27: Demon V Maniac

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

{Duke Greyne POV}

"Hey, Duke! Wanna know who's stronger between us, finally?" said the raven-haired boy.

Hmm... I don't gain anything by doing this, but...

"Sure!" I answer with my usual smile.

"Great! I'll see you at the Grounds later then!"

...

Shinji Lee... He has always been an anomaly... In our first year, I have always thought of him as just a nobody I would crush. Oh, how wrong my naive self was, back then.

But, I get how I could think that at the time.

From the barely above average score on the Sorting Test to the seemingly carefree attitude he and his companions have... There was nothing special about him.

Aside from me, Asher, and Dale Pigarun, or "The Giant" as the weaklings call him, there was no one else interesting in the Sorting Test. Well, maybe Shinji's companion, Caspian Loden, might have been intriguing at the time...

...

The Lee family is quite nameless. It is relatively unknown to both Asher and me.

Yet, it managed to produce an ally capable of serving the Greyne Family, which is Shinji Lee. From our background checks on the family, it seems that they lead a group called Korean's Awakened Union.

His grandfather is rather strong, but not strong enough to be memorable to most countries outside Korea.

...

Having said that, Shinji is powerful. Maybe even stronger than Asher, and that is a difficult feat to achieve.

Even with his carefree attitude, from what I have observed in the past year, he is devoted. Devoted to becoming stronger. It is something even I can respect.

While he is not able to beat me, he will still prove to be a worthy opponent for the Greyne Family's heir.

****

I completed our test, which consisted of the Teachers examining our capabilities and seeing if we could implement their teachings in combat.

After that, I head to our Training Grounds.

And, looking around, it was filled with half-wits, possibly looking forward to our fight. Hmm, well, I guess it's not that bad. At least somebody, other than me, is going to witness Shinji's defeat.

...

"Hey! You're finally here!" exclaimed the boy.

"Yep! I'm looking forward to our fight!" I answer enthusiastically.

...

"Hey, Cassy." called out a brown-haired student.

"What...?"

"Wanna start a Betting Event for this fight?" asked Thorne.

"No, thank you..." replied Caspian.

"Come on! I'll split the profit, 60-40!"

"Hmm... No. If you're going to split it... Make it 50-50." stated Caspian.

"55-45..?" said Thorne in a high-pitched voice, to which he just received a blank stare.

"Argh, fine! I'll split it 50-50!"

"Oh? You guys are betting? I wanna join too!" said Asher.

...

Wasting no time, we face each other, a few meters separating us.

"Ready? When this icicle touches the ground, the round starts!" he informs me.

"Okay!"

...

As the icicle rose, my heartbeat gradually started beating faster.

I... Am I excited to fight... Shinji...? No, I am just excited to win this match.

I look at my opponent, finding an excited grin on his face.

Hm... Well, someone sure is excited to lose...

...

Suddenly, I hear something break, which made Shinji raise his hand. Giving him no time to move, I dash toward him at great speeds.

I expected my fist to hit his body but... it was blocked by a wall of ice.

"Nuh uh~" he voices out with a teasing grin.

I immediately spring backward, dodging the Ice Spikes that sprang from the ground.

"How..."

My attack should have been fast enough... But, he managed to block it in time...?

As I wondered in confusion, he took this chance to form droplets of water.

No! I shouldn't let him do anything. That will give him an edge against me, not that it matters...

I zoom toward Shinji, this time slower and acting as if I was going to punch his left side, once I see him summon the wall, I accelerate and change directions to his right side, only for my hand to be stopped by a cold surface.

This... How?! Is he outsmarting me..? No, if he is, then why am 𝙄 being outsmarted by someone like 𝙝𝙞𝙢!?

...

{General POV}

The white-haired boy continues to attack Shinji using his fists a few more times, only to be blocked by a wall, every single time.

...

"No way... Are the Speed Demon's attacks being stopped by the Cryomaniac, every single time!?" exclaimed the students.

'Why... No. I should stop underestimating my opponent' concluded Duke, backing away from Shinji.

"Hoh? All right then, I'll go on the offensive next!" said Shinji.

The raven-haired boy turned his hand, and several droplets of water turned into snowflakes. It then grew in size and began swirling around, gradually increasing in speed.

The Blizzard was hurled toward Duke, but he quickly counters it with his red energy blast.

As the two attacks hit, a silent explosion occurred, and mist covered the Training Grounds.

"Tch." Duke clicked his tongue, his "innocent" mask slowly being uncovered.

Duke sped around, trying to dissipate the mist when shards of ice grazed him, drawing droplets of blood on his arms.

He accelerates while readying his energy attack. Looking around, he spots a silhouette. He swiftly fires an attack toward it.

"Shit!" he heard a voice shout.

Duke quickly speeds toward the voice, his fist carrying a ball of red energy.

But, unexpectedly, a fist appeared in the mist, coming towards him.

Due to pure instincts, he sent his right fist as well, trying to counter the attack.

However, his fist, as if being controlled, was swayed to the side. Shinji's fist then made contact with Duke's face.

As Shinji's fist was planted on Duke's face, the white-haired boy sent a high-speed attack using his free left hand on his opponent's now revealed body.

...

'My fist finally hit him!... But... my attack before it... Why did it swerve...?' thought Duke in bewilderment.

****

What did you think of the chapter?

Also, any theories on how Shinji was able to block Duke's early attacks?