I was unsure if I had made the right decision by accepting this duel.
But I couldn’t find a reason to back out at the moment.
"This is an official duel. Victory is achieved when an opponent either surrenders or is rendered unable to continue fighting. The winner has the right to win or retain the third-ranked position of the Class Three Magical Swordsman Academy."
"Are there any questions?"
Fredric arrived at the centre of the stage and said.
Fredric nodded and stepped towards the edge of the stage. He didn’t withdraw because he needed to be ready to intervene in case things went south.
Unlike the unofficial duel I fought against Ivory, an official duel was quite different. Students had the freedom to use their magic items or anything in their arsenal that was theirs to defend their ranking.
If one’s strength wasn’t enough to challenge and defeat their opponent, and they had a network from which they could borrow a magic item that could close that gap, they could use it.
If they succeeded in winning, the ranking of the opponent they had won against would become theirs.
This rule was to give an illusion of the real world, where everything goes in battle, and there are no rules to protect one’s life.
Just because your opponent had the luck of obtaining a magic item that could restrict the potency of your skills on the day you decided to attack them, doesn’t mean they had cheated.
It simply meant that you were unlucky.
Even if they succeeded in obtaining that ranking, they would still need to defend it.
Rising in the rankings was much more challenging than maintaining a high ranking. And if they couldn’t, their victory would only amount to a short-term success.
Like a lion hunting its prey, unaware of the packs of hyenas stalking its movements from behind.
Not many would choose this type of victory.
Many would rather work hard to improve their strength and challenge their opponent with their abilities.
Then, retaining that position becomes much easier.
Ezekiel Zahara, third-ranked Magical Swordsman of the Class Three.
Previously, that would have sounded like an insult to me.
Now, I liked the way it sounded.
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of chaos would wreak across the academy once the other classes learned of my victory.
I might be able to trigger a quest then.
"Okay. Let the match begin."
I unsheathed my iron blade.
"Although you had defeated Ivory, I heard that it had been at the cost of your body. If the battle had gone on for a few seconds longer, even your spirit veins might have been damaged. In other words, it was a lucky win," Jaran said, his tone firm. "But, a win is still a win."
He narrowed his eyes at me.
He unsheathed his blade and pointed its tip at me.
"You’ll need to do a lot more than sacrifice your body to defeat me."
I chucked loudly at his words.
I glanced at the sword in Jaran’s hand.
It was an elegant silver-white longsword with a flowing curve along its hilt and an azure gem at the centre. And a crossguard that resembled the wings of a dove in flight.
The Dove Sealing Sword - a Rare tier two magic item.
It was Jaran’s personal magic sword, which increased his abilities by twenty per cent.
It helped him solidify his position as the third-ranked in the Class Three Magical Swordsman Ranking.
If Ivory and Milas weren’t present in Class Three, Jaran might have been the top-ranked. Still, it wasn’t enough to put him on the same threat the both of them.
The quest must have already evaluated the severity of the situation, as the goal of completing it was to show Jaran how weak he was.
In other words, harass him until his intimidated.
It would not be easy to accomplish this without looking like a peacock. But I’ll try my best.
"You are overestimating your abilities. You might be stronger than those ranked below you, but comparing yourself to the top-ranked is the height of arrogance. You should show a little more respect to me, as I’ve defeated the top-ranked and would soon defeat you as well."
I held my sword in front of me. The tip pointed directly at him.
Jaran’s expression froze, stunned.
He probably hadn’t expected that I would respond in such a manner.
I glanced to the sides at the others gathered at the seats around the stage.
Their expressions were filled with a mixture of shock and surprise at my words.
Delilah-in-training’s irritated expression made the comment feel more rewarding.
The slight shift in Fredric’s expression didn’t escape my gaze.
Jaran’s expression twisted with rage.
"One strike! That’s all I need to defeat you," he spat, gritting his teeth.
"Come on then. You can go ahead and attack first."
I nodded. I lowered my blade.
My lips curled into a smile as Jaran was about to respond, but he instantly sealed his lips.
He probably thought that I was trying to trick him and lead him into a trap.
"Humph! Since you’ve said so, I’ll take you up on that offer. However, I must warn you that unless you don’t face me directly with all your strength, you will surely lose," Jaran responded.
Jaran lunged forward.
I kept track of his movement.
I stretched my hand forward -
A crimson wave of fire ignited in the centre of my palm like a firework, and instantly launched towards Jaran.
Jaran sidestepped, easily dodging the attack.
He arrived beside me in an instant.
With a smirk spread across his lips, he swung his blade horizontally for a sweeping strike.
I blocked the strike.
The second and third strikes came faster than the first.
Jaran was someone whom the Windcrest Clan had nurtured in the art of Magical swordsmanship since birth.
They are all at the top of their class.
Still, he had been defeated by Ivory and Milas, both of whom were monsters in their own league.
Whereas, besides my overwhelming strength, which I had obtained from awakening a second Path of the Magus Class, the only thing that I had in my arsenal as a Magical Swordsman was the Mountain Snow Dragon sacred art and two basic spells.
Yet.. that was enough.
The blade vibrated under the weight of the attack as Jaran added more strength behind his strike.
Again, I deflected it.
"Is that all you have?" I asked, with a mocking tone.
I pushed forward, thrusting my blade at him.
Jaran quickly respositioned himself, parrying away my blade.
Steel grinded against steel.
My riposte was so clean that it drew sparks.
Jaran’s expression shifted into surprise.
It wasn’t surprising that he was shocked that I had seen and blocked every one of his attacks, and quickly retaliated.
The class gathered around us was also silent, but I didn’t have the time to think about them.
I took advantage of his distraction and twisted my body, driving my knee to strike his gut from the side.
The crimson flaming firework ignited in the palm of my left hand and surged towards his face, exploding and temporarily blinding him.
Before he could react, it was already too late.
My knee connected with his gut.
Jaran was sent flying backwards.
He fell hard, tumbled backwards on the ground, then swiftly somersaulted backwards, landing deftly on his feet. He steadied himself.
I quickly retreated backwards to avoid being caught in the range of my attack.
Jaran quickly placed his hand on the side of his stomach that had been struck.
"Cough!! Cough!!" He coughed lightly. His breathing was sharp and ragged, like a runner gasping for breath.
He winced in pain as he tried to straighten his back to stand upright.
I didn’t hold anything back from my attack, so I knew then it must have hurt badly.
I met his fierce gaze with a wide grin.
"I thought you said that you needed one strike to defeat me? Did your blade suddenly become dull?" I asked, and my voice echoed across the stage.
"Is this the reason you wanted to test my blade. If you were looking for a sparring partner that badly, you shouldn’t have gone this far. I would have gone out of my way to teach you if you had approached me privately," I added, my face solemn.
Jaran’s hateful gaze increased with intensity.
He regulated his breathing and held his sword with both hands in front of him.
"Ezekiel. I’ll end you!" He gritted out the words through his clenched teeth.
A crimson wave burst out from his body and enveloped him like a burning flame.
I also released my aura.
It erupted with momentum and intensity far greater than his own.