't feel much as my senses were distorted by the use of his aura and mana.
Pushing aura through my body my mind stabilized allowing me to see clearly and grab his cane with my hand. His control over mana was overwhelming and precise for a student, to be able to control his mana to such a degree was intriguing, who was his teacher and why did they only teach him mana while his technique fell behind? He was using his brain and theatrics to disorientate me with mana pulses and he was using aura to boost his speed although it was miniscule and nowhere near as efficient as those in the higher ranks. I was limiting my rank but my body was still that of an S rank individual allowing me to easily keep up with his swings and feints.
Deeming that I had seen a majority of his fighting prowess I decided to end the battle prematurely. Lowering my stance and clasping the rapier so that the flat side was facing him I swung at him with the plan to knock him out of the arena. His intelligence was way above average he would probably excel as a commander on the battlefield but his technique was too sloppy to recommend him as a potential genius. With his current strength he was nothing compared to top ranks who had trained and grasped the heights of power for their age putting their all into weapon arts and techniques unlike his sloppy excuse for combat.
~Noir~
How long has it been since I felt the thrill of an actual battle! Months of taking on enemies that are weaker than me or at the same level caused great boredom. She may have been taking it easy and underestimating me but that made it all the more better. Her facial expressions as I broke her barrier were priceless. Each time I slashed at or thrusted towards the teacher I would be met with a swift counter that sent shivers up my spine.
The thrill of our battle made me want to go full out but I knew it would be a bad idea. Instead I decided to use the strength I had to perform at my best. A new notification appeared saying that my understanding of the cane was increasing just from our battle! Marvelous!
As she swung her rapier high I ducked low planting the cane into the ground creating a gradient that her blade would slide off of. The scraping of the metal on metal told me of my success as I let my grip shift from the handle to the centre of the cane. Twisting it I managed to lock the rapiers blade in-between the handle and the cane itself before sliding. the handle down the blade and lodging it between the blade and the handguard. Giving it a pull I managed to create some time for me to fire off a lesser mana spell at my Form tutor before she could react.
Unfortunately I was against an S rank opponent and her reaction times were otherworldly allowing her time to deconstruct my spell and counter my swing while dislodging her weapon. Using a pirouette to feint an attack I leaped over her head before throwing my cane at her with the sharp tip aiming for her skull. Each second, each heartbeat that sent adrenaline through my body felt thrilling as I waited for the sound of torn flesh and tendons, however it never came.
She seemed to be lost in thought when she refocused on me and I was met by her swift instincts as she parried my cane with her full strength and I was met by a swift kick to the chest before being flung into the wall as I felt my ribs cave in and pierce my lungs. I couldn't breathe nor could I feel my arm but it wasn't enough to stop me.
~(He is hallucinating after losing too much blood)
Standing my vision was darkening, it wouldn't be long before I died once again and we would have to start another battle. I could see it, her Grey hair and shocked purple eyes as we battled the joy in my chest erupted as I wanted to show her the progress I had made in the world she had sent me to. I may as well since she can recreate my body.
Gathering a sickening amount of ambient mana along with the mana in my body I channeled it into a single point before compressing it as much as my will allowed me to. The world protested to my will as it started devouring my body as the price of the use of my magic.
I needed more! I wanted more!
Each of my elements clashed as it began to meld to my mana signature before I unleashed the projectile at her and my body finally gave out.
~Seraphim Lancaster~
After blocking his final attack I had turned to the boy who had disappointed me. I thought he would have been better after he was able to break my barrier however he was sloppy and his spells were the same as those of a child who had just started training. Blocking a wide swing and another something different happened, he used a feint and he managed to push the cane past my blade and towards my head.
Instantly shifting out of my thoughts on his character my fight or flight instincts inadvertently kicked in, Landing a swift roundhouse kick with a majority my strength to his chest he was sent into the wall of the arena before he crumpled to the floor. Once I had come out of my shock I immediately panicked thinking that I had gone too far and used too much strength however to my surprise he stood back up again.
My hairs stood on end as my body shivered as he looked at me with this glassy lost look. His eyes glowed a menacing deep purple hue as he slowly stood up.
I nearly threw up at the sight of his mangled chest as blood leaked from his body. Bone fragments and organs broke free from their confines as if asking for release. He looked closer to the dead than the living at this point. What scared me the most were his ramblings, although incomprehensible they still elicited shivers from me and the rest of the unconscious class.
Mana started to surge around the boy with the broken body as he started murmuring louder, the mana began to gain elements as they coursed around his body. Mysterious elements circled around him before they all started to clash together fighting for dominance absorbing each other like a war was being fought. The power of the spell kept increasing as the mana shook before a crimson orb the size of a pebble was shot towards me at speeds inconceivable for a low tier spell. Was it derivative magic?
I instantly formed a barrier and fired my own spell to counteract the effects however to my surprise the mana seemed to be... devoured as if it didn't exist. Taking a defensive stance I prepared for the clash however it never came. The spell simply dissipated into the atmosphere as he fell to the ground.
Running towards him I checked his pulse to find it incredibly faint. He would die if I didn't get him medical attention soon. It was partly my fault for hitting him so hard. Walking out of the arena I called it a day for the students and ran for the infirmary before placing him on a stretcher. Immediately multiple nurses and doctors surrounded the boy and got to work as the head master entered the room. He gave me a look that told me I was screwed. I had almost killed a student in the academy grounds, I could only hope that my punishment would be lenient but it all depended on if the boy survived.
He definitely wasn't the strongest or the best at weapons but if he lived I would compensate him for the trouble that I have given him. It was the least I could do after reducing him to this.
Leaving the room I decided to go to my office to fill out the paperwork for the incident. It's lucky no student actually saw him due to them being knocked out cold, if anyone saw his condition it could lead to trouble for both me and him. I could only bury myself in files until he woke up but who knew how long that would take.