Just when they were climbing the arena after the previous duo climbed down, the crowd around quickly recognized Ian and began to gather and discuss.
"Isn't this Ian, the only son of Duke Eldric?"
"Yeah! But who is the guy opposite?"
"No idea, but they seem to be fighting."
"Wow, finally there is something fun in this boring welcome party."
Suddenly a large crowd gathered around the arena, bustling around almost like a vegetable market.
"Did he really fight just for practicing?" Lyra looked at Ian in concern.
She actually didn't want Ian to fight. What if he got hurt, because of her? Although she knew Ian was in the Tertiary Knight Realm, she also knew Ian never practiced swords since he was a kid.
It was not without a reason he would be beaten by Sylvia every time when he was a kid. He had no fighting experience at all.
However, she didn't know that Ian was already in the High Knight realm and he had plenty of fighting experience enough for this fight.
'Still, let's end this fight fast.'
He was eager to know what he would get after completing this quest. After all, unlike other quests, it was the first unique destiny quest.
Of course, he wouldn't be complacent just because his realm was higher.
"Are you two ready?"
After they took their position and ready their sword, the middle-aged teacher asked.
"Um!"
"Yes!"
"Okay. Remember, this is a practice. You can injure other party but can't kill."
As for the consequences of killing, he wisely didn't say it as there were no consequences if Ian really killed the boy.
At most, he would compensate some gold to give the academy some face.
"Start!"
With the sound of the referee, both Ian and Carl took their stances. While Ian appeared elegant in his steps, Carl was full of wildness.
In fact, Ian could even see faint steam surrounding him as his Knight Breathing Method was related to the Sun.
"Woah! They are starting."
"I don't know who will win."
"Do you even need to guess? Of course, young master Ian will win. You should instead ask how long the boy opposite will last."
The crowd around was riling up and everyone was discussing who would win. If it weren't for inappropriate places, they would likely start betting.
"Be careful! Don't blame me if you get hurt."
Carl first warned hypocritically, clearly determined to injure him badly.
He had to let this bad breath out, otherwise he would feel constipated.
Ian just smiled and didn't take his words to heart. He was already at High Knight Realm; unless Carl directly fired spells at him, he wouldn't lose no matter what.
Instead, he suddenly rushed with extreme speed and used the Knight Cleave move perfectly pointing at the weak spot accurately.
Although he didn't show his killing intent, his moves were ruthless from the beginning. Belittling the opponent, that too a protagonist, was a foolish thing to do and was being cruel to yourself.
He wouldn't make such low-level mistakes.
He was currently using the Tertiary Knight Realm, as he didn't want to expose himself too early and there was no need to.
You know, the four Duke and one royal family of the Empire weren't a joke. They establish their prestige due to their special Knight Breathing Method that could crush any other mediocre method both in realm and strength.
Although Ian wasn't proficient in his family's Veiled Sword Technique, he was in the perfection realm in Ironclad Discipline Codex.
So, there was no suspense as Carl was suppressed from the beginning without a chance to counterattack. Ian's ruthless attack didn't give him a chance to save the situation.
If Carl was to fight him as a Wizard, Ian would lose miserably without a doubt.
Both his qualifications and wealth of spells weren't something he could be content with. Unfortunately, this was a Knight competition, so the situation was now reversed
'Damn it! What is happening here? Why is this guy so strong?'
Carl was getting more annoyed the more he fought with him.
The only reason he could still parry the attack and avoid being injured severely was because of his high mental power which in turn enhanced his reflex.
Still, there were already multiple scratched in his arms and body making him uncomfortable.
'Why is the situation completely opposite than I thought?' He was getting impatient.
Being unable to use spells and mental power actively made him feel stuck and uncomfortable.
Who liked being beaten by a weaker being but unable to defend?
It was like an immortal being beaten by a mortal because the former couldn't use his power.
He really thought so.
Unfortunately, this was a Knight competition and this wasn't his strong forte.
Even with his high mental power working at high speed, he couldn't find the weak point in Ian and had to work hard to stop his offensive.
"Why are you caring about this so much? Knights are just like mortals in front of the Wizard. What is the use even if you win?"
Ruther said leisurely when he found that Carl was getting restless.
He, as a Wizard, didn't take this fight seriously at all. In his opinion, this was like a child quarrel.
"I know."
Carl also composed himself but he was feeling restless inside. His intuition told him that he couldn't lose this match and it was getting stronger and stronger.
'Damn it.' He cursed when the sword scratched his arm at a tricky angle.
The sword battle in the arena went on, while the crowd cheered in excitement.
However, anyone could see that the boy opposite was no match for Ian. After all, everyone was a Knight and could see more or less.
"Clang!"
"Thud."
Ian looked at Carl whose face was as black as it could be and thought,
'It is time to end.'
He couldn't afford to waste time as anything could happen with the protagonist. Luck was a bitch if it was with the opponent.
But just when he was preparing to end this farce with Blade Breaker's move, a sharp tingling pain impacted his mind making him uncomfortable.