Chapter 122: Clash of Pride And Power
[Music recommendation: RŌHKI - VERMILLION]
Oliver smiled faintly, "Your Highness, I won’t be going easy on you."
"I wouldn’t expect you to, unless you want this match to end before it even begins," Ivan replied, his expression unreadable.
Oliver remained outwardly calm, though every cell in his body screamed danger at the man standing before him.
Soon, Professor Leo’s voice rang out across the arena, "Begin."
Ivan and Oliver took their attack stance, but neither of them made a move. A silent wind blew past them, ruffling their short hair. Their eyes locked onto each other, and then, with a flash, Oliver charged forward, attacking Ivan head-on. Ivan raised his sword and effectively blocked the strike, when their blades collided, mini sparks flew before both of them took a step back.
Then Oliver went on full attack mode, trying to find a single opening, any point of weakness he could exploit. But Ivan blocked every single strike with flawless precision.
At first, it looked like Oliver was the only one attacking, but then suddenly Ivan countered by charging forward and swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing Oliver to raise his blade to defend himself. The sheer force of Ivan’s blow made Oliver stumble back before he quickly regained his footing.
Oliver’s eyes shone with green light as he called upon his powers to launch a blast attack on Ivan. Ivan ducked sideways to dodge it with ease. Oliver then ran his glowing hand along his blade, charging it with energy, and attacked again. The clash of swords filled the arena, sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, the sound echoing across.
People held their breath as they watched Oliver relentlessly attacking Ivan, but Ivan was a sight to behold. He moved with such predatory grace, not allowing a single hit to land on him. Any trained eye could tell he was holding back, merely entertaining Oliver. He wasn’t even using his powers, only pure swordsmanship and quick reflexes. Sweat tickled down Oliver’s face as realization dawned upon him that Ivan had been toying with him all along. To others, it looked like Ivan was simply dodging and countering, but in truth, every movement was calculated as if he could see right through his opponent’s next move.
Eve, who was watching Ivan from afar, knew he wasn’t even putting in half the effort he had shown when fighting those beasts during the PE examination. She also knew that the moment he decided to end the match, it would truly be over.
When her eyes moved to the side, she spotted Leah standing not too far away, practically drooling over Ivan. A flicker of irritation flashed in Eve’s eyes, and the fury that had been shimmering inside her since Leah had made derogatory remarks against her in PE examination slowly began to build. There was only one thing she wanted now, to show the audacious woman the price of looking down on her and coveting her man.
Eve’s expression darkened as she turned her gaze back to the arena, just in time to see Ivan leap forward and swing his sword in a single, powerful arc. In one clear motion, he sliced Oliver’s blade in half and pointed his sword at Oliver’s throat, making him freeze in his place.
And with that, the match was over.
Damien, watching from the sidelines, said, "He was really playing around, which is pretty unusual for him."
Cece murmured, "Looks like he’s not too happy about Evelyn’s opponent. Maybe he was burning off some steam?"
Edward said, "He didn’t even use his powers."
"If he did, it would’ve been over before it even began," Damien muttered.
Back in the arena, Ivan started to leave when Oliver called out, "Your Highness, why were you playing around when you could’ve ended it sooner?"
Ivan glanced over his shoulder, "No reason in particular." He took a step forward, then paused and added, "The way you strike, your angle is a little off. It weakens your impact."
Giving that point of observation to Oliver, Ivan started to head towards where Eve stood. Oliver scoffed behind him, "Even if I fixed that, who can last against those monstrous powers?" With that, he scratched his head and walked back to rejoin the group.
Ivan’s eyes remained fixed on Eve, who stood there with a serious expression that he could easily see through. As he paused in front of her to ask what was wrong, another intrusive voice cut in, "Your Highness, that was an amazing match. Congratulations on your win." Leah said sweetly, stepping closer than necessary, her tone dripping with flattery.
