Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 63: Power-Hungry Fool.

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-----Neris’s POV-----

“HOHOHOHO! Tremble before our might! Cower before the power of my spells!” Zoe’s obnoxious laughter reached my ears as she started shooting a myriad of spells from all the elements in all directions.

“You know… This is just a suggestion, but I’ve been wondering if you could maybe aim your spells a little!?” I shouted, a little irritated, as I waltzed through the arena, more often than not, I struck down my foes and deflected Zoe’s spells on the same swing of my blade…

While I was already more than aware of Zoe’s questionable tendencies and the way that she usually fought, I could not deny the devastating effect that her rain of spells had upon our fellow participants…

Most mages in the arena struggled to maintain their barriers against the superior firepower that Zoe’s spells had, many of those poor souls quickly fell defeated when their barriers proved unable to withstand the pressure and quickly crumbled, along with their users’ bracelets.

And then, there were those like me who didn’t rely that much on magic, yet still cowered in fear and attempted to dodge or deflect such powerful spells as best they could… Again, many of those failed at their attempts and met a similar fate as the mages whose barriers failed to endure the constant attacks.

It was a flashy spectacle… One spectacle worth being attributed to the proud girl known as Zoe Smotia. The loud cheers of the masses in the coliseum thanks to her magical prowess were proof enough of that.

“Don’t be silly, Neris! Why should I aim my spells when this is the quickest way to take care of our opponents?” Zoe made a counterargument. “Plus, this is also the easiest way to show the rest of the nobility and the smallfolk our shared glory, don’t you agree?” She had a satisfied grin on her face.

“While I do agree that there’s some logic behind that…-” I was interrupted as I had to swing my sword to the side, immediately shattering an icicle flying towards me. “I, your ally, am also being targeted! How do you expect me to move around the arena like this!?” I shouted at her as I swung my sword again upwards, cutting down an unfortunate guy who was in my way. His weapon as well as his enchanted ring shattered instantly due to the strength behind my attack.

“You seem to be doing pretty fine in spite of that… It is just as I expected of you, Neris!” My complaints fell on deaf ears as Zoe simply gave me the thumbs up. “Now, enough talk! Let us continue with this glorious tournament, my dearest friend! HOHOHOHO!” After basically ignoring me, my childhood friend laughed proudly as her rain of spells became even more intense than before…

Sigh… Zoe… She’s a good person and a good friend the vast majority of the time, but this part of her can be exhausting sometimes… Well, there’s not much I can do about that, unfortunately. 

To think that she said that she wanted to save her mana yet here she is using that very mana to bombard us all with her spells… She could have just been more honest and said that she just wanted to team up with me.

After letting out another big sigh, I decided to press forward. Dodging attacks from both ally and foe alike, and trying to dispatch the opponents nearby.

<Things are heating up in all three of the arenas! While Julius, the representative of the princesses, and Felicia of House Gradisia are crushing the competition thanks to their unlikely alliance, Neris of House Shtrel and Zoe of House Smotia are not falling behind in the slightest! The situation at their arena is such a chaotic mess that almost none of the participants know what to do thanks to their impressive teamwork!> My aunt didn’t waste the opportunity to hype up the public.

Unfortunately what my aunt was saying was not entirely true, as this was all Zoe’s doing. I was only doing my best trying not to get hit by her attacks just like everyone else.

While I was still feeling a little frustrated due to the antics of my teammate, I dashed toward the unsuspecting opponents in front of me.

“When will this end!? Someone has to stop them!” Yet another unfortunate soul shouted as he desperately tried to deflect Zoe’s magical bombardment with his shield.

“She has to get out of mana soon! There’s no way that she can keep this up for long!” A girl cried out as she helplessly watched how her barrier was crumbling.

“As soon as her mana runs out, that’s when we strike! We just need to survive until then!” A guy nearby the previous two was skillfully knocking down Zoe’s spells with his iron spear.

Unluckily for them and their plan, I was not going to allow such a thing to happen, however, it was at that moment that I realized that the guy with the spear looked somewhat familiar… 

He wasn’t particularly good-looking, but he was really tall and skinny, around 1.80 meters tall, I would say. He had very short dark brown hair and a pair of grey eyes. He had a somewhat confident expression, almost bordering on a cocky grin… He wearing very simple leather armor on top of his uniform.

