She tried again, throwing punch after punch at his face and body.
Some landed on his cheeks and jaw, leaving red marks behind. But more and more of her strikes were being parried away with increasing precision. Each deflection pushed her arms aside and left her vulnerable for a split second.
Edsel now understood what had just occurred.
He was adapting to Penelope's speed in real time, and his body was learning to read her movements before she even completed them.
She attacked again with a combination of kicks and punches, but Edsel was finally seeing everything clearly.
Every twitch of her muscles, every shift in her weight, every change in her breathing told him exactly where she would strike next.
"Give me more! I want more from you, Penelope!"
He shouted while deflecting another blow.
"Damn it!"
Penelope's punches no longer landed at all. She felt like she was punching thin air every time she tried to hit him.
Whenever she committed to an attack, he parried it effortlessly and pushed her back with the force of his blocks.
Edsel smiled while blood dripped from the cuts on his face.
"The art of dodging and countering. I finally understand it now, and I have you to thank for teaching me."
Penelope stopped attacking and stared at him with wounded pride. Not a single blow was landing anymore, and she could not understand how this was happening.
She thought back to her grandfather, the late Marquis Wendell. He was the man who had taught her the 'Great Lightning Dance Style' before his death.
She had spent years mastering it after he passed away, which was why she was so agile and fast in combat. But now, a mere loser like Edsel was adapting to her speed and matching her movements.
Before she could look up from her thoughts, Edsel was already underneath her.
"Huh…when d-did he—"
His fist shot upward and connected with her neck in a brutal strike.
She coughed violently and staggered backwards while clutching her throat.
"Penelope!" Edwin yelled while watching in horror. He looked at Adriel, who was staring intently at the fight. "Do something, instructor! Stop this match right now!"
"Wait a moment longer. I am sure that she will fight back and turn this around," Nova reassured him, though uncertainty crept into her voice.
Adriel remained silent while observing every movement with intense focus.
Edsel stepped forward and planted his foot on Penelope's leg, pinning her in place.
His fist rose and fell like a hammer striking an anvil.
Each punch landed on her face with brutal force, and she felt like boulders were smashing into her skull repeatedly. She did not understand what his body was made of to deliver such devastating blows.
The force of each punch left more blood splattering across the ground. Her face swelled and split open under the relentless assault.
The watching students widened their eyes in horror.
Some covered their faces, unable to watch anymore. Others turned away completely while trembling.
[ ERROR! ERROR! ]
Edsel paused mid-swing.
"Huh?"
[ You cannot kill one of the child of luck's heroines. Fatal action has been prevented. ]
Edsel looked down at his bloody arm and then at Penelope's broken face.
He grabbed her by the collar and tossed her aside like discarded trash. Edwin rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Edsel Domitius! How dare you do this to her!"
Edwin yelled while his aura flared to life around him. The killing intent spread throughout the training ground, and his true flames of power ignited with fury.
Adriel jumped between them immediately and raised his hands to stop the confrontation.
"Let us stop this match right here! It's over!"
Nova walked towards Edsel and tapped him on the shoulder firmly.
"Come with me to the faculty office right now. We need to have a serious discussion about what just happened here!"
********
In the faculty office, Edsel sat quietly in a chair near the window.
Through the thin wooden door he could hear Nova's voice arguing with Adriel in the hallway. Their voices rose and fell in sharp bursts, though the exact words were muffled.
Edsel leaned back slightly, resting his head against the chair.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
The fight with Penelope replayed in his mind again and again.
More specifically—
That message.
[You cannot kill one of the child of luck's heroines.]
His fingers slowly tapped the armrest.
He had wanted to finish her. Not out of anger, but because eliminating someone important to Edwin would weaken the story surrounding him.
Yet the system had stopped him.
Which meant something else was interfering.
'The system is watching me… but it isn't the only one.'
A quiet realization settled in his mind.
Edwin wasn't simply the center of the story. Someone or something was protecting him.
Edsel's eyes narrowed.
"Don't tell me…" he muttered under his breath, "he has a system too?"
The door suddenly opened.
Nova walked in first, her expression stern. Adriel followed behind her, looking more tired than angry.
Nova stopped in front of the desk.
"Edsel," she said firmly. "We need to talk about what happened today."
Edsel frowned for a brief moment, then the expression disappeared.
He already knew how this conversation would go.
Nova was the type who shared Edwin's worldview, someone who believed in fairness, kindness, and all the heroic nonsense that came with it.
Trying to justify his actions to her would be pointless.
Nova slammed her hand against the desk.
The sharp sound echoed in the room.
"Do you think it's acceptable to beat your classmates half to death?" she demanded. "Don't you feel any pity? Any remorse at all?"
Edsel folded his arms calmly.
"So I should let them beat me instead?" he replied. "Let them mock me and step all over me?"
"They wouldn't dare do that with instructors present!" Nova shot back.
"It is easy for you to say that from your position of authority. Besides, I merely followed the rules that were set for this match. I did not kill anyone, despite what you might think. I simply inflicted enough pain to stop them from coming at me and getting in my way." Edsel glanced at her with cold eyes. "Tell me honestly, instructor. Was I wrong for fighting back and defending myself, or are you suggesting that I should have done nothing at all while they attacked me?"
Nova opened her mouth to respond but the words didn't come. Adriel sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead.
"Alright," he said, cutting the tension before it escalated further. "Let's stop this here."
Nova glanced at him, still frustrated, but didn't interrupt.
Adriel looked at Edsel.
"This situation started because of my decision," he admitted. "I shouldn't have turned the class representative selection into a fight like that."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"So here's what we'll do. You won't become the main representative."
Edsel raised an eyebrow.
Adriel continued calmly.
"You'll serve as assistant representative under Penelope."
Nova looked surprised but didn't object.
"That way," Adriel said, "you'll still take responsibility for the class, and we can make sure something like today doesn't happen again."
Silence settled in the room.
Edsel glanced at Adriel while considering the proposal. Perhaps this arrangement would work in his favor.
He did not actually care about the class or the position at all. He had no intention of being part of their little system except to steal points when the opportunity arose.
'That works too.'