Victims of the barbarian (2)

Aaron stood triumphantly in the center of the arena, his sweat-soaked clothes clinging to his body as he smirked at the boy lying on the ground. The boy's mouth was bloody, and his face was twisted with anger. "Argh! Damn it, again!" he yelled.

Aaron's grin widened, and he nodded towards the boy. "We can go again if you want," he said arrogantly, drawing the hostility of the people surrounding the arena.

The Training Center's arena was built to give the disciples a chance to use their skills in new ways, earning them fighting experience. "It's working!" Aaron looked at the floating snake-like lines of Spirit Energy. He reached out and absorbed everything.

[Absorbed Spirit Crystals: 93] *+26*

Everyone around the arena was now looking at him with hostility. 'I guess insulting their cultivation and mocking their martial arts to make them spar with me really hurt their feelings!' Unbeknownst to Aaron, he was now the disciples' number one enemy. Most of the people here were talentless disciples, working as hard as they could to achieve even the smallest breakthrough, and Aaron making fun of their hard work… Well, long story short, they couldn't wait to watch him get beaten up.

The boy on the ground stood up, took a couple of deep breaths, and charged towards Aaron. His speed was faster than a peak athlete, but in Aaron's eyes, it wasn't that impressive.

Wosh!

Aaron dodged to the side, parrying the dagger slice with his sword as he swiftly moved behind the boy. Before he knew what happened, Aaron swung at him, striking his head.

"ARGH!" The boy yelled, falling to the ground as the weapons in both their hands dissipated, turning into light particles.

Spirit Energy Weapons, perfect for spars, useless for real combat.

The boy's face fell, and he looked down at his feet, defeated. Aaron frowned. This time around, nothing appeared. "*Sigh* Next!"

The sigh and annoyance on Aaron's face created a misunderstanding amongst the people around. "YOU ARROGANT FUCK!" Someone from the crowd yelled, followed by others. "I'LL TEACH YOU HUMILITY!"

A muscular guy jumped into the arena as a pair of gauntlets appeared on his hands. He smacked his fists together, creating a loud bang before he smiled. "I'm going to shove that nose so far into your skull people will start calling you Voldemort!!"

"Haha!" Aaron laughed, finding the joke funny, which, of course, created even more misunderstandings. "FUCK YOU!" The Gauntlet boy rushed forward, sending a barrage of attacks, all aiming at Aaron's face. With a smile, Aaron used his Feline Steps movement technique and started running around the arena, dodging the boy's attacks with ease.

"Stop running and attack, you coward!" The boy yelled.

"Ok!" Aaron replied, suddenly stopping his retreat and jumping in the air. Like a certain character in a titan slaying anime he used to watch, Aaron rolled in the air and swung his sword, striking the back of the boy's neck.

"ARGH!" The boy slammed to the ground face first, breaking his nose and bursting his lip. "Argh! DAMN IT! YOU COWARD!" The boy yelled angrily, but didn't make a move. He looked at Aaron with hatred before getting off of the arena.

[Absorbed Spirit Crystals: 122] *+29*

"Alright!! Who's next bitches!" Aaron yelled out into the crowd, receiving the reaction he wanted.

***

"FUCK!" A blond youth yelled, getting up from the ground holding his stomach as he walked off of the arena, wincing in pain.

[Absorbed Spirit Crystals: 452] *+23*

"NEXT!" Aaron yelled out, his eyes scanning the crowd for his next opponent.

But when the silence dragged on and nobody stepped forward, Aaron felt a twinge of disappointment in his chest. He had been looking forward to a breakthrough today.

Aaron sighed, preparing to leave the arena when a voice echoed through the silence, "I'll give it a go." The voice belonged to a woman, and Aaron turned to face the challenger, his eyes widening in surprise.

He saw a beautiful girl clad in a black tracksuit. Her deep blue eyes, ash-gray hair, and flawless face took his breath away. Aaron's heart fluttered as he recognized her, his face revealing a mix of pain, sadness, and love.

The crowd erupted into cheers, their voices interlocking and no longer making sense to Aaron's ears. "It's Linda!" someone shouted. "Our aloof queen!" another exclaimed. "Linda, we love you!" others chimed in.

Linda's face remained cold and stoic as she looked at Aaron, her eyes piercing through his soul. "Shall we?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of challenge.

Aaron's mind went blank, his heart racing as he looked at her. "Y-yeah," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. 'It's really her! It's her!' he thought, his emotions overwhelming him.

With lightning speed, Linda rushed forward, her body moving in a blur. She lifted her leg, performing a whirlwind kick that sent a gust of wind through the arena.

Aaron snapped out of his daze, countering her attack with agility and precision. He ducked and took a step forward, using the momentum of her kick to his advantage. In a split second, he reached out and hugged her tightly. "I missed you!" he exclaimed, his voice choking with tears..

But Linda didn't respond. She just pushed him away and resumed her attack, leaving Aaron to fend for himself as the memories of what they had lost consumed him.