Chapter Thirty: A Good Offer

"Hey, hold up, is that Devon?"

Victor had just heard what was happening and quickly rushed out to find his friend down there.

He was surprised but that expression suddenly turned to one of worry because he knew what him being down there meant.

"You know that guy, Victor?" One of the boys in the area asked as soon his ears caught what he said.

"Um, yeah, he's a friend of mine." He replied with a little stutter.

"Oh, that makes sense now, birds of the same feathers." The boy laughed. "Imagine challenging someone with an ability to a duel when you have none."

"He did what?" Victor gasped before turning his gaze back to him but it didn't look like any of his mates were going to sympathize with him so he had to turn his gaze back to what was going on below.

'Just what have you gotten yourself into this time, Devon?'

Back in the arena-like space below, the duel between Devon and Josh was just about to start as both of them had weapons in their hands.

Josh was holding onto a longsword that had a well-polished blade with a black hilt and Devon also had a similar blade in his hand.

'Well, this is a surprise, I wasn't expecting them to give me a good sword but then again he is counting on him finishing this quickly since he has abilities and has been training in the academy for a while. Their assumption of me is a normal boy with no abilities and good combat training.' Devon noted subconsciously.

The odds were pretty much stacked against him in this duel but unlike what everyone in the area believed, he didn't really challenge Josh to a duel out of desperation.

Well, some part of it was there but he was able to come up with something in his mind.

It was a rushed idea that he was able to come up with in the last minute so there was no guarantee that it was going to work but to him, it was worth a shot.

The students were getting rowdy up there now as the two stood opposite each other with Izak in the middle.

"Now, if the two of you are ready you may…"

"Wait." Devon interrupted just before he could say the go word.

"What now?" Izak grumbled before turning his gaze to him.

"Can I make one more request regarding the duel or to be precise, can we set a term for the fight?" He requested

"A term? Just go straight to the point."

"Well, since he has an ability and I obviously don't have any, he's going to want to use the ability and I don't have anything against that. All I want is the permission to use anything I can get my hand on in this duel, it still won't give me the advantage but it will help."

"Anything you can get your hand on?" Izak muttered before placing his hand on his chin. "I'm sorry but no, the only external help you will get in this fight is your sword, he is allowed to use his ability because it is a part of him."

"I think he is making a good offer, Mr. Izak." A familiar voice resounded from the far end of the corridor.

Everyone quickly turned their gaze to the area to see the princess standing with her back against the wall

She was still in the dress she was in earlier this morning so she wasn't there as a student but the princess of Audaznimo.

"And what are you trying to say, your highness?" Izak asked with his gaze now on her.

"Oh, did I not make myself clear enough?" She replied before moving closer to the iron rails. "Well, let me repeat then. If Josh is going to use his ability, then allow him to use anything he can get his hand on or has on him, that or Josh ceases from using his ability in the fight." She illustrated.

"Wow," Devon muttered with a sigh of relief.

'That damned Elena, just who the hell does she think she is?' Josh cursed inwardly before biting his lower lip.

"Yeah, that makes sense but I doubt he'll still have a chance if Josh goes all out with his ability."

"Honestly, I have no idea why the teacher would say no to that offer, it's a very much sensible one."

"Just get on with the fight already!"

"I heard she almost got murdered today, she doesn't look like someone who just went through something like that." The red-haired girl muttered after taking a quick glance at Elena.

Izak had no choice but to implement what the princess just said and now he had to turn his gaze to Josh.

"So, what's your choice, Josh?" He asked.

"Let him use whatever he wants to use." He replied abruptly.

His temper was flaring now.

'I'll still burn him to my satisfaction and flog the hell out of him.'

"Very well then," Izak said before turning his gaze to Devon. "Now, if the two of you are ready, you may proceed with the duel."

As soon as he said that, he slowly stepped out of the way, and now it was just Devon and Josh in the middle.

'So, we're finally here.' Devon said subconsciously before taking a deep breath. 'I just have to stay calm and avoid any mistakes or this will end terribly for me.'

"You know, you should have just kept quiet and received the twenty strokes but now I'll get to rough you up before giving you forty strokes!" Josh mocked before quickly charging toward him with his sword.

He was quickly heading toward Devon, but he just stood there with his hand in the bag around his waist.

"Why is he just standing there?"

It didn't take long before Josh got to him, and just before he could strike him with his sword, he quickly pulled out something from his pocket.

A small black bottle, the one he took from Alvis' table that morning, he had the side with the little holes facing toward Josh, and with just a little push down with his thumb, he sent a good amount of the liquid flying straight to his face.

"What the…"

The student suddenly lost orientation of what was going on as his eyes seemed to be on fire now.

"My eye! What did you put in my eyes!" He screamed.

He dropped his sword and was just about to fall to his knees when Devon quickly sent him flying back with a kick.

The gasps from the students covered the atmosphere as Josh flew straight to the board behind and smashed right into it and after that followed a scream of agony.

"Ahhhhh! It burns! Just what did you put in my eyes!" He screamed this time with a hint of anger in his voice.

He was just about to raise his hands when Devon quickly sent two blades flying toward him.

He couldn't even open his eyes to see what was coming his way so both of the blades ended up piercing through both of his shoulders to pin him on the board.

"Ahhhhh!" Josh screamed once more as both of his shoulders slowly began to soak up blood.

He couldn't even use his hands to rob his eyes anymore that with the excruciating pain he was feeling in his shoulders now.

He just couldn't take it anymore and ended up passing out a few seconds later.

"Maybe you should have tried using your ability earlier," Devon remarked as he slowly made his way to his opponent. "Things would have been a bit difficult for me if you had done that."

All the students who just witnessed what happened were in shock, and not just them, Izak also had a stunned look on his face right now.

"Devon." Victor muttered with mixed expressions of shock and relief.

"What the heck just happened?"