Episode two starts but... (Part 2/4)

All the second-year students participating in the qualifier had already been transported to the Unnatural Heaven dimension by the headmaster.

Due to Anya's unexpected presence, Raziel decided to keep a close watch on her. However, his attention was soon captured by one of the magical screens displaying Erick and Sylfi being cornered by four people.

Two summoners, a mage, and a bulky warrior wielding a battle axe eyed Erick and Sylfi with hesitation. They were well aware of Sylfi's capabilities, but the strength of the boy beside her was unknown.

The bulky warrior, who appeared to be in his thirties despite being a second-year student, took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Hello, Miss Sylfi. My name is Belti Fosthern, the third son of the Fosthern family patriarch."

He placed his battle axe on his shoulder after introducing himself. His respectful manner of speaking made it clear he wanted something from her. Prompted by this, Sylfi responded, "Pleased to meet you, but this isn't really the occasion for introductions. So, what do you want?"

Belti scratched his nearly hairless head and chuckled lightly. "Haha! You're interesting; I like that. So, I'll be clear about why I've surrounded you. I want you and your lover to join my team!"

His words sounded sarcastic in the last part, prompting Sylfi to retort angrily, "He's not my lover!"

"Really? But didn't you betray your fiancé with this guy, leading him to want to break off the engagement?" Belti's confusion was evident, likely fueled by earlier gossips in the waiting room.

"I... I didn't betray Raziel with anyone. I'm not that type of woman!" she exclaimed, waving her hands in denial.

"Okay, okay, I understand. But what about joining my team then?" Belti changed the subject, eager to hear her response.

*Cough

Sylfi let out a little cough and answered the guy, "About your proposal, I'm going to have to refuse."

Upon hearing her answer, Belti's expression fell in disappointment as his invitation was rejected. He turned his back on the duo and sighed.

"So that's how it is? Alright then, I won't push you. I prefer to avoid that kind of approach. Let's at least agree to avoid conflict for now, okay?" Belti said, not wanting to get on her bad side.

"Well, I can agree with that," Sylfi replied, appreciating his smart decision.

Belti has the appearance of a stereotypical, dumb pompous noble bully who might react indignantly to rejection. However, in reality, his grades are consistently above average, and he is known for his willingness to assist anyone he considers a friend. This has earned him admiration from some students in the second year.

As Belti's started to move with his group, Erick, who had been silent, spoke up. "Hey big guy, before you go, let's have a little fight between you and me."

"Hey Erick, I already agreed not to fight with him. What are you doing?" Sylfi asked, a little indignant, since she had already settled the matter.

Erick just smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sylfi. I'm not going to lose. So, big guy, let's have a little spar, and after that, we'll part ways. What do you think?"

These words made Belti turn again to face Erick, who was smiling confidently.

Belti responded, "Hmm... Hey, little guy, are you sure about that? I have no intention of fighting with Sylfi, but if it's you, I have no problem."

"Yes, I'm sure," Erick replied, his excitement evident as he looked forward to the fight.

With a satisfied expression, Belti nodded and said, "Okay then, let's fight. But don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because of your girlfriend."

"I'm not... never mind," Sylfi sighed, realizing her denial wasn't going to change anything.

Raziel, who was watching the scene, couldn't hear their conversation but had already guessed what Erick was doing.

In the game, Erick liked to challenge strong opponents to constantly push his limits, and it seemed he wanted to fight the bulky guy because he appeared to be strong.

'Probably the big guy knew he was going to lose against Sylfi and decided to retreat, but Erick being fightsexual, drove him to propose a duel,' Raziel thought to himself, chuckling. He then called another snack seller to buy more popcorn to watch this interesting confrontation.

After accepting the duel challenge, Belti ordered his teammates to step aside and watch. Sylfi still thought this was unnecessary but didn't say anything, deciding to observe and gauge Erick's true abilities.

Since the day they first met, when she was angrily destroying targets in the training room, Sylfi had never had a good opportunity to see him fight using his aura. The only time she had seen him fight was when he punched Raziel that day after that guy tried to touch her butt.

Just thinking about that blonde bastard made her angry, and now, because of his public declaration earlier, people seemed to have the wrong ideas about their relationship, putting her in an unfair position.

Erick didn't pay much attention to the visibly dissatisfied Sylfi. He picked up his sword from its scabbard, assuming a defensive-offensive stance. He allowed the aura energy to flow through his veins and vital points, directing it towards his aura core.

For aura users, this was a basic and essential concept that becomes more complicated as the warrior strengthens their aura core.

