Through Steel (4)

Ms. Rebecca had her green eyes once again set upon the platform of concrete in the middle of the colosseum. 

Yet the anger that was filling the entirety of her mind was yet to wane. 

A man with skin of that of light-dark soon descended upon the arena alongside a bulky fellow with a zweihander rested upon his shoulder. 

Ms. Rebecca soon stared at the dark-skinned student who she could barely remember. 

'His name was Troi, right?' 

As she remembered who he was, she let out a sigh. 

'Will this be another loss?' 

Troi did pass all of the quizzes she had given him but did so with his score barely passing. 

Then with the combat practices he had done with his fellow classmates, he was always struggling and could not win most of them. 

'At least the other low-ranked ones showed potential.'

She did notice that Troi had learned basic techniques but unlike the others, his aura had not become sharper or sturdier. 

Letting out another sigh, she soon prepared her eyes to see another one of her students lose without any grace. 

"Combat begin," 

Troi immediately let out his aura with the color of the sky. 

The bulky man responded with the color of grass.

Yet because of the potion he had no idea he drank.

It became more powerful. 

With confidence in his eyes, he moved first. 

The zweihander he had raised up in the air was quickly meeting the concrete below. 

Troi could see the strength behind the weapon so he carefully leaped to the side. 

Dust and small pebbles of rock soon emerged from where the point the zweihander had struck. 

Troi was forced to close his eyes to not let any single one hit his pupils. 

But because of that his vision was obstructed for a few seconds. 

The bulky man smiled with glee. 

His opponent had his guard down and even when it's only for a moment. 

It was enough. 

Raising his heavy zweihander from the ground, he swung it with all of its strength. 

But his eyes widened as instead of hearing the sound of the shield breaking. 

He had heard nothing.

As he looked down. 

Troi with perfect timing had ducked to dodge the zweihander.

'HOW? HIS EYES WERE CLOSED!' 

The bulky man had his jaw wide open. 

He immediately composed himself and prepared to block. 

*THUMP* 

But instead of a blade, he felt a punch to his abdomen. 

It was not enough to knock him off his balance but because of that, he was sent a few inches back. 

Troi then jumped a few feet away from the bulky man. 

And soon,

Opened his eyes. 

The bulky man let out a groan and set his sights once again on his opponent. 

Shivers. 

He felt his entire body shivered. 

Eyes devoid of any emotion gazed upon every fiber of his lowly existence. 

His hands and legs, his entire body were shaking ever so slightly.

'What the hell is that?'

He was shocked to see that kind of gaze from a fellow student. 

Ms. Rebecca up above tilted her head seeing the bulky student suddenly stop moving and start to stare blankly at his opponent.

'Is something happening?' Ms. Miranda was visibly confused as to why both the students had stood still.

Ms. Rebecca then set her sights on the student from her class but all she could see from that distance was he had turned his eyes on his sword. 

Troi who had his dull eyes centered upon his blade started to inspect the blue-colored aura that was coated around it. 

'Wanderer.'

He thought back to the person that this aura originally belonged to.

A person barely mentioned nor written in that dog-water of a novel he had read before his death. 

Why? 

Because when he ducked and tried to swing his longsword towards his opponent. 

He felt it change for the very first time. 

A small gust of wind had occupied within the blue-colored energy. 

It was so brief but he knew that if he had swung his sword. 

The right arm of his opponent would've been cut. 

'Why is my aura acting like this?' 

He was confused and because the person that wielded this aura was barely mentioned in the novel he had no way to get any more information. 

But then a voice familiar to him soon rang within his mind. 

[It is angry.] 

[Huh? angry at what?] 

But before Theos could reply Troi turned his gaze back again at his opponent as he heard loud footsteps approaching him accompanied by a grinding blade. 

It was the bulky man who had his zweihander running through concrete preparing to strike upward. 

[Angry at those who wielded strength that did not belong to them] 

Troi wanted to ask what that meant but seeing the approaching bulky man. 

It was not the right time to do so. 

With his emotions lowered he felt no fear and thought clearly.

