As soon as Jett and Freya stepped onto the main campus of the academy, Jett felt an inexplicable urge to check the current rankings. His eyes widened as he saw that Rey had reclaid the top spot.
"There's no way he beat the Blitz Princess this early in the story... Unless he took on soone else," Jett muttered, his mind racing. "I can't really bla him, but this is definitely going to co back to bite him."
"What was that?" Freya asked, noticing the concern in his voice.
"Rey just did sothing incredibly stupid," Jett replied, shaking his head.
Just then, they noticed a crowd of students gathered in the courtyard, murmuring excitedly. Curious, they exchanged a glance and decided to see what was causing the commotion.
As they pushed through the throng of students, they caught sight of a tense standoff. A figure stood with a sword drawn, its tip aid directly at Rey. The atmosphere crackled with anticipation, and whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Is that who I think it is?" Freya gasped, her eyes widening in shock as she recognized the challenger.
Jett's expression darkened. "Too late... he's screwed."
*****
"You sure you want to go through with this?" Rey asked, his voice calm but edged with a hint of irritation.
"Yes, unless you're too scared," the girl taunted, her tone laced with confidence. "You can't run from this, no matter what."
Rey sighed, drawing his sword with a steady hand. "If you're so eager to lose, who am I to stop you?"
Despite his calm exterior, Rey couldn't help but be distracted by the girl's striking beauty. Her elegant features were almost srizing, making it difficult to focus. He forced himself to look away, his grip tightening on his sword.
"I was hoping to avoid a direct confrontation," she said, her voice cool and unwavering. "But you just don't know when to stay down."
With a fluid motion, she shifted into a battle stance, though she made no move to touch her weapon. Her confidence was palpable, and it only fueled Rey's determination.
The weapon strapped to her waist was a sleek, silver rapier, its hilt adorned with intricate designs that hinted at both elegance and lethality. It hung lightly at her side, almost as if it were an afterthought.
"You're not even going to use your weapon?" Rey asked, a flicker of agitation creeping into his voice as he recalled Jett's prediction of how the fight would unfold. 'No way I'll let her show up like that. My speed can't be inferior to hers, and there's no way my level is lower.'
"You seem to know who I am, but I don't think I've had the pleasure of learning your na," Rey added, his tone shifting to sothing more charismatic, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
"Rey, you idiot," Jett muttered under his breath, covering his face with his hand.
"Is he serious? He doesn't even recognize her, despite seeing her na on the leaderboard?" Elora asked, incredulous, as she turned to Rosa.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't bother to look at the nas," Rosa replied, her voice tinged with embarrassnt for both their sakes.
"How can he not know who that is?" Matthew asked Rosa, bewildered.
"Does he have short-term mory loss or sothing?" Cedric chid in, equally baffled.
"Why are you all asking ? I have no idea what goes on in that thick skull of his!" Rosa snapped back, clearly frustrated.
"If that's the future ruler of Verena, then we're royally screwed," Finn muttered, covering his face with both hands.
As the realization dawned on them, the group exchanged uneasy glances. It was now painfully obvious that Rey was most definitely going to lose this fight.
The girl before him wasn't just any opponent: he was a force to be reckoned with, and Rey, in his overconfidence, had no idea what he was truly up against.
"I'm more surprised that even Jett could gauge her strength without ever eting her, but that athead over there still can't rember soone he's t at least twice," Marcella said, munching on so cookies as she watched the unfolding scene.
"How do you even know that? He made it sound like they knew each other," Morrigan asked, curious about Marcella's observation.
"He's the son of a Lord from an almost forgotten corner of the kingdom, and she's the Elven second princess. There's no way they've technically t, especially since he's only been to the capital once," Asher explained, his tone matter-of-fact.
"That's a discussion for another day. What matters now is that we all know how fast Ciara is. Rey might actually lose this ti," Evelina interrupted, her voice tinged with concern as she watched the standoff.
Before they began, Ciara tilted her head slightly, her voice carrying a hint of mockery as she asked, "So the na Ciara Swyte doesn't ring a bell?"
Rey furrowed his brow, trying to recall. "I think it does, vaguely. Are you sohow related to Elven royalty?"
"He's a lost cause... Why is he making it worse!?" Rosa exclaid, shaking Matthew furiously as she struggled to comprehend Rey's obliviousness.
