Chapter 7: The Most Ridiculous Duel in the Academy
The enormous training field was completely packed.
News traveled fast inside Arcadia Academy.
Especially when it involved:
explosions,
the Big Five,
and the guy with the terrifying cat.
Kael was honestly starting to get tired of being famous.
"Why is everyone looking at us like we’re a street performance?"
Luna observed the huge, full bleachers.
"Because you literally are a street performance."
"...Fair point."
A few meters away, Darius Ravencrest was slowly twirling his massive black spear while several excited students surrounded him.
The difference between him and other students was immediately obvious.
He had presence.
Confidence.
And that "popular protagonist" aura that Kael automatically hated.
"Darius never loses a duel."
"He’s close to becoming one of the Big Five..."
"His summon is near A-rank."
"That new kid is finally going to get crushed."
Kael sighed.
"I definitely prefer when people are scared of me."
The cat was still asleep in his arms.
Completely indifferent to the tension in the air.
Then a teacher descended to the center of the field.
"Silence!"
The entire arena quieted down slightly.
The teacher raised a hand.
"Since both students have accepted this match, the rules will be simple."
A massive magical barrier appeared around the field.
"No lethal attacks against humans."
"Summons may fight freely."
"And any extreme damage to the academy will be deducted from your student scholarships."
Kael quickly raised his hand.
"How extreme counts as extreme?"
The teacher looked directly at him.
"We added that rule this morning because of you."
"...Understandable."
The bleachers began to laugh.
Darius slammed his spear into the ground.
BOOM.
"I’m not going to waste time playing around."
Kael slowly walked to the other side of the field.
"I’m going to show everyone that what you do is a trick."
"Great, because I don’t understand what’s happening either."
Seraphina and Luna watched from one of the front rows.
Luna waved both arms excitedly.
"Big brotherrr! Don’t lose!"
"Such reassuring support!"
Beside her, Seraphina maintained her usual cold expression.
Perfectly calm.
Perfectly elegant.
But internally—
"DESTROY HIM, LITTLE FAT CAT."
"SHOW YOUR SUPERIORITY."
"DESTRUCTIVE PAWS."
Outwardly she just said:
"...Good luck."
Kael looked at her suspiciously.
"I feel like you said a lot more things in your head."
"No."
Absolute lie.
Then Luna leaned toward Seraphina.
"By the way, my brother cooks well."
Kael turned in horror.
"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING!?"
"I’m helping!"
"HELPING WITH WHAT!?"
"With your future marriage!"
"LUNA!!"
Seraphina stared at Kael for a few seconds.
And then nodded slightly.
"I see."
Kael felt that his life had just gotten worse.
Much worse.
In the center of the field, Darius raised a hand.
"Well, I’m facing a guy who’s a third-year and has a lot of popularity — what could go wrong?"
A massive red magic circle appeared behind him.
"Come, Karmakus."
ROOOOAAAAAR.
A gigantic creature slowly emerged from the circle.
It looked like a black lion covered in red metallic plates.
It had enormous silver claws. Giant fangs. And golden eyes full of aggression.
The bleachers exploded immediately.
"It’s Karmakus!!"
"The Crimson War Beast!!"
"I heard it single-handedly tore apart a B-rank creature!!"
The creature roared violently.
ROOOOAAAAAR.
The sound wave exploded across the entire arena.
The air vibrated.
The windows of the nearby building cracked.
And several students had to cover their ears.
Kael felt the pressure hit his chest.
"Was that a roar or an earthquake!?"
A student swallowed.
"T-that’s the ’Dominant Roar’ ability..."
Another responded nervously:
"A mental and physical attack at the same time..."
"Weak summons can get paralyzed with fear..."
"It even affects mana flow..."
Karmakus roared again.
BOOOOOOM.
An explosion of red energy shot out from its body.
The ground began to break around its paws.
Several other students’ small summons started backing away in terror.
A magical snake literally fainted.
Darius smiled confidently, crossing his arms.
"Karmakus completely dominates the field before attacking."
His eyes moved to Kael.
"Inferior creatures lose the will to fight the moment they feel its presence."
Kael slowly looked at the cat.
The cat was still asleep.
With one paw dangling.
And a small bubble coming out of its nose.
"..."
Kael looked back at Karmakus.
Then back at the cat.
"Well... technically it didn’t run away."
Darius frowned slightly.
"Karmakus."
The enormous beast roared again.
ROOOOAAAAAR.
This time a visible pressure descended on the field.
Several students slightly knelt.
The teacher even had to reinforce the barrier.
"The magical pressure is rising too much!"
Karmakus opened its jaws.
And a massive red sphere began to condense inside its mouth.
