Duel

"Today, we will start individual and team duels," a bold, slender man announced with authority.

"Participating in these duels is not mandatory, but it will have an impact on your class score. Those of you who participate in all duels will receive additional points at the end of the year," informed professor Paul.

"You have one minute to decide whether to participate or not," after the professor announced, Alex saw students starting to type on their smartwatches.

Alex received a prompt from his smartwatch:

[Would you like to participate in duels? Yes/No]

Alex wasn't awakened right now. If he were to participate in the duels, he would only end up getting beaten. That's why Alex chose "no" and closed the screen.

At the end of the one-minute mark, the professor spoke again with disappointment in his voice, "Only half of the class chose to participate in duels."

The professor sighed and reprimanded the whole class, saying, "Guys, there is nothing more valuable than having enough experience in real-life combat. Even if your skills and techniques are top-notch, if you don't have ample combat experience, you would be nothing but trash."

"Now, I'll have the system randomly pair you guys," the professor said, and then a holographic screen appeared in front of everyone.

Alice Collin Vs Amelia river

Max Harrisan Vs Sarah Wills

Milo Bennet Vs Kevin Baily

…

…

Lisa Hayes Vs Violet Gray

Damien Ashcroft Vs Frank Ashcroft

After observing the pairings, Alex pondered, 'How did BW know that Damien and Frank would be paired up?'

"Oh, I'm matched against Amelia!" Alice exclaimed.

"Do you want me to teach her a lesson?" Alice playfully asked Alex.

"Do as you wish," Alex replied nonchalantly.

"You're no fun," Alice said to Alex as she headed towards the arenas with the rest, leaving Alex alone.

After observing the duels without a clear view of the actual events due to being unawakened, the highly anticipated duel between Damien and Frank commenced.

Recognizing the significance of capturing the true essence of the fight, Alex decided to record the entire duel, understanding that it would be more impactful to report the actual battle rather than simply conveying the outcome.

***

Frank and Damien both took stances without greeting each other, As soon as the signal was given, they sprang into action.

With lightning speed, Damien swiftly closed in on Frank, aiming to seize control of the battle's rhythm. He lunged at Frank from the left, slashing with his sword.

Reacting swiftly to Damien's aggressive move, Frank pivoted to his right and expertly deflected the incoming slash with his spear shaft. Without missing a beat, he countered with a powerful upward thrust.

Damien, seeing his initial attack deflected, was going to follow with a thrust, but he noticed Frank's spear descending towards his head and instinctively leaped backward, narrowly evading the lethal strike.

Frank slowly made his way toward Damien, determined to reach the position for his impending attack.

Damien circled around Frank, strategically trying to prevent him from finding an opportunity to strike.

With a sudden burst of speed, Frank swiftly thrust his spear downward, aiming directly for Damien's legs.

As the spear approached his leg, Damien quickly stepped back, deftly evading the attack and attempting to slide past Frank's spear.

Having positioned himself at Frank's exposed right side, Damien unleashed a powerful slash.

However, to his surprise, Frank anticipated the attack and skillfully evaded it.

Realizing that Damien was now closing in from the right, Frank remained calm, using his agile movement techniques to dodge the incoming attack, leveraging the motion from his previous offensive maneuver.

Both of them paused and locked eyes, silently sizing each other up. They had long realized that this duel was destined to be a long one.

As if in perfect harmony, both of them showed their auras and lunged at each other with high speed and precision.

Damien unleashed the power of the Ashcroft family inheritance known as the [ Phantom Sword Art ]

This mesmerizing style encompassed a lethal form of swordplay, skillfully blends feints and deadly strikes. It rendered his opponents nearly helpless, as they struggled to parry or evade his relentless attacks.

Frank, on the other hand, mastered the art of the spear passed down from his maternal lineage the [ Unpredictable Spear Art ]

This captivating style endowed his spear with an unfathomable reach, leaving opponents perplexed and scrambling to anticipate its trajectory. Their rhythm was shattered as they desperately tried to defend themselves.

With each passing minute, their intense duel caused the environment to contort, resulting in cracks spiderwebbing across the arena. The clash of their auras sent tremors through the surrounding mana, creating an atmosphere of palpable energy.

***

To the spectators observing from the outside, it was evident that this was no ordinary duel.

The students exclaimed in shock, "Both of them have already formed their auras!"

One of the students remarked, "They're both monsters. We're only in our first year at the academy, and they're already miles ahead of us."

One of the fangirls asked anxiously, "Are they really going to kill each other?"

Professor Paul became worried, aware of their origin and having heard about the dispute they had with each other. That's why he decided to end the duel.

He appeared in the middle of the arena and, with quick palm attacks, disabled both of them. Then, in front of the whole class, he reprimanded them, saying, "I said this is a duel, not a life-and-death fight."

"Both of you will receive minus ten points," Professor Paul said, dismissing them.

After recording the duel, Alex thought his job was over, so he decided to head back to his dorm and check if his order had arrived.

On his way out, Alex said goodbye to Neil and others and rejected their offer to hang out in VR. Then, he left.