----
[!!!NOTIFICATION!!!]
Quest Received!
Quest: Defeat Kael and his five cronies, humiliating them.
Reward: 20 Goddess Points.
Penalty: You and your friends will be permanently exiled from the academy.
----
I accepted the quest without hesitation, a fire burning in my chest.
"This is your chance to teach those bastards a lesson, Nao!" Envi, my ever-sarcastic system, seed unusually supportive for once.
"Hahaha, true. Want to join the fun? I’ll treat you to dessert afterward." I teased him.
"I’ll take you up on that," Envi replied with a sly grin that I could almost feel.
Luna, as the duel’s referee, asked us to finalize the duel contract. Both parties agreed to the terms we’d set earlier, and with that, the match was on.
I glanced at the status screens of my opponents.
----
[STATUS]
-Kael von Flamore (Knight, Level 50)
-Kane von Volg (Knight, Level 49)
-Vincent von Burst (Knight, Level 49)
-Leopold von Flamore (Knight, Level 50)
----
Seeing their levels, I felt a twinge of anxiety. They were all stronger than by raw stats alone. Moreover, two of them shared noble surnas—Kael and Leopold were likely related.
But I couldn’t let that intimidate . I had a plan.
Kael sneered. "What’s wrong? Scared already? Hah! Let’s make this fair, then—we’ll take you on one at a ti. Not that it matters. You’re still going down, Hero of Failure!"
"Could you shut up, Kael? Your laugh alone is enough to make everyone in the arena cringe."
A few chuckles erupted from the audience, though the jeering against persisted. Kael’s face contorted in rage.
"You’ll regret that, you—Kane! Go first!"
Kane, a muscular warrior wielding a large spear, stepped forward with a confident grin.
"Begin!" Luna declared.
Kane wasted no ti, charging at with a barrage of spear strikes. His attacks were relentless, each thrust aiming for vital spots.
He used a skill that unleashed five rapid strikes in succession, the spear glowing faintly with energy. But to my eyes, his movents were slow, almost sluggish.
"Is that all you’ve got? A snail would be faster," I taunted, dodging effortlessly.
Kane’s face turned red with anger. "You cocky—take this! !"
The spear emitted a fiery red aura that resembled a dragon, surging toward with imnse force. This attack was leagues above his earlier ones; if it hit, it could be fatal.
Still, I dodged every strike with precision, frustrating him further.
"Why won’t you stand still? Coward!" Kane roared, his breathing heavy.
"Fine, if you insist," I said with a smirk. In a flash, I sidestepped behind him and delivered a swift kick to his rear.
"UGH!" Kane yelped as he was sent flying, landing face-first on the ground. His backside remained comically raised, and I couldn’t resist kicking him again for good asure.
The crowd burst into laughter, while Kael’s face turned red with fury.
"KANE, YOU IDIOT!"
The next opponent stepped forward: Vincent von Burst, a flamboyant noble who wielded a rapier. His overly elegant deanor and smug expression were enough to make my blood boil.
"Prepare to witness true grace and beauty, Failed Hero! I am Vincent von Bur—"
Before he could finish his pretentious introduction, I dashed forward and landed a clean uppercut to his jaw.
"UGH!" Vincent’s body soared into the air before crashing unceremoniously to the ground.
The audience gasped in shock, and even Kael looked stunned.
"Grace? Beauty? What nonsense," I muttered, shaking my head.
"HAHAHA at least let him finish his sentence, you bastard!" I could hear Envi laughing out loud.
Vincent lay unconscious, his once-perfect expression now a drooling ss.
Next up was Leopold von Flamore, Kael’s brother. He stepped forward with a calm, almost disinterested deanor, his long red hair tied neatly behind him. He wielded a one-handed sword and imdiately assud a combat stance.
Without waiting for an invitation, I charged at him. Our blades clashed, sending sparks flying.
Leopold’s skill was evident. His movents were calculated, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next. He unleashed a powerful technique:
[Flamore Swordsmanship, Second Form: Cot!]
