Success... Kinda
'Focus.' Mike told himself as he put his full attention on Agnes.
With his enhanced vision, he watched the way she moved and observed her visual cues. The slightest twitch of her fingers, the way her feet twisted or shifted whenever she wanted to commit to a swing, how her stance widened or tightened, the way her gaze shifted when she wanted to aim at a certain spot.
His ears picked up her heartbeat. The vague sound of muscles tensing or relaxing beneath her skin, the sounds of her breathing.
His nose noted her general state, how her scent changed based on how she was feeling. Her anger, embarrassment, shame, defiance, all of it.
And his instincts were on full alert. They let him know when she committed to an attack, when she wanted to feint, when she wanted to attack, and when she wanted to retreat.
The pressure was unreal, and Mike felt like he was on the cusp of something. But... it wasn't enough. Not yet.
He gradually deactivated his aura until he was facing her with nothing but his base stats, and the difficulty kicked up another notch.
The whip moved in truly absurd ways, and even if his instincts warned him and he could somewhat anticipate her movement, he was inevitably grazed a few times.
The whip hurt.
The flames that made it up were incredibly potent. Mike was certain that they could melt solid metal in seconds if given the time, and while his bare body was durable, there was still a limit to how much damage he could endure.
Moreover, without his aura, the heat the whip gave off was naturally oppressive as the air started to get hot, making it difficult to breathe.
Mike started sweating a little, his hair sticking to his face as he dodged.
'I need to see more.' He thought, his brain working overtime as he kept all his attention on Agnes.
She was no longer attacking him wildly like she had in the beginning, either. She was still angry, he could see that much, but it had gone from a roaring inferno that couldn't be controlled into a simmering flame that waited for someone to make a mistake and pounce.
Her movements also got sharper as she made more calculated swings and adjustments to her attacks.
It was almost overwhelming.
Almost.
Mike was seeing a lot.
He was hearing and smelling a lot, too.
His instincts were working at maximum capacity at this point, and he didn't blink, not even once, as he took in Agnes and the way she moved.
If someone were to observe this 'fight' they would think that Mike was at a disadvantage due to his refusal to fight back.
However, if one looked closer, they'd see something interesting.
Every time Agnes seemed close to dealing damage worth a damn to Mike, he'd suddenly start avoiding her attacks with more precision than before. Moreover, each time this happened, it became harder and harder for Agnes to get to that point of almost hurting him substantially.
The longer it went on, the clearer it became.
Agnes couldn't hit Mike.
No matter how brilliantly she swung her whip, how well she calculated its movements, or how unpredictable her swings were, Mike always seemed just a step ahead, his eyes never leaving her as he moved.
'Left, duck, hop a little then spin in the air, lean back when you land, and pivot on your right foot to the side. Roll back, stop rolling and sidestep...' He thought subconsciously as he got better and better at avoiding getting scratches, to the point where he wasn't even getting hit anymore.
He squinted his eyes as he suddenly noticed something. It wasn't enough to get him out of his groove due to how brief it was, but he knew he'd seen something.
A moment later, he saw it again, and again, and again.
The more he dodged, the more apparent this thing became as he continued to frustrate the hell out of Agnes.
A very faint outline had started to appear around Agnes. It stuck quite close to her, so he needed to pay close attention to even see it.
However, when he managed to pay proper attention to it, he noticed that the outline... seemed to move ahead of Agnes for a fraction of a second. Moreover, to his surprise, Agnes followed the path of this outline.
However, it was shaky, and she didn't exactly do what it did, but Mike knew what he saw.
And it didn't take long for it to happen again.
Mike suddenly heard a chime, but he didn't have time to address it as he suddenly got goosebumps, and he felt real danger for the first time since the fight started.
Without hesitation, he properly activated his aura and jumped backwards just as Agnes' whip tore into it. It traveled along the ground, and a moment later, it exploded into powerful orange and red flames that threatened to consume anything that got too close.
Mike narrowed his eyes, a low growl leaving him.
That move would have severely injured him or worse, if he hadn't avoided it in time.
Moreover, he noticed a few of Agnes' goons had taken damage from the attack, despite not being the targets. Collateral damage.
Mike did not like that at all.
'She... she's willing to go as far as hurting her own people to hurt me? What about loyalty? Does she feel no loyalty towards them??' He gritted his teeth hard.
The idea of her seeing her subordinates as expendable to the point of not caring if they got hurt by her attacks set Mike off beyond belief.
He was about to move when suddenly, the wall of fire Agnes had created was extinguished, and the girl in question was on the ground, unconscious.
Standing above her was an older student, so a senior. However, their uniform looked quite a bit different compared to theirs.
Instead of a simple long-sleeve shirt, they had a blouse with intricate golden designs on it, and on the left side of their pants was a linked chain.
They looked androgynous, but Mike knew it was a male.
And he was dangerous.
"There's always a big fight like this among freshers. What's that about?" He mumbled to himself, but Mike couldn't hear him as well as the exasperation in his tone.
His anger quickly bled away and gave way to cautious interest.
That's also when Mike noticed that there was quite a crowd around them.
'Oh crap.' He cursed inwardly. He'd been so focused on the fight that he forgot the entire thing was happening in an open area where everyone could observe.
Mike then felt a chill as a gaze fell on him. His head perked up to see the senior right in front of him.
'What the-!'
"Huh, you're weirdly good at dodging despite your lack of footwork. Interesting." The senior said as he inspected Mike, and Mike stared right back at him.
"Oh? Aren't you scared?" He asked with some amusement, and Mike pursed his lips.
"Am I in trouble?" Mike asked back, and the senior chuckled.
"Straight to the point. I like it. And to answer your question. Nah, you didn't fight back the entire time during that fight. Kinda absurd she tried to kill someone who wasn't even retaliating, considering she provoked you first." The guy shook his head, and Mike was surprised.
'He's pretty reasonable?' He thought with surprise and slight skepticism. However, while his instincts warned him that he was dangerous, he felt no hostility.
"As for this gal." He chuckled and gestured to his shoulder where Agnes hung, and Mike's eyes widened again. She hadn't been there before.
'How fast is he... wait, is that even speed? What the...??' Mike was thoroughly befuddled.
"Well, no point in wasting more time. You did pretty decent kid, despite your obvious lack of experience. I might watch you a bit later." He turned and waved before completely disappearing.
Mike blinked and tried to use his senses, but...
'He's gone. How? It was like he just disappeared... but that doesn't make any sense. Unless he...!' A look of realization dawned on him.
'That guy, he's probably from the Sairell Family. That was spatial manipulation. Teleportation, maybe?' He shuddered.
'Seems like I just gained the attention of a high-level player in this place. Well, at least my plan worked.' He thought as he stared down, trying to ignore the gazes of the people watching.
He was also keenly aware of the hateful stares he was getting from Agnes' goons, but if he was being honest, he felt no pity for them.
'Enjoy the consequences of your actions.' He shook his head and started walking.
"MIKE!" A familiar voice caught his attention, and he looked up to see Theresa running towards him. He was about to wave when he noticed something a bit off.
'Anger, makes sense, but... worry?' He tilted his head just as she reached him and grabbed his hand.
"What were you thinking?! Are you trying to get yourself killed!? What's wrong with you?!??" Mike was about to respond, but she just turned and started dragging him.
'Here we go again.' He thought as he let himself be dragged.
On the bright side, he didn't need to andyre the stares alone.