Ivan’s jaw tightened with annoyance, but he continued to look at Eve, who met Leah’s interruption with an unamused look. Before either could say something, Professor Seira’s voice rang through, "Next contenders, please step into the arena."
Leah smirked and spoke in a honey-coated voice, "Good luck out there, Princess Evelyn, hope we have a good match," and sashayed away, looking far too smug for having interrupted them.
"Eve-" Ivan began, but she cut him off.
"I’ve got this, Ivan..." Her eyes followed Leah, and she added in a low voice, "Time to squish the bugs around you."
Ivan’s lips broke into a smirk, "Go get her, baby." He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear before stepping aside. Eve gave him a small , confident smile and then walked towards the arena.
She chose a sword for herself, just like she had during the PE examination, while Leah picked up a spear and discreetly slipped a dagger under her uniform when no one was looking.
Both women faced each other, one with cold blue eyes while the other glared with her light red ones.
Ivan joined Damian and others, his gaze fixed on the arena. Damien nudged him with a grin, "Ready to watch two women fight over you?"
"There is no competition in that regard, Damien," Ivan replied flatly.
Damien chuckled, "Well...that’s what you think, brother. But just look at them, one could tell that a second too late and they’d be at each other’s throats for coveting the same man."
Ivan shot him an annoyed side eye while Cece and Edward stifled a laugh threatening to break from their lips.
Back in the arena, Leah smirked and spoke in a low voice, "Princess Evelyn, why don’t we make this duel more interesting? When I win, you leave His Highness and let me take over? After all, I served him diligently way before you entered his life?"
Ivan stiffened, hearing this, and every vampire with sharp enough hearing gasped, turning to look at him.
Damien smirked, "Well, well, well...what did I tell you, brother?"
Evelyn’s gaze hardened as she said coldly, "So you’ve finally decided to show your true colours...the kind a loose woman wears when she can’t help but drool over someone else’s man?"
Leah’s face twisted with rage. "What did you say?!"
Eve tilted her head slightly, tapping her chin with mock thoughtfulness. "Which part?" The one where I called you a loose woman, or the part where you’re shamelessly drooling over my man?"
"How dare you?!" Leah snarled, baring her fangs.
"How dare I? Or should I say, how dare you try to make such a vulgar gamble with me?" Eve replied coldly.
"Why? Are you scared that you’ll lose to me and eventually lose your grasp on your man?" Leah smirked confidently.
Eve’s lips curved ever so slightly, a cold smirk forming as she assessed her opponent. "You know what....just this once, I’ll accept your challenge. But only if you agree that when I win, you’ll kneel and kiss my feet...and never dare to look at him again, let alone harbor any thoughts about him."
Leah’s face twisted in fury, her fangs glinting. "You arrogant little Lumen! You really think you can make me kneel before you?!" she spat, her voice rising with each word. "You’re just a fragile princess hiding behind His Highness’s shadow. Without him, you’re nothing!"
Eve’s smirk didn’t waver. "If you’re done barking, can we start the duel? I’d hate for you to lose your voice before I make you kneel." She swung her sword through the air, her gaze briefly shifted to the crowd, locking eyes with Ivan, who didn’t look very pleased at being used as a bargaining chip. She smiled faintly before fixing her eyes on the redhead, who looked ready to pound on her anytime.
Professor Seira’s voice rang through, "Begin!"
Both women charged at each other, Leah’s spear clashed against Evelyn’s sword, but Eve twisted on her heels and swept her feet across Leah’s, causing her to lose her balance. Being a vampiress, she recovered quickly and leaped back to put some distance between them.
Leah’s eyes flashed bright red, her fangs bared, "Today will be the end of you, arrogant little princess!" she snarled. With that, she used her vampiric speed to close in on Evelyn and appeared behind her in an attempt to stab with her spear. But Eve’s eyes flashed golden, allowing her to track Leah’s fast moves clearly. Eve spun around just in time to block her attack, then landed an elegant kick to Leah’s stomach, sending her sprawling to the ground with a groan.