A fiery aura enveloped his blade as he leapt into the air, descending toward with the force of a falling cot.
I braced myself, blocking the attack with my katana. But sothing felt off. Despite his impressive display, Leopold wasn’t fighting with full power. His strikes lacked conviction, and his expression was one of boredom.
I parried his attack with [Blackmore Katana Style: Yanagi Uke], redirecting the force of his blade. As he landed, I closed the distance and delivered a precise strike with the hilt of my katana to his abdon.
He staggered slightly but didn’t fall. Instead, he chuckled softly and whispered, "You caught . I’m too lazy for this."
With that, Leopold collapsed to the ground, feigning unconsciousness.
Kael’s face twisted into a mask of pure fury, a deep crimson coloring his cheeks as he stord into the arena.
"YOU USELESS IDIOTS! I’LL DEAL WITH HIM MYSELF!" he roared, unsheathing an enormous longsword.
Finally, I thought, gripping my katana tighter.
Kael’s weapon glead with a fiery brilliance. It wasn’t just any ordinary sword—it was a magic relic. The entire blade pulsed with flas, and its imposing presence was suffocating.
"This is Ignis, one of the treasured swords of the Flamore family," Kael announced smugly. "With its power, I’ll reduce you to ash!"
He charged at like a raging inferno, his movents unrestrained yet devastatingly powerful. I was forced to stay on the defensive, deflecting blow after fiery blow.
[Flamore Magic Sword Release: Fire Slash!]
Kael swung his sword, unleashing a massive wave of flas that roared toward . I barely dodged, the intense heat grazing my arm and searing my jacket.
"You’ve got so skill," I said, smirking as I tried to mask the sting of the burn. "But skill alone won’t be enough."
Kael growled, his attacks becoming wilder with every passing second. Frustration was eating at him, clouding his judgnt.
He gathered a trendous amount of mana into his sword, roaring as he activated another technique:
[Flamore Magic Sword Release: Hellfire Crescent Slash!]
Three crescent-shaped waves of fire tore through the air toward . Each slash radiated raw destructive force, enough to obliterate anyone caught in its path.
I clenched my teeth. There was no room for error.
[Blackmore Katana Style: Nisshou Giri!]
My katana shimred with aura as I struck three precise, horizontal slashes to counter the crescents. Each clash sent a shockwave through the arena, but my technique successfully neutralized his assault.
Kael froze, disbelief written all over his face.
"That... that can’t be possible!"
I didn’t waste the opening.
[Blackmore Katana Style: Kasoseki.]
In an instant, my speed doubled. Before Kael could react, I vanished from his sight and reappeared behind him.
"What—?!"
I didn’t hold back. A hard punch to his face staggered him, followed by a swift strike to his sword arm with the back of my blade, disarming him completely. A low sweeping kick sent him sprawling to the ground.
Kael groaned, scrambling to get back up, but I pointed my katana at his throat, the cold steel halting him in place.
"Yield," I commanded, my voice icy.
But Kael refused. His pride wouldn’t let him accept defeat. He struggled to his feet, battered and beaten, his eyes blazing with desperation.
"I-I can still fight!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
I sighed, glancing toward my friends in the stands. They looked worried, their concern etched across their faces.
The distraction was enough for Kael to seize the mont. With a burst of speed, he retrieved Ignis and funneled all his remaining mana into the sword. The air around him crackled with energy, and the flas burned brighter than ever.
"You’re finished!" he bellowed, activating his ultimate technique.
[Flamore Magic Sword Release: Ignis Strike!]
A titanic wave of fire erupted from the blade, roaring toward with devastating speed. The sheer heat warped the air, and the ground beneath it lted into molten slag.
"Naoki-dono! That attack can’t be blocked! It’ll lt everything in its path!" Freya’s voice rang out from the stands, panic clear in her tone.
My stomach twisted. There was no way to dodge without endangering the spectators behind .
