Chapter 469: The Student Council Hunt (IV)

Kaedran stepped forward, rolled his shoulders, and looked toward Gray with a confident grin.

"Now that we’re here, I’ll give you one final chance to surrender. You still have time to avoid making a fool of yourself in front of the entire academy."

Gray glanced around the arena, then toward the distant stands where Scarlett had already found herself a good seat.

The princess was resting her chin against one hand, her ruby eyes fixed on him. When their gazes met, she smiled and gave him another little nod.

Gray’s expression twitched at this.

’She’s enjoying this far too much.’

He turned back toward Kaedran and sighed.

"All right, let’s get this over with. I still have breakfast to finish."

Kaedran’s grin vanished.

"You really are asking for a beating, aren’t you?"

Gray rested one hand on the hilt of his rapier.

"We’ll find out soon enough."

Above them, the protective barrier sealed the arena.

Kaedran was the first one to move.

Swoop!

He raised his right hand, and dark blue mana burst from his body, spreading across the arena like a storm cloud.

The pressure descended over the fighting platform, making the stone beneath his feet groan as his aura rose.

Several students in the front rows straightened in their seats, while a few weaker demons instinctively leaned away from the barrier.

"Remember this, freshman. There is a reason the Student Council recruits students through combat rather than interviews. Strength is the only qualification that matters here, and right now, the difference between us is enormous."

Gray stood quietly with one hand resting on the hilt of his rapier.

He could feel the pressure pressing against his body, but it was hardly enough to trouble him.

After reaching the Emperor Realm, his foundation had become much more stable, and his body had grown strong enough to withstand the strain of denser mana.

More importantly, the pressure released by an Early Ruler wasn’t that impressive.

’So this is his attempt at intimidating me?’

Gray almost sighed.

’At least give me something interesting, Senior.’

Kaedran interpreted his silence as fear.

"What’s wrong? Did you finally realize how foolish it was to accept my challenge? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you remember this lesson for the rest of your time at the academy."

He spread his fingers.

KRAAAASH!

Dark blue mana surged upward, gathering above his head before taking the shape of a massive spear.

Its broad tip carried a metallic sheen, and faint blue lines ran along its length like veins filled with lightning.

The spear rotated once before dropping into his grasp, releasing a sharp crack as its weight disturbed the air.

Several students in the stands recognized the weapon immediately.

"That’s Kaedran’s Stormbreaker Spear!"

"He brought out his weapon already? Is he planning to finish the freshman in one strike?"

"Of course he is. He’s an Early Ruler, while that guy is only an Early Emperor. Why waste time playing around?"

An older student sitting near the upper balcony shook his head.

"Don’t underestimate the freshman so quickly. I watched his entrance examination. He looked half dead after using that black sword, but the attack itself was no joke."

His companion scoffed.

"That was against a hundred students surrounding him. This is a duel against a Ruler who’s been enduring the Student Council’s insane tasks. There’s a difference between overwhelming a group and defeating someone who actually knows how to fight."

The older student did not argue, although he continued watching Gray with a thoughtful expression.

On the opposite side of the stands, Scarlett crossed her legs and rested one arm against the railing.

She had seen Gray fight before, although never against an opponent whose cultivation was so much higher than his own.

During their first confrontation, his strength had been difficult to measure because he constantly concealed his abilities and relied on tricks she had not anticipated.

Now, however, she wanted to see how he would handle a proper fight.

She had already warned him about the difference between the Emperor and Ruler Realms. If he had listened, perhaps he would have approached the duel with a little more caution.

Instead, he had spent the journey here complaining about his breakfast.

’If you get yourself injured, don’t expect me to carry you to the infirmary again.’ Scarlett shook her head.

Her eyes remained fixed on him, betraying none of the curiosity growing inside her.

In the arena, Kaedran lowered his spear.

"Come at me. I’ll even give you the first move."

Gray looked at him.

"How generous."

He drew his rapier.

SHING!

The narrow silver blade slid from its sheath, catching the light as the weapon’s refined aura spread through the surrounding air.

Fine silver patterns shimmered along its surface, so delicate that someone who did not understand weapons might mistake them for ordinary decorations.

Kaedran glanced at it and sneered.

"An emperor-grade rapier?"

"Something like that."

"You expect to fight me with a weapon of that grade? Even if you’ve recently advanced, your equipment is still inadequate. You should have spent your resources on something more useful."

Gray glanced down at his blade.

