"Let me see if you can really continue your fa?ade when you receive the pain."
With those words, Emma closed her eyes…
The moment her words fell to the arena, an immense amount of pressure started being released from the girl in the middle of the arena.
SWIRL SWIRL
Following that, fire started swirling around her with a fierce intensity that matched her emotions. The flames seemed to dance with her anger and determination, enveloping her in a fiery aura, taking the shape of a bird…
"Huh? No, no, no…"
Arthur's eyes widened in surprise as he sensed the surge of power from Emma. He realized that she was not bluffing; she was fully prepared to make him feel the pain she had promised… A feeling he had not felt in the duel enveloped his heart….
Fear of pain….
"A goddess…."
Surroundings were surprised…. Even more than what Callius had shown….Most people had already known how strong Callius was from his duel with Arden, but none of them knew how strong Emma was. And the fact that such a student who never gathered attention was showing such prowess made them surprised.
Because at that moment alone, Emma looked like she was the goddess of war itself… In fact, she was, though, in the future.
SWOOSH
As Emma charged forward with unyielding determination, the flames swirled around her, intensifying with each step she took. Reaching the man before her, she tensed all of her muscles, overloading her body with aura.
At that moment, she was damaging herself, but for her, nothing mattered.
"No… Don't come closer…."
"You are finally showing your real self behind that fa?ade….Pathetic…"
Looking down at the boy before her with pride in her eyes, she readied herself.
Her grip on the Inferno Blade tightened, and as she closed in on Arthur.
'I will borrow your move.' She thought to herself, recalling the training she had done after her duel with Callius.
'Inferno Sword. Blade of Ablaze.'
Her sword was raised as her muscles tensed. And she swung her sword with all the force she could have mustered.
SWOOSH
The strike was like a fiery comet descending upon her opponent. The sword cut through the air with blinding speed, leaving trails of radiant light in its wake. The flames surrounding the blade surged, amplifying its power and turning it into a scorching inferno.
"NO!"
Arthur raised her sword, trying to defend himself. Enhancing his sword with the metal affinity of his household.
CLANK BOOM
With a resounding clash, the Inferno Blade collided with Arthur's defense. The impact sent shockwaves through the arena, causing the ground to tremble beneath them. The clash of their swords created a dazzling display of elemental power as Emma's fiery aura met Arthur's own metallic aura.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the two forces pushed against each other with equal intensity. Emma's yellow eyes blazed with determination, and she poured all her anger and frustration into that single strike.
"Your sword is shaking…" Her words followed her sword as she could feel the tremor on Arthur's.
"No, no, no…" But Arthur's eyes were no longer on the sword.
"You are weak," Emma said. "Not a worthy opponent for me, neither for Celia. A waste of time, just like he said."
Then, with a burst of energy, Emma's strike overpowered Arthur's defense. The Inferno Blade cut through his guard, and a burst of fiery energy enveloped him. The force of the attack sent him stumbling backward, and for a moment, he seemed to be suspended in mid-air before crashing to the ground.
"Kurgh-"
Blood flowed from Arthur's mouth as he could no longer stand up. His posture was tattered, and his clothes were burnt down. However, most of all, his face, which was mostly relaxed all of the duels, was now filled with an expression of pain and honor.
"Arghk-"
"Huff… "
"Huff…."
"Hick-"
"It hurts…"
The audience gasped in awe at the sheer power of the attack. The intensity of Emma's emotions had manifested into a devastating strike that left no doubt about her strength and determination.
As the dust settled, Emma stood over her defeated opponent, her chest heaving from the exertion. The flames around her gradually subsided, but the fiery determination in her eyes remained unyielding.
"Did you see that attack? It was like she had the power of a goddess!"
"It's incredible how much emotion she put into that strike. You could feel it in the air."
In that one last strike, Emma had unleashed all her pent-up emotions and channeled them into a display of raw power. It was a strike fueled by grief, anger, and the desire for justice, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of everyone who witnessed it.
The spectators couldn't help but marvel at the ferocity and determination in Emma's eyes as she stood victorious over her defeated opponent. Her fiery aura still lingered, making her look like a true goddess of war.
Even the seniors were surprised to see such a display of power.
"At first, that Callius guy, and now this Emma. It seems this year's butch was something to take note of." One of the seniors exclaimed while others agreed.
"Indeed. And we have yet to see the higher-ranking students."
"I heard the elven princess was also there."
"Doesn't Diana Augustride also belong to the same family as Emma Augustride and Callius Augustride?"
"Diana Augustride, who is that?"
"The second-ranking student."
