Chapter 183
Chapter Title: Spear and Sword
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183
Watching the two figures standing in the middle of the dueling arena, Elena’s lips curled into a smile.
“This should be interesting.”
At her murmur, Tak-on, who stood beside her, spoke.
“What’s so interesting about it? It’s only natural that Leo Flove is no match for Lis.”
The third-years around them nodded in agreement.
“That’s right.”
“No matter how great he is, he’s still just a first-year.”
Elena gave a slight smile at their words.
“That’s what one would normally think, but.”
Elena’s eyes sparkled.
“Leo has many abilities that aren’t widely known.”
Looking at Leo, Elena grinned.
“This duel probably won’t end so easily.”
Elena was the one who had set the stage.
She wanted to make Leo the student council president and had more than enough ability to do so.
But Leo was using the stage she had set to become president on his own terms.
‘When given an opportunity, he never lets it slip by.’
Leo’s seasoned responses never failed to surprise Elena.
Even her peers had never seen Elena look so excited, her eyes filled with anticipation.
‘Leo Flove.’
Tak-on crossed his arms and watched Leo.
The proud queen of Lumerne was showing a fresh, girlish side, like any other girl her age.
‘Just what in the world are you?’
Tak-on frowned slightly.
Meanwhile.
“Hm? Has it finally started? Haaah!”
In the fourth-year section of the audience, Hark, who had been dozing with an eye patch on, stretched with a huge yawn.
The other fourth-years looked at him with pathetic expressions.
“You’ve been sleeping this whole time and just woke up?”
“I wasn’t sleeping. I watched a few of the matches.”
Hark chuckled, still looking half-asleep as he smacked his lips.
The fourth-year girls who had been glaring at him blushed slightly.
When it came to looks, Hark was exceptionally handsome.
‘No! I can’t fall for those looks!’
‘That guy is just a lazy sleepyhead!’
“Anyway, I don’t know what Elena Jer-on is thinking.”
Tul Venia, from the fourth-year magic department, muttered as she adjusted her glasses.
At her words, Hark spoke in an indifferent tone.
“She just genuinely wants to make Leo Flove the student council president.”
“Why would she do something like that? Is she trying to make a first-year the president to use him as a puppet? But if that’s the case, it would be far more efficient for her to become president herself.”
“I doubt she’s thinking that way.”
Hark, who had known her since they were children, curled his lips into a smile.
“She probably saw something in that first-year kid. Maybe I should ask for a match next?”
Sighing softly at Hark’s display of belligerence, Tul looked at Leo with a slightly colder gaze.
‘If that first-year becomes president, it might be a good idea to get on his good side beforehand.’
From the fourth-years’ perspective, having an approachable first-year as president was much better than having Elena.
Meanwhile, the second-years were all looking at Leo with displeasure.
“Who does he think he is, picking a fight with the student council president?”
“He’ll only come to his senses after getting thoroughly humiliated.”
Amidst them, Ril looked back and forth between Leo and Lis with a trembling heart.
‘Leo truly has the charisma of a class representative! I could never do something like that!’
Ril marveled, thinking what an amazing junior he was.
Meanwhile.
The professors were also watching this duel with great interest.
“Popcorn for sale! Pop-corn!”
“Hey, you there.”
“Yes! Professor Yura!”
Professor Yura approached Karl, who had somehow started selling snacks near the stands.
“Can I get a box of popcorn? With caramel, please.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Thank you.”
As Yura smiled and paid, Karl suddenly grabbed her hand.
“Professor Yura.”
“What is it?”
“Wouldn't you like a drink as well?”
“I’m not really thirs—”
*Ssk-!*
Karl opened the lid of a paper cup to show her its contents.
Seeing the golden liquid, Karl whispered.
“If you buy now, you’ll also get some buttered squid…”
“Ha? Are you seriously trying to sell this garbage to a professor watching a sacred duel evaluation?”
Yura smiled coldly.
Seeing this, Karl flinched.
‘Ugh! Was I too hasty?’
“Don’t you have anything stronger?”
“…I don’t.”