I think I have seen someone like him somewhere… 

No matter how much or how hard I tried to remember where I had seen that guy before, I was unable to do so.

“I challenge you all to a duel! Either you fight me or you better stand aside!” I shouted as I raised my blade, purposely aiming at the shield of the guy who was in my way.

“Oh, dear Melius…!” The guy shouted with fear as soon as my blade came into contact with his shield. He was clearly taken by surprise by my sudden attack.

“I think that plan might not be viable now…” The girl inside the barrier said with worry as she kept trying to resist Zoe’s spells.

“Shtrel… So you decided to come here by yourself… This saves me the trouble of having to get closer to you in this hellish storm of spells.” The boy with the spear knocked down a fireball and looked at me with a smirk on his face. “Prepare yourself, once you go down, your friend is next.” The boy said as the tip of his spear rested on top of his shoulder.

“It seems like I’m being underestimated.” I said with a confident smile on my face as I pushed my blade harder against the iron shield in the other boy’s hands. “Bring it on then! Let us see if you’re up to the task of taking me down!” I accepted his challenge and readied my sword to attack once more.

“I know this might be a long shot, but is there any chance of me being left out of this? Asking for a friend…” The guy with the shield asked awkwardly before I could bring my sword down upon him again.

“As expected of someone of your house! Your family is always the same! Claiming that they will always fight head-on, but when the battle comes to them they are the first ones to bail!” The guy with the spear scoffed as soon as he heard his companion's complaints.  

Since there was no honor to be found in fighting someone who was unwilling, I quickly changed my focus to the guy with the spear after gently pushing aside the guy with the shield.

“Your name?” I pointed my sword at the guy with the spear, challenging him to a duel.

“Gael. You do not need to know the name of my house as we are a minor branch family of barons, but we are relatives of the gracious Earl of Dravia.” Gael introduced himself and bowed politely.

Earl Dravia… Now I remember. So Gael should be related to the guy that Julius eliminated as soon as the tournament started… They do look fairly similar, but I do have to say that the guy Julius knocked out was way more muscular and looked stronger compared to Gael. 

Still, I wonder… Isn’t this just the Goddess of Love granting me a perfect opportunity to show off in front of Julius and his Ms. Lilia?

I suppose I should give them a spectacle that they won’t forget.

“Let us begin then, Gael.” I said before bringing my sword down to the ground to block one of Zoe’s attacks. “I, Neris of House Shtrel shall face you while giving my all!” I dashed at my opponent in order to close the distance between us as quickly as possible.

Gael, as a spear user, clearly had the range advantage over me and my sword and he was well aware of it, thrusting his spear at me, again and again, to stop me from getting closer to him.

His attacks were very fast and precise, most of them would have proven deadly if I hadn’t stopped rushing at him and blocked with my sword. I managed to deflect most of his attacks with my sword, and those I failed to block or deflect were absorbed by my armor.

“I wonder what will the [Angel of the Sword] do in this situation! What will she possibly do to turn the tides!?” A smirk appeared on Gael’s face as he continued his flurry of attacks, mercilessly thrusting his spear at me. “As I suspected! Your reputation and that nickname are just for show, aren’t they? You look so helpless like that, Shtrel!” Gael seemed like he was really enjoying himself in this situation. He seemed like he was on verge of laughing maliciously.

Yeah, he is definitely related to Chadicus… That stupid smirk Gael has on his face is completely identical to the one Chadicus had before Julius sent him flying…

Of course, I did not respond to his taunts. I was simply bidding my time for the perfect chance to strike back, just like had been taught since I was little. Remaining on the defensive while Zoe was causing such chaos was not ideal, but in this situation, it was the best I could do to take someone like Gael.

I couldn’t deny it, by the looks of it, despite his looks he certainly seemed to be more skillful and even stronger than Chadicus who had been eliminated within the first few minutes of the tournament, however, I didn’t feel threatened in the slightest.

But since I was in some desperate need of showing off, I allowed him to do as he pleased. 

