TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 132
Second Year Student of Rahelrn Academy.
He was a collateral relative of the Diana family and the younger cousin of Mary Diana, who had attempted to assassinate the Princess, standing atop the arena.
Before him stood a scion of the Empire’s provincial faction.
Unlike Glen, who wielded a considerably thicker sword hilt, the man sneered unpleasantly as he looked at Glen.
“The prestige of the Diana family has truly fallen. Imagine a noble of the Empire siding with Starlon.”
Hearing the scorn-laden words, Glen spun his spear in his hand.
The movement was so practiced that it revealed just how long he had been wielding a spear.
“I am not siding with Starlon. I merely despise seeing a fellow Second Year Student face injustice, as it goes against my chivalry.”
“Chivalry, my foot. What kind of chivalry exists in a family that produced a lunatic who tried to assassinate the Princess?”
Glen’s eyebrow twitched as he pointed his spear at the man.
“What my sister did is so unspeakable that even execution would not suffice.”
He knew very well that the Mary he had respected so deeply was gone.
Mary, who had attempted to assassinate the Princess, could never escape the stigma of being a criminal.
“However, that does not mean I have any reason to forsake my chivalry.”
Glen’s black eyes gleamed menacingly.
His overwhelming presence was enough to make even members of the Imperial Faction hesitate.
Although they had also undergone grueling training for a year and grown considerably stronger—
Talent is a force that undeniably exists in this world.
As members of the provincial faction, their average level was only mediocre within the Academy.
It was certain that in just a year, the children of the Special Class would completely outclass them.
Hence, the member of the Imperial Faction gripped his sword tightly.
Today was their last chance to break the pride of the central nobles.
“Well then, let’s see this so-called chivalry upheld by a fallen central noble.”
“Begin!”
At the referee student’s signal, the Imperial Faction member immediately raised his sword.
As expected, his action was defensive.
He had just defeated Balak earlier.
Thus, he intended to conserve his strength by choosing defense this time as well, to wear down his opponent for the next.
However, for some reason, no impact came to his sword.
While the Imperial Faction member showed confusion—
Glen remained in his previous position, standing still with his spear in hand.
Doubt flickered in the eyes of the Imperial Faction member.
What on earth was he doing, not attacking and just standing there?
“Using tricks.”
At that moment, Pandora’s voice clicked disapprovingly from behind.
It didn’t take long to understand the meaning of those words.
The other side had decided not to attack either, mirroring him.
“Damn it, didn’t you just talk about chivalry earlier? And now you act cowardly?”
“I don’t know why you’re calling this cowardice, but nothing is more foolish in battle than being picky about means and methods. Don’t sully chivalry with such nonsense.”
Glen looked at the Imperial Faction member as if he were pathetic.
“And to resort to cursing just because the situation turned against you—if you aspire to be a central noble, wouldn’t it be better to fix that vulgar speech first?”
His next words struck a nerve with the Imperial Faction member.
His face flushed bright red with rage.
[Doesn’t that include you too?]
For some reason, Kraush scratched the back of his head, realizing the remark might apply to him as well.
Why was that guy suddenly sabotaging his own team?
[More importantly, he’s trying to do the exact same thing as you.]
Hearing those words, Kraush looked at Glen.
As Crimson Garden had suggested, Glen was indeed imitating Kraush’s actions.
It was none other than concentrating aura into his spear.
A faint layer of aura began forming on the surface of the spear, slowly coating it.
It resembled the ki-gathering technique used by Sword Demons.
The Imperial Faction member hadn’t noticed yet, but such a technique was glaringly obvious to Kraush, who had used it often.
[He must be copying what he saw during the Entrance Ceremony. That guy’s no slouch either.]
After all, he was a descendant of the Diana family, renowned for their mastery of spears, just like Mary.
Regardless of its power, it wasn’t a bad choice.
While the other side hesitated, this move could create a decisive blow that would penetrate even their defenses.
“Leed, this is no time to be idle.”
At that moment, Pandora warned the Imperial Faction member.
Though it was an unwritten rule not to speak to participants during a duel—
Pandora, who absolutely needed to win this match, did not care for such formalities.
Hearing Pandora’s words, Leed finally looked at Glen.
Golden thunder energy began emanating from Glen’s spear.
It was the same color of aura as Mary’s.
“Ugh!”
Leed hastily adjusted his grip on his sword.
Then, he kicked off the ground.
‘He chose to gamble.’
Watching Leed abandon defense and charge, Kraush sensed the match was over.
By discarding the defensive stance meant to narrow the gap with his opponent—
The outcome was as clear as day.
Crackle!
With a burst of golden lightning, Glen’s spear lunged toward the charging Leed.
Leed had intended to strike before Glen gathered more power, but Glen’s spear was faster.
Even without Excel, akin to Mary, the spear moved with astonishing speed, knocking Leed’s sword away.
Simultaneously, as the spear made contact with Leed, thunder energy exploded, sending Leed flying out of the arena.
Crash!
Leed tumbled across the ground, his sword embedding itself into the floor.
The match ended in an instant.
Pandora’s glaring eyes were palpable.
Glen spun his spear, exhaling lightly.
However, Kraush could sense that even Glen wasn’t unaffected by the strain.
‘He pushed himself too far.’
It was a technique far more challenging to replicate than it appeared.
Kraush could only use it because he had acquired the arm of a Sword Demon.
Naturally, the excessive strain was evident in Glen’s body.
His arm, in particular, trembled faintly, a sign of overexertion.
It was certain he wouldn’t be able to contribute much in the next fight.
“Haring, we should get ready.”
“Okay.”
Still, he had significantly reduced their numbers, which was enough.
Kraush glanced at Arsoldar’s side.
All they needed was to leave that guy for last.
＊ ＊ ＊
Surprisingly, Glen performed better than expected in the next match.
Following the example of the Imperial Faction member earlier, he focused solely on defense, wearing down his opponent’s stamina.
As a result, the Imperial Faction member, who had tried to press the attack before Glen could recover, was noticeably exhausted.
When the opponent was drained, Glen’s final counterattack landed perfectly, leaving the Imperial Faction member defeated.
Of course, this meant Glen was no longer able to continue the matches either.
“Two of them.”
Glen, supported by the referee, came down and boasted to Balak.
“Damn, I showed them what their strategy was. I didn’t lose!”
As Balak shouted in frustration, Glen smirked and glanced at Kraush.
Glen, who had gathered his strength similarly to Kraush earlier, experienced firsthand how difficult that secret technique was.
He realized during the duel how much effort Kraush must have put into effortlessly unleashing it during the entrance ceremony.
‘It’s not that my sister is weak, but that I am strong.’
That statement might be more certain than he thought.
“Good job.”
As Glen descended, Kraush casually tossed the words at him.
For some reason, those words made Glen feel that his chivalry was not in vain, and a sense of pride welled up in him.
“Yeah.”
As Glen responded, Haring tried to head to the arena.
Kraush grabbed Haring’s shoulder.
“Not yet.”
“Huh? You just told me to get ready.”
“Not that.”
Kraush pointed at Haring’s poison pouch.
“We have that, don’t we?”
Haring blinked.
“You guys, come over here.”
Regardless, Kraush gathered the second-year students.
Currently, three members of the Imperial Faction have retired.
Two members of Kraush’s team, made up of second-year students, have retired.
In terms of numbers, Kraush’s side has the advantage, but the skill gap among the second-year students, excluding Haring and Kraush, is significant.
A firm resolve was evident in the eyes of the gathered second-year students.
They were determined to do something after seeing Balak and Glen’s struggle.
That’s why Balak and Glen were sent out first.
If these guys had gone out first, they would have been intimidated.
Kraush opened the poison pouch he received from Haring.
After checking the contents, he handed them out, one by one.
“Don’t you want to win?”
When Kraush asked, all the second-year students nodded vigorously at the same time.
Everyone here is a student from Starlon.
Starlon and the Empire have been in conflict since ancient times, and the noble children of Starlon are well aware of this fact.
Therefore, an indomitable spirit to defeat the Empire at all costs is ingrained in them.
And now, they are standing before Kraush.
The direct line of the Balheim family, who could be considered the real power of Starlon.
The second-year students of Starlon would do their best to impress him.
“Then, put one of these in your mouth and take it just before the fight.”
“Mr. Kraush, what is this?”
One of them asked cautiously.
They must have heard of the Ragren Family’s stories.
Naturally, they would be uneasy about something coming from Haring’s pouch, who is a direct descendant of the Ragren Family.
“Poison Pill.”
And Kraush reassured their uneasy thoughts.
As the one who asked fell silent, Kraush put his arm around their shoulders.
“Don’t worry. You won’t die. It’s just a bit tough on the body. No big deal. But I guarantee, with just one of these, you’ll be able to take down an Imperial Faction first-year student.”
Kraush said so, slowly smiling.
“When it comes to perseverance, it’s Starlon. No one in Starlon would ever say they’re weak.”
The faces of the Starlon second-year students turned pale.
Seeing no response, Kraush tilted his head.
“Why isn’t anyone answering?”
“It’s obvious!”
“We’ll win!”
“Long live Starlon!”
Kraush nodded with a satisfied expression.
[Damn devil.]
It seemed like Crimson Garden said something, but Kraush didn’t pay attention.
He just watched the second-year students faithfully following his instructions from behind.
With a poison pill in his mouth, one of the second-year students stepped into the arena.
Just then, a member of the Imperial Faction who was approaching sneered at the second-year student.
“Ha, just a bunch of green kids.”
He had been slightly tense thinking he would face Haring, but his tension eased in an instant.
The second-year student from Starlon, completely underestimated, made a fierce expression.
He had his pride too.
He didn’t come to Rahelrn Academy to be treated like this.
So, he made up his mind.
Crunch!
He bit into the poison pill he had in his mouth.
Then, his aura surged, and his muscles visibly swelled more than before.
“Huff!”
Overwhelming power flowed from his drawn breath.
His vision opened up as if he had awakened anew.
Suddenly, his confidence began to surge wildly.
With this.
He can win!
“Huh?”
The Imperial Faction member seemed to sense something ominous and turned to look at the second-year student.
“Begin!”
At that moment, the referee student signaled the start of the match.
Thud!
With a stomp, the second-year student leaped with incredible force towards the Imperial Faction member.
The surprised Imperial Faction member hastily raised his sword to counter, but as their swords clashed, he was pushed back.
He felt a force beyond his expectations.
“Graaaaaah!”
The second-year student roared, his eyes rolling back as he charged forward.
The Imperial Faction member, overwhelmed by the second-year student’s relentless assault, continued the fight in confusion.
At times, the Imperial Faction member clearly landed attacks that should have been fatal to the second-year student.
It was a result of the second-year student’s increased physical abilities but lack of skill in handling them.
However, the second-year student, seemingly impervious to pain, endured those attacks and struck back.
As a result, the two engaged in a fierce battle, abandoning defense.
“We can win!”
“Go, Beria!”
Amidst the fierce onslaught, fellow Starlon second-year students shouted desperately.
They were emotionally invested in the scene, not realizing that soon they too would be in the same situation.
At the moment they were cheering desperately.
“Ugh!”
Eventually, the Imperial Faction member rolled on the ground, and the second-year student also rolled on the ground.
Both lay still, not moving.
It ended in a draw.
“Waaaaaaah!”
The Starlon second-year students cheered as if it were their own victory at the incredible counterattack of the second-year student.
In reality, the second-year student was trembling, foaming at the mouth due to the effects of the Poison Pill.
Pandora widened his eyes behind his glasses and gaped at the sight.
Kraush, locking eyes with him, flashed a malicious grin.
“There are still five more left.”
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