Chapter 43: Spar (Part-1)

"Let's decide the ground rules."

"Alright, how about one student from each year? So, four fights in total?" Chloe proposed.

"Alright!" Shreya agreed without hesitation. She turned to the group, her eyes scanning each face. "Let's start with the fourth year. Who's up for the challenge?"

Silence hung in the air. No one dared to step forward, their eyes darting nervously between classmates. The unspoken truth lingered - Oliver was against the fights and confronting Oliver meant risking future repercussions beyond the academy's walls.

Observing the hesitation, Shreya narrowed her eyes. This wasn't the first time Oliver had manipulated situations against her and the academy. She shot him a disdainful look, but Oliver responded with a sly smile.

Gritting her teeth, Shreya held back her anger, closing her eyes to regain composure.

"We'll concede this round," she reluctantly admitted to Chloe, the tension thick in the room.

Chloe's heart soared with happiness, a victorious tune playing within. The rivalry between her and Shreya, both from the same generation at UHF, had always been a source of excitement for Chloe. However, the rivalry was short-lived when Chloe discovered Shreya's background as an orphan from a family of traders. Disdain filled Chloe as she realized her rival was not as she seemed. How can an orphan without any noble blood be her rival? She predicted that Shreya will soon fall from glory and that will be the end of her.

But reality was far from this. In a surprising turn, Shreya rose to prominence with exceptional leadership and skills. The top position at any UHF academy, the vice director, became Shreya's domain in the U.S., while Chloe was sent to France as just a disciplinary executive. The post of director was assumed by the president of UHF for all the academies, so the vice director was a very influential post.

Chloe couldn't contain her satisfaction. 'A person from a no name family and without any blood should just stay on the streets. Today, you'll feel the humiliation I've endured for years.'

"Haha, okay." Chloe chuckled, turning her attention to a large boy named Antonie. "Your turn, Antonie."

Antonie grumbled, "What a hassle." 

Antonie was way over 6ft and had a heavy body. His long brown hair was dancing in the wind and his heavy mustache and beard made him look like a spartan warrior.

Shreya scanned the students, frustration mounting as she asked, "Who. Will. Step. Forward?" The silence lingered, no one daring to raise a hand. Shreya's irritation grew, but the students remained defiantly silent.

Suddenly a girl with short hair raised her hand. She was from a low ranked noble family and was eager to test her skills with one of the best from another academy. 

Shreya took a sigh of relief inwardly seeing someone step forward. However, before she could speak, a loud "Ahem" cut through the air. All eyes turned to Oliver, his cold gaze fixed on the girl, silently warning her of the consequences – 'Come forward and you will regret it.'

Fear washed over the girl, draining color from her face. The desire to fight clashed with the reality of opposing Oliver, the prince of the US. Even if the academy could offer protection now, who will protect her family in the future? Destroying her family was a cake-walk for someone from the royal family. No she couldn't risk it!

"N–Nevermind. I-I forgot I got injured yesterday," she stammered, the fear evident in her voice, as she hastily retreated, even before Shreya could stop her.

"Hahaha" A loud laughter echoed. The source of the amusement was none other than the boy at the center, Antonie, who was clutching his stomach, his laughter filling the air.

"I can't believe how pathetic this academy is," he managed to say between fits of laughter. His amusement seemed boundless. "Just how much did you pay to spread good rumors about your academy? Do you only have spineless students here?" he jeered, the echoes of his laughter reverberating.

Chloe stepped in, halting the laughter with a stern tone. "Antonie! Never mock anyone like this. Even if the students of this academy are all cowards, you shouldn't belittle them," although she spoke righteously, anyone could see that she was ridiculing the academy.

|HAHAHA| Laughter erupted from the french side, echoing through the surroundings. They were enjoying a great drama for free.

Hearing the mockery, Shreya's fists involuntarily clenched. She knew she could defeat Chloe with her eyes closed, but this was the students' moment, and she found herself cornered, compelled to accept defeat. Her concern wasn't about the petty matter of a plane – with her considerable wealth, a plane was hardly worth mentioning. Instead, she worried about the tarnished reputation of the senior students.

Though the confrontation seemed minor, Shreya foresaw severe consequences for the students. The label of incompetence, earned in this seemingly inconsequential spar, would haunt them during the upcoming training camp. Winning or losing didn't matter to Shreya; the idea of abstaining from the fight felt disgraceful, putting the students in a subservient position before even setting foot on the Promida Galaxy.

"Don't lump us with them." A feminine voice caused the laughter to cease and drew the attention of everyone. The whole group turned and looked at the source of the voice only to find a beautiful girl with magenta hair. Yes, it was Evelyn who spoke. 

"Our junior and senior year students are… a bit retarded. So I would appreciate it if you could forgive them for their disgraceful behavior," she added, a visible disgust on her face.

Her words ignited a mix of embarrassment and anger among the third and final-year students, their faces turning various shades of red and green. Being mocked by students from another academy was already infuriating, but now a second-year dared to criticize them. It was unacceptable

The air thickened with palpable auras as 40-50 students from the junior and senior year exerted pressure on Evelyn from all directions. Whether the words were intentional or not, everyone present felt offended by Evelyn's bold words.

Yet, Evelyn remained unfazed. In a heartbeat, she had chosen to act when she saw Shreya in a tough spot.

|Clap. Clap. Clap.| Slow claps reverberated in the ground.

"Woah! What a spectacle," Zen emerged from the crowd. "You acted like chickens when you were challenged, and now you're pressuring my girlfriend just because she threw the truth in your face?"

A sudden hush fell upon the assembly as everyone became speechless, the weight of their wrongdoing hanging in the air. The students were acutely aware that they had brought dishonor to the academy, and this undeniable truth in words acted as a stinging slap to them. 

"If your cultivation is as strong as your mouth, how about fighting on your own?" a third-year retorted, attempting to salvage some pride.

"Heh, you lost your right to comment in this spar as soon as you acted like a pussy," Evelyn rebuked, silencing the boy.

"Hey, the lady from the French academy," Zen called out to Chloe in a surprisingly casual manner.

Chloe, accustomed to a certain level of respect, found herself momentarily speechless. It had been years since a student dared to talk to her so informally. The desire to crush the impudent boy surged within her, but she restrained herself.

"What do you want?" she managed to ask, her tone a mix of authority and suppressed frustration.

"Let's change the format a bit and make it a bit more interesting," Zen proposed.

Chloe sneered, "What do you suggest?"

"Let's have two more fights as planned, but a second year will fight your third year, and I will fight your second year," Zen suggested.

Chloe pondered for a moment, acknowledging that it wasn't a bad idea. She looked at Zen,

'This impulsive student had sparked a rather favorable turn of events. He probably spoke in the moment of hot-headedness.' She chuckled inwardly.

Without showing it on her face she spoke, "You have to increase the wager for me to agree to this." 

Chloe was unwilling to let go of this opportunity for maximum gains.

Zen was already anticipating this so he calmly responded, "How about a single favor from my master, as long as it doesn't endanger her life or career?"

"WHAT?" Chloe's eyes widened, registering shock and disbelief at the unbelievable proposal.