'Shit! Since when did this trash Edward become so strong?' Lukas thought in a panic.
Edward's attacks were incredibly powerful and agile. Each of his strikes and maneuvers during the fight were bizarre. He even attempted to grab Lukas's sword blade to disarm him.
'He even tried to pull my sword away. If it weren't for the Sword Wielder Trait, my sword would've been pulled from my grasp, and I would've been forced to fight barehanded,' thought Lukas.
Despite this, there were always mistakes and openings. As a talented student of the Hero Department ranked in the top ten, Lukas quickly seized opportunities and launched swift attacks using his family's sword technique.
The Ziegler family was one of knights' blood and had worked tirelessly to enhance their power by refining and modifying their sword techniques. Originally, the Ziegler family sword technique focused mainly on strength and explosive power. However, thanks to the current patriarch and several of his predecessors, the sword technique had been polished to not only increase power but also to include more efficient movements. This allowed the Ziegler family to rise swiftly into the upper echelons of power.
Adding to this, with Lukas, a top ten first-year Hero Department student, the Ziegler family's prestige also grew. Consequently, the family's resources were now focused more on Lukas. With his talent, hard work, and ample resources, Lukas became stronger and could wield the Ziegler sword technique with even greater power and efficiency. The Ziegler technique shone in Lukas's hands.
Even so, it now felt like all that was an illusion. Lukas's sword technique was easily dodged and blocked by a student ranked much lower than him. Lukas continually targeted Edward's vital points with various feints, yet Edward still managed to evade, parry, or deflect his attacks to other parts of his body.
Although the momentum of the battle had shifted from Edward attacking to Edward defending and even being cornered, Lukas still couldn't land a significant blow on Edward.
What the other students saw was different. They still underestimated Edward despite his good performance, even while exhausted. No one knew Edward was fatigued today.
"I didn't expect Edward to be that strong."
"Really? I think the opening was just Edward trying to look cool."
"Right, after trying to look cool, he got pressured by Lukas."
"Besides, the difference in rank is like night and day."
"Are you guys blind? Isn't it impressive that Edward can withstand Lukas's attacks? What can you do?"
"Damn, what supplements did Edward take to become that strong?"
"Hasn't he been hiding his strength all this time?"
"Did he train in secret?"
"Edward can't be compared to Lukas."
There were various discussions among the students. Some were surprised, while others continued to underestimate Edward despite his good fight against a much higher-ranked opponent.
"Brother Edward is truly a warrior!!"
"You're right, brother!! Facing a sword with bare fists. That's so cool!!"
"He has my respect!"
These were comments from some of the Orcs in the class. Although they specialized in weapons like axes, war hammers, and greatswords, they also appreciated fist fights.
Lukas, who was attacking fiercely and precisely, was startled by Edward's strange smile when cornered. For some reason, the smile gave Lukas a creepy sensation.
"Are you underestimating me??" Lukas said.
"Hmph!!" Edward only snorted in response.
Lukas didn't know what Edward was thinking. One thing was clear: he was smiling in the middle of the fight. If it wasn't underestimating, what was it? Respect? Probably not. After all, when they exchanged greetings, Edward exuded an arrogant and powerful aura that made Lukas shiver. So, Lukas didn't think Edward respected him.
"Tch!" Lukas clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Feeling irritated, Lukas increased his strength. On the final slash of his attack, his sword struck Edward's gauntlet with great force. Edward's gauntlet almost cracked.
'Take this!'
"Ugh!" Edward groaned lightly.
Edward, who parried the blow, was thrown back, unable to withstand Lukas's explosive power. He rolled on the ground for a moment before quickly regaining his posture.
Lukas was also surprised. Although Edward's fall was uncontrollable, he could easily reposition his body to be ready for the next attack.
But there was no time to be surprised and admire. Lukas had to seize this opportunity. He quickly dashed toward Edward, who was crouching while being pushed by the rebound of Lukas's attack, and swung his sword in an upward reverse grip with great force, targeting Edward's chin, which was slightly leaning forward.
Edward quickly retreated slightly and parried Lukas's sword with both hands. Due to Lukas's strong slash, Edward's hands were flung upward. The front and side of Edward were exposed. He lost his balance and was slightly lifted off the ground with his body leaning to the right, leaving his left side unprotected.
Of course, Lukas noticed this. Wanting a quick victory, Lukas chose to strike Edward's side with his sword rather than kick his stomach. He quickly switched his grip and attacked Edward's left side.
The attack was so fast that in an instant, the sword was already near Edward's right side, seemingly about to slice him in two.
'Let's see what you do, Edward,' thought Lukas.
Lukas, who genuinely wanted to win with this attack, wasn't confident. Edward's movements were too strange throughout their duel.
And sure enough, Edward's body, which should have been hit, moved unnaturally. In a split second, Edward's airborne position turned into a stance ready to parry the attack.
'Insane body control!' Lukas thought angrily.
This time, it wasn't Edward's hands that parried Lukas's attack but his left leg, previously encased in metal, which shot up at high speed. With such high speed, Lukas's powerful slash was blocked. However, Edward's body was still thrown to Lukas's left and rolled on the ground.
Ishma, who was watching intently, observed seriously. She had dueled with Edward once and trained with him once. So, she knew about Edward's strange movements. It was like a puppet controlled by something. He could position his body precisely and quickly. And his reflexes were very high.
'My eyes aren't wrong. There's definitely something strange about this Edward. His fighting style and demeanor are very different from how they were in the first semester,' Ishma thought.
Ishma sighed as Edward was thrown by Lukas's attack. She had expected this. Edward was not in his prime condition today. Being able to hold on this long was an achievement.