Ciara sighed, a subtle expression of resignation crossing her face as she stepped back, clearly unimpressed.
One of the girls who had accompanied Ciara stepped forward to oversee the match, ensuring fairness, while the rest of the students gave the two combatants space.
*****
"Be honest, Jett... Does he really have no chance of winning?" Freya asked, her voice filled with concern as she turned to Jett.
"He does have a chance; If he forfeits right now," Jett smirked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and mischief.
"So what was all that talk about it ending in an instant?" Freya asked, her annoyance evident as she folded her arms.
"Don't get wrong, he has a chance, but right now, she's the fastest among all the first years and majority of the second years. Rey won't be able to keep up at his current level, even though she's only slightly higher in rank," Jett explained, his excitent barely contained.
As Jett observed the impending match, he couldn't quite determine the source of his eagerness.
Was it because he wanted soone other than himself to teach Rey a few lessons, pushing him to take his training more seriously? Or was it the perverse satisfaction of seeing the supposed protagonist of their story finally face a real defeat?
Before the match began, Jett had Freya put up a barrier around the area, just to be on the safe side. He wasn't taking any chances.
*****
The mont the match started, Ciara moved with an almost supernatural speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. Without a word, she launched her first attack: a punch aid straight at Rey's chest, faster than his eyes could follow.
[Muffle]
Rey barely registered the movent before his instincts kicked in. It was clear that Ciara was no joke. He had to activate any skill he could use to stop her attack before it was too late.
But the punch connected before he could react fully, the force of it sending him flying across the courtyard. He only stopped when he collided with Freya's barrier, the impact rippling through the air as it absorbed the blow.
"A barrier?" Ciara murmured, her sharp eyes scanning the area. She quickly spotted Freya standing next to a guy with red-black hair. 'It's Freya... but who's that guy next to her?'
Her curiosity was piqued, but she didn't let it distract her. She turned her attention back to Rey, who was slowly getting back on his feet, realizing just how outmatched he was.
Jett could feel the intensity of Ciara's death stare from where he stood. The sheer force of her gaze made him instinctively turn away, a slight shiver running down his spine.
"Damn, you're fast," Rey muttered as he slowly got back on his feet. 'She's no joke. But why do I get the feeling she's actually annoyed with for sothing more than just taking the top rank?'
Before he could fully gather his thoughts, Ciara launched the sa attack again, her fist colliding with Rey's body and sending him crashing into the barrier once more. The impact echoed in the air, a clear sign of her overwhelming speed and strength.
Rey struggled to defend himself, but Ciara was relentless. She moved with such incredible speed that he couldn't keep up, and her strikes landed one after another. For so unknown reason, he found himself unable to mount any proper defense.
"This is the first ti I've seen the princess toy with her opponent like this," one of the girls in the crowd remarked, astonished by the side of Ciara she was witnessing.
"What could he have done to piss her off this much? She's even using that skill," another girl pointed out, noticing the unusual ferocity in Ciara's attacks.
"I have a strong feeling this isn't the first ti they've t," the third girl added, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
'Damn it, I can't use [Heaven Blessing] because it's still on cooldown. Her speed is no joke, but it feels like there's sothing else at play here,' Rey thought, his mind racing as he struggled to find a way out of this one-sided battle.
[Boost]
For a brief mont, Rey managed to catch her off guard, his enhanced speed allowing him to counterattack. Discover exclusive tales on m,v l'e-
He sent Ciara flying, but she landed gracefully on her feet, her expression unchanged.
Without giving him a mont to recover, she rushed at him again, her relentless assault continuing.
'I can't be sure, but there's no harm in trying,' Rey thought, focusing his energy.
[Dispel]
Rey used a skill that nullified status ailnts and illusions on himself, and to his surprise, Ciara's movents beca clear. Her blinding speed had been a trick, an illusion designed to throw him off.
'So her speed was just a deception? I've got you now,' Rey smirked as he caught sight of Jett in the distance. 'I will win.'
As their eyes locked, Jett smirked back, a knowing look in his eyes.
'Dumbass, pay attention to your enemy, not that it'll do you any good in 3, 2, 1... Ga over,' Jett counted down in his mind, confident in what was about to happen.
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Not good...
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