Reading the situation akin to that of a computer he knew the right thing to do. 

Step a few inches to the side and counterattack. 

The zweihander fueled by a green aura soon came out of the concrete ground and quickly approached Troi from below. 

Tensing the muscles on his lower legs. 

He prepared to put his calculations into action. 

But the same small wind accompanied his longsword again.

Feeling the sudden change. 

He swung his sword instead at the approaching steel. 

*CLANG* 

A reverberating sound of both weapons clashing rang within the colosseum.

Troi stood still with dull eyes as he looked at his opponent. 

The bulky man could not believe it. 

'In a contest of strength? I lost!?' 

His zweihander was shaking non-stop. 

Troi had sent him back. 

[Follow the wind, human.] 

The bulky man composed himself once again and leaped into the air. 

With his sword raised in the air. 

This time he was striking from above.

Troi merely swung his sword again. 

The same reverberating sound accompanied their clash. 

*CLANG* 

Troi uttered a small smile seeing the bulky man roll on the concrete ground.

The entire Honor Class was looking at the situation before them with glee. 

"FINALLY!," 

"TROI!," 

"TROI!," 

"TROI!," 

But that was only for a moment for it became a frown. 

Hearing some of his classmates chant his name. 

He started having goosebumps. 

'F*ck, I'm gathering too much attention,' 

With quick thinking, he pretended to fall to his knees with only his longsword keeping his face from kissing the ground. 

The cheers stopped. 

Seeing their classmate weakened to that state and knowing that the shield on the bulky man was still intact. 

The fight was not yet over. 

The bulky man soon stood up and took the zweihander that fell a few feet from him. 

His uniform of blue was now riddled with dust but he let out a grin seeing Troi barely keeping himself standing. 

Letting out a warcry he soon started charging at him. 

'Alright, I'll let him come swing my sword once more and quickly try to break his shield' 

"TROI, STAND UP!"

"STAND UP!" 

"HEY, STAND UP YOU F*CKER,"

The frown on his face was still apparent as he heard his classmates from the side scream at him to stand up.

But then he remembered Ms. Rebecca 

'Wait? Wasn't this graded on how well you performed?'

'Seeing I already sent him flying twice maybe I don't need to win after all.'

Troi started to change the plan in his head. 

He had already shown what he was capable of. 

The frown on his face turned upside down.

His fellow classmates would be confused to see Troi suddenly smile at a time like this but currently, his head was staring at the ground so they could not see his face.

Relief filled his mind knowing he had found a way to get good grades and not get any attention.

The bulky man was wearing a huge grin as he rapidly neared his opponent who was currently kneeling. 

'THIS IS MY WIN!' 

Raising his zweihander behind his head he struck it all his might towards Troi. 

Troi closed his eyes and inwardly wished that the shield cast on him would make the pain a little bit bearable.

But then a soothing voice rang within his head.

[Human,] 

[It seeks to break] 

'What?' 

Seeping through his body.

An invisible gust of wind took control. 

The longsword on his hand moved on its own.

And as fast as a breeze he stood up and his sword met the zweihander. 

*CLANG* 

For the third time a deafening noise. 

But this time another sound came with it. 

The sound of something shattering. 

But it was not the sound of glass.

Through steel, the longsword in Troi's hand had turned the bulky man zweihander into nothing but fragments. 

Ms. Miranda covered her mouth with her palm and Ms. Rebecca could not hide her widened eyes. 

"How the hell?" Instructor Carn could not hide the shock in his voice. 

Everyone had become silent. 

The bulky man soon fell to his knees as he stared at the remains of his zweihander.

Cheers and shouts soon erupted. 

"TROI!,"

"TROI!," 

"TROI!," 

Almost every single person on the left side of the colosseum was filled with glee. 

But the man who stood in the center of it all, had his gaze set upon his longsword even though his dull eyes were no more.

He belonged to the Honor Class yet his reaction was that of the side that lost. 

"TROI!,"

"TROI!,"

As he heard the chants and the cheers directed at him.

He did not feel any happiness or joy. 

No, 

In his mind. 

He started to cry.