However, some people always reject such realities.
"Well, he's still trash. There's no way he can beat Lukas."
There were statements like this from other students. Ishma, who heard it, could only shake her head inwardly. She realized Edward was trash before, but now, she felt something was different about him. Maybe the change wasn't visible to others, but to Ishma, it was significant.
Ishma refocused on the duel area where Lukas was dominating Edward, though his attacks rarely landed on Edward.
'I can sense the discomfort of the ocean spirits connected with the Child of The Ocean when near Edward. It's not a feeling of danger, just discomfort. Besides, my intuition and Identification Eye show that Edward's aura is very different from that in the first semester. He's also been very calm this past week,' Ishma thought while watching the duel.
That's why Ishma was curious about Edward and wondered what had happened to him.
Meanwhile, where Alzor and Balzaq stood, they admired the two students dueling.
"This duel is worthy. Student Lukas is very strong," Alzor said.
"Don't forget Edward too. I heard he was ranked low. Has he been hiding his strength?" Balzaq responded.
"His reflexes are excellent, and his body control is very high. He's only losing in strength and explosive power," Alzor said.
As they spoke, they heard footsteps behind them. The sound of high heels. They both looked back and saw a beautiful woman with long red hair. It was Brigitte Geissler, the Advanced Monstrology Professor and and class A advisor in the Hero Department.
"Oh? Who's dueling?" Brigitte asked as she put her hands in the pockets of her white lab coat.
"Students Lukas and Edward," Alzor replied, focusing again on the duel area.
Brigitte's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"Wait? Lukas and... Edward?" Brigitte said in disbelief.
She quickly turned her attention to the duel area, confirming Alzor's words. Her expression turned both surprised and worried.
'Lukas is ranked 9, right? And Edward... isn't he around 160? 162, I think?' Brigitte thought.
Back in the duel arena, Lukas continued to corner Edward. His rapid attacks prevented Edward from counterattacking. At this point, Lukas only needed to wait for Edward to tire out and lose.
However, this thought shattered when a strange mental wave attacked Lukas. Edward's red eyes stared blankly with an eerie smile. Suddenly, Lukas felt inferior and a bit afraid.
'That feeling again!' Lukas thought.
This was the Arogant Aristocrat Trait maximized by Arkium. Edward activated it again, intending to affect Lukas's mind, creating an opening in his attack.
Lukas now felt a strong urge to retreat and anger. This anger arose from the Half Hot Headed Trait trying to suppress Edward's mental attack, saying 'How dare you look down on me.' This was good, but staying calm during the fight was better than anger. At this moment, Knight Attitude took over. The negative feelings vanished, replaced by bravery. Lukas no longer felt inferior or afraid.
Unfortunately, even though he managed to dismiss Edward's mental attack, an opening still appeared, albeit briefly.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Edward struck Lukas in the stomach. It was a simple counterpunch but strong enough to make Lukas stagger back and halt his attack.
"Ugh!" Lukas groaned.
Edward immediately lunged at Lukas, unleashing his martial arts move, Gallean Mystic Path: Avalanche Assault Barrage. A flurry of punches targeted vital points. One punch landed on Lukas's left chest, causing him pain.
Thinking clearly, Lukas didn't let more of the attacks land. He successfully parried the next strikes.
The momentum shifted again, with Lukas now on the defensive and Edward attacking.
While parrying Edward's attacks, Lukas focused on using another of his Traits. Gradually, his body heated up, and fiery aura leaked out again. Unlike before the duel, this fiery aura was now somewhat fierce.
Edward couldn't allow this. His punches grew faster and stronger, but his fatigue increased, and his Arkium was draining. Then he created an opening. Not wasting the chance, Edward ended with Avalanche Impact, a high-level Arkium energy strike to Lukas's chest.
*BAM!*
The wind from Edward's strike whipped around the duel area, kicking up dust and obscuring vision from outside.
"What? Edward's attack was so strong?"
"Nonsense! Did that trash win?"
Wild chatter erupted outside the duel area.
The dust had not yet settled when a powerful wave blasted out, creating a hot wind gust. A silhouette was flung far and fast from there. Lukas stood firm.
The person thrown was Edward. He was hurled out of the duel area, rolling uncontrollably and brutally on the ground. When he stopped rolling, he didn't move.
Everyone fell silent, watching Edward's brutal ejection and his motionless state. Especially the students, who exchanged silent glances.
"He overexerted himself!" Ishma muttered with a slightly irritated expression.
As Edward's fake girlfriend, Ishma immediately rushed to Edward lying outside the duel area. She didn't touch him anywhere, fearing internal injuries.
"The winner is Lukas Ziegler!" Alzor also jumped toward Edward and announced.
"Call a healer! Quickly!" Brigitte shouted, running toward Edward.
Balzaq promptly left the training ground, heading to the nearby healer's post.
Lukas, standing firm in the duel area, pointed his sword toward Ishma and Edward.
"Miss Bahraeel! Didn't you see? He's not worthy of you!" Lukas declared firmly.
Ishma, sitting near Edward, looked at Lukas strangely. Meanwhile, Brigitte, who had just reached Edward, remained silent, checking Edward and then glancing at Lukas with a blank stare.
'Couldn't you have said that later?' Brigitte thought.
Ishma stood up and responded to Lukas in a flat tone.
"Young Master Zeigler, didn't Edward already tell you? Who are you to decide my and his choices?" Ishma's gaze was empty.
Without Ishma and Brigitte noticing, Edward's body moved, and he stood up. Once standing, Brigitte turned to him. She saw Edward's face adorned with a strange smile and an invisible, choking aura.
"Ed...ward?"