Beneath the arena filled with echoing cheers.
Ruin, feeling anxious, clenched his fists and looked up at the arena.
“Why does it look so high?”
The round, gray arena, where he had always won and earned the admiration of everyone, seemed dauntingly high today.
He didn’t want to climb up.
It felt like a guillotine made just for him. Ruin, unprepared as he was, was terrified of stepping into the arena. It’s the first time he had felt such crushing pressure since his match with Olivia.
The weight of everyone’s gaze felt overwhelming.
His breathing grew rough, and the unease refused to subside.
“Sigh… Sigh… Get a grip. I just need some weakling to face me.”
Over Ruin’s head, the loud voice of the announcer began to resonate.-Today’s first match… is here! It’s Ruin-sunbae from the Magic Faculty!
-Als, he secured event… isn’t it exciting?
-Now, who will Ruin-sunbae’s first opponent be…?
Ruin clenched his fists.
‘Please…’
His palms were sweaty with anxiety, desperately hoping to avoid a strong opponent.
He prayed earnestly for an opponent he could win against. But the heavens didn’t grant Ruin his wish.
The announcer, having pulled a name from the box containing countless slips, brought the microphone imbued with sound amplification magic to his lips with a surprised voice.
-Oh… this person shouldn’t have been picked.
-The first opponent is… Michail-sunbae!
Hearing the announcer’s trembling voice, Ruin’s expression fell as if the world collapsed. He lowered his head in defeat, the fists he had been tightly clenching falling limply at his sides as he muttered softly.
“Shit.”
Nothing was going right.
Ruin forced his unwilling legs to move. Michail was not someone his current self could contend with.
Even before he loser. Encounhts.
With a dark expression, Ruin trudged up to the arena.
“Sigh…. Damn it.”
Michail was already in the arena. Loosening up while gently touching the sword at his waist, Michail, as always, approached the battle with utmost seriousness.
He didn’t look like he was going to go easy on him.
Ruin hung his head and slowly began to gather his magical power. He thought that if he at least showed something before it was over, he could preserve his honor.
Even though he had grown weaker, he still had a trump card to rely on. Gathering his magical power slowly, Ruin waited for the signal.
‘The old man said this spell was unstable and warned me not to use it… Whatever, it’ll work out somehow.’
Perhaps losing nal.
A few moments passed, and then the announcer’s booming voice echoed in the arena. Ruin took a deep breath.
‘Let’s do this…’
-The match… Begins NOW!
At the announcer’s signal, Ruin immediately unleashed his magic.
A unique spell handed down by the Tower Master of the Magic Tower.
A spell passed down from the very first Tower Master, only taught to those acknowledged for their talent.
[Green Generation]
As the green wave spread out,
Michail was already standing right in front of Ruin.
“Get your head straight.”
Michail effortlessly countered the magic Ruin had poured everything into and walked forward. Like a breeze passing by, Michail stood before Ruin, sword in hand.
Ruin stared at Michail in a daze, thinking.
‘What…’
Ruin couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
Despiain his composure.
Michail spoke in a cold voice.
“Do it properly.”
Ruin’s world began to crumble.
*
Michail wasn’t holding back as he relentlessly pressured Ruin.
-Clang!
“Damn it…!”
Michail had returned stronger, like a complete monster.
Michail’s presence was so overwhelming that Ruin started to wonder if he was even human.
The swordsmanship that once had openings was now flawless, and the sword that had previously only focused on defense was no longer passive.
Ruin felt unfairly defeated.
His breath grew labored, and he was so stifled that he couldn’t even speak.
“What the hell is going on!”
Even if he hadn’t lost his strength, he felt like he still wouldn’t be able to beat the current Michail.
They had spent the same amount of time training, and Ruin had certainly put in effort too, but Michail had grown several times stronger than himself. Seeing how powerless he was in comparison made Ruin feel utterly small.
-Smack…!
Michail delivered a kick to Ruin’s stomach as he was distracted, and spoke in a low voice.