“What’s wrong!? Are you so scared that you were backed into a corner by me!?” He said as he suddenly changed his attack pattern, swinging his spear downwards at my head.

As a response to his attack, I simply stepped to the side and then lifted my sword, completely changing my stance. I had effectively made use of a hanging guard, stopping Gael’s attack with my blade almost effortlessly as a result, his spear simply slipped down to the ground.

“Scared? Hardly.” I said calmly to Gael with a grin on my face. “It would have been a devastating attack had it managed to hit. If I had been hit by that, that is.” I said in a playful manner as I looked below at the small crater his attack had left on the arena.

“You were lucky! I was not using all of my strength there!” Gael looked pissed since I easily avoided his attack. He quickly recovered his spear and looked at me with caution.

“Was I really? Strength is not everything in an attack let alone in a fight, you know?” I replied while making sure to observe each and every single one of his movements. “If you want to, I suppose I could show you how something like this is done properly.” I smiled politely as I taunted him.

“Oh? It seems like someone is either extremely overconfident or I am being heavily underestimated… Can’t say I like any.” Gael changed his stance, holding his spear behind him.

“I’m just returning the favor.” I said before having to strike down one of Zoe’s incoming attacks.

Having to deflect all of these spells is mildly annoying… I will certainly nag Zoe about this later…

“Well then, since you’re feeling confident, how about a little bet Shtrel?” Gael suddenly smirked in a disgusting manner. “I heard through the grapevine that you’re yet to be betrothed… The bet I’m proposing is straightforward, if I win I shall have your hand in marriage. If you win, you can order me to do whatever you want and I shall comply. Do these terms seem acceptable, Neris?” Gael grinned maliciously as he made his proposal.

“And why would I ever agree to this disgusting bet of yours, Gael?” I couldn’t hide my disgust as I tightened my grip on my sword.

Gross…

“Think about it! We are both scions of our respective houses, and while it is true that my family’s title leaves much to be desired, that minor inconvenience will be solved when my uncle, Earl Dravia, proclaims me his heir after the spectacular display of incompetence that my cousin Chadicus showed to us all. With me being the future Earl of Dravia and you being the future Viscountess Shtrel, the amount of power we would amass by merging our titles and joining our lands would be enough to make our prestige skyrocket! We would be able to receive a higher title, with all the glory, the riches, and the honor that comes with it!” Gael spoke to me in a way that he almost seemed delusional.

…

…

…

After looking at Gael silently for a few moments, I couldn’t help but be offended and enraged due by his shameless and his ridiculous proposal.

“A shallow political marriage… So that was your objective here?” I said to Gael with disdain. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I shall never be married for political gain, and I have told that much to my father many times until his ears started to bleed. What even made you think I would agree to a bet that only benefits you?” I scoffed and shook my head in disbelief.

My heart already belongs to one person, and I intend for that person to be the only one to receive my hand…  Why would I ever consider such a sad and stupid bet?

“This is bigger than the two of us! We could even form a ducal household!” Gael tried to reason with me, but his desperate gaze looked extremely unappealing.

The fact that Gael was desperately pleading made me feel anger in a way I didn’t think possible… I decided to duel him to show off my skills to Julius and his mother, but now, I think I will be fighting for an entirely different reason. My honor was clearly insulted.

“And I should accept everything like the cute little doll I am supposed to be, accept every single one of your whims because it is all part of your master plan, correct?” I asked him with a mocking expression. “It seems that you do not even know the motto of my family… As Free as the Sky, as Strong as Steel. Do you understand its meaning, o member of a small house of barons?” I raised my blade to the side in a threatening manner…

In an instant, using all the ancestral techniques my family had passed down generation after generation, all of Zoe’s spells in our general vicinity were utterly destroyed with just a few swings of my longsword. The only proof of my attack was the faint red glow left on the edge of my weapon.

“It means that only I get to choose my path, and no one shall ever decide my future for me.” I immediately pointed my sword at Gael after getting rid of all the magic around us. “So, you’re very welcome to try and force me to change my mind, but you should be aware that as long as I have a sword in my hands, I will never agree to such a foolish bet.” I couldn’t help but look at Gael coldly.

