Dignitas Qwerdan

"Excuse us~" I pushed open the door to the infirmary.

On the edge of the room, two beds were lined up, which I assumed were Wang Jin's and Alter's.

It also looks like in the time that Wang Jin was gone, Percivale entered and was now talking to his sister.

They probably missed each other in the hallway.

"Mister Dignitas. Welcome back."

"Yeah, we're back. How's Alter?"

I looked over at the older Eri sibling. Her lustrous white hair seemed to have lost a bit of its glow in the fight earlier. She was visibly haggard.

"She's okay for now. Were you able to pick up any food?"

"Yeah, apologies for taking so long. Rokas and I ran into John by the porridge stall and had lunch with him."

"John? John Ailey?" Wang Jin's ears perked up at the mention of John's name.

"Yeah. Pretty nice guy, and obviously really capable. I can understand how the first team beat the exam so easily, especially with him on their team."

"You should've told me, Digni! I would've run across the entire campus."

"Yeah, right. Sit down and have some porridge. Here, Percivale." I handed him two bowls of food, and he began feeding Alter.

However, she grabbed the spoon away from Percivale.

"I can eat by myself."

Hah. Well, at least she's eating.

With Wang Jin and the Eri siblings in the middle of devouring their porridge, I made small talk with Rokas.

***

"WELCOME, ONE AND ALL! THIS IS THE FINAL BATTLE! AFTER THIS, THE SECOND EXAM WILL OFFICIALLY BE CONCLUDED, AND THE RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW!"

I bit my nails in anticipation, but he never appeared.

That man. That person who dared to insult my brother. He never told me his name, but his face was still very much a vivid memory.

To put it simply, he looked boring. He was no different from the people you'd greet on the street. A simple "good morning", and you'd forget about them the next few hours.

That was just how forgettable his appearance was.

"THE FINAL FIGHT! A CADET NAMED DIGNITAS QWERDAN, AND ANOTHER ALICER ROSKII!"

I was debating leaving the Colosseum and heading back to my dorms, but something in me had told me to stay.

I did not know what it was, but I figured I could wait at least until the current battle was over.

Because the moment that I found the person who dared to badmouth my brother, I would make sure to remove any traces of him ever existing.

I watched as the final battle of the tournament was about to begin.

Two cadets, one blonde and another with a hood. Both looked uninteresting, much like the man from earlier.

I doubted that they could even put up as good of a show as the Chaos magic user and the Wind boy.

But that sword…

My eyes turned to see a beautiful reddish glow as the man known as Dignitas pulled out the sword from its scabbard.

No… I can't be enchanted by this. Where have I seen this sword before?

"The same rules apply to this match. The first to knock their opponent out or make them surrender will crown you as the official winner of this match."

"Now then… let the battle commence!"

***

"Now then… let the battle commence!"

Before the battle, I had gone for a few practice spars with Rokas, and so I was at my physical prime.

Thanks to the kind medics of the Academy, I was able to restore my body's condition to full health as well.

This battle could determine whether I'm able to continue the story, so I made sure to come as prepared as possible.

Dignitas Qwerdan wouldn't be losing today.

As soon as the match began, I immediately activated Death's Vision and began to close in on my enemy.

My opponent was Alicer Roskii, a person I had next-to-no information about. His records were about as mysterious as his attire; a full-length robe that ran down his body, complete with a hood that covered his face.

I wondered how he was able to fight properly with such obstructions, but I didn't care too much.

Tightly gripping Dainsleif, I closed the distance between us immediately and swung downwards.

The force of my slash was twice, maybe thrice as strong as my original hits. This was thanks to Rokas' brutal defense that I had to make my attacks harder.

Alicer raised his outstretched hands, and two daggers, both as black as the night, appeared.

I could feel it. They both possessed twice the strength of Dainsleif, and could easily shatter its blade if I wasn't careful.

With both daggers, Alicer completely stopped my attack. He kicked off the ground, and silently muttered something while knocking me backward with a kick.

I was able to block against the kick with a well-timed deflection using Dainsleif's blade, but my body was launched a short distance back. I stabbed my sword into the ground to slow my momentum.

Then, using the law of physics to my advantage, I swung around the sword and launched myself at Alicer.

*whoosh*

My body instantly covered the distance between us, and my fist made contact with… ice?

When I looked up, I saw a completely clear reflection of myself in the wall of ice. Somehow, the force from my fist hadn't been enough to shatter it.

All I need is a few hits… then I'll be able to use Death's Vision to its full potential.

I tried to get away from the ice mirror shield, but before I knew it, I felt a sense of danger rising from behind me.

I quickly raised Dainsleif and deflected the twin daggers that were somehow able to move behind me.

"Weak."

*boom*

My body was flung backward once again, and I felt a pain unlike any other searing my left leg.

When I looked at my knee, I was surprised to find out that one of the twin daggers was lodged into it!

"Gah, fuck!" I hurriedly tried to pull it out, which may not have been the best decision to make.

For better or for worse, the dagger pulled itself out from my leg, eliciting another sharp groan of pain from me.

That's his power…huh?

I looked up to see the twin daggers floating around Alicer. He seems to wield some sort of telekinetic ability that allows him to control the movement of those things.

And the ice… it's so strong that even my fist at full strength wasn't able to inflict even a small crack.

Overwhelming power.

"Is this all you've got?"

I looked up to see Alicer looking down on me like I was nothing but trash. Trash that could be picked up and thrown away.

Was I really that insignificant in his eyes? Was all the training that I did all for nothing?

I guess, in the face of absolute power, even a sword that inflicts wounds that never heal can do nothing.

As I lay down on the floor of the arena, my mind subconsciously went back to the time I talked with John.

"Yes, I can feel a strange aura coming from it. It's like two forces, both of light and darkness, fighting to gain control over its blade."

I see…light and darkness. Two forces that make up the entirety of the world. One that signifies life, the other death.

Death's Vision. Death's Vision. Death's Vision.

"Hah… fuck it." I stood up.

"You wanted to see light triumph, huh? I'm sorry, but that's not what Dignitas Qwerdan is about. So everyone present here, I ask you to avert your eyes for a short moment."

I said that, but I paid no mind to the confused crowd.

I gripped the sword known as Dainsleif in my hand. It spoke to me through a language that I felt only I could understand.

A sword that deals wounds that never heals? And Death's Vision?

Well, fuck me if I don't move to the dark side with these two things. It's basically telling me to do it!

"Hah…hah." I braced myself for what was to come.

I raised Dainsleif, the blade pointed towards me.

And I stabbed it into myself.

Now that I think about it, what was I doing?

No matter. This world was the novel, and I was the author. No one is above me in this world.