To become stronger, aura users typically need to expand their aura core while simultaneously increasing the speed of energy transfer within them. However, because the aura core resides in the heart, if they don't execute it correctly, the energy can cause the heart to explode. In fortunate cases, the warrior may damage his aura core, veins, and vital points, resulting in permanent paralysis.

Erick was a little different. His body naturally supported more energy flowing through his aura core without causing any harm. Not only that, but his aura was purer than other users, allowing his growth to be absurd and limitless.

Despite being a bastard son of the Lionhearth family patriarch, he was recognized for his great potential, leading his father to obligate him to train rigorously every day under strict guidance, which developed his obsessive passion for battles.

'I'm not going to lose to this guy; he has a lot of openings,' Erick thought, maintaining his stance.

Belti was ready to fight, and after one of his teammates gave the signal to start the battle, he picked up his axe with both hands and charged toward Erick like a bull, channeling aura to increase his stamina and strength. Erick waited patiently until Belti got near him.

As the big guy neared him, he swung his battle axe towards Erick's head. However, just before it could hit, Erick dodged to the right and rolled next to Belti.

Erick executed a powerful kick aimed at Belti's leg and attempted to strike him with his sword, but suddenly a punch landed on his face. He fell to the ground, surprised by how quickly the big guy countered his sword strike.

"Hahaha! You're strong, little guy. I almost thought you were going to hit me with your sword, but my fist was faster," The big guy chuckled, despite his leg hurting from Erick's kick.

Erick got up and assumed a more defensive stance as he noticed that the guy was intentionally leaving openings to bait him. A trickle of blood formed on his head; even using aura to strengthen his body was useless if his opponent was equally strong.

Raziel, who was watching, was impressed to see the protagonist get punched in the face. This made him ponder whether the big guy, who appeared to be a middle-aged man, could defeat Erick.

But he shook his head in denial, finding it impossible for this to happen.

Belti rushed towards Erick once more, swinging his battle axe with precision aimed at Erick's waist. Erick deftly parried with his sword, the clash resonating loudly across the environment. The force of their collision sent sparks flying, each combatant pushing against the other with intensity, channeling their aura into their strikes.

The two of them exchanged a series of clashes, with Belti on the offensive and Erick on the defensive, patiently waiting for a true opening. It appeared after Erick deflected the axe upwards, leaving Belti's stomach exposed and vulnerable.

Once again, Erick delivered a powerful kick aimed at Belti's exposed stomach, but Belti reacted swiftly. The axe came down in a faster vertical strike, but Erick dodged to the left, creating distance between them.

"You're stronger than I thought, little guy," Belti praised, wiping sweat from his brow.

"You too, big guy," Erick retorted, enjoying the fight between them.

Erick then took a stance with the sword supported by his shoulders and said, "Now I'm going to use my family technique. After that, we'll stop. What do you think?"

"No problem for me, because I'm going to use my family technique too," Belti replied smiling.

Sylfi was impressed with their fast movements, recognizing their skill level as sufficient for Class D warriors. After hearing their intense exchanges, she became curious to see who would emerge as the winner between them.

Belti assumed a stance, pointing his battle axe toward Erick as if it were a sword, prompting one of his teammates to shout, "WOW, Sr. Belti's going to use the Infernal Dragon Axe technique!"

"DON'T CALL ME SIR, WE HAVE THE SAME AGE!" Belti shouted at his teammate in response to being called "sir."

After finishing his scolding, Belti allowed the aura to flow more freely through his veins, focusing on strength. Erick, on the other hand, directed the aura to flow more through vital points, emphasizing velocity.

Erick took the first step and ran towards the big guy, and Belti ran too. Their bodies started to glow with a faint blue aura as two shouts echoed through the air.

"{INFERNAL DRAGON AXE TECHNIQUE: HELLISH BREATH}," Belti shouted as his battle axe began to glow, aura flowing through the weapon.

"{GREAT LION CLAW TECHNIQUE: VERDANA}," Erick shouted as his sword began to glow too.

Belti leaped towards Erick, his battle axe slicing down in a powerful vertical cut aimed at Erick's head. The attack approached with blinding speed, but just as it was about to land, Erick vanished from Belti's sight, deftly evading the blow. In the next instant, Erick reappeared, his sword cutting through the air towards Belti's neck in a swift counterattack.

*SLASH

On the screen, Belti stood frozen, his axe nearly hitting the ground, while Erick stood beside him, his sword almost touching Belti's neck.

Everyone watching the fight was impressed by Erick's speed and skill. They marveled at his ability to defeat the third son of the Fosthern family, who was ranked 17th in the second-year Pharefal Rank List among aura users.

Raziel, who was watching, wasn't too surprised. After all, Erick was blessed with the status of the protagonist.