Arc 3 Chapter 3 : Raul Vs Brian

[Brian PoV]

Both of us now held our wooden swords. This was a duel — victory would go to whoever forced the other to surrender or made them unable to continue fighting.

We stood in the center of the arena. The man then pulled a gold coin from his uniform pocket and flipped it into the air.

The coin spun and slowly fell.

I settled into my combat stance. Before long, the gold coin hit the ground, signaling the duel had begun.

"Accel!"

"Accel!"

We both activated the same spell and charged toward each other.

He unleashed a diagonal slash at me, but I dodged it easily and countered.

—Tak!

Our swords clashed, and he blocked my attack with his wooden blade.

But I didn't stop there, following up with a sweep kick aimed at his leg to knock him down. Still, he managed to dodge by leaping into the air.

He swung his wooden sword vertically toward my head, but I blocked it with my own blade.

"Raging Blade!"

I unleashed a powerful slash toward his chest. But the man managed to block it, his body pushed back slightly despite absorbing the hit.

My attack still hadn't landed.

"Justice Spirit!"

Activating my buff, I charged toward him again.

Once I was right in front of him, I saw him pull his leg back slightly, as if about to kick. But I'd already memorized his fighting style.

This was a feint, meant to throw me off — he'd surely switch his attack pattern the moment my attention locked onto his leg.

I pretended to fall for the bait.

—Slash!

Sure enough, he switched his attack pattern and quickly unleashed a diagonal slash. But I dodged, having already anticipated this.

—Bam!

I immediately counterattacked, striking his shoulder.

He was pushed backward, clutching his right shoulder where my strike had landed.

"Did you think the same trick would work on me twice!? How naive!" I taunted him.

But the man didn't respond to my words at all. His face remained flat, as though completely disinterested.

I can do this. I can beat this man.

Right now, I'm far stronger than I was last year. I'll protect Ariel from this man, I'll keep her away from danger, I'll always be by her side, always with her.

"I'm going to win!"

[Ariel PoV]

Several hours had passed since Brian left for the Student Council building. But he still hadn't come back to find me.

When I followed after him there, he wasn't there at all.

I then searched the men's dormitory, but the guard there told me Brian hadn't returned to his room at all.

I searched the training grounds, the Swordmaster club room, but still couldn't find any trace of him.

Where had he gone? Had something happened to him? I started to worry he might be facing some trouble because of me.

Night fell, and Brian still hadn't turned up. I sat down on a bench in front of the women's dormitory to rest for a moment.

—Tap... tap... tap...

I heard footsteps approaching. A blonde woman was walking toward the women's dormitory.

"President Elena!" I called out to her.

It seemed she'd just returned from the Student Council building after finishing her work. I stood and walked over to her.

"Hm? Ariel?"

"President Elena, have you seen Brian?" I asked her. "He came to the Student Council building earlier. But when I went looking for him, he was already gone."

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"Alright, let me tell you what happened."

President Elena then told me about Brian suddenly showing up, asking the Student Council to transfer his field practicum placement to the same location as mine.

"I'm sorry we placed you somewhere so dangerous, Ariel," President Elena said, sounding guilty. "But Raul was the only one willing to take that assignment, on the condition that you'd be one of the Priestesses accompanying him."

I see. So what was his reason for wanting me there? These past six months, we hadn't even spoken to each other — the last time we'd talked was during the first-stage survival exam.

"I told Brian to speak with Raul directly if he wanted to change this decision," President Elena continued. "I'm certain he must have challenged him to a duel to get what he wanted."

"So, are they at the arena right now?" I murmured.

"We should go see for ourselves," President Elena said.

The two of us hurried toward the academy grounds.

The area was already quiet, given how late it had grown.

Arriving there, we hurried into the arena. We could faintly hear the sounds of two people fighting.

Once we reached one of the spectator stands, I saw a black-haired man exchanging blows with a blond-haired man.

"What's wrong? Is this all you've got, Raul!?"

Right now, Raul's body was covered in wounds, while Brian looked fresh, without a single injury on him.

Was this fight entirely one-sided?

I knew Brian had grown far stronger than before, but I never expected his strength could reduce Raul to this state.

They continued fighting, Brian's body now wrapped in golden light.

Raul tried to initiate an attack, but Brian easily broke through it. The golden-haired man unleashed a relentless counterattack, and though Raul tried to dodge, several of Brian's strikes still landed.

"Why did you place Ariel somewhere so dangerous, Raul!" Brian shouted, swinging his wooden sword at the black-haired man. "Don't you love her too? Why do you always put her through hardship?"

Huh? Raul loves me? This was the first I'd heard of it. Had he told Brian about his feelings for me?