“I see…” Gael said with disappointment. “So it is all cowardice then? Oh, how low has the brave Shtrel family fallen…” He was glaring daggers at me.

“And now you’re trying to incite me to accept that bet of yours by insulting me? Truly, what wondrous intellect you seem to possess Gael! I certainly envy you because of that!” I rolled my eyes while praising Gael… In a sarcastic manner, of course.

“Jest and play strong all you want, Neris! If you don’t accept, I shall make you! It is as simple as that!” Gael held his spear with tremendous strength, almost as if he was trying to break it in half. 

“I assume we’re done talking then? Good. I was getting tired of this circus of yours anyway.” I pointed my blade at Gael. “Even if the bet you have just proposed disgusts me beyond belief, I shall still face you with honor.” I started walking towards my opponent.

“Just shut up and obey me!” Gael leaped at me, holding his spear tight and aiming at my chest.

With a sidestep to the right, I easily dodged his attack. That didn’t deter Gael, however, as he soon started thrusting his spear at me again and again, each of which I still managed to dodge without much trouble.

“What happened!? Where’s that bravado from before, Neris!? If dodging is all you’re going to do, then you might as well just forget that I even suggested the bet and accept becoming my bride! That would save us both the trouble of going through this!” Gael said as he swung his spear in a wide arc, surely thinking that he would catch me off guard.

Sigh… It seems he was not done talking… I think I prefer blocking Zoe’s spells to this…

With that thought in mind, I simply caught Gael’s spear with my right hand, leaving me able to attack with my sword using my left hand. Naturally, Gael seemed to be at a sudden loss for words.

“Gauntlets are such a nice thing, aren’t they?” I smiled while grappling his spear with as much strength as I could muster. “Were you perhaps intending to use this against me?” I asked playfully.

“You obstinate woman!” Gael shouted and looked incredibly angered as he started to try and pull away his spear from me. He was having a lot of difficulties making me even loosen my grip.

“Oh, you want it back? Sure thing!” I said as I pushed his spear forward the moment Gael decided to pull.

Without missing a beat, I quickly followed after the spear, ready to return the favor.

“Ugh! Damn you!” Gael shouted as he was hit in the face by his own weapon.

“This is payback!” I yelled as I swung my sword horizontally.

My sword was aimed in the direction of his neck, but the edge didn’t even reach Gael, after all that was not my intention. I had intentionally hit his spear. After that, my own onslaught started. I swung my blade again and again from every angle possible, and each of my attacks only hit Gael’s spear.

“What happened to all that bravado? Could it be that you were all talk, Gael? Acting tough maybe?” I smiled as I continued to swing my sword at my opponent, purposely aiming at his weapon.

“Shut up! just who the hell do you think you are!? Don’t you dare look down on me!” Gael was completely irate. “Once I become the Heir of Dravia, you will never talk to me that way again, you hear me!?” Because of his anger, he tried to recklessly counterattack, but it was futile.

As soon as his hands tried to move his spear in a threatening way, I grabbed Gael by the arm and stopped him by kicking him in the stomach. That kick was enough to make him stumble backward.

“Agh…! You will pay dearly for that, Shtrel!” Gael became even more enraged than before. Most of his muscles suddenly started to twitch and become bigger in size.

“[Body Reinforcement] huh… Didn’t I tell you that strength wasn’t everything in a fight?” I said as I changed my guard to be on the offensive. Putting my sword behind my shoulders and twisting my body as much as I could, I was prepared. “But if it is a competition of strength what you desperately want, I shall give it to you.” As soon as I said that, gathered all of my mana and enveloped my body in a thin layer of my aura. It was [Fighting Spirit].

Gael did not respond to my taunts while focusing on using as many [Body Reinforcement] spells as he could. He did look quite pissed since he was visibly gritting his teeth and holding his spear as tightly as he could. By this point, he and Chadicus started to look alike because Gael was using so many Body Reinforcement spells that he had become as obnoxiously muscular as his cousin.

“Let’s put this to an end, bitch.” Gael said coldly after a few veins in his forehead suddenly popped thanks to the strain of the spells he was using.

“Don’t be so classless, Gael.” I was unamused by his words. “But I agree. I have grown tired of this mockery of a duel.” I prepared myself to unleash one of my family’s ancient techniques.

Taunting an opponent is pretty much the most basic thing in a battle to make them lose focus. Sure, it may not be very lady-like or knight-like but it works most of the time when your opponents have such a big ego like Gael. Just a few words and he became like this… I have to thank my mother for teaching me this when I was little.

Anyway, time to focus.

“You will submit to me! Accept your fate, you little whore!” Gael shouted so loudly that I was certain that everyone in the coliseum was able to hear him. He grasped his spear with as much strength as he could muster and then he dashed at me intending to impale me.

Breathe in… Breath out… Control your breathing… Become one with the sword… The sword is just an extension of your body… Focus and let it do what it is supposed to do…

For an instant, it felt like time was slowing down for me while Gael was running at me as if he wanted to actually end my life there. I was unfazed. This phenomenon was something that I had experienced countless times before in my life.

Gael then shouted something I didn’t bother to hear before thrusting his spear for the last time in this duel. His weapon was aimed a little above my stomach, something which put me at a disadvantage considering the aggressive stance I had chosen. Still, I didn’t feel nervous in the slightest.

“[Eight-pointed Dark Star].” I said calmly as I quickly brought down my sword the moment Gael’s spear had almost reached me.

Eight slashes… In that phenomenon where everything was so slow that time almost seemed to have come to a halt, I swung my sword eight times. The first swing was already enough for me to defeat Gael, but I decided to go beyond that to teach him a little bit of humility.

As soon as my counterattack ended, time began moving normally. The strange yet familiar phenomenon I had experienced ever since I first held a blade had come to an end. in other words, I had managed to successfully use [The Zone], a mysterious power that only those with enough experience can pull off.

“What…? There’s no way… How did you…-?” Gael just stood there, overwhelmed with fear and shock while looking at me and then back at his weapon.

The iron spear in Gael’s hand soon fell to the ground, not as a spear, but as countless simple pieces of iron. My sword had cut his spear as if it had been made out of mere paper sheets.

But that was not the only thing that fell to the ground… Gael’s leather armor had been torn to pieces as well, along with a few large chunks of Gael's pants, blazer, and shirt, which all came from a myriad of places.

“Phew… Guess I really did improve a little just as Father had told me.” I said with satisfaction as I looked at the results of my work. “Still, it is a far cry from what I could achieve… One day, I’m certain that I will be able to learn the [Twenty-pointed Bright Star].” I mumbled while looking at my blade and then smiled.

“You!? What did you do!?” Gael screamed like a banshee while trying to hide the naked parts of his body that were no longer covered by his uniform.

“You didn’t see? I won the duel.” I said calmly, still holding my sword with both of my hands just in case.

“I might not have a weapon but I’m still standing and my bracelet is still…!” Gael continued to shout until he saw his bracelet. He then fell silent due to the sight of the cracked magical tool. I was sure that even the lightest touch would be enough to shatter Gael’s bracelet.

“As I said, I won.” I pointed with the tip of my sword at his broken weapon and armor. “But if you do want to continue and fight with your bare hands, I won’t stop you. In fact, I encourage you to try.” I then pointed at his bracelet and smiled.

“You…!” Gael gritted his teeth. He seemed barely able to contain his anger. Was he trying to hold himself together or was he afraid to risk it and getting eliminated by me? I was not completely sure about either. “Why didn’t you destroy the bracelet?” Gael suddenly asked.

“As I said, I told you that I would fight you with honor. As such, I am giving you a chance to apologize for the complete lack of manners, your insults, and the disgusting bet you proposed to me.” I explained to Gael. “So if you apologize, you can admit your defeat and leave this arena with your honor intact.” I smiled warmly at my opponent.

By the time I had finished talking, the public let out a loud excited cheer when the people realized what had happened. The thunderous claps and the loud cheers quickly silenced most other sounds in the arena.

“How arrogant can you be, Shtrel!?” Gael shouted in response, trying to overpower the loud cheers of the masses. Any remaining modicum of calmness he had left was gone…

“Have you looked at yourself in any mirror lately, Gael?” I asked while tilting my head. “Weren’t you the one who said that I better surrender and accept my fate? To be taken as your bride because you’re oh so superior and strong, o you who hails from a small house of barons.”