“Tsk. No guts. You think this stuff will even tickle my liver? Back in my day! Huh? We didn’t sell piddly things like beer! Huh? We sold the expensive stuff! Huh?”
While grabbing Karl and grumbling, Yura still took the buttered squid and returned to the audience.
Chewing on the squid, Yura spoke to Ain.
“Want some, senior?”
“You eat it.”
“Ah, then could you summon some aura for me?”
“Why?”
“So I can eat it chilled.”
Seeing Yura playfully shaking the cup, Ain brought his fist down on the top of her head.
Meanwhile, standing at a distance, Ren watched the dueling arena with his arms crossed.
“Professor Ren, what do you think about student Leo becoming the student council president?”
“Of course, I’m all for it. What could be more joyous than a first-year from the magic department becoming president?”
“…But student Leo isn’t a magic department student yet, is he?”
“Besides! Won’t it stop those beasts and knife-ears from throwing their filthy passes at student Leo anymore?”
Anna shook her head at Ren’s words.
As the entire academy watched the duel between the two.
Cheira walked into the middle of the arena, between the two facing each other.
“Now, neither of you go too far. I hope you’ll both show us a great match.”
With those words, Cheira descended from the arena.
“I never expected you to nominate me like this.”
“I prefer to solve things myself rather than receive help.”
“Independence is good, but are you confident?”
“Just watch and see.”
“Hehe. I look forward to it.”
Lis burst into laughter at Leo’s confident demeanor and channeled mana into the bracelet enchanted with subspace magic.
The subspace opened, revealing a longsword.
Seeing this, Leo also opened his subspace.
*Tak-! Fwip-!*
Lis looked puzzled at the weapon that appeared.
Not just Lis, but the audience also began to murmur.
“A spear?”
“Did he know how to use a spear?”
The weapon Leo had taken out was none other than a spear.
Seeing this, Lis chuckled to himself.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t they say he handled all sorts of weapons skillfully during the entrance exam?’
Since he had only used a sword after enrolling, everyone had completely forgotten.
Meanwhile, the first-years also wore bewildered expressions.
“Why a spear all of a sudden?”
“Is it for showmanship?”
“That doesn’t seem like Leo’s style, does it?”
Just as the students of Class 5 wore expressions of confusion.
“Wow! Wow!”
Chelsea’s eyes sparkled as she bounced in her seat.
Seeing Chelsea unable to contain her excitement, Iliana asked with a curious face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Leo is good with other weapons too!”
“What?”
“And he looks so cool doing it!”
During the entrance ceremony.
For Chelsea, who had witnessed Leo fend off the monster without even being able to use aura, the memory of that moment was bound to resurface.
‘Leo was so cool back then!’
Chelsea clenched her fists tightly.
Meanwhile, in the dueling arena, Lis toyed with the hilt of his sword.
‘Alright, let’s see how well you handle it.’
*Step-*
Lis took a step toward Leo.
*Whoosh-!*
As Lis charged forward with incredible speed, Leo readjusted his grip on the spear and executed a quick thrust.
*Hwik-!*
In an instant, Lis dodged the spear.
It had tremendous speed and was aimed lethally at a vital point, but it wasn’t enough to stop Lis.
‘In a fight between a sword and a spear, I can’t let him get close.’
It was a situation that could end in an anticlimactic instant.
Lis unhesitatingly closed the distance to Leo.
At that moment.
*Flash-!*
Leo swung his other hand, the one not holding the spear.
Lis reacted quickly and retreated.
Leo had already pulled a sword from his subspace and was swinging it.
‘A spear in his right hand, a sword in his left. Dual-wielding.’
Thinking it was quite a unique fighting style, Lis’s lips curled into a smile.
‘But fighting while utilizing the characteristics of two different weapons must be incredibly difficult, no?’
Attacking with the spear when at a distance.
Defending with the sword when up close.
At a glance, it was an ideally balanced fighting style.
But the moment he faltered in handling either one, an opening would instantly appear.
It was an especially dangerous tactic against a swordsman as seasoned as Lis.
‘Are you confident, Leo?’
Lis charged at Leo again.