"Just dodge it, Nao!" Envi’s voice cut through my thoughts, his tone sharp and furious. "Let those idiots take the hit. They’ve been jeering at you the entire ti anyway. Let them deal with the consequences!"
"No, Envi." My grip tightened around my katana. "If I’m going to be a hero, I have to protect them. Even if they don’t deserve it."
Envi was silent for a mont before sighing. "Fine. Let’s do it your way. We’ll use [Resonance] to counter it."
"Already thought of that. Let’s try."
Kael’s inferno bore down on , the heat searing my face even from a distance. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, but I forced myself to focus.
I raised my katana horizontally in front of , steadying my stance.
[Resonance.]
Mana surged through my body as I activated the skill, channeling it into my blade. The flas clashed against my katana, roaring with incredible intensity. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to absorb the fiery magic, converting it into my own energy.
The strain was imnse. My arms trembled, and beads of sweat poured down my face. But I couldn’t falter—not now.
Finally, with a loud crack, the flas dissipated, leaving standing amidst a cloud of steam. Kael collapsed to his knees, his mana completely drained.
I exhaled sharply, but before I could lower my blade, Envi took control. My body moved on its own, my katana glowing with fiery energy.
[Resonance: Karyuu no Issen.]
A dragon-shaped wave of fire surged from my blade, racing toward Kael.
"What are you doing, Envi?!" I shouted internally. "You’ll kill him!"
"Relax," Envi said calmly. "This idiot needs a real lesson."
The flaming dragon slamd into Kael. He scread, the fire engulfing him completely. For a mont, I feared the worst. But as the flas died down, the sight before made my jaw drop.
Kael was unhard—physically. His clothes, however, were completely burned away, leaving him stark naked. Even his once-pristine hair had been reduced to a bald sheen.
"Yield," Envi said through , his tone sharp. "Or next ti, I won’t hold back."
"H-Hikkh! A-A-Alright! I yield! I yield!" Kael wailed, curling into a ball to hide his humiliation.
The arena fell silent. For a long mont, nobody spoke. Then, slowly, scattered cheers began to break the silence.
"Unbelievable..."
"He actually won!"
Luna stepped forward, her voice cutting through the noise. "Naoki von Blackmore is the winner. The terms of the duel will now be enforced."
Kael and his cronies were dragged into the center of the arena, where they were forced to publicly confess to their lies about . The sha on their faces was almost palpable, but I felt no sympathy.
Envi switch with , and I stepped off the arena, Marius, Lyra, and Freya ran up to , their faces glowing with pride.
"You did it, Naoki-dono!" Freya smiled softly.
Marius slapped my back. "Man, you were amazing out there!"
"Thank you for standing up for ..umm i an for us." Lyra said, her eyes shining.
I smiled back at them.
I gently patted Lyra’s head, her soft hair brushing against my fingertips as I smiled apologetically.
"I’m sorry, Lyra," I said, my voice tinged with guilt. "I shouldn’t have put you at stake in this duel. I promise I won’t let it happen again."
Lyra looked up at , her bright eyes shimring with warmth. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink as she gave a wide smile.
"Umm... it’s okay, Naoki-sama," she said softly, her voice carrying an unshakable trust. "I knew you would win. I never doubted you."
Her words made my chest tighten—not with guilt this ti, but with sothing softer, sothing warr. I felt a sense of responsibility, not just as soone who owed her an apology, but as soone who wanted to honor her faith in .
As I watched her bright smile, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I could let myself trust people again. Not everyone was out to use .
I looked at my friends gathered around —Marius grinning like a fool, Freya offering a serene nod of approval, and Lyra still blushing faintly as she stood close.
A faint smile tugged at my lips.
"I’ll protect them," I whispered to myself, gripping the hilt of my katana tightly. "I’ll protect my precious friends. Always."
Then I heard soone shouting at , the voice was very familiar.
"You did it! You made proud Brother Naoki!"
It was Milly, she smiled widely while laughing seeing who was surprised to know she was here.
"MILLY?!!!!"
...
...
Reviews
All reviews (0)