'Not yet!'
Tension was rife in the air, and at that moment, Billy felt his blood rushing throughout his body.
As Brutus neared him, his sword was already out of commission since it had been slashed upward in an arc to break through the barrier.
As a result, Brutus' dominant hand was raised in the air, while his left hand was reaching out for Billy.
It was a blunt attack, so Billy braced himself with his next Skill.
He knew he wasn't fast enough to escape the claws of his opponent, so he focused all his strength on the next best thing.
'I'll take it!'
"[Greater Warrior's Mantle]!" He yelled in activation just as the blow was about to reach him.
~BOOM!~
"Guark!" Billy's mouth was forcefully opened by the saliva and pieces of vomit he had to let out as a result of the blow he received.
His entire body felt hot, and the pain he received spread through his whole body in an instant.
It didn't matter that Billy was currently being shrouded by dense energy thanks to his newly activated Skill.
The results were still the same.
As Brutus twisted his fist on Billy's stomach, the pain intensified, and the shockwaves caused the very earth beneath them to crack.
Wind rushed all around Brutus, a testament to the amount of force just one of his fists possessed.
~WHOOSH!~
Billy was sent flying backwards and crashing on the ground like a ragdoll.
His body coiled up as he trembled, trying to recoil from the pain that now seemed to ravage his entire body.
All it took was a single hit for him to croak and grunt like a wounded animal.
"Don't be overly dramatic. That was only a light tap.. Stand up, warrior." Brutus' voice echoed in the air, adding salt to injury.
Billy was doing his best not to scream, gritting his teeth as he tightly clutched his stomach.
'Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts so much!' Billy screamed internally.
'D-damnit! Even with [Greater Warrior's Mantle], it still hurts this much?!'
The Skill he currently had activated boosted all his Stats exponentially, raising them to a heightened position that dwarfed his previous status.
Billy was stronger, faster, and far more durable than before.
'Yet one blow from him made me like this? Damnit!'
His vision was blurry, but from the ground, he could see the expressions of some of his classmates.
Most of them expressed utter shock at what was happening.
No one could give Billy condescending gazes or looks of mockery because they understood just how strong he was.
The Skills he had just displayed was beyond the capabilities of some, so no one doubted his capabilities in the slightest.
For them, it was the very opposite.
They could not fathom how someone as strong as Billy could be made to be so pathetic.
Thus far, they had been told they were special.
They were summoned to another world and granted Exclusive Skills. They were treated like royalty, and the entire world depended on them.
Because of this, everyone had subconsciously developed a sense of superiority and entitlement.
However, after watching Billy—one of the strongest in the class—get destroyed so easily by the Head Warrior who didn't even seem to be trying, they began to understand their place better.
Right there and then, the group of students better appreciated Lucielle's words to them.
They all had the potential to be the strongest. But with the way they were now, none of them were strong.
… At least, when compared to the ones considered powerful in this world.
Billy's pathetic display had just proven it.
'Shit! I can't go down like this… like a loser!' Billy's thoughts screamed.
Right now, Alicia was looking at his pitiful self. How could he let that happen?
'I wanted her to see me as someone to depend on! Not like this!'
It hurt him to his core that he was disgraced so thoroughly like this.
Once again, Billy's blurry vision took in the expression of the crowd of students.
Most of them still maintained their shocked expressions. However… there was one among them that was grinning.
The smile he gave was a condescending gaze that seemed to ooze with "Serves you right."
'T-that is… Rey?!'
Rey was standing inconspicuously among the crowd of students and was seemingly enjoying Billy's suffering.
The smile he gave pissed Billy off more than anything.
'You… you're looking down on me?! How can you look down on me?!'
Billy's fury began to reach new heights.
'You're a nobody with a less than average Class and an average Skill! I'd like to see you do better!'
It pissed him off that someone like Rey could look at him with those eyes.
A weakling like Rey…
'I can't allow this! I won't allow this!'
"Raaaahhhhh!!!" Billy rose to his feet in a ferocious roar, ignoring the pains that his body was being ravaged by.
To him, nothing was more important than evaporating the pathetic image of himself that was on display.
"That's more like it." Head Warrior Brutus said, once again twisting his blade as he tightly gripped it.
'You shameless old man… going so far against me…' Billy grunted as he made those thoughts.
His pain served as fuel to his aggression, and right now he sought something to put it all on.
'I'll pay you back for that!'
The fiery blue aura of the [Greater Warrior's Mantle] was already wearing out, but Billy chose to ignore it.
He had another Skill in mind at this point.
'I have already used three Skills, and they're currently on cooldown.'
His Mana Level was also pretty low, so this was probably the last Skill he would be able to use in the fight.
'I was saving it for last, but…!'
Right here… right now… Billy had every reason to be desperate about his victory.
'I won't lose!'
In a loud echo of desperation, Billy let out the name of his next Skill.
"[Greater Battle Aura]!"
~VWUUUUUMMMM!!!~
The burst of red energy around him caused winds to gather around him, like a small whirlwind forming.
The ground itself trembled in response to this power.
"Haaaa…" Billy let out a misty breath.
The smoke that emanated from his lips and nostrils swiftly dispersed as the red energy that swarmed him burned brightly.
Right now, he felt no fear… no pain.
All he had was an endless stream of determination and an immense rush of power to back it up.
Billy was sure now—surer than ever—that he wouldn't lose.
"Come, old man…" He gave a devilish grin as he raised his blade.
Billy McGuire pointed it at Brutus, an invitation to his glorious comeback.
"… I'll beat you up!"
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[A/N]
Wooohooo!
Seems Billy has awakened his hidden power and will now turn the tides of battle.
Who else is with me? Let's root for Billy!