*Swish-! Tang-!*
Lis blocked the spear Leo swung.
Sparks flew as the spear shaft and the sword's edge collided.
*Kwagagagak-!*
Lis kept his blade pointed at Leo and pressed forward into his space.
*Clang-!*
But Leo, unfazed, defended against Lis’s attack with his sword.
*Thud-!*
But his stance was unstable.
As Lis pushed forward with all his strength, Leo’s body staggered back.
“Ah!”
“This is going to end too anticlimactically, isn’t it?”
It was a battle of pure skill versus skill, without even properly using aura yet.
But even in that fight, it seemed to be ending so one-sidedly that the students couldn’t help but be disappointed.
Lis, too, showed no mercy and intended to finish Leo the moment he saw an opening.
Suddenly, Leo let go of both his sword and spear.
Seeing the momentarily defenseless Leo, Lis narrowed his eyes.
‘Is he trying to throw me off? If so, that’s too shallow a trick.’
Lis had experienced far too many battles to be flustered by something like this.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lis swung his sword at the defenseless Leo.
*Whoosh-! Thwack-!*
For a split second, Lis’s eyes widened.
Leo had accurately read the trajectory of Lis’s sword and slapped the flat of the blade with his palm.
And that wasn’t all.
*Tap-! Tatak-!*
As if he were an acrobat on a balance beam, Leo launched himself into the air. Lis swung his sword to shake him off.
But in that brief moment, Leo, having found his balance, rotated his body and brought his foot down on Lis’s shoulder.
*Thwack-!*
Lis’s eyes twitched.
He had braced for the attack by tensing his shoulder, but a heavy pain washed over him.
*Fwip-!*
Leo used the recoil to swiftly move behind Lis.
He then grabbed the end of the spear shaft as it fell through the air and instantly unleashed an assault on Lis.
*Kang! Kagagak! Hwiak! Thwack-! Chaeng!*
Leo’s storm-like spear strikes began.
Lis blocked the attacks, creating an opening for a counterattack.
*Whoosh! Whump-!*
Leo blocked the sword Lis swung by holding his spear horizontally.
For an instant, Leo and Lis’s eyes met.
Maintaining his stance, Leo charged at Lis, pushing the sword away with his spear shaft.
*Tung-! Thwack-! Ssshk-!*
Having allowed Leo to close in, he immediately swung his leg.
But Lis instantly retrieved his sword and swung it at Leo.
Leo leaped back, putting distance between himself and Lis, and landed on the ground.
*Jureureuk-!*
From his right shoulder, across his chest, and down to his side.
His uniform was cleanly sliced.
And a faint, thread-like sword wound appeared.
It wasn't a major injury, but blood began to soak into his uniform.
‘It’s not bad enough to hinder my movements.’
Leo ignored the stinging pain and took his stance.
Meanwhile, feeling the pain in his shoulder and side, Lis let out a hollow laugh.
‘What in the world is this kid?’
Leo’s martial skills were in no way inferior to his.
On the contrary, he had showcased astonishing spearmanship and martial arts, accurately striking Lis’s openings and landing two effective hits.
‘No. In terms of strategy, he is clearly superior to me.’
It was enough to give him goosebumps.
In a pure contest of skill, Leo had overwhelmed Lis, who was called the strongest in his year.
All the students stared at Leo with expressions of pure shock.
Lis looked at Leo with a sense of wonder.
As a knight who had held a sword his entire life and reached the pinnacle with it.
Leo’s god-like movements felt like a work of art.
‘As I thought, Leo is something beyond a genius.’
Filled with admiration, Lis summoned his aura.
*Fwoosh-!*
The flames of the Jerdinger family blazed to life.
“Shall we begin for real now?”
Both Leo and Lis knew well that this had just been a warm-up.
“Shall we?”
*Fwoosh-!*
The same flames erupted from Leo’s body.
But that wasn’t all.
*Ziiiiing-!*
Countless magic circles embroidered the air.
Seeing them, Lis gripped his sword.
“Looks like I’ll finally get to see the power of an All-Class.”
*Kwagagagagak-!*
A whirlwind of flames raged around Lis.