—Bam!

A loud crash rang out — Brian skillfully dodged Raul's attack and swiftly countered, striking Raul's head hard.

Raul's body collapsed to the ground, blood beginning to trickle from his temple. He tried to get back up, though clearly struggling.

"If you really love her, you should be protecting Ariel from every threat! Not placing her somewhere so dangerous!" Brian shouted, overwhelmed with emotion.

I found myself genuinely moved by Brian's words. Still, I at least wanted to do my best in this assignment and be useful to everyone.

"I'll beat you until you understand this, Raul!"

Brian charged toward where Raul stood again. He unleashed a diagonal slash followed by a thrust. Still, Raul managed to block and dodge, though by the thinnest of margins.

"I'll end this with my new combo! Rising Dragon!"

Brian's sword became wrapped in golden light, and he began raining down incredibly fast strikes on Raul.

The black-haired man tried to hold off Brian's endless combo, a crack now visible on his wooden sword.

"Not yet, I'll bring out something even stronger!" Brian shouted, his body glowing brighter, signaling he was ramping up his buff further.

"Rising Dragon... Full Power!"

Brian continued his combo assault, and Raul could only defend, unable to counter a single one of Brian's strikes.

—Crack!

Raul's wooden sword shattered, unable to withstand the brutal onslaught Brian kept unleashing.

"From now on, never bother Ariel again! Take this, Light Executioner!"

Brian delivered a devastating vertical slash straight into Raul's chest.

The black-haired man was sent flying, rolling several meters across the ground.

Was this it? I doubted Raul could still hold on after taking such a direct hit from Brian.

But Raul got back up and spat out blood pooled in his mouth.

His legs trembled, his left arm hung limp, and his gaze looked unfocused. It seemed even moving his own body had become a struggle.

Why wouldn't he just surrender? Was this match really that important to him?

"So you can still stand, huh," Brian said, settling back into his stance. "I'll finish this with one final attack."

Brian's body and wooden sword became wrapped in golden light once more.

Meanwhile, Raul was clearly struggling to breathe, blood covering his face. In this condition, it seemed impossible for him to dodge Brian's attack.

The blond man charged toward Raul again.

"With this, I'll save Ariel from your influence! Golden Dragon Strike!"

Brian swung his sword at Raul's body, but suddenly, his expression shifted to shock as Raul managed to dodge the attack.

A thick, black aura began wrapping around Raul's right hand.

"Full Vengeance..."

—Bam!

After uttering the name of his ability, Raul slammed Brian into the ground with his black-aura-wrapped hand.

The ground around them shattered from the devastating force of Raul's punch striking Brian.

Dust billowed into the air, obscuring the entire arena from view.

What incredible power!

Before long, the dust obscuring our view cleared, revealing Brian lying on the ground.

He tried to get up, but his body refused to obey. That single strike seemed to have completely incapacitated him.

"Just one attack?" I murmured. "Brian hadn't taken a single hit from Raul this entire fight. So why did just one strike bring him down like that?"

Brian had held the advantage in this match the whole time. Yet in an instant, the tide had completely reversed!

"I think Raul deliberately took every one of Brian's attacks, to catch him off guard and land one powerful strike at the final moment, right when Brian was already convinced he'd won," President Elena remarked, commenting on the match's outcome.

Looking back at the arena, Brian began coughing up blood. I wanted to run down and help him, but President Elena's hand stopped me, signaling I shouldn't go down there.

"Listen to me, shrimp-brain." Raul began speaking to Brian, still lying on the ground, his voice flat.

"I placed Ariel there not because I wanted her dead or in danger," Raul said, giving Brian a cold look. "I placed her there because I believe in her ability. I'm certain she'll be an invaluable help to the people there, and I believe she's the best healer here, better than anyone else."

Is that so...?

He believes in my ability and potential...

But all this time, I've only ever felt like a burden...

The survival exam was clear proof of that. If it weren't for that masked man, I would have already died twice in this world.

"Don't think of Ariel as some flower, only meant to be admired for its beauty," Raul said, his voice rising. "She's far more than that. Ariel is a great, sturdy tree, capable of withstanding even the fiercest storm."

I lowered my head, embarrassed, hearing Raul's words.

Why did he trust me this much?

What made him regard me so highly, as though I were someone truly remarkable?

I was just an ordinary person, full of weaknesses.

"You've lost, Brian," Raul said, turning back to Brian, who looked furious, his fists clenched. "As agreed, you'll do exactly as I say, and from now on, never speak to Ariel again."

After saying this, Raul slowly walked away, leaving the arena. Brian lost consciousness right after hearing Raul's words.

Their duel... had come to an end.