'Damnit…'
Ash kept up his surprise smile as he looked at the fallen student who was meant to defeat him in their fight.
'She slipped on the sweat that had gathered on the ground, which allowed her to lose her balance.' He analyzed internally. 'Normally, she would have stopped, but due to the propelling force and lack of balance, she ended up in her current predicament.'
Fortunately, she wasn't hurt in any meaningful way.
However, the rules were that the first person to surrender or fall flat on the ground would lose.
Hence, it was her loss.
'And my victory.' Ash did his best to hide his disappointment, and it was successful.
Many Beta Students roared in pleasant surprise, their excitement beyond palpable. As for the Alpha Students, they were stunned beyond words. Many clung to disbelief and silently opined that Ash must have cheated somehow.
Still, the results were glaring for anyone with eyes.
For the first time in so long… the Beta Class had triumphed over the Alpha Class.
But—
"And now, since the Beta Class won this match, the Alpha Class has the chance to regain their title of current champion." The Instructor announced, causing the hall to fall back into sheer silence.
Everyone sat as tension wafted in the air.
'As expected, it isn't over…' Ash grit his teeth. 'This is why I didn't bother trying to win.'
It was why most Beta Students didn't bother.
Even if they managed to win, the Alpha Class had the right to challenge them to a match in order to regain their title as reigning champions.
"Alpha Class… send out your champion!"
Once those words burst into the air, all eyes fell on one single person in the room.
The only obvious choice.
Ash kept his stoic demeanor as he looked at the same person, tightly clinging to his wooden blade to show both nervousness and determination.
Even as the boy rose to his feet, Ash did not back down.
"I see you've made your choice!" The Instructor smiled. "Master Seth Zephyr, please come to the stage."
As the boy with raven black hair and pure blue eyes walked to the stage, Elma rose to her feet and shamefully walked away. Before leaving, she cast a silent glance at Ash, displaying a menacing glare before leaving.
'What was that all about?' He wondered, but chose to focus on the task before him.
—His twin brother.
Ash took his stance, while Seth simply took the first blade he could find in the rack of weapons right beside the stage. Once he was done, he climbed the stage and stood a few meters from his brother.
A calm, noble expression was plastered on his face.
"You chose a longsword… why?" Ash asked, his eyes narrowing on his brother. "So you can fight on equal terms with me?"
"Yes. It wouldn't be fair otherwise."
'Typical.'
Ash already knew that Seth's primary weapon was the spear, though it didn't matter what kind of weapon he ended up with.
He was a master of all!
"The Rematch between Beta Class and Alpha Class shall commence… NOW!"
The moment the match began, Ash tried to march forward and let out the first strike, but a soundless gust of wind suddenly flowed around him, and he suddenly found that Seth had already disappeared from his position.
"Sorry, brother."
As those words whispered slowly in Ash's ears, he felt a powerful presence behind him.
"... It's my victory."
WHUUUM!
The strike was immediate—a single stroke of mercy that sliced through his back and sent a wave that shattered the winds.
Ash instantly fell to the ground, feeling the sharp and quick pangs of pain that instantly coursed through his whole body at once. He couldn't even scream due to its sheer intensity, but the horrid sensation was brief.
Within a second, the pain vanished, and Ash found himself laid flat on the stage.
Just like that… he had lost.
"The winner of this Joint Training Rematch is Master Seth Zephyr!"
The Alpha Students instantly gave a standing ovation, once again proudly enjoying their position at the top while the Betas sighed in annoyance and disappointment.
While this was happening, Seth lowered his hand as he stood above his brother's body.
"Here… take my hand."
'As expected, he's that kind of person.' Ash smiled to himself. 'He can be unforgiving in a fight, but he's a kind person at heart.'
Despite knowing that, however, Ash shoved the hand away and rose to his feet with his own strength. Once he did so, he took a few steps towards Seth, until they stood side by side so their similar and contrasting features were laid bare for everyone to see.
"I don't… need your pity."
As soon as he said this, Ash walked away—limping and grunting.
"Brother…"
He could hear Seth's voice drift into the air—a melancholic mix of disappointment and sadness—but he ignored all of it.
'Ash has always had some kind of inferiority towards Seth due to their difference in ability. I can't suddenly change that.' He told himself as he climbed the east side of the hall and returned to his seat.
"I hope this was a very educational Exchange for you all!"
Once again, the Instructor loudly declared his thoughts to everyone, though not many agreed with his sentiment. All of the students couldn't wait to leave the auditorium, and much to their relief, he released them soon after his announcements.
"See you all next week!"
************
[Moments Later]
Ash managed to escape the mob of Beta Students who swarmed him after his little accident in the auditorium and was currently on his way to his dorms, feeling the fresh breeze and the sweet smell of flowers that decorated the campus grounds.
Despite his several attempts to explain what actually happened to them, they chose to believe that it was all some part of his masterplan and they wanted to know how he managed to pull it off.
'Haa… give it a few days and they'll forget about it.'
No, it probably wouldn't even take a few days before they completely forget everything that happened in the Joint Combat Training.
'After all, the first incident is about to begin…'
***********
[Later That Night]
"Tch! I wonder if we'll ever stop this annoying Joint Training Session…"
"Yeah, it's so stupid."
Two Alpha Students were walking side by side, both of them holding a bottle of juice that they got from the campus cafeteria that exclusively belonged to the Alpha Class. They were just returning from the library after a rigorous study session, so having a cool drink was their way of relaxing as they headed back to their dorms.
With their school uniforms still on, they discussed the annoyance that was the Joint Training Session.
Unsurprisingly, they felt it had to be done away with.
"I mean, until the Beta Students reach our level, isn't it as unhelpful to us as it is to them?" One of them said with a sigh.
"I know, right?" The other responded, slurping on his drink. "I doubt they enjoy being pummeled every week."
ZZTZZZ!
"Hmm?? Did you hear that?"
The two students paused and looked around them, then at each other.
They could have sworn that they had just heard a buzzing sound, but with no one present around them—save for the lights and perhaps guard patrols that would constantly survey the area—they didn't know what to think.
"Let's just head back quickly."
"Y-yea—!"
BZZZTTZZ!!
At this point, the students were freaked out, yelping as they dropped their bottles of juice and began to run away.
However…
WHOOOOOSHH!!!
… They didn't get very far when they noticed something surreal lurking around them.
It was like a blot in the night.
Like a transparent glassy silhouette that had a subtle white luster about it. It appeared humanoid, but also like an echo that seemed to be incorporeal and made of energy—more akin to a spirit than a person.
Before they took another step, the silhouette appeared in front of them.
Then—
ZZBBBZZZZTTTZZZZ!!!
—The buzzing sounds came again, this time stronger and longer than before.
"W-who are you?!" One of the students asked, his voice trembling as he quickly got into combat position.
Using Spirit Arts on Campus Grounds outside of Lectures or other special circumstances was forbidden. However, there were exceptions to the rule.
For example, when a Student's life is in reasonable danger, and no other alternative exists.
"S-stay back, or we will attack!" The other student declared.
The transparent-white silhouette cocked its head, almost as if it was confused. It stood still for a moment, not moving a single muscle.
At this point, the students sighed in relief.
This thing—whatever it was—responded well to threats, which meant it wouldn't make any weird moves.
… Or so they thought…
THUD!
In an instant, one of the students fell to the ground, his whole body—from his head, neck, arms, torso, legs… everything—twisting violently as every ounce of blood was wrung out of his body.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
His fellow student screamed in horror and bolted, not caring to fight the white nightmare anymore.
Whatever this thing was… it was beyond human.
It was death.