You Picked the Wrong Opponent (3)

The entire stadium became silent.

After all, Alfred was a pretty famous figure within the entire school. Seeing him bested by someone they don't even recognize was a definite cause for some buzz to occur.

His face was plastered with a surprised expression for a while as I placed my wooden sword's tip against his neck.

"... Lost? Who? Me?" He whispered as if he had completely lost his mind. "I NEVER LOSE!"

"...!"

With a sudden movement, his fist approached my stomach, completely ignoring the wooden sword that got pressed against his own neck. His fist was covered in a scary aura, releasing a red and black wave as it went forward.

My senses were telling me that it was dangerous to get hit by it, but my posture was slightly leaning forward, making it difficult for me to dodge. Just as the fist was about to hit my body, a dainty arm appeared between the two of us, catching the incoming fist and pushing my chest an inch away.

"The match's already over, Alfred," the intruder, QUEEN, muttered in a cold and scolding voice. "If you continue further, then I'd be forced to interfere."

*Creak!*

"Ugh!" Alfred released a low grunt as his stance fell, kneeling to the ground.

The part of his arm that was being held by QUEEN was visibly thinner than the rest. I could only imagine the force of her grip, which could do that, as I listened to the poor guy's bones release faint cracking sounds.

"D-Don't butt in, b*tch!"

Alfred doesn't seem to want to stop, however. As if he knew that QUEEN wouldn't dare to actually break his arm, he just tugged it forcefully out of her grip. As soon as he was free, he waved his hand.

*SWOOOOSH!*

As he did, a sword suddenly flew right into his palm. It wasn't a wooden sword, however, as it looked like a real one. Where did it even come from? How did it fly to his hand when there were no propulsion devices attached?

Before I could ask such questions, he drew the sword to reveal a single-edged saber. It was thin at the grip, about an inch, and wide at the end, reaching a handspan.

"You dare humiliate me, the son of General Merzal?! You're seeking death!" He roared as he waved the sword straight toward me.

Of course, QUEEN was still standing between us, so she was included in the target he was about to cleave in half. I don't know why she hadn't moved, but the edge was getting dangerously closer.

"... Sh*t!" I cursed as I rushed to do a counter.

I pulled QUEEN's left arm back, tugging hard until she fell back, and lowered my stance. The saber was coming at us horizontally, completely monotonous. It was my first time fighting against a real blade, but compared to the mantis' scythes, it was nothing much.

'Well, he lacks swordsmanship skills after all...' I thought deep in my heart as I moved.

Using my low position, I waved the back of my left hand from low to the ground in a counterclockwise motion. It was swift and timed to meet the sword halfway. As I predicted, the back of my hand hit the face of the blade. Although I was a little too early, causing a slight cut on my skin, I forcefully pushed the blade up and made it miss.

It was a close call, as the tip of the saber was still able to cut QUEEN's necktie, which was delayed by air friction. Just imagining what the result would be if that were our bodies, I can't help but shiver.

... No, the shiver wasn't from my imagination!

When I glanced at Alfred's expression, besides the deep hatred and anger for me and QUEEN, he also had a sinister smile as usual. I guess it's like a reflexive action on his face when he's planning something unruly.

"[Receding Wave]!!!"

As expected, he used the skill from before once again. The saber left two afterimages that went onward before the real one returned to its previous path. Although the blade was on the other side, getting hit by a thin piece of metal could still end up fatal when struck at a sensitive spot, like the neck, which he was aiming for at the moment.

"But still monotonous..." I muttered as I tried to dodge... But was unable to budge from my position!

My body refused to move a single step, as if I had been frozen in place. I could only feel fear as the blade approached my neck at a rapid pace. Everything should've occurred in the span of an instant, but I felt time get slower than usual.

A powerful kick landed on my back, sending me forward without warning. Unable to move, I could only watch as Alfred's face got closer before our heads bumped against each other's.

"Ugh!"

"Gah!"

Two groans echoed as we fell down on the mat, crouching in pain and pressing our hands against our foreheads. It almost felt like my skull had cracked! Rather, the kick to my back literally dislocated my shoulder. What the...?

Wait... I can move again?

While still soothing my pulsing forehead, I checked my body by moving what was still movable. Other than my entire right arm, which got dislocated, I was able to move everything else without difficulty.

Looking to the side, QUEEN was holding the saber that Alfred was using earlier. Her eyes were full of wrath, freezing the entire space before her.

"... This sword... is a Cursed Sword," She declared in a clear, but angry, voice. "Where did you get this from? Speak!"

"A cursed sword?" I tilted my head upon hearing the term.

It was so rare that I had little to no information about such objects, even after surfing the entire web for two whole months. All I know is that they were forbidden by the government from being used, as they all end up corrupting the user in one way or another.

However, there's also a reason why such weapons are in circulation. It's that Cursed Swords were extremely powerful and even came with abilities at times. It was actually pretty easy to get your hands on one.

"... For criminals, at least."

I could basically imagine how he got it, but I just walked to the medical area to have my shoulder fixed. Even from afar, I could tell that QUEEN was angry. After all, she almost got injured earlier; she could've even died at worst!

I thought there was a healer waiting for me, but when I reached the medics, they only did basic first aid and snapped my dislocated shoulder back into place. After that, they just passed me an energy drink and a clean towel to wipe my cold sweat from enduring the pain of their "procedure".

"... I'll be reporting this to the principal. Prepare for punishments, Alfred."

QUEEN's lecture didn't last long, as there were already a lot of eyes gathering in the stadium. She covered the sword she "confiscated" with a piece of cloth and took it away. She was probably heading for the principal's office now, seeing the direction she turned.

Alfred, on the other hand, looked lifeless. I was wondering why he was like that, but I guess the effect of the Cursed Sword on him had something to do with his state. Soon, his lackeys went to his side and supported him before heading out of the stadium and towards somewhere else.

"..."

Thinking back, why did I even agree to the duel again?

Anyway, I gained a little bit of information on Alfred's skills. Even his weapon, the Cursed Sword he had, probably possessed the ability to freeze the target in place. It was the main reason why QUEEN and I were unable to move when targeted by him directly. Well, that's just my prediction, but other than that, I couldn't guess a reason why a classed-up level 9 like QUEEN would lose to a basic class level 8 like him.

"Okay everyone, gather around!"

Just as I was lost in thought, the familiar voice of Sir Andrew echoed all around the place. Without my noticing, it was already time for the practical classes to start.

And just as I was about to participate, the medics raised their voice, saying, "We did pop your shoulder back, but you should have it checked at a hospital just to be sure. You can go now; we'll convey your circumstances to Sir Andrew later."

... I appreciate the thought, but I was excited about the practical class... Can't I observe at least?

Under the watchful gaze of the rest of my class, I was forcefully placed on a stretcher as I refused to move. The medics dragged me out before loading me on a standby ambulance and rushing me to the nearest hospital to the school.

Only Kyouya, the one who knew me best, was holding back his laughter as he looked at me from afar, waving goodbye with a grin on his face... I'll definitely get him to brief me about the practical class tomorrow.