Ray locked eyes with Lucas. His breathing quickened, his grip on the spear tightening until his knuckles turned pale. The air between them was heavy—charged like the moment before a storm.
Lucas smirked, raising his sword with smug confidence. What a perfect day to finally beat this bastard into the ground, he thought.
"Ready," Lucas sneered, "or are you already planning to run away?"
Ray's lips curled into a sly grin. "You should ask your mom… she wasn't ready last night."
The words hit like a slap.
"You son of a bitch!" Lucas roared, rage boiling over as his face twisted. "I'm going to kill you!"
Ray's smirk didn't fade. Good. The angrier you are, the easier this will be. If I can rattle him before the match even starts, the fight is already half won.
Professor Velmard stepped between them, his booming voice filling the hall.
"You've fought enough with your mouths—now fight with your blades."
Ray arched an eyebrow. Why the hell does he make that sound so… suggestive?
"BEGIN!" Velmard barked, vanishing from sight.
Lucas exploded forward, mana surging into his legs. His speed was a blur, sword lunging for Ray's chest.
Ray sidestepped smoothly, eyes sharp. Predictable.
But Lucas twisted mid-strike, swinging his blade in a sudden arc toward Ray's ribs.
Shit—!
The spear shaft snapped into place just in time—CLANK! Sparks flew as steel clashed, and Ray shoved forward, his spear thrusting for Lucas's face.
A shimmer.
A thin mana barrier shimmered into existence before Lucas. The spear tip skidded off it with a hiss.
Ray's teeth clenched. A defensive spell, now? Annoying trick.
Lucas pressed forward, sword glowing faintly as he infused more mana. He raised it high and brought it down in a brutal vertical slash.
Ray snapped his spear upward, angling the shaft perfectly—deflecting the strike and letting it slide harmlessly away. He planted the weapon into the ground, using it as a pole to launch himself.
"Take this!"
Both feet slammed into Lucas's chest, sending him stumbling backward. He hit the ground, rolled, and scrambled up again without hesitation.
Lucas's breathing grew ragged, his chest heaving from the damage he had taken from Ray's sudden dropkick. Sweat trickled down his temple as he steadied himself, eyes narrowing at his opponent.
Ray didn't give him time to recover. With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, his spear flashing toward Lucas's face. Lucas jerked his head aside, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike, but the spear's tip grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow, bleeding cut.
"Ugh…" Lucas groaned, gritting his teeth.
Ray pressed his advantage, driving his spear straight toward Lucas's stomach. At the last moment, Lucas managed to bring up his sword, intercepting the thrust.
The clash rang out with a metallic crack, and though Lucas successfully defended, the sheer force of the blow drove him backward, his boots skidding across the ground as he struggled to hold his ground
Persistent bastard.
Ray didn't give him time. Mana surged through his veins as he dashed forward, spear tip glowing faintly. He thrust with all his strength—
Lucas barely managed to throw up another mana shield. But this time, Ray's spear shattered through it with raw force, punching into his shoulder.
"ARGHHHHH!" Lucas screamed, clutching the wound, but rage kept him standing. He swung wildly in return, his blade catching Ray's side in a shallow cut.
"Aghh!" Ray hissed, stumbling back, blood soaking into his shirt.
Pain flared hot in his gut. His vision narrowed. His anger spiked.
"You… MOTHER FUCKER"
Ray roared, his aura flaring violently. "AURA—RA BLESSING!"
Electricity crackled to life, sparking along his body, dancing across his spear. The hairs on his arms rose as raw power coursed through him, intoxicating.
The air shook.
Students watching gasped as sparks lit the hall.
Ray spun his spear, the lightning wrapping around it like a storm given shape. With a grim expression, he drew back, aimed at Lucas, and hurled it forward with everything he had.
The sound ripped through the hall—
BOOM!
The spear tore the air apart, a thunderbolt screaming toward Lucas.
He froze. His mana shield wouldn't hold this. His body refused to move. The spear closed the distance—
—and stopped.
Inches from his face.
Professor Velmard's massive hand gripped the crackling spear, lightning crawling over his skin before fading away. His expression was unreadable.
Lucas collapsed backward onto the floor, gasping, pale as death. His legs gave out. He sat there trembling, staring at the weapon that nearly ended him.
Velmard turned his gaze to Ray. The boy was still standing rigid, eyes sharp, looking like a predator robbed of its prey.
"Do you want to kill him, Ray?" Velmard's voice rumbled, heavy and cold. "This was a duel. Not a battlefield. If you let anger control you, the only thing waiting at the end… is regret."
Ray clenched his jaw, saying nothing. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths.
Velmard shifted his glare to Lucas. "And you. You let your emotions cloud your judgment. If this were a real battle, you'd already be dead."
He straightened, voice commanding. "Both of you will attend my special training classes. Winning or losing doesn't matter. If you fight like reckless children, you'll die like them."
Ray groaned. "Why me? I won. I don't need your stupid extra classes."
Velmard's eyes went cold. "You don't win by luck, or anger. You win with control. Try to skip my lessons… and I'll personally drag you there. Understood?"
Ray glared back, but didn't answer.
"Take them both to the infirmary!" Velmard barked.
Ray didn't wait for anyone. He walked out alone, silent, clutching his side.
From the back of the crowd, Kaiser watched him leave. A faint smile touched his lips.
"…Ray," he whispered. "You're something else."