"Alright, let's get started!"
shouted Professor Lance, and the match began.
Lucas and Rowan were both Rank 2+, which meant their skills were pretty much equal.
However, Lucas had a slight edge in strength.
I noticed Lucas and Rowan smirking at me.
They clearly thought they were going to win and didn't seem worried about the fight at all.
Aerox, on the other hand, stayed calm with no emotions in his face at all.
After Professor Lance signaled the start of the duel, Lucas charged at Aerox with his sword, moving like a streak of lightning.
His strikes were fast and ferocious.
Lucas's blade came down hard, aimed directly at Aerox's chest.
It would have been a critical hit—if it had landed.
But Aerox didn't even flinch.
The sword barely grazed his clothes.
Rowan quickly joined the fray.
Using his movement skill, Quick Step, he closed the distance and attempted to slash at Aerox's throat from behind.
"Hm."
Aerox dodged with a swift step back, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Without hesitation, he surged forward, closing the gap between them with his own movement technique.
"Star Swift,"
Aerox muttered.
In an instant, his speed skyrocketed.
To the average eye, he was nothing more than a blur.
Clang! Clang!
Aerox's movements were dazzling where his attacks were relentless.
Watching him fight, I couldn't imagine how anyone could block such a flurry of strikes.
Despite facing two opponents, Aerox seemed completely in control.
Lucas and Rowan were stunned.
Aerox's speed overwhelmed them, leaving them struggling to keep up.
"Damn, that's some crazy speed,"
Lucas said.
He parried one of Aerox's strikes and charged again, determined to end the fight quickly and claim victory for himself.
"Double Dash!"
Lucas yelled, activating his own speed-boosting technique.
He managed to respond to Aerox's attacks with a flurry of strikes.
Rowan, meanwhile, used Quick Step to flank Aerox.
"You're still too slow,"
Aerox said calmly.
Even with their enhanced speed, Lucas and Rowan couldn't match Aerox.
His movements were fluid and faster than anything they could manage.
Every attack they launched was either dodged or deflected with ease.
"Damn… how is he this fast?"
Lucas muttered through gritted teeth.
"I… I have no idea,"
Rowan stammered.
Despite their skills and ranks as 2+ fighters, they were completely outclassed.
Aerox's sheer dominance left them stunned and frustrated.
"You little shit!"
Lucas snarled, his anger boiling over.
Pouring all his mana into his sword, Lucas unleashed a series of furious attacks, using every skill in his arsenal.
But no matter how hard he tried, Aerox remained untouchable.
"Is that all you've got?"
Aerox shouted.
Lucas gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his limits.
His sword skill and speed improved dramatically as he unleashed a full-powered attack, determined to end the fight quickly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But Aerox blocked every strike effortlessly.
Lucas's attacks weren't enough to faze him.
Without hesitation, Aerox countered, swinging his sword with precision.
Clang!
Rowan intercepted Aerox's counterattack, using his sword to defend and strike back.
"Damn, this isn't looking good,"
Rowan muttered under his breath.
Even as second-year students, Lucas and Rowan couldn't match Aerox's skill.
The gap in strength was too vast.
Clang! Zzzzt!
"Ugh!"
Rowan winced as Aerox 's blade grazed his arm, leaving a shallow cut.
Both Lucas and Rowan froze momentarily, realizing they were outmatched.
"We can't beat him alone,"
Lucas said with frustration clear in his voice.
"We'll have to work together."
Nodding in agreement, Rowan and Lucas launched a coordinated attack.
They activated their movement skills to boost their speed and struck in unison, pouring all their mana into their techniques.
"Fortunate Sword Style: Dividing Stab!"
Lucas shouted.
"Crimson Sword Style: Crimson Sword Strike!"
Rowan followed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Aerox parried every attack with ease, reading their moves like an open book.
"I can't believe he's dodging all of this,"
Lucas muttered as sweat dripped from his forehead.
Their attacks weren't just blocked—they were completely neutralized.
Fear crept into their expressions as they realized just how far out of their depth they were.
"His speed is insane,"
Rowan said with his voice trembling.
"His reactions are just as fast,"
Lucas added.
No matter how hard they tried, Aerox was too strong, too fast, and too skilled.
Every move they made was countered with precision.
They couldn't see a way to win.
"This guy's on another level,"
Rowan admitted as his grip on his sword was tightening as the reality of their situation sank in.
(As I expected, Aerox is far beyond Lucas and Rowan. Even though the two seniors are at the same rank as Aerox , his stats are closer to someone at Rank 3.)
Aerox 's strength didn't surprise me, but I didn't think he'd be able to overpower two Top-10 seniors just by using his movement skills.
I stood on the sidelines, watching like the fight had nothing to do with me.
I figured Lucas and Rowan might have some kind of strategy since they pushed for this duel, but it turns out they simply overestimated themselves.
Professor Lance probably thought the seniors' experience would let them exploit our teamwork weaknesses, but Aerox didn't even need my help to handle them.
The other students were stunned.
The second-years, especially, couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Damn, this first-year is insanely strong,"
someone said.
"We can't even beat one of them, and he's handling both. What a monster."
"I think only Dreyar could go toe-to-toe with him."
While the second-years whispered in awe and fear, the first-years were thrilled.
Aerox , being one of the strongest among us, felt like a representative of our year.
His win was a win for all of us.
Not everyone was happy, though.
"Damn it. He's gotten stronger again,"
Trival muttered and clenching his fists.
He thought he was closing the gap between himself and Aerox after reaching Rank 2+, but watching this fight made him realize how far behind he still was.
Maxpad had been training harder than ever since the MistShade Training Ground incident, but it wasn't enough.
While Maxpad stewed in frustration, the girls nearby were celebrating.
Lily and Silvana beamed with excitement as they watched Aerox dominate the fight.
They knew how much trouble the seniors gave him, so seeing him win felt like justice.
"I didn't know Aerox was this strong,"
Silvana said to Lily.
"Aerox was always strong, but he's definitely improved,"
Lily replied.
She remembered Aerox fighting a Rank 3 Poacher in the past.
Back then, his strength and speed weren't as impressive as they were now.
"Still, what's Xerox Zee doing? They would've already won if he had helped,"
Lily said with a hint of annoyance.
She glanced at me where I stood silently, not making any moves to join the fight.
Lily remembered how I used to argue with her, but ever since the MistShade Training Ground incident, I hadn't spoken to her at all.
"Did something happen to him in the forest? You were with him, right? Was he traumatized by what happened?"
Lily asked Silvana.
Silvana hesitated.
"I… I don't know why he's not helping Aerox . Maybe he's waiting for the right moment."
(Traumatized? Ha. If anything, Xerox's enemies were the ones left traumatized—and they're all dead now.)
"Don't you think Xerox's been acting strange?"
Lily asked.
"Strange? How?"
Silvana replied.
"Well, he hasn't talked to me since that incident,"
Lily admitted.
"Oh? Are you bored because Xerox is not arguing with you?"
Silvana teased with a grin.
Lily shot her an annoyed look and elbowed her playfully.
"I'm serious! Answer me properly."
Silvana chuckled.
"Alright, alright. I don't think anything bad happened to him, but yeah, I wonder why he isn't like before."
"I wonder too,"
Lily said.
"Maybe he really is traumatized."