A few moments after Leonard spoke, the duel began for everyone in the room as they found a sparring partner and started to attack one another without using their abilities, as Sir Leonard had instructed.
Kory Guts, on the other hand, had a very easy time dealing with her partner, who had no idea how to wield the weapon he held in his hands. He was terrible at close-range battles, which allowed her to simply outmatch him.
While they fought, Kory, out of suspicion, shifted her eyes to see how Kael was holding up against Leonard. Her eyes immediately widened, and she almost lost her balance, giving her opponent enough time to bash his flail into her side.
The blow caused her to stagger, but not to fall. She groaned in pain and turned back to her opponent, who wore a cocky smile on his face.
"When you fight, you should use all your concentration next—"
His words were cut short, and so was the battle, as Kory sprang forward with incredible speed and smashed the base of her sword's hilt into his head with a sickening crack, knocking him out.
"Now that he's down, I'll get enough time to study." Kory turned back to watch Kael and Leonard fighting. It was an amazing battle that not only caught her eyes but also the eyes of a few others.
The speed at which they battled was considered inhuman, and their battle styles were unbelievable. While Kael's style was unrefined and unpracticed, he managed to block most of Leonard's moves and dodge others.
"Is he really a Grade One?" Kory asked herself.
Earlier:
Kael had climbed up to meet Leonard on the large upper podium. When he got a few feet away, he paused and studied Leonard's physique.
Leonard was fit, with a sword in his scabbard and a fierce look in his eyes.
"Hello, Kael. I know this might be a lot to take in, but I will be your partner. Unlike the others I train in technique, I would prefer giving you notes to practice after the match. But for today, I would like to test your martial prowess—if you have learned any arts before your slumber?"
Kael nodded. "I actually know some martial arts. My mum always insisted I learn how to defend myself at the time, so I will try my best."
A smile formed on Leonard's face.
"I will fight with my eyes closed. If you can make me pull out my sword to defend, you win. You are allowed to use any physical-boosting abilities to try and win, just to be fair." Leonard widened his stance, placing one hand behind his back and the other out. "Attack when ready."
With that, his eyes were closed.
[Inspection skill activated]
[You cannot see any information about the current opponent. His strength far supersedes your own.]
Kael gulped at the message. He tightened his gauntlets and raised his fists in a battle stance. I should attack silently with a good amount of speed.
Kael sprang forward as silently as he could, his body feeling far lighter than before. It was as though leveling up had made him faster.
He reached Leonard in a mere second. When he saw Leonard twitch, he sidestepped, feigning an attack, and threw a blow at Leonard's gut.
Leonard's hand moved like lightning and caught the gauntlet mid-swing.
"What a nice attempt. Come on, show me more."
Kael swallowed hard, knowing the battle level was simply difficult, but just as he thought this, a motivation came to him.
[Land a hit on the advanced warrior and gain a reward.]
Seeing this, Kael was instantly motivated. He threw a super-fast, strong kick at Leonard.
However, Leonard caught his kick midway again without effort. This frustrated Kael.
"Come on, don't tell me you're going to quit."
Kael growled and threw a fist at Leonard with full force. For the first time, Leonard was forced to dodge instead of blocking, and his expression shifted.
Kael didn't allow him time to recover, flinging a kick at his jaw, but Leonard jerked his head, letting the kick pass by. Leonard attacked next, throwing a quick punch, which Kael managed to block with both hands in a guard.
Kael skidded a few feet before stopping himself. Damn, he's switched to offense.
Leonard now had a straight stance, no longer keeping one hand behind him. This kid's aura is different from others, but I never thought he would have this explosive physique. At times his blows are as fast as mine; other times, he's just twice as strong as a normal human.
"Hahaha, I like this already. If you think you can hold back in fighting me, Kael, then I will make you regret it," Leonard said, opening his eyes, which gave Kael a sense of foreboding.
Kael gulped again, planning his next move before launching forward with incredible speed. He met Leonard ready to attack but was thrown onto the defensive as Leonard swung a fast fist at his face, which Kael blocked with his gauntlet.
Leonard followed up with a kick to his side, forcing Kael to dodge.
Attack after attack, each faster than the last, Leonard began overwhelming Kael, throwing him completely onto the defensive.
Shit! He's too much for me. What kind of monster is he?!
Little did they know, every single student in the room had stopped their own battles, mesmerized by how remarkable the new student was in holding his own against Sir Leonard.
The speed of the battle blurred before their eyes, and the loud thuds from every hit sent chills down their spines.
"Holy crap, how are they moving that fast?"
"That's not human. This new kid is something else."
"Is this guy really a Grade One?"
Eric, standing in a corner, wore a bitter expression as he watched the others stare at Kael with admiration. "So, you made a fool of me, Kael Auron."
Back in the battle, Kael's hands were growing heavy and rigid, his shoulders creaking, and his speed was decreasing.
I can't win this fight, but I can at least test something on him.
[Shockwave activated.]
Kael raised his gauntlet to block a flying fist from Leonard. As it met the gauntlet, a small, barely noticeable blast of wind-like energy exited the gauntlet and struck Leonard.
It was strong, but Leonard was far stronger and seized the opportunity. Distracted, Kael took a direct knee to the gut, sending him sprawling to the ground, clutching his stomach. The battle was over.
"Hahaha! You're very interesting, kid. It's been a while since I had such an amazing warm-up."
Leonard's words caused murmurs to break out across the room. Nobody believed it was a warm-up after witnessing the overwhelming speed and strength.
If this was just a warm-up, how truly strong was Leonard?
Despite the pain and exhaustion, Kael rose to his feet and bowed. "That was a nice match. I'll try harder next time."
"Your karate is really nice. A little taekwondo and kung fu will do you a great deal. I will—"
Before Leonard could finish, the classroom doors burst open with a loud crash, drawing everyone's attention to three officials in black uniforms and dark hats.
They stopped in the middle of the room and bowed to Leonard before one of them stepped forward to speak.
"Sir Leonard, by order of the headmaster, all classes have been dismissed. A student has gone missing, and all others are to return to their rooms for questioning."
The room instantly became rowdy. Kael's face held a shocked expression. Deep down, he knew he was in serious trouble.