’If only you knew.’

His rapier had once been a High Emperor weapon, but the Heavenly Silk Alien Metal had transformed it into a Peak Monarch weapon.

Its power was now far beyond what its unassuming appearance suggested, and its ability to carry mana had improved so much that Gray no longer had to worry about wasting energy through his strikes.

Of course, explaining this to Kaedran would ruin the surprise.

Gray tilted his head.

"I’ll keep your advice in mind, Senior. Now, are we going to fight, or should I return to my breakfast?"

Kaedran’s expression hardened.

"Fine. Don’t blame me for what happens next!"

He disappeared.

BOOOM!

The stone beneath his foot cracked as his body shot forward. His spear swept across the arena, carrying enough force to tear through a thick stone wall.

The weapon’s tip aimed directly at Gray’s chest, while the dark blue mana surrounding it compressed into a narrow layer that sharpened its destructive power.

The attack was fast.

Far faster than an ordinary Emperor cultivator would have been able to follow with their eyes.

Yet Gray moved before the spear reached him.

His right foot slid half a step to the side, and his body tilted at an angle that seemed almost careless.

The spear passed so close to his chest that its mana tore a thin line through his robe, but its tip missed him by less than the width of a finger.

Kaedran’s eyes widened.

’He dodged?’

He immediately twisted his wrist, changing the spear’s direction and driving its shaft toward Gray’s ribs.

The second attack followed the first with almost no pause, forcing Gray to shift his weight again.

CLANG!

Gray’s rapier struck the spear’s shaft, redirecting it just enough to prevent the attack from connecting.

The impact sent a sharp vibration through both weapons, but the silver blade remained perfectly steady in his hand.

Kaedran’s expression changed.

Gray had not been pushed backward.

He had not even lost his footing.

Instead, the freshman stood less than an arm’s length away, looking at him with mild interest.

"Your spear is fast, Senior. But you seem to announce your attacks rather clearly."

Kaedran’s face darkened.

"What did you say?"

"Your shoulders tense before you thrust, and your right foot shifts whenever you change direction. It’s not difficult to tell where you’re going."

"Don’t think a lucky dodge makes you my equal!"

Kaedran roared and unleashed another series of attacks.

The spear flashed through the air, thrusting toward Gray’s throat before sweeping downward toward his waist.

When Gray evaded the first strike, Kaedran immediately changed the angle of his weapon and launched a powerful horizontal blow aimed at his side.

Fwip!

Clankggg!

The sounds of the battle echoed through the arena as Gray moved between the attacks. His rapier was intercepting most of the strikes that he couldn’t avoid.

He never tried to match the force of Kaedran’s spear directly.

Instead, he redirected each attack by the smallest possible amount, using the weapon’s angle and his own footwork to prevent the heavier weapon from bringing its full strength to bear.

The crowd gradually grew quieter.

At first, they had expected Gray to be knocked out of the arena within a few exchanges.

Even if his entrance examination had been impressive, there was no reason to expect an Early Emperor to withstand direct attacks from an Early Ruler.

Yet the fight had continued for nearly twenty exchanges, and Gray had not suffered a single direct hit.

More strangely, his expression had barely changed.

"How is he doing that?"

"His movements are strange. I can barely follow his feet."

"He’s not even using a major technique!"

"No, look at his rapier. He’s redirecting the spear instead of blocking it. He’s making Kaedran waste his own momentum."

A 3rd-year demon sitting near the arena’s upper edge raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"The boy’s combat experience is far beyond his cultivation. He’s not trying to overpower Kaedran, but making every attack more troublesome than it needs to be."

His companion frowned.

"That still doesn’t explain how he can keep up with a Ruler’s speed. The difference in physical ability alone should be enormous."

The 3rd-year demon narrowed his eyes.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps we’ve been too quick to judge the extent of his abilities."

In the arena, Kaedran was beginning to reach the same conclusion, though he was far less willing to admit it.

Gray’s movements were becoming increasingly irritating.

Whenever Kaedran tried to trap him against the edge of the platform, the freshman seemed to slip away at the last moment.

Whenever Kaedran increased his speed, Gray responded by shortening his movements and using his rapier to redirect the spear before it gathered its full force.

It was as though Gray had already seen every attack before it happened.

Worse still, Gray never seemed to commit himself to a full counterattack.

He was content to dodge, parry, and wait, as though he were studying a training dummy rather than fighting a member of the Student Council.