“Ruin. Don’t respond, just nod your head.”
“What…?”
“You got messed up by Hans that day, didn’t you?”
“…”
“That’s why you can’t use your power right now, isn’t it?”
Michail continued in a quiet voice.
“You weren’t normally this weak.”
“…”
“So tell me. Then I can take it easy on you.”
“Shit…”
As Ruin scratched the arena floor with his fingernails, feeling an overwhelming sense of shame, Michail, in a serious tone, asked him.
“Honestly, there’s a limit to how much I can hold back. Ruin.”
“…What?”
“I wanted to go easy on you because we’re friends, but this is hard. Even that last attack was me holding back, but you still went down.”
Michail muttered softly, his voice filled with regret.
“I thought I had gotten stronger, but maybe I haven’t.”
Ruin clenched his fists.
The humiliation was unbearable.
Hearing rier at himself.
‘Don’t give me that crap.’
‘Don’t say that crap! Where do you even get off calling yourself weak? You’re already monstrously strong, so what do you mean “weak”?’
Ruin was breaking apart.
‘Then what about me…!’
‘Damn it, then what about me…! Even with power, I feel like I can’t win. No matter what I try, I feel like I won’t win. So what does that make me?!’
‘I nearly fell into dark magic…! Damn it, then what about me? What about me…?!’
Ruin was arriving aht be fundamentally flawed.
‘Do I just not have any talent?’
Ruin got to his feet and began firing off spells.
“Shut up!”
“Ruin!”
“Just shut up! Take it easy on me!? You’re taking it easy on me!? Don’t screw with me! Just say it! Say it honestly!”
Michail pretended to be pushed back by Ruin’s furious magic, letting out a contrived groan as he stepped back.
Even though they had always bickered, they had still respected each other’s pride as friends. Especially since both had been victims of Olivia and Ricardo’s misdeeds.
That’s why Michail knew about Ruin. He knew how strong Ruin’s pride was, and how concerned he was about others’ perceptions. For that reason, Michail was pretending to be at a disadvantage while facing Ruin, while Ruin continued to unleash his magic.
“How does it feel? How does it feel now?! Isn’t it different now?!”
“…”
“Don’t you feel like dropping the whole ‘holding back’ act?!”
Ruin shouted as he watched Michail feign difficulty in dodging his attacks.
“Damn it! Stop it! Don’t look at me with that face!”
Seeing Ruin’s pi some of them hit him.
Michail muttered softly.
“Let’s stop.”
“…”
“I’ll throw the match.”
“What?”
“Anyway, even if I lose the ranking match, I can make up for it during the school year, so I’ll….”
“…Damn it.”
Ruin let out a hollow laugh and muttered.
“I quit.”
“Ruin.”
“I’m done with this shit. It’s too disgusting to continue.”
Ruin pushed Michail’s shoulder away, who had gotten too close, and wiped his sweat-soaked hair.
He was utterly disgusted with himself.
Receiving pity.
Hearing the students gasp ‘Wow…!’ in awe at Michail’s act, it was all so revolting that Ruin couldn’t bear it.
Ruin raised his hand and slowly began walking out of the arena.
“I forfeit.”
Rather than winning in such a pathetic way, it was better to just give up. The shame was too much to bear to continue.
*
Shulia was laughing.
“Heheh… There are just too many up-and-coming seedlings.”
Not just Michail.
Yuria as well.
Even the Crown Prince was growing at an alarming rate, making them all quite bothersome. If left unchecked, they would undoubtedly become threats to their cause.
Especially one person in particular.
-The next match is Histania Hanna…!
That student was a thorn in Shulia’s eyes. Even if it meant risking exposure, she wanted to erase… No, she wanted to possess her.
“Well… she’ll die today anyway. That should be fine.”
Shulia chuckled softly as she looked at Hanna standing in the arena.
And Hanna was also looking back at Shulia.
End of Chapter.
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