“Bitch! Don’t you dare make fun of me!” Gael no longer cared about his almost fractured bracelet and once again leaped at me in an attempt to take me down.

“As I thought… At the very least I tried.” I said as I prepared my sword to defeat Gael for good.

I quickly swung my sword diagonally from below, certain that my attack would hit the enraged Gael who was clearly not going to even bother dodging. Had he lost his mind due to his anger perhaps? It mattered little to me at that point.

However, despite being so sure that my attack would hit him, it didn’t. Unexpectedly, someone had gotten in the way… A boy with a shield that I had pushed out of the way at the beginning of this duel. He had somehow managed to block my attack completely. I was a bit taken aback, but I didn’t allow my shock to take a hold of me. 

“I’ll hold her! Take her down now, Gael!” The boy cried loudly while trying to knock my sword out of my hand with his remaining hand.

This might be a bit of a predicament… I might have to use that other technique… Can’t say that I’m looking forward to it…

“You took way too fucking long!” Gael screamed hatefully at the boy before trying to strike the two of us down with his bare hands.

Yep, it seems that I must use that technique!

Breathe in… Breathe out, Neris… Become one with the…-

Before I could recite my inner mantra to enter [The Zone] and use another of my family’s techniques, a barrier appeared behind the boy, protecting us both from Gael’s attack.

“Haven’t you been taught that Interrupting other people’s duels is extremely rude, boy.” Zoe had arrived with almost impeccable timing. “But since you’ve already interrupted them, please allow me to meddle in as well.” Zoe spoke with excitement.

“Tsk! I almost had her!” Gael looked at me, the boy, and then Zoe with contempt and rage.

“Not even doubting in attacking your ally. I see… That and those screams of yours were so unsightly… Yeah, I’m not going to bother dealing with you.” Zoe said to Gael as she made a bigger barrier around us to deter the angry Gael, Which only enraged him more… 

However, no scream or complaint came from Gael outside. Zoe's barrier also blocked sound, it appeared.

“You were in quite the predicament there, Neris. Aren’t you fortunate enough to have someone like me around to save you?” Zoe smiled proudly.

“You should know that I had everything under control! In fact, it was my time to shine!” I took a step back away from the boy with the shield and looked at my friend with annoyance. “But I know where thanks are in order… I owe you one, Zoe. Thank you.” Despite my annoyance, I didn’t forget to show my gratitude.

“No worries! That’s what friends are for!” Zoe nodded before giving me a quick hug. “By the way, boy. I don’t know your name and I am not really interested in learning it, but as I said, it was extremely rude on your part to interrupt the duel. I’m sure that you’ll know what is about to happen now that you’re locked in this barrier with us.” Zoe looked at the boy while hugging me.

“I…” The boy sounded like was about to face the Goddess of Death herself. He sounded terrified.

“Piece of advice. It would be better for you if you stopped being friends with the brute outside. You might encounter an early death if you keep being his obedient little follower. Make of that what you will.” Zoe warned the boy before thrusting her golden staff at his shield.

“Wait… What do you mean by…-?” Before he could finish his sentence, the boy’s presence disappeared.

Zoe had broken the boy’s bracelet.

“What was that about? Were you serious with that advice?” I asked Zoe before I managed to break free from her hug.

“Eh, it was just me being nosy. I have a few classes with that boy and more often than not, I see Gael and his girlfriend ordering him around, using him as his punching bag or as nothing but a human shield… You could say that it is just me trying to help him out a bit without actually getting involved. You cannot save someone who doesn't want to be saved after all.” Zoe said while looking at Gael, completely disgusted.

“I see… As usual, the kindness of Zoe Smotia knows no bounds!” I couldn’t help but make fun of her. Though, I was really proud of her inside.

“Of course! I am the kindest individual that has ever existed in all of creation!” Zoe spoke with no humility whatsoever. 

Of course, our lively mood didn't last for long as a certain someone decided to knock on the barrier… Literally. Gael was punching the barrier with as much strength as he could muster in an attempt to destroy it.

