Free Web NovelChapter 52: Duels and fun.
As the best friend of a prodigy and one herself, Tisane had seen her fair share of absurdity.
This... wasn’t one of them.
’What was that? When did he move?’
She blinked profusely before turning next to her friend– Thalia. freēwēbnovel.com
Surprisingly, the monster of her Knight friend had the same expression.
Tisane gulped and glanced back at Luca.
’What the fuck is he?’ She wondered, nearly spilling her thoughts out in the process.
But could it be helped?
She was certain she wasn’t the only one thinking it.
Her mind churned. It spun in overdrive as if trying to decipher the world’s hardest equation.
Then a memory played.
’Wa– Was he serious? Synchrony isn’t the only thing?’
"Tisane."
She looked up to find her friend squeezing her fists hard with a sharp, boiling look on her face.
She frowned.
"Thalia, are you serious?"
"Yes." She said with a wild grin. "It can not be anyone else. He is the one."
Tisane turned to Thalia again.
’I heard her grandfather had asked her to watch him because of his absurdly high resistance, but does that mean he’s worth it?’
She narrowed her eyes.
’No, he can’t be worth it.’
She tapped her friend’s shoulders firmly.
"Calm yourself. It could have been a bluff.
That boy who was called was too unprepared. Overconfident. Let us watch a bit more before you decide something as critical as that."
Thalia’s body seemed to have calmed almost instantly, but it was merely a face.
Tisane knew more than anyone that the battle demon she withheld, hoping to let loose when the time came.
’What was her father thinking of sending her on such a mission?’
She ignored her thoughts as Instructor Torquad’s voice cut through the air.
Everyone snapped out of their daze.
"A– A fluke." One said with a startled voice.
One of the Ardenthal vassals– Daryon.
He folded his arms which were still wrapped in bandages.
"Yes, you’re right... he couldn’t possibly replicate that."
That was Orveth, though both of them doubted their words more than anyone.
They faced Luca’s wrath after all.
But not to this extent.
Luca heard their words, and even some others who agreed, but he couldn’t care less.
He placed his sword by his side and looked Torquad in the eyes.
"Can I at least cripple them?"
The next Cadet who walked out froze on the spot.
Instructor Torquad smirked.
"The Harmonics can heal anything other than death... so put that in mind."
With that, he retreated.
Luca turned to the next Cadet who wanted to challenge him.
A Noble. Rank two hundred and thirty-two.
"You saw what happened just now, no? Do you still want to challenge me?"
"Don’t try to play coy with me." The boy scoffed. "You may have fooled everyone, but not me. I see through your gimmick!"
He grinned from ear to ear
"What was it? 50 Staric Bronze? How much did you bribe the Commoners?"
Luca knitted his brows together.
’That... sounds dumb.’
He folded his arms when he looked around to find the crowd nodding their heads in agreement.
Some even seemed to be making comments in support.
’... wow. They would rather believe that I bribed others than the fact that I’m stronger than them?’
He shrugged it off.
’Well, come if you want, I’d still win.’
The Noble took a stance and Luca did the same.
An action that elicited many comments.
He was yet to realise it, but his stance was that of a complete amateur.
He simply took a posture that felt comfortable, and to be honest, Luca didn’t really understand the principle behind a stance.
Wasn’t the fight more important?
And how did a stance influence a fight?
’Well, who cares?’
"Begin!"
Sand and wind rocketed off the ground as the Noble dashed forward in a blur.
Ego blasted out of his body and onto his sword.
Wrapping it in a coiled skin that pulsed with the control.
He screamed. A battle-earned roar that caused the air to disperse as he appeared before Luca, Sword slicing down the air like a guillotine.
Luca stood in place with a plain expression.
’He’s slow.’
He was expecting a difficult battle with this one since he seemed like a higher-ranked Explorer, but was he wrong?
He was yet to understand how strong seven times made him, after all.
’Well, enough stalling.’
He sidestepped smoothly with his legs sliding across the sandy plain like it was glass.
The boy swung into the empty air with a sudden blast of fire that shot out from the tip of his sword.
The ground shattered below his feet, forming a crater as he leaned forward too much, too quickly.
Luca smirked.
’This bastard used a form?’
Using his control form, Luca snapped his body in a concentric circle with his blade forming a violent surgical arc.
It lifted him into the air, and he swung down with a precise cut.
Blade met flesh as his sword sank through bone and muscle all the way to the end of it and out.
’Not yet.’
He gripped his entire body with a mere thought and spun even higher, his leg extending as a part of him as he came crashing down.
"Let this be a lesson."
He slammed his leg against the boy’s body with a wet crack.
A powerful wave slammed on top of him as he collapsed with his arms sprawled out.
His legs slid off with a wet rush of crimson blood that propelled in an arc into the air.
The crater deepened and sand rose in the atmosphere.
Luca landed with an unbalanced gait. Nearly slipping on his own foot before controlling his body to remain standing.
’My form is... something else.’
The more he used it, the deeper his understanding.
And frankly, the Control form was becoming his greatest card.
Even more than his title.
"St– Stop."
Even Torquad was lost for words.
He glanced at the screen– specifically, Luca’s profile information and back at the boy who stood over the unconscious body of the Noble whose blood began to form a puddle around him.
’5%?’ He exhaled. ’How?’
This was difficult to understand.
Still, the match must go on.
Luca swung his sword in the air and glanced at the crowd who at this point could no longer deny the results.
Not one, but twice... and it seemed like no one wanted to be the third to confirm whether or not it was a pattern.
"Alright, that’s enough for the showcasement."
Torquad quickly flipped the screens, speedily.
"The following names will come out and choose a partner. Find a corner and begin your duel.
I will walk around and give pointers, understood?"
Luca snorted as he walked back to the crowd.
The Cadets parted like the Red Sea as he walked past them.
Their gaze was tracing his every action. His demeanor. Even his breathing.
Luca was no longer a delusional weakling as they expected.
He was a ticking bomb.
And no one wanted to be close when it exploded.
Torquad pointed at two of the Cadets who quickly went to the Noble boy and picked him up.
A third Cadet, a girl was called and she took the task of carrying his amputated legs. Something she wasn’t thrilled about doing.
They would take the boy to the Healthcare facility.
One of the other facilities other than the Lecture Theatres was present in the Building.
Once they left, He began to call out the names of the other Cadets one after the other. They walked out in return, picked a partner, found a corner and began their duel.
Their task was relatively simple and most of them considered this better than swinging a blade or thrusting it multiple times.
Time went on like this and soon, the training grounds were filled with the sounds of metal clashing against metal, strained voices and dust that rose in the air from their manoeuvres.
Luca amongst a few others was what was left of the crowd.
Even Taren was picked by a Cadet for a duel.
Though, it was mainly for his title.
’Cowards... and to think I just had to beat a Noble to make them acknowledge it.’
It wasn’t like he wanted to. He couldn’t really care less what the others thought, and now knowing why didn’t change anything.
’It’s a piece of information I’ve been meaning to have so I don’t mind it.
Still, I’m bored. Should I just leave and go to the gym?’
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching him and soon, a familiar-looking girl was staring down at him.
’She’s tall.’
Luca folded his arms as he held her gaze.
"You’re shorter than you look." The girl said with a small smile on her face.
A flashing light glinted in her eyes. The kind that hinted at something dark.
"Tisane, right?" Luca tilted his head. "Does being a Noble give you guys the justification of being rude or is it a personal goal to be a constant bitch to everyone?"
Tisane’s lips curled wide.
"I didn’t take you for the foul-mouthed type."
"I’m not. I’m a Saint, really. But the type with a limit."
They stared into each other’s eyes... and the longer they did, the more infuriated they became.
"I don’t like you, shortie. Why don’t we take this to the field?"
"That’s not how you ask." Luca grinned with a malevolent hue. "Find a tutor and come back.
Maybe you’ll be worth the attention."
Tisane gripped her fist tightly.
"I’m a Noble, you know. I can make you disappear if I want to."
"Big talk for an Egoist." He scoffed. "... Oh wait, you are an Egoist, right?"
Luca couldn’t explain why he responded in this curt manner, nor why he chose to.
All he knew was that this girl who seemed to be relishing in the fact that she was taller than him was growing on his nerves.
’Have I always been sensitive about my height?’
Then, Torquad approached from their side. freewёbnoνel.com
"Is he your opponent, Tisane?"
Tisane’s smile widened.
"Yes."
