Chapter 288: Two Potential Opponents

The next match started not long after I finished my meat kebab as Feyt, which I had lost my appetite for after the bone-chilling conversation I had with Marina. But... food is food, and I shouldn’t be wasteful, so I finished it up and headed towards my dorm to rest.

The next match started with two students whose faces I’ve seen before, thanks to Carine’s eyes, but I didn’t know them personally yet.

It was a matchup between two polearm users, and the moment the announcer rang out his voice, they proved they were worthy of this arena.

One was a speedster, slowly pushing forward with quick, efficient spear thrusts. With how fast he was moving, I had to assume he had [Enhanced Agility]. The other was all about style, using elegant sweeping motions to deflect incoming blows while looking for a grand opening.

Round one was secured by Sir Elegant. He dodged a sharp two-handed thrust and caught the poker right on the shoulder with a perfect counter.

The crowd cheered as the two contestants were preparing for the next round.

After that, the second round started. Sir Elegant gave a smirk, seemingly taunting his opponent.

Oh no, he got cocky.

Then, the match continued.

To put it simply, the elegant dude got way too comfortable after the first round and easily lost his next two fights. In the end, the fast dude won, earning a sea of cheers that echoed off the walls.

I kept his fighting style in mind if I were ever to face him in the future.

His main moves are fast pokes, but they should be predictable enough for my eyes to draw the lines.

“Hmm, it was a good fight, but…” Lionne muttered beside me, leaning her chin on her hand. “Feyt and Marina’s fight was way more fun to watch, don't you think?”

“Indeed,” I said, as the one with her eyes closed for 90% of the match. “But I’m sure we’ll see plenty of exciting fights soon.”

I was, of course, referring to the very next matchup: Villius versus Ravilenna.

…

Villius emerged from the eastern gate, while Ravilenna made her entrance from the west.

Villius sported standard light armor and held a single wooden practice sword. He marched out to the center of the sand and dropped into his usual, rock-solid sparring stance. I knew his habits inside and out at this point, so predicting his general game plan wasn't going to be hard.

Ravilenna, on the other hand, was dual-wielding wooden swords. I’d only fought her once during the preliminaries as Feyt, so her full game plan was still a mystery. Given how adamant she was about training, though—since almost every time I would encounter her training by herself—I had no doubt she’d improved since then.

“W-Wait, isn’t that… Ravi?!” Lionne blurted out, leaning forward in shock. “She got into the second phase?!”

I blinked. “Didn’t you read the announcement board? Her name was listed right there.”

Lionne leaned back, offering an awkward chuckle. “W-Well, I actually thought it was a different Ravilenna when I saw her name…”

The bracket listing had both her full name and her class, though.

Now, as I sat there in the front seat as Carine, I was pretty conflicted.

On one hand, Villius was a genuine friend of mine. He’d actually postponed any spars against Feyt specifically so we could settle things on the grand arena stage. I didn’t know for sure what was driving his rivalry with Feyt, but I intended on digging it out by exchanging blades with him at the arena. Naturally, I ought to be cheering for him.

On the other hand... I desperately wanted another crack at Ravilenna, either as Carine or Feyt.

The arena was basically my only shot at battling her in any form.

I’d sent her multiple invitations for joint training sessions and private spars, and she had shot down or ignored every single one. You couldn’t really blame me for being persistent; her dual-wielding rhythm was going to be absolutely fun to read, making her the ultimate sparring partner.

So unless I ambushed her in her dorm, this tournament was the only way I was going to get my rematch.

So, caught right in the middle of two paths, I leaned back in my seat, opened my fan with a snap, and prepared to watch two people I respect beat the absolute hell out of each other.

…

"Three... Two... One... Begin!!"

The announcer’s shout echoed off the walls, and immediately, Villius exploded forward. True to himself, he opened with an aggressive charge, channeling all his momentum into an aggressive downward chop designed to make his opponent drop their weapon in an instant.

But Ravilenna didn't flinch.

The moment Villius’s blade descended, her left wooden sword caught his weapon. Instead of blocking the force head-on, she smoothly guided his strike off-course into the open air.

Oh, that was a smooth redirect.

As Villius’s weight stumbled forward from the redirected momentum, Ravilenna's right blade thrust forward from her lower side, striking hard on Villius’s exposed side.