The energy made the entire arena vibrate.
"It’s Crimson Fang!!"
"It’s going to fire it!!"
"That attack pierces magical steel!!"
Kael’s eyes widened.
"...Ah. That actually does look deadly."
The sphere exploded forward.
BOOOOOOOOM.
A gigantic red beam shot across the field directly at Kael.
The temperature rose instantly.
Luna screamed from the bleachers.
"BIG BROTHER!!"
Seraphina remained still.
But internally:
"DON’T YOU DARE BURN ITS WHISKERS."
The explosion hit.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
A giant cloud of smoke covered the center of the arena.
The bleachers fell silent.
Darius smiled slightly.
"It’s over."
Then—
"Meow."
Silence.
The smoke slowly began to dissipate.
And in the center of the field...
Kael was still there.
Completely unharmed.
Blinking in confusion.
"...Huh?"
In front of him was the cat.
Sitting.
Licking its paw.
As if the attack had been a slightly annoying breeze.
Absolute silence.
A student spoke trembling.
"I-it took no damage..."
Another swallowed.
"It didn’t even move..."
Kael looked at the monster.
Then at the sleeping cat in front of him.
Then back at the monster.
"...Damn, I don’t even know what species you are."
"Meow."
"Well..."
Kael slightly lifted the cat.
"Uhhh... Cat of Contempt... use something."
Silence.
The cat kept sleeping.
Kael:
"..."
Darius let out a laugh.
"Is that all?"
Several people started laughing too.
"It doesn’t even obey!"
"It was definitely a trick!"
"That cat just got lucky!"
Darius smiled arrogantly.
"I guess the rumors were exaggerated after all."
Karmakus roared again.
And took a step forward.
BOOM.
The magical pressure crushed part of the ground.
Darius spoke with absolute confidence.
"Karmakus."
The creature raised its claws.
"Use Hyperclaw."
Instantly, the enormous nails began to glow with red energy.
A student swallowed.
"I-it’s a high-rank ability..."
Another responded nervously.
"Hyperclaw increases physical destructive power using magical compression..."
"If that directly hits..."
"That cat will die."
Kael slowly looked at the sleeping feline.
"You know? This would be a great time to cooperate a little."
The cat yawned.
Absolute betrayal.
Darius smiled.
"With this attack, I’ll destroy that ridiculous trick."
He slammed his spear again.
"And then finally everything will return to normal."
His eyes briefly moved toward Seraphina.
"Besides..."
He smiled confidently.
"Lady Seraphina will finally agree to unite our families once she sees who truly deserves to stand by her side."
Silence.
The entire arena slowly turned toward Seraphina.
Kael did too.
Luna opened her mouth in horror.
"A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL IN THE MIDDLE OF A DUEL!!"
Seraphina remained completely still.
Then slowly raised a hand.
And pointed at the cat.
"...Destroy him."
Absolute silence.
Darius froze.
Kael did too.
Because honestly...
that had been the most emotional comment Seraphina had made all week.
Internally she was:
"LET’S GO, LITTLE FAT KING."
"CRUSH THAT NOISY MAN."
"I BELIEVE IN YOU."
Luna started waving her arms wildly.
"BIG BROTHER, DON’T LOSE YOUR FUTURE WIFE!!"
"LUNAAAAAA!!"
Kael wanted to disappear from the planet.
Darius, completely humiliated, gritted his teeth.
"KARMAKUS."
The beast roared violently.
"ATTACK!!"
BOOOOOOM.
Karmakus shot forward like a black missile.
The ground exploded beneath each step.
Hyperclaw shone intensely.
Kael felt a chill.
"Oh, that actually looks dangerous."
Then he looked at the cat.
The feline finally opened its eyes.
Slowly.
With absolute annoyance.
Clearly upset that something had interrupted its nap.
Karmakus brought down its enormous claws.
And then—
The cat lifted its gaze.
Just that.
Nothing more.
Silence.
The beast froze instantly.
Its entire body trembled.
Its eyes opened in horror.
Because in that moment...
it saw something.
Something indescribable.
An impossible pressure.
A contempt so absolute that it seemed to come from the universe itself.
[Gaze of Contempt Activated.]
Karmakus let out a strange sound.
As if it had just remembered all its childhood traumas at once.
And then—
The enormous beast turned around.
And ran away in terror, smashing through the magical barrier.
BOOOOOOOOM.
Absolute silence.
The entire arena was frozen.
Darius blinked.
"..."
He looked toward where his summon had fled.
Then at the cat.
Then back at the giant hole in the barrier.
"..."
"..."
"Huh?"
The cat closed its eyes again.
And went back to sleep.
