CHAPTER 59 – Shin Jonghak vs. Cristopher

The arena was dead silent. Everyone was watching us from outside of the barrier. Looking more at Jonghak, and probably thinking why the hell would the second-ranked cadet try to fight the one ranked 915.

{That's normal… Considering the fact that here, rank is everything. Oh, man… Poor guy, his goddamn pride led him here… Among so many spectators.}-I thought to myself while looking at what was probably an arena filled with thousands of spectators all hoping to see a good fight, or probably thinking about how Jonghak would sweep the floor with me.

Just while I was thinking about it, I found Fran, Josh, Laura, Hajin, and even Olivia looking at me. While Hajin and Olivia had a weird smile on their face, the other three were preoccupied.

{It's not like I can blame them, the difference in rank is absolutely ridiculous. He's the second one in all first year.}-I thought while looking at them, before waving my arm to say hi, and walking towards my position in the arena.

[Well! This sure is unusual!! Something never seen in the history of Cube! A cadet inside the top ten of the year, ranked second even, nominating someone so low under his own rank!!! Why would cadet Shin Jonghak nominate cadet Cristopher!? Maybe there's something we don't know happening here!!?? Maybe they're resolving some kind of dispute!? Who knows!? But what's sure is! That they both are ready to fight and in their respective position.]-Announced the host.

{Wow, even them are here?}-I thought while looking somewhere in the stands. There you could see Chae Nayun, Yoo Yeonha, Kim Suho, and Yi Yeonghan, also, there was Kim Horak with them, sitting along with the rest of Jonghak's lackeys. {That should be called bad luck, right? I mean… Everyone is here… So… I'm sure that it would be a big hit to his reputation… Should I surrender?}

"Pffft… As if…"-I mutter to myself.

[And cadet Cristopher is laughing! This intrigue is killing me! But we'll soon find out!! Both cadets, prepared. Now, LET THE MATCH BEGINS!!!]-The host said, finally announcing the start of the match.

I don't even move from my spot, looking straight at Shin Jonghak.

"Yo, why did you nominate me?"

"I'll make you pay for that underhanded punch you gave me before."

"Underhanded? I'm sorry, but as I remember it, that was merely a punch. You were just too slow to see it coming. Not my fault, idiot."

"…"-He glared at me while gripping harder his spear. "This time. I'll show you the difference between commoner trash like you that comes from nowhere, and people like me who are raised for greatness ever since childhood. It doesn't matter if I have to lose a few points for it."-He said, still glaring at me.

"Pfft… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"-I hunched down, holding my stomach while laughing my ass off. Heck, I couldn't hold it anymore and just fell to the floor laughing.

"Wh-what!? You! What the hell are you doing trash!? Are you mocking me!!??"-An angry Shin Jonghak shouted at me.

"*sigh…* Oh man… That was such a good laugh…"-I said while looking at the sky, still not standing up. "You sure know how to say funny things. You? Teaching me? You're too young for that, kid. You have not even graduated from your second grade for what it seems. And you still carry the syndrome."-I said to him, before sitting up and giving him a mocking grin. "And I thought I was the only chuuni here… But look at you. You just have that 'I'm a young master, so respect me' vibes on you. Oh, man… This will be fun."-I said while standing up.

"…"-His glare intensified. As if trying to kill me with it. "I'm going to rip off that insolent smirk out of your face. You should be glad of not getting out of here crippled."

"Pffft… HAHAHAHAHA WHAT!? Are you trying to kill me out of laugh!?"-I said while hunching again and holding my stomach. "Because man, I'm sure it would be easier for you than trying to touch me with that spear… Ha… My stomach already hurts from laughing so much… You're really funny. You know?"-I said while standing straight and patting my stomach in a theatrical way.

[W-well! It seems that our cadets haven't started to fight, and are… talking instead…? I shall remember you that you both have a time limit. If 30 minutes pass, and no one surrenders or is out of the fight, it would be considered a tie!]-The host announced when neither of us started to attack.

"Did you hear that? It seems that I have almost thirty minutes to beat your sorry ass. That's great, you know?"-I said to him while smirking.

"…*snort*"-He snorts while glaring at me. "I think you're delusional if you think you'll be able to win against me. I just hope you won't surrender when you're down on the floor drowning in your commoner's blood."-He said.

"*sigh…* You know… I hate those that believe that because they are born in a somewhat superior family, they have the right to despise or mistreat those who they deem inferior."-I frown at him. "I was going to go easy on you, dude, out of consideration of someone who asked me the favor not to kill you. But you see. There are people here who need to see. There are people who need to carefully watch and learn, that not because you're born in a higher social stratum, you're powerful or have the right to despise them or abuse them. And you. You will learn what Noblesse Oblige is."-I said while taking out my scabbard with the sheathed sword and dropping it on the floor.

"…"-He glares at me. "Why did you drop your weapon? Pick it up."

"For you? It won't be even necessary. I'll teach you with my own hands."-I said while stretching my neck and closing and open my hands. "So, are you ready? You. Piece of an arrogant shit."-I said while glaring back at him.

"I'll make you regret your words, you, filthy trash."-He says as he spins his spear once and gets in a position to run. "You'll learn the difference between you and me."

"Oh. Of that, I'm sure."-I said while taking a boxing stance before reaching my right arm forward and beckoning him to come at me. "Now, come. Or are you too afraid of ending this in one punch like last time?"-I said with a mocking grin.

"*snort*"-With a snort, he started rushing towards me with great speed. Nothing I wouldn't expect from the second-ranked cadet in all first year.

In mere seconds he got in range and thrust with his spear towards my heart. But I merely had to deviate the spear with my right hand and step in to connect a hit to his face, sending him back a few steps. I didn't hit that hard.

"Wow… I'm sure learning our differences. And it seems you were even worse than I thought."-I said to him with a mocking grin, while he reassumed his stance while rubbing his nose that had a little bit of blood flowing down.

"You… Bastard. You can consider yourself lucky. That I'll go all out against trash like you."-He said while gnashing his teeth.

{Oh right… His gift was as chuuni as me… Something like the angrier he is, the more power he has… Well, I better keep angering him, let him truly go all out.}-I thought to myself while grinning even more.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA STOP!!!! PFFT… DID YOU TRULY JUST SAID THAT!!!?? HAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha… Man… You're going to kill me with laughs… That's even more efficient than you using your spear!!"-I laughed my ass off while hunching and holding my stomach, and at the same time, sweeping a few tears that came out for laughing so much.

"…"-He just glared at me, and his magic power rose even more before he started running towards me with even more speed. You could even see the magic power seeping out of his spear's blade.

Meanwhile, I was still laughing at him. Right when he was about to cut me on the neck, I laughed even harder and hunched down, even more, evading his spear with a laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHA…"-I kept laughing at him.

He tried to connect another cut, this time diagonally, but I just had to drop on the floor. While laughing of course.

"HAHAHA!!"- I laughed on the floor.

He tried to stab me, his eyes glowing more the angrier he got at me, magic power seeping even more from his body.

I simply evaded the stab while rolling on my side. Laughing at him "HAHAHA!!!"-I pretty sure everyone thought I went insane. But, I'm sure, this was making Jonghak angrier each second that passed.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT STAY THERE!!"-He shouted while sweeping the floor with his technique half-moon slash.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"-I laughed harder while doing a back-roll before jumping to my feet. "Owww… Man… My stomach hurts… Those jokes attack of yours surely are effective…"-I said, slightly hunched with one hand in my stomach and the other cleaning the tears that came for laughing so much. "Don't you have anything better?"-I ask him with a mock grin.

"YOU!!! PIECE OF SHIT!!!"-He came at me with even more speed and start slashing and thrusting everywhere he could just to try and hit me.

"You're slow… At this rate. You won't be able to even touch me."-I said while I evaded every thrust, or cut, he made.

"SHUT UP!!"-He screamed while spinning his spear over his head and changing to a half-moon slash.

"… Weak."-I retorted, stopping his spear's shaft with my arm. Not letting it go even one centimeter closer.

"Wh-"-His eyes went wide open. And in that short second, I went in and punched him on the face again, with the same left arm that stopped his spear, making him fly a few steps back once again.

He fell on the ground and quickly rolled to stand up again. Cleaning the blood flowing down from his nose, while still glaring at me. Even more magic power seeping out of him.