The force was enough to send him back, and he landed flat on his bottom on the sand.

"A great counter!" the announcer yelled. "First point goes to Ravilenna of Class Bison!"

Villius rolled back to his feet, rubbing his side with a wince. But it didn’t take long for him to gather his focus and narrow his eyes calmly back at his opponent.

Soon after, round two started.

Villius abandoned his grand opening and adopted a measured, patient approach. He feinted a right slash, watching her left arm try to catch it, then instantly shifted mid-swing by pulling back and pushing with a heavy thrust.

He adapted, nice one!

Ravilenna tried her redirection trick again, crossing her dual blades to trap his movement, but Villius had already seen through it. The second her wooden blade touched his, he intentionally relaxed his wrists, letting his blade yield. The sudden lack of resistance threw off her counter-balance.

Ravilenna quickly tried to kick him away, but she was too slow.

Villius immediately stepped inside her guard and delivered a powerful shoulder-check that sent her sprawling onto the sand.

"Round two goes to Villius of class Raven! Once again, it all comes down to the final round!"

Ravilenna didn’t waste any time and quickly got up, dusting her armor of any dust. She glared forward at Villius, who returned the gesture with a calm smile.

He seemed to be saying something to Ravilenna, and though I couldn’t hear him, I could roughly read his lips.

“Forgive me, but there is someone I must face on this grand stage. I will not hold back.”

Ravilenna seemed to chuckle at his words before saying something herself.

“Same here. So you better not stand in my way.”

I held back my chuckle as I read their conversation.

I knew for certain who they had in mind when they said those words. Now, I was more conflicted about which side I wanted to win. But it all comes down to them. I could only watch in silence, with my breath held.

The two reassumed their stances and prepared themselves for the final round.

The final round started with a bang, as the two opponents rushed forward, their eyes locked tight on each other.

Villius swung first, a fast diagonal swing.

Ravilenna caught it with her right blade as she lifted his blade and stepped inside his guard.

He seemed to have expected it, as he was already halfway through a kick the moment she stepped through. It connected with her left blade and pushed her away, but not enough to make her fall or drop her weapons. But he didn’t let up as he charged forward again.

Ravilenna let out a quick grin as Villius started his assault.

He threw another heavy swing, which she caught with her left blade and swept aside. Villius yanked his sword back and drove in with a follow-up strike, only for her right blade to trap it. She pulled his weapon in close as she prepared to step inside, but just like a broken record, Villius committed to another kick to push her off…

…Which was exactly what she was waiting for.

Ravilenna suddenly yanked her body back while flipping her right blade upward, throwing Villius off-balance with two momenta at once. One from his kick, another from his blade.

Villius went wide-eyed as Ravilenna jumped at the chance with her two blades, closing on him with both of her blades pushing forward.

Her blades crossed each other, as they trapped Villius’s neck like a pair of scissors about to snap shut.

"AND MATCH IS SET! THE WINNER IS RAVILENNA OF CLASS BISON!"

The crowd erupted once more, as a deafening wave of screams, cheers, and applause shook the arena. Down on the sand, Villius raised his hands in surrender, letting out a defeated sigh before offering Ravilenna a respectful nod.

“Is... is that really Ravilenna?” Lionne murmured beside me, leaning forward with her hands over her mouth, staring down at the ring in utter disbelief. “When did she become such a beast? Even Villius was…”

I couldn’t blame her for being surprised. Ravilenna had turned a complete 180 ever since she was transferred out of Honors class. She went from someone I found bothersome to someone I held genuine respect towards.

A mix of satisfaction and disappointment settled in my chest. It looked like my long-awaited grand stage duel with Villius was going to have to wait. But down in the ring... watching Ravilenna lower her blades as her shoulders heaved from adrenaline…

My hearts beat with anticipation at the chance of fighting her once more.

Down on the sands, Ravilenna slowly turned her gaze away from Villius and looked directly up toward the crowd, more specifically, me. Her eyes locked onto Carine. A sharp grin spread across her face, accompanied by a fierce glare that made her intent unmistakably clear.

She raised her right wooden sword and pointed the tip directly at me as she raised her chin.

Over the roar of the crowd, I watched her mouth move, reading her lips.

“Wait for me.”

I let out a small laugh as Feyt in my dorm, while I snapped my fan shut as Carine, offering a smile of my own.

“I will.”