’Does he think I’m some sort of practice opponent?’ Kaedran gritted his teeth.

He pulled his spear back and released a wave of dark blue mana.

"Enough!"

BOOOOM!

The mana exploded outward, forcing Gray to retreat several steps as the pressure spread across the platform.

Kaedran used the brief opening to raise his spear above his head, gathering a dense mass of energy around its tip.

"Since you seem so interested in dodging, let’s see how you handle this!"

The sky above the platform darkened.

CRACCKLEEEEE!

Dark blue lightning began gathering around the spear, branching into dozens of jagged lines that struck the arena floor.

Each bolt left a black mark in the stone, and the protective barrier flashed as the attack’s pressure increased.

A few students immediately recognized the technique.

"Dark Lightning Heaven Breaker!"

"He’s using Dark Lightning Heaven Breaker against a freshman? Isn’t that excessive?"

"It’s a proper duel. If the freshman can’t handle it, he shouldn’t have accepted the challenge."

Scarlett leaned forward slightly.

Her playful expression had disappeared, replaced by a more attentive gaze.

She recognized the danger of the technique.

Dark Lightning Heaven Breaker gathered the user’s mana into a concentrated attack before releasing a series of lightning strikes across the target’s surroundings.

It was not designed to hit a single point, but instead, it restricted the opponent’s movements, forcing them to defend against multiple attacks while the main strike descended.

For someone with a lower cultivation, escaping the area without taking damage would be difficult.

Scarlett looked at Gray.

’Let’s see how you handle this.’

Kaedran brought his spear down.

"FALL!"

KRAKAKAKABOOOOOM!

Lightning crashed across the platform.

The first bolt struck the stone where Gray had been standing, sending fragments flying into the air.

The second struck a few meters away, followed by a third and fourth that spread across the arena in a widening pattern.

Blue light flooded the platform, and the sound of thunder swallowed the shouts from the stands.

Dust and sparks covered the battlefield.

For several seconds, nobody could see what had happened to the freshman.

Kaedran stood in the middle of the storm, breathing steadily as his spear continued to release its remaining energy.

He watched the dust with a satisfied expression.

’That should be enough.’

Even if Gray had managed to defend himself, the accumulated lightning would have forced him to spend a considerable amount of mana.

An Emperor’s reserves were no match for those of a Ruler, and Kaedran had every intention of exploiting that difference.

He lowered his spear slightly.

"Don’t worry, freshman. You’ll wake up in the infirmary, and by then you’ll understand why the Student Council..."

A faint voice interrupted him from behind.

"Are you finished?"

Kaedran froze.

His eyes widened as he slowly turned his head.

Gray stood several meters behind him, his rapier resting against his shoulder.

His black hair had been disturbed by the storm, and a small tear marked the edge of his robe, but otherwise, he looked completely unharmed.

There was no sign of serious injury.

No trace of the exhaustion Kaedran had expected.

Gray even looked mildly disappointed.

"That was a rather large attack for something I could avoid by moving a few steps to the left."

Kaedran stared at him.

"...How?"

Gray pointed toward the scorched section of the arena.

"You attacked the areas around me before bringing down the main strike. The first few bolts were meant to restrict my movements, while the later ones covered the obvious escape routes. It was a sensible approach, but you spent too much time gathering energy and announcing your intentions."

He tilted his head.

"If you had released the final strike a little earlier, you might have forced me to use something more interesting."

Kaedran’s grip tightened around his spear.

The worst part was that Gray had not even used his Nine Illusionary Dream Steps.

He had evaded Dark Lightning Heaven Breaker through ordinary movement, careful positioning, and an understanding of the attack’s pattern.

The lightning had seemed overwhelming to the spectators, but the moment Kaedran began gathering energy, Gray had recognized how the technique would spread across the arena.

He had simply moved outside its main area of destruction before the final strike descended.

The remaining lightning had struck the ground behind him, leaving its force to dissipate against the protective barrier.

Gray had not needed to do anything more.

Kaedran’s face turned red.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself! You avoided one attack, nothing more. You still haven’t shown me anything capable of harming me!"

Gray considered that statement for a moment, and then nodded.

"That’s true."

The straightforward agreement caught Kaedran off guard.

Gray lowered his rapier from his shoulder.

"Since you’ve been kind enough to demonstrate your techniques, I’ll return the favor."

[Dark Lightning Heaven Breaker copied successfully!]

[- 4.902 Soul Points!]

His lips curled up.