{What's this? Nakama power? Plot armor power? Heck… How is it that every time he gets angrier his power goes up…? That's like some kind of manga or anime protagonist… Well, if I don't remember wrongly, it should have a limit of 130% of an increase in power… Though, it won't matter. I'll just have to start using mana if his physical goes over a certain limit.}-I thought to myself, still mocking him with my grin.

"What? Do you feel like surrendering now?"-I ask him.

"*ptoi* As if I would surrender to trash like you."-He said before gripping his spear harder and preparing to come once again.

"Great."-I stretch my right arm and beckon him to come. "Then, let's keep this up for a few more minutes. Until you either faint again, or accept your surrender."-I said to him.

"*Tch.*"-He clicked his tongue as he came running once again. Faster than before. In a moment he was again in front of me, sweeping his spear towards my neck, with magic power growing out of it in a somewhat blackish-red color.

"…"-I just grinned at him. "I thought you would have more technique. Not pure brutal power."-I murmured.

Right when the spear was about to cut through my neck, I merely stepped aside while looking at the spear coming from my left and stopping the spear blade between my index finger's medial and proximal phalanx.

"You know. I've always wanted to do this."-I said to him, while slightly touching the spear blade's spine with my index finger as if hitting it with the tip of my finger.

"Wha-AGGH!!"-Shin Jonghak wanted to answer, but he couldn't, as his body was cut everywhere. After that, I just kick him back. "AAGHH!!"

"It sure would hurt… Receiving your own attack and then being kicked on one of the wounds."-I tell him while looking at him. "Well… If you must know, I just kind of used a mix of techniques I've read about. The trick is, letting your enemy's own energy flow through your magic circuit, using your own magic power to empower it, and redirect it all the way towards your enemy. In this particular case, using your spear as a medium to deliver said energy."-I said to the gasping Shin Jonghak.

"First time I saw it… Was probably on a TV show, I guess… Though, I don't know if you've heard of it…"-I said while thinking of the time Aizen caught Ichigo's sword and cut him without even touching. "Either way. It's a dangerous trick to use, and even more dangerous to learn. So… I won't recommend you to learn how to use it, though, with that bird brain you have, I'm sure it would be impossible."-I keep mocking him.

"Huff… You… Bastard! Using dirty tricks again!!!"-He shouted at me while gasping and trying to stand up.

"Dirty tricks? Are you an idiot? I literally caught your spear with my finger. What would I need dirty tricks when I can basically stop your attacks and give them back to you? *sigh…* Whatever… Now… It's my turn to attack. I guess I've given you enough chance to do something already."-I said while going in.

"*tch.*"-He clicked his tongue while forcing himself up. But I was faster than him. So, there was no way for him, who was damaged, to actually answer to my attack.

A fist went to his face, making him turn his head, then a fist to his stomach, slightly lifting him up on his toes. Then a stomp on the ground, over one of his foot, with a little bit of magic power erupting around me to stop him from moving further, pinning his body right there where he was.

"Now… Let me teach another trick I liked a lot and saw once in TV {well, it was more like playing it on a game…}"-I said to him before I started to send punch after punch all over his body "ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!!!!" I was preventing him to escape my range with my feet, taking a step over each of his foots whenever he went a little bit far, that is, until I punched him 40 times with slightly reinforced fists, sending him flying away with the last punch.

"Come on. Stand up. I didn't hit you that hard."-I said to him while he was on the floor panting, trying his hardest to stand up, but not making it. "Oh, it's that all you got? I expected more from you, you know? Don't let this fight end like this."-I said to him.

"Huff… Huff… Huff…"-He was there panting, trying to stand up. "AAARGHHH!!!"-With one last scream, maybe of pain, maybe of willpower, he finally stood up. Supporting himself on his spear. "Huff… Huff… Huff…"-He was glaring at me while panting.

"That's it! We still have a little more time to fight. Bring it on!!!"-I shout at him.

"AHHHH!!!!"-He shouted while advancing towards me, still running, but nowhere close to the same speed he had before.

After reaching me, he did a weak sweep of his spear, which I merely evaded. Then again, he attacked, but I evaded.

"Come on! You can do better, can't you? I'm right here!"-I keep mocking him all during the fight. "That attack was too slow and too weak."-I said while evading a thrust. "Put more strength on your arm if you're making a cut with a spear."-I said while evading a diagonal up-cut. "Hey… You supposedly come from some ancient clan or shit like that, but all you know to do is to brutally use the spear with a few thrust and cuts? You don't even use the spear's shaft to attack, or defend for that matter…"-I said, still evading each attack he made. "You know… I would probably use the spear better than you…"-I said, before stopping the spear, grabbing it and slightly kicking him back, tacking his spear from him.

"Mm… It's been some time since I had a spear on my hands."-I said while looking at the spear, it had small cracks here and there from the moment I returned Jonghak attack to him through it. Having a flow reversed is no joke.

"Give me back the spear!!! *cough, cough*"-He asked.

"Mm… Well, a little lesson here."-I said while going towards him. First, a thrust towards his abdomen, scratching him on his ribs. Following with a punch to the stomach, and then a lateral sweep with the shaft of the spear, making him stumble and fall, ending with a midair hit to his chest with the end of the spear, sending him flying back.

"Did you have enough? No? Oh, man… Here, take it back, you'll probably need it to stand up."-I said while throwing the spear towards him, spearing the ground with it. "Stand up. You still have some energy left, right?"-I said while giving him a mocking grin and beckoning him to come.

"Urgh… You… S-son… of a bitch… ARGH!"-He said before slowly standing up, shouting to find the energies to do so. "Huff… Huff… Huff…"-He's just there, panting while glaring at me.

"Mm… You know, I don't know if my mother was a bitch, you know. I'm an orphan. Though, I'm not sure if that's something that you can mock people for, you know, like what your lackeys are doing to Kim Hajin because of that shithole you call a mouth. And all of that, just to make some tomboy girl like you back? Really? Such a pride you have man… You know, being your grandfather, I would surely be disappointed in you."-I said while grinning.

"SHUT UP!!! YOU DON'T DARE TO MENTION MY GRANDFATHER!"-He said while running towards me. Attacking with the little energy he had.

"Still the same boring moves you always do. That doesn't even count as spear arts, just an idiot using a spear as a beating pole."-I said while evading, still with the same mocking grin over my face. "You're not worse than those thugs you find in the slums. Such a disappointment. The only difference between you and them, is that you have money, were trained since a child, and only had the best things. And even then, you still amount to nothing."

"SHUT UP!!!! YOU'RE ONLY TRASH!!!!"-He shuts as his attacks keep getting more erratic than before, the spear now barely been used as some kind of knife in the hands of a cornered thug.

{I guess this is enough…}-I thought to myself after basically evading each and every attack he tried to deliver to me. Not being touched by him even once.

With that last thought, I evaded once last time a horizontal sweep of his spear, then got in, a hit in the stomach making him hunch down, then an uppercut to the chin, and finally hit to his temple with my elbow. Everything in one flowing move. Sending him flying towards the barrier.

Managing my strength, he was still conscious, squirming like a worm to try and stand up, not even close to doing it. So, I walked close to him.

*step, step, step, step*

Under the complete silence that surrounded the arena, my steps could be clearly heard everywhere. That is, until I stopped right over him, looking directly at his glaring eyes. He flinched, as did the spectators that could look at me.

"You know. You always go here and there, calling everybody that you deem inferior to you, trash. It's funny. Looking at you like this, on the ground. Like trash. I hope this works as a lesson for you. That this stops your shitty act of being someone superior. Yes. Your grandfather might be a true hero. But you? You're just a spoiled piece of shit with deliriums of grandeur. Stop being so entitled. It won't end well for you if you keep it that way."-I said to him, before raising my arm high and looking at the referee. "I surrender."-I shouted at him, before looking back at Shin Jonghak while crouching down.

*HWEEEE~*

The whistle of the referee indicated the end of the battle.

"I'll let you keep your record of 'victories'. But remember this. You better don't mess with me again. Or next time. I won't be this lenient with you."-I said to him while flicking his forehead with my finger, before standing up and going to pick up my scabbard with my sword.

[S-Shin… Jonghak… W-wins…? Ca-ca-cadet Cri-Cristopher… Surrendered! The next battle will start at 11:30…]

The host continued talking about the next battle, with a little stuttering, but I didn't pay attention to him. I just went towards the waiting room, walking down the arena while slightly whistling.

{Gotta give it to Hajin… Whistling while leaving like this is a fantastic show of mock.}-I thought to myself while finally leaving the place behind.