Chapter148-One Against Many
Hearing Howard's words, the group of upperclassmen immediately burst into an uproar.
"Well, look at that, have you Dougton guys turned into cowards?"
"I remember it was you who started this arena battle, so why are you thinking of retreating now after losing just one match?"
The students were not fools; they could clearly see the retreating intent in the Dougton students and immediately called out.
"Go on, he's just a first-year newbie. You've awakened way earlier than him, how can you not have a bit of courage?"
"If I weren't a level lower than you, I'd go up there myself!"
Many of the onlookers shouted out immediately.
For a moment, the faces of Dougton and his peers turned deathly pale.
They knew that if they ran away now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, they would forever carry the stigma of being cowards.
However, when they looked up and saw Howard's beaming smile, they felt even less sure of themselves.
This is the nature of the weak!
Realizing this, Howard couldn't help but laugh and say, "I'm not some devil, you know. How about this, you can all come at me together!"
"Holy shit, what an audacious freshman."
"This newbie has the right to be. I remember Matthru was not weak, should be around level 40, which is not too shabby in the whole academy. And to think, he got knocked out by Howard straight away."
"Can a freshman really have such strength?"
"Can a freshman really have such strength?"
"Outrageous! In my opinion, this newbie must be a disciple from a major family who had awakened long ago, just reporting to the academy this year."
"That's possible."
"One against many, eh? Now, this is going to be thrilling! Quick, someone go call more people, this fight is bound to be spectacular!"
All the students were stirred up with excitement.
Initially, they were all just there for the spectacle, convinced that a freshman could never beat a senior.
Who could have guessed that Howard would deliver such a stunning surprise? Thus, they called over friends, eager to summon more spectators.
The name Howard was also etched into their memories.
Dougton and his peers exchanged glances, then, with gritted teeth, they climbed onto the stage, Dougton himself asserting, "Howard, don't get too arrogant!"
"Arrogant?" Howard retorted coldly, "What a joke. When have I ever been arrogant? Wasn't it you who provoked our first-year students first?"
"In the past few days when I wasn't at the academy, you targeted the freshmen, took advantage of our absence, set up this stage, and bullied the younger ones. Now that I've returned to respond to the challenge, how has it become my arrogance?"
"Could it be that as seniors, you have the right to twist truth and falsify right and wrong?"
At the end of his speech, Dougton and his companions found themselves breathless.
The truth was, they had indeed instigated the conflict, and hence, they had no grounds for rebuttal.
"Enough, let's let strength do the talking. Come on, show me what you've got!"
Howard looked towards the mentor and said with a light chuckle, "Mentor, as a magus, I should maintain some distance, right?"
"..."
At this, the mentor's mouth twitched involuntarily.
Given those slaps you just dealt, and that kick, no one would believe you're a magus!
However, Howard was indeed a magus, and the mentor wasn't going to say otherwise; he was only invited to act as a witness.
As the countdown sounded once more, Dougton and his companions exchanged a determined glance, their resolve hardened. They waited for the countdown to finish, and then they all launched their attacks on Howard simultaneously.
Feathered arrows whistled through the air, and a figure wielding a long sword dashed rapidly towards Howard.
He intended to execute a Charge skill once within range.
However, before the warrior could initiate his Charge, Howard swung the Soul Nurturer, and a Gravity spell blossomed forth.
Hum --
An eerie force erupted, like a mountain descending, immediately crushing the warrior onto the stage, pinning him down, unable to move, his breathing becoming labored.
At the same time, a shield formed from MP materialized beside Howard, deflecting the incoming arrows.
"Holy shit, he really is a magus!"
"This magus is seriously fierce."
Those students who didn't know Howard were astounded at the display of a standard magical skill.
There was no helping it; Howard's performance was simply too terrifying.
"Hmph, I knew you had a shield! Take my Armor-Piercing Arrow!"
Dougton drew his bow, nocking an arrow that glowed with a sinister milky radiance at its tip.
Whoosh --
In the next instant, the arrow tore through the air, hurtling towards Howard at a blistering speed.
Behind Dougton, another magus was waving a wand, chanting incantations.
Seeing this, Howard wasn't about to give them any chances. He swung the Soul Nurturer, and almost before the Armor-Piercing Arrow could reach him, his figure suddenly became ethereal.
The Blink skill was unleashed!
After attending theoretical classes, Howard had come to understand the role of Arcane Techniques, and coupled with his powerful spirit, his skill execution was especially precise.
When he reappeared, he was startlingly right beside the enemy magus.
The Soul Nurturer loomed large in the magus's pupils before crashing down on his head with ferocity.
With Howard's immense strength, the blow knocked the magus unconscious immediately, sending him collapsing to the ground.
"Holy crap!"
This gave Dougton quite the shock, prompting him to quickly leap back, drawing his bowstring once more. A bluish-white glow emanated, and dozens of arrows were fired in rapid succession, enveloping the area where Howard stood.
It was the basic skill of an archer, Rapid Shoot!
It had to be said, Dougton and his group had some skill, at least their reaction times weren't slow.
Unfortunately for them, Howard was shielded by an MP shield, making the arrows feel like mere tickles upon impact.
The Blink skill was deployed once again, replenishing Howard's MP shield while he materialized beside Dougton.
Before Dougton could counter, Howard had already grasped Dougton's wrist with a fierce pull.
Being an archer with inherently less strength, Dougton was immediately off-balance from Howard's tug, stumbling towards him.
The next moment, Howard delivered a knee strike, hitting Dougton squarely in the abdomen.
In reality, Howard had restrained himself; a direct hit to the chest could have been lethal.
The human heart is exceedingly fragile.
The abdomen, on the other hand