"Nah… You are telling me the first-ranking student, the second-ranking student, and this girl all belong to the same family?"
"Yes. Though, I heard Callius Augustride was banished, so he is now known as Callius only."
"What a fearsome family."
As the seniors talked amongst themselves while planning to recruit the freshman into their clubs (factions), Emma walked away from the arena, her footsteps heavy with the weight of her emotions. She didn't revel in her victory; instead, her heart was filled with conflicting feelings of triumph and sorrow.
"Tch…. Now, I feel stupid." She mumbled to herself while walking away. It was a weird feeling that she was feeling no matter how you saw it. She was slightly happy that she beat Arthur, but now she was feeling empty and conflicted.
It felt like she did something unnecessary.
Her body was aching since she used a technique that pushed the limits of her body slightly, but thanks to the healing formation of the Arena, she was now fine, though a small uncomfortable feeling remained in her core.
Just as she was walking, she saw a pair of crimson eyes in the audience. Crimson eyes were watching her movement.
'Callius.' She thought.
But soon, the gaze left, not lingering on her anymore.
"Emma!"
At that moment, a sound of a young girl came beside her. A girl with blue hair. "Why did you do it?"
Celia asked, approaching Emma. She knew Emma was mad over what Arthur did, but she never thought she would go to such lengths for her. "I could do it myself; you didn't need to do it."
Emma turned to face Celia, her fiery aura dissipating as she looked at the blue-haired girl with a mixture of sadness and determination in her eyes.
"Celia, I did it because I couldn't stand by and do nothing seeing that bastard smiling like that," Emma replied, her voice tinged with emotion. "I couldn't let him get away with what he did to you. I couldn't let him escape the consequences of his actions."
"I know, I know…." Celia mumbled with a smile. "Though, it is not that I don't understand you… But, now that you have done it, you took my opportunity to take revenge on him."
Celia said as her eyes were filled with anger. "That bastard…. Does he think we are stupid or something? None of his words were sincere."
"Yeah…."
Just as they were about to speak further, a voice came beside them. "I never thought that stupid dog would do something like this." It was Alicia with an angered expression on her face.
"Alicia."
"I watched the duel," Alicia said with a smile. "You gave him a lesson he won't be able to forget for a while." The smile on her face looked genuine. Though the words she spoke next made them think differently. "But I think we should stop doing that now."
"What!" Both Emma and Celia were agitated immediately hearing her words. "Are you taking his side now?"
"Father contacted me," Alicia answered, not minding what they said.
"Ah…"
"He said both your parents knew you were angry, but they want you not to escalate this matter any longer."
"They don't want us to escalate this any further? She almost died at that time; they know that, right?" Emma said, growling.
"I know." Alicia was already expecting such a response; after all, Emma was Emma.
"Then, wh-"
"Did you forget that we are here to represent the Wraslugia Kingdom? Emma, this place is no longer our country where we can behave as we want. We are now in the academy. Do you want another scandal like Callius' to pop off?"
"…." Hearing this, both Emma and Celia had nothing to say. Even though they were the ones that instigated the rumors of Callius, it backfired quite fast, and their family was already mad at them for that result.
"Right? Let's calm down now. I really know you are mad, and I am mad too. But, this is the best for everyone….Don't worry, the Sword Saint said Arthur is going to get his punishment soon." Alicia, managing her smile quite well, spoke.
"Sigh… You are right; it was my fault." Celia instantly realized her mistake. As a mage, she was someone that always needed to keep her calm, but in the face of death, she almost lost her control.
"Then, let's eat something good, okay? We can talk further later." With Alicia instantly changing the atmosphere, the other two were dragged by her smile.
Just like that, the young girls of Wraslugia Kingdom went through their own girly time as they left the Arena.
Though, the smile on Alicia's face didn't match her eyes at all…..
----------------------A/N-----------------------
Hope you liked the chapter. I now noticed that when I write some words in bold font on Word, they don't appear when I paste them here.
And I now noticed that after writing 90 chapters. It was quite a revelation... Anyway, with this, we will return the Callius POV again. After all, there are quite a lot of people that are interested in him.
Also, I don't know why, but I feel kinda sick today, I went to the gym, and all my weights dropped %10 randomly....Maybe I may not post the chapter if it becomes too low quality; I don't know.....
You can check my discord if you want. You will be able to see the illustrations here and engage in a conversation with me if I am available.
https://discord.gg/XJEgBRM3C
Check out my new book if you are interested. This time it will have a modern hunter theme, where MC will be driven by the feeling of vengeance.
The name is; Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel