[Greater Battle Aura] served only one purpose.
It increased the overall power of a warrior, unlocking their potential for a brief period.
The Mana Level and overall combat ability would skyrocket to an unbelievable degree, and the Warrior's blade would know only destruction.
This aura was hotter than fire, and tougher than metal.
It was condensed energy that represented the raging flames within a Warrior's soul.
And now…
"I'll beat you up!"
… The aura was swelling around Billy.
"That is an impressive battle aura for your level." Brutus' calm comment only served to annoy Billy even more.
The fact that the Head Warrior's expression had hardly changed despite his incredible improvement in strength irked him to no end.
'I'll show you… all of you… to stop looking down on me!'
"Raaaahhhhhh!!!"
Billy raised his blade to his side, taking a stance before rushing towards his target.
~BOOM!~
The ground broke apart beneath his legs as he lunged at Brutus.
The winds parted around Billy, none of them disturbing his coordination thanks to the red energy that fueled him.
~WHOOOSH!~
As soon as he approached Brutus, closing the distance in a flash, his eyes glinted in determination.
~SWISH!~
His blade dealt the first strike as he took a step forward, his tempo untampered by the flow around him.
Brutus expertly evaded the blade, shifting a little to the side.
The resultant force caused wind to flow in the direction of the strike, swirling in immense force.
"You lack proper for—"
"Shut up!" Billy shouted.
He swiftly twisted his body, turning his blade in the direction of the Head Warrior.
Brutus whirled, once again evading the strike, only to end up behind Billy.
He raised his sword to place it close to the boy's neck, but Billy had expected that, so he pushed his body to the side while raising his leg to land a kick.
Brutus raised his unoccupied hand and easily blocked the kick.
Once he noticed his initial strike had been dealt with, Billy placed one hand on the floor and used the resultant balance to send his second leg charging towards Brutus.
However, the result was still far from his expectations.
Brutus evaded the second kick by tilting his head backwards, before flinging Billy's leg forward.
"Euk!" Losing his balance, Billy tumbled forward, but quickly rose to his feet while tightly holding his blade.
His gaze was fixated on the Head Warrior, refusing to let him off his sight for even a second.
~FSHUUUUU!~
Smoke was slowly rising from the hand that the Head Warrior used to block Billy's strike, and the reason was clear.
[Greater Battle Aura] had one more use, and that was the blazing damage it caused upon contact with its targets.
Since it was hotter than regular flames, an Aura could instantly consume its targets if they didn't have enough durability to withstand it.
"Congratulations. Your Aura was almost able to sting."
Brutus' words felt far from congratulations. They rang so hollow that Billy could hardly see that as admonishment.
'He's mocking me again, isn't he?!'
Billy was enraged. His fury knew no bounds as he murderously glared at Brutus.
'That's it! No holding back!'
Once more, Billy made a battle stance. He held his blade with both hands, intending to put his full weight and power behind his next strike.
"Your form is severely lacking. Your striking power will be halved if you do not—"
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!!"
~BOOOOOMMMM!!!~
Dust and debris burst from Billy's initial position as he launched his whole body at Brutus.
His glare screamed of unhinged determination, and all of the red energy he had amassed began to converge on his blade.
"DIIIIEEEE!!!"
Billy's raised blade began to descend the moment he neared Brutus.
~WHIIIIISSSSSHHHH!!!~
The winds parted, and the air around seemed to be igniting in flames as the powerful sword was about to land on its target.
However…
~CLANG!~
… The blazing blade was met with Brutus' regular wooden blade.
~FSHIIIIII!~
More steam emanated from their point of contact, and despite Billy crashing all of his power into the straight vertical slash, the blade of his opponent did not budge.
Brutus was only using one hand to hold up his wooden blade, and yet it did not move an inch under the powerful pressure Billy emitted.
~FSHIIIIIII~
"Ah… It seems there is a limit to the amount of aura I can let this weapon take."
Brutus took in a deep breath as he watched Billy's maddened expression.
"I suppose I should use a Skill too…"
The boy's eyes widened in shock. What he had just heard defied all logic.
'H-he hasn't used a Skill since we started fighting? No… no way!'
Billy found it to be an impossible thing to believe. However, before he could properly wrap his head around it, Brutus opened his lips to speak.
"[Greater Battle Aura]."
~VWUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!~
The amount of pressure that instantly shrouded the entire field the moment those words were uttered was beyond description.
Every student present shuddered as a wave of red energy began to rise from him.
What started off as flickering energy soon expanded beyond the feeble display that Billy was displaying.
"There's something you should know, young warrior." Brutus' words reached Billy, who was also shivering at this point.
His tight grip on his blade was loosening, and his feet were shaking violently.
Without being grounded properly, the force behind his strike weakened exponentially, causing his blade to tremble.
"When two warriors fight a battle of aura, the weaker one is consumed."
~WHOOOOSSSHHH!!!~
Billy's red flames instantly died out, like a candlelight being blown away by a violent wind.
All of Billy's rage and determination sizzled out at that single point, all culminating to the boy's grand defeat.
"A-ahhh…"
Billy fell to his knees, his trembling feet unable to support his weight any longer.
All the energy and power he had displayed drained from him the moment Brutus' aura emerged.
As a warrior, Billy instantly knew… the vast difference in their levels.
Brutus was not an opponent he could defeat.
"Do you accept defeat?" Like an imposing monolith, Brutus stood in front of Billy with his sword pointed at him.
The blade had tiny flickers of the red energy from Brutus, and merely looking at them seemed to burn Billy from the inside out.
The overwhelming force he had been forced to experience, as well as the futility of his own struggle, forced Billy to utter the words he had been too prideful to say.
At least, until now.
"… It's my loss. I-I accept my defeat."
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[A/N]
Well, that's it for the first fight. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Thanks for reading.