“Are you taking care of that guy or should I?" Zoe pointed at Gael. "I mean, I don't mind but I have already eliminated at least 50 other people and besides, his body and his bracelet are about to break down… Only an idiot would stack on so many [Body Reinforcement] spells and keep them active for so long." Due to the storms of spells from before, I was certain that she was not making those numbers up.

"I'll handle him. I was the one who challenged him to a duel in the first place." I said to Zoe before walking toward the edge of the barrier. "He also proposed something so outrageous and disgusting that it almost drove me as angry as he is now." I grasped the handle of my sword tightly while standing in front of Gael.

"Oooh~! That does sound like some delightful story I definitely wish to hear about later!" Zoe clapped with excitement. "But as I said, let us leave that for later. I'm taking down the barrier now." She snapped her fingers and the barrier disappeared almost immediately.

Immediately after the barrier disappeared, a left hand came flying at me in the shape of a punch… Naturally, since I was expecting such welcoming from Gale, I was easily able to dodge.

“Bitch! You dared to ignore me!? YOU FREAKING DARED TO IGNORE ME!?” Gael shouted at the top of his lungs before launching a kick at me.

“I wish I could continue to do so.” I said as I dodge his follow-up attack.

“YOU WHORE! NO ONE IGNORES THE FUTURE EARL OF DRAVIA!? YOU WILL WISH THAT YOU WERE NEVER BORN AFTER THIS TOURNAMENT, YOU HEAR ME!?” Gael screeched at me as loudly as his lungs allowed him to and abandoned any semblance of reason and pressed the attack like some sort of wild beast.

Naturally, due to the lack of any sort of planning behind his attacks, they were far easier for me to dodge than before.

I reaaaally wish I was deflecting Zoe’s spells right now… From now on, I definitely need to think twice before challenging anyone to a duel… I’m done with this.

“DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE WHORE!” Gael shouted before launching yet another punch at me, this time with the one that was wearing a certain magical bracelet.

After dodging that punch, my time to counterattack had arrived. With my [Fighting Spirit] enveloping my body, I swung my sword at him twice without entering [The Zone]. This was a technique known as [Twin Star].

“Y-Y-Y-You didn’t… There’s no way… I lost…?” Gael looked at me with disbelief for a moment. “YOU WILL…-” But before he could start screaming again, he disappeared. I had shattered his bracelet into a million pieces.

“Regret it? Trust me, I already do…” I said before letting out a sigh and putting my longsword back in its sheath where it belonged. 

Just in case, I checked my surroundings to see if there was anyone else around Zoe and me before fully sheathing my blade. There weren’t a lot of people left in the arena and the ones that remained seemed too scared to approach. 

Just in case, I suppose I will mention the things this guy said during our duel to Aunt Ophelia later. I don’t want to give my father another headache.

“Well done! Nice fight!” Zoe suddenly hugged me again. This time from behind. “You have clearly improved a whole lot while you were away with the knights. I take that your training is going pretty well?” She asked with a playful grin. 

“Father said the same thing when I fought him a few days ago.” I said to her casually while stretching. “Also, I think some people may be a little surprised right now.” I smiled a little as I looked at a belt that had been cut in half that was lying on the ground. That belt certainly belonged to Gael. That cut had certainly been done by yours truly.

Hopefully, this will be a very important lesson for him.

“Oh! I see what you did there! Maybe Gael will learn a little humility after that. His girlfriend will also be a little surprised with that since I destroyed her bracelet before coming to help you.” Zoe seemed pleased. “Hmm… That’s unusual. Your father usually refuses to spar with you because he is afraid to hurt you by accident. He’s such a softie!” Zoe giggled.

“It is annoying… I feel like he is not taking me seriously.” I complained a little. “Oh, but then I tell him and Mother that I like a boy and that I might want to arrange an engagement, and suddenly he gets all uppity! Can you believe that he tried to come with me to that boy’s house to meet him so he could teach him a lesson? I literally had to spar with him all morning that day until he ran out of steam and Mother managed to stop him from following me to the house the boy is staying at!” Everything I had bottled up from that discussion with my parents came out like a flood.

It took me only a few moments to realize my mistake…

“Hold on! Did I just hear correctly?” Zoe let out a gasp. “There’s someone that the perfect cold beauty known as the [Angel of the Sword], Neris Shtrel likes!? Who is it!? Do I know him!? I need details! Give me details!” Zoe stopped hugging me and walked up to be in front of me. She looked me straight into my eyes with some desperation…

Sigh… I have awakened her monstrous thirst for gossip… What a blunder… Shit.

“Umm…” I tried to think of how to change the topic, but knowing Zoe that was an impossible task.

“What does he look like!? What is he even like!? He must be an extremely talented swordsman or a really strong guy to charm someone like you!” Zoe pulled me closer to her… Her desperation for details grew by the second. “I need to meet him… I must approve of him for him to even hold your hand… I demand to know who he is and meet him at once!” I could see in her eyes that Zoe was not going to listen to reason about this.

“Umm… That’s…-” Fortunately, I was interrupted before I could say anything else.

<Everyone! Drop your weapons! Stop all of your spells! Dispel all magic! The preliminaries are over! The fight is over! Finally, there are thirty-two participants in all three coliseums combined!> My aunt's voice echoed loudly in the arena.

“Wait… Already? It has only been about twenty minutes since the match began. I see… Alberis must have really gone all out in his arena and taken down everyone… I mean, it is his last tournament so that would make sense.” Zoe finally gave me some space and changed her focus thanks to my aunt.

Aunt Ophelia, you have no idea how much I love you right now…

<We really are breaking some records this year! This year, the preliminaries only lasted twenty-one minutes and thirty seconds! There are no words to express how amazed I am by the skills of our students, from those who managed to qualify and as well as those who didn’t! Everyone, please let us give a round of applause to our dear participants!> My aunt encouraged the masses.

Her words were followed by thundering roars and cheers, even louder than before when I was fighting Gael and even louder than when the match began.

“They obviously should applaud us. I mean, it is only natural after witnessing our strength and our glorious teamwork. HOHOHO!” Zoe said proudly before letting out that particular laughter of hers.

<Now, now… I know this is something that is not usually mentioned during tournaments, but I feel that it must be acknowledged this time around.> My aunt seemed to have more things to announce.

Something that is not usually mentioned? I wonder what that is…

<I’m talking about elimination count! This time around we have some amazing numbers! I am going to announce the ones with the most eliminations!> Aunt Ophelia hyped the masses even more before making a pause.

“Oho! I see! So that’s what it is! It is obvious that I will get first place. It is either me or Alberis.” Zoe said with confidence.

“Jeez… Thanks a lot for believing in me, my best friend.” I rolled my eyes a little.

<In the third place with 57 confirmed eliminations, both direct and indirect, we have Zoe of House Smotia!> My aunt shouted.

Oh, shit… This will not end well!

“Third… Place?” Zoe looked above in disbelief at the sphere which was displaying her reaction. Contrary to what I expected, she just stood there in stunned silence.

Still, despite Zoe being in third place, the people cheered her name either way.

<In the second place with 59 confirmed eliminations, both direct and indirect, we have Renard of House Caprasania!> Aunt Ophelia was getting even more excited than before, just like the audience.

As soon as the magical sphere above was focused on the silhouette of a young man with glasses, the people started cheering his name.

<And finally, in the first place with a whooping 66 confirmed eliminations, both direct and indirect… Ladies and gentlemen, the son of the Skull Crusher, the representative of our princesses Marina and Alicia, Julius Navar!> My aunt screamed like she herself was about to lose her mind.

Huh…? Did she just say 66? Like six and six put together?

The coliseum suddenly fell completely silent, as if no one could believe what my aunt had just said… It wasn’t until the magical sphere above showed the image of a young brown-haired boy standing beside a very annoyed wolfkin girl and nervous-looking dwarf priestess that the result felt real for everyone.

There were no words available for me to describe how loud the cheers and roars that followed the announcement were… The smallfolk were going ballistic in their seats while only a few of the nobles decided to join in their celebrations.

But that mattered little to me…

“Jeez… You’re really going to make me work hard for this, aren’t you?” I asked as I suddenly found myself smiling like an idiot while looking at the one who had somehow won my heart again.

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Chapter 63: Power-Hungry Fool.

END