Ranking Challenge II

There were several conditions that I needed to meet in order to defeat Leo.

First, I had to make sure that he did not use his hidden card, because I would lose no matter what if he used it. Furthermore, that would mean that he would have one less use for later. This was bad for the future, since we would need as many uses of Leo's hidden card as possible to confront the Apocalypse.

Second, I had to be capable of defending against his lightning attacks. Although he couldn't travel at lightning speed (yet), he was still remarkably quick and I needed to be able to survive his attacks before I could think of taking him down.

Third, I needed to have enough offensive power to take him out.

The first win condition meant that I couldn't destroy his pride completely. I only had to humble him and teach him a lesson, not mercilessly trample on him until he felt he had no other choice than to use something that powerful.

The second win condition meant that I had to hone my earth magic, which was my best defense against lightning attacks.

The third win condition meant that I needed to come up with something soon. My normal tactics of striking at their openings would be impossible and unlike the minotaur, Leo was smart enough and fast enough to get out of the way of a falling attack.

I had a lot of things to work on.

Thankfully, we had agreed on holding the duel in one week, when there would be a teacher available to supervise the fight.

When I arrived at the arena after school for remedial lessons, Mr. Booker was not happy.

"What were you thinking, challenging him like that?" He scolded me, but not angrily. Rather, he looked quite worried about me.

"I…" I shrugged. There wasn't a reason that I could say that would make sense. "He has a grudge against me, so I thought I'd just resolve it now."

The red-haired instructor gave me an intense glare. "Violence only breeds more violence."

I returned his gaze calmly. "Well, I'd rather clear things up now and set him straight."

"I see that you're determined to follow through with this course of action," he sighed as he looked upwards in exasperation. "Besides, the date has already been set. All I can do is make sure you aren't beaten too badly."

"No confidence in me, Mr. Booker?" I chuckled.

He gave me a deadpan stare. "Leo Inazuma is the second ranked freshman. You are the 21st ranked out of 22 students."

"Point taken, but I still think I can win."

"Then I suppose it is my job to teach you how to do that. What's your plan?"

I smiled. "Well, first…"

***

The waiting room for fighters was surprisingly cold.

I adjusted the straps on my black leather boots and the light synthetic armor that hugged my body. Although the gear would do little against sword slashes, it would insulate me from the sparks thrown by Leo's White Lightning Technique.

My trusty longsword was firmly strapped to my back. Unsheathing it and setting it on my lap, I traced my fingers along the grooves in the blade that hadn't been there before.

I forked up a hefty bit of cash for this… It'd be a shame if I lost, even with a mana conduit.

The grooves in the blade resembled the ones that covered the affinity measuring device from several weeks ago, though these ones were engraved in alloyed metal rather than glass.

When I pumped some mana into the blade, the grooves lit up from within with blue light.

This didn't expend any mana though, since the blade was designed to be an extension of my natural mana pathways. I was essentially mana enhancing myself and the blade.

When I enhanced the blade, it gained a sharp edge of mana and became stronger. Hopefully, this would be able to resist the fast and powerful cuts that Leo threw at me.

I jiggled my leg as I waited for the door to slide open.

Outside, I could hear the muffled sound of a cheering crowd and the announcer.

[And let's give a warm welcome to our fighters!]

A pneumatic hiss filled the waiting room as the metal door slid open.

I covered my eyes as the bright sunlight that reflected into the arena temporarily blinded me.

Beyond, I could see a flat concrete platform. Around the platform were crowds of students, here to witness the spectacle.

I stepped out of the tunnel into the open air.

[Our challenger! Mav Callahan, the 2nd to last ranked student in freshman Class A!]

Annoyance nipped at me as I wondered why exactly they needed to specify my ranking.

Across the flat platform, Leo stepped onto the platform with his own longsword hanging loosely from his right hand and a few flickering sparks dancing on his blade.

[Say hello to the school heartthrob, Leo Inazuma! The second ranked freshman!]

I could hear the audibly louder cheering for the white-haired boy. The audience sounded distinctly feminine, though I couldn't really blame them. I made the main characters all incredibly good-looking and although I didn't focus much on them, the other students definitely did.

"I love you Leo!"

"Oh my god, doesn't he look so dashing in armor?"

"Leo, go beat that punk into the dirt!"

[It looks like we have a crowd favorite!]

Leo smirked, revelling in the attention.

His fragile ego is absolutely feasting right now, I chuckled silently to myself.

[Now, our referee: Mr. Kvasir!]

[He will ensure the fairness of the fight and the safety of the students!]

Aforementioned teacher stepped onto the stage, his scarred face looking at Leo and then at me with fierce intensity. He rasped in a voice only the two of us could hear. "Resolve your issues. I will tolerate no cheating nor excessive maiming."

Both Leo and I nodded towards him. He stepped back and signaled towards the announcer.

[Looks like our contestants are ready!]

[Let the match begin in three…]

[Two…]

[One…]

[Begin!]