Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Doping Self-Destruction
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A second-year at Raheln Academy.
He was Mary Diana's cousin—the very one whose older relative had plotted to assassinate the princess—and a collateral branch of the Diana family. Now he stood atop the arena stage.
Standing before him was the scion of some provincial imperial faction.
Unlike Glen, he gripped a sword with an unusually thick blade. He shot Glen a repulsive sneer.
"The Diana family's reputation has really gone to hell. A noble of the Empire, siding with Staron of all people."
Glen twirled his spear at the mocking words.
His stance was all too familiar, a testament to how many years he'd been swinging that thing around.
"I'm not siding with Staron. I just can't stand seeing fellow second-years like me suffer injustice. It's a matter of my knightly honor."
"Knightly honor my ass. What honor is there in a family that produced a lunatic who tried to assassinate the princess?"
Glen's eyebrow twitched. He leveled his spear at the guy.
"What my sister did? She'd have no grounds to complain if they executed her for it."
He knew full well that the Mary he so admired was gone.
Anyone who tried to assassinate the princess was branded a criminal for life, beyond redemption.
"But that doesn't mean I've got any reason to abandon my knightly honor."
Glen's dark eyes gleamed ferociously.
His aura was so intense even the imperial faction guy hesitated.
They'd all grown tougher through a year of grueling training.
But talent existed in this world.
For these provincial faction kids, their average skill level barely scraped the middle of the pack at the Academy.
Give it another year, and every special class student would lap them effortlessly.
So the imperial guy gripped his sword tighter.
Today was their last shot at knocking these guys down a peg.
"Let's see this knightly honor from a fallen central noble."
"Begin!"
At the referee student's shout, the imperial faction guy immediately raised his sword.
Defense, naturally.
He was the one who'd just beaten Ballak.
So he planned to play defense again, preserve his stamina for the next guy.
But for some reason, no impact came.
As the imperial guy looked puzzled...
Glen hadn't budged an inch from his spot, just standing there with spear in hand.
Doubt flickered in the imperial guy's eyes.
No attack? What the hell was he doing just standing there?
"Clever little..."
That's when a tsk from Pandora echoed from behind.
It didn't take long to figure out what she meant.
They were doing the exact same thing—no attacks.
"You bastard! Didn't you just talk about knightly honor? And now you're pulling this cowardly shit?!"
"I don't know why you're calling it cowardly, but picking fights over tactics in battle is about the dumbest thing there is. Don't drag knightly honor into your nonsense."
Glen looked at the imperial guy like he was pathetic.
"And spewing curses the second things don't go your way? If you wanna be a central noble, start by fixing that filthy mouth of yours."
Those words hit the imperial guy right in his sore spot.
His face flushed beet red with rage.
[That includes you too, doesn't it?]
For some reason, it applied to Krash too, so he scratched the back of his head.
Why was this guy suddenly friendly fire-ing?
[More importantly, that kid's trying to pull the same stunt as you.]
Krash glanced at Glen upon hearing that.
Sure enough, just as Crimson Garden said, Glen was mimicking Krash exactly.
Compressing aura into his spear.
A faint layer of aura formed on the spear's surface, gradually coating it.
Much like the Sword Ghost's Aura Convergence technique.
The imperial guy hadn't noticed yet, but to Krash—who'd used it plenty—it was crystal clear.
[He's copying what he saw at the entrance ceremony. That guy's as crazy as they come.]
Well, blood of the spear-master Diana family, same as Mary.
Power unknown, but not a bad choice.
While the other guy dawdled, even on defense, he'd punch right through with one shot.
"Reid, snap out of it!"
That's when Pandora warned the imperial guy.
Normally, outsiders didn't butt in during spars, unspoken rule.
But Pandora needed this win bad. Rules be damned.
Reid finally looked at Glen after hearing her.
Golden lightning began crackling from Glen's spear.
The same color aura as Mary's.
"Urk!"
Reid hurriedly switched his grip and kicked off the ground.
'He went for the blunder.'
Krash could tell it was over the moment Reid ditched defense to charge.
The gap was too wide for that.
The outcome was obvious.
Bzzzt-crackle!
Golden lightning erupted. Glen's spear lashed out at the incoming Reid.
Reid had swung early to interrupt the charge-up, but Glen was faster.
No acceleration like Mary's, yet the spear struck with blinding speed, batting Reid's sword aside.
It grazed his body, detonating lightning that hurled him out of the arena.
Thud-roll!
Reid tumbled across the ground, his sword stabbing deep into the dirt.
The match ended in a flash.
Pandora's glare was palpable.
Glen twirled his spear and exhaled lightly.
But Krash sensed the backlash hitting Glen too.
'Overdid it.'
Harder than it looked, copying by sight alone.
Krash could only do it thanks to the Sword Ghost's arm.
Naturally, the strain showed on Glen's body.
His arm trembled faintly—proof of the overexertion.
No big plays left in him for the next round, that's for sure.
"Haring, get ready."
"Got it."
Still, he'd whittled down their numbers nicely.
Krash glanced toward Arsold.
Just leave that last guy for me.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the next match, Glen surprisingly held his own longer than expected.
He'd pulled the same defense play as the imperial guy earlier, draining his opponent's stamina.
By the time the pushing imperial guy tired out, Glen's final desperate counter landed perfectly. The imperial collapsed.
Of course, that finished Glen off too.
"Two down."
Glen, supported by the referee as he descended, boasted to Ballak.
"Ugh, I showed them our whole strategy! I basically lost!"
Ballak yelled in frustration, but Glen just grinned and glanced at Krash.
Having gathered power like Krash earlier, he'd felt firsthand how grueling it was.
He now knew how much effort Krash had put in to casually unleash it at the entrance ceremony.
'It wasn't that my sister was weak. He was just that strong.'
Those words rang truer than he'd thought.
"Good work."
Krash tossed the words casually as Glen came down.
For some reason, it made Glen's chest swell with pride—like his knightly honor wasn't wasted.
"Yeah."
As Glen replied, Haring started toward the arena.
Krash grabbed his shoulder.
"Not you yet."
"Huh? You just said get ready."
"Not that."
Krash nodded toward Haring's poison pouch.
"We've got that."
Haring blinked.
"You guys, over here."
Ignoring him, Krash gathered the second-years.
Imperials down three.
Krash's team of second-years down two.
Numbers favored Krash, but excluding Haring and Krash, the rest lagged far behind.
Resolve burned in the gathered second-years' eyes.
They'd seen Ballak and Glen fight tooth and nail—now they were ready to step up.
That's why Krash sent those two first.
If these guys had gone early, they'd have frozen up.
Krash opened the poison pouch from Haring.
Checked the contents, then handed one to each.
"You wanna win, right?"
The second-years nodded vigorously.
All Staron students here.
Empire and Staron had clashed since ancient times. Every Staron noble kid knew it.
They burned with the unyielding will to crush any imperial.
And now they stood before Krash.
Direct heir to the Valheim family—Staron's powerhouse.
They'd give it everything just to impress him.
"Then pop one of these in your mouth before the fight. Eat it right before clashing."
"K-Krash, sir... what is this?"
One asked cautiously.
They'd heard tales of the Lagren family.
Something from direct-line Haring's pouch? Unsettling, obviously.
"Poison pill."
Krash confirmed their worst fears.
The questioner clamped his mouth shut. Krash slung arms over their shoulders.
"Don't worry. Won't kill you. Just makes your body hurt a bit. No big deal. But I guarantee it—this one pill, and you can take down an imperial first-year."
Krash grinned slowly.
"Staron runs on grit. No weaklings in our Staron, right?"
The second-years paled.
Krash tilted his head at the silence.
"Why's no one answering?"
"Of course!"
"We'll win!"
"Staron forever!"
Krash nodded, satisfied.
[Demon bastard.]
Crimson Garden muttered something, but Krash ignored it.
He just watched his obedient second-years from behind.
One second-year ascended to the arena, poison pill in mouth.
The imperial coming up scoffed at the sight.
"Hah, green little brats."
He'd tensed for Haring, but relaxed instantly.
Pure disdain. The Staron second-year scowled.
He had pride too.
He hadn't joined Raheln Academy to be dismissed like this.
Decision made.
Crunch!
He bit down on the poison pill.
His aura surged. Muscles visibly swelled.
"Huff!"
Power overflowed from his sharp inhale.
His vision cleared like an awakening.
Insane confidence welled up.
With this...
I can win!
"Hm?"
The imperial sensed something off and turned.
"Begin!"
The referee called it.
Thud!
The second-year exploded forward in a massive leap.
The startled imperial raised his sword, but the clash sent him staggering back.
Unimaginable power.
"Raaargh!"
The second-year roared, eyes rolled back, berserking.
The imperial floundered under the mad onslaught. The fight dragged on.
He landed what should've been lethal blows mid-fight.
Boosted physicals, but clumsy handling.
Yet the second-year tanked them like they were nothing, countering viciously.
Both abandoned defense in a brutal slugfest.
"You can do it!"
"Beria, hang in there!"
Staron second-years cheered desperately amid the frenzy.
They'd all bought into the spectacle.
Unaware they'd soon be in the same boat, they yelled on.
"Gahk!"
The imperial finally tumbled.
The second-year followed, both down and out.
A draw.
"Woooah!"
Staron second-years cheered like they'd won.
The kid was foaming at the mouth, shaking from the poison, but whatever.
Pandora gaped behind her glasses.
Krash met her eyes and flashed a wicked grin.
"Five more to go."
Welcome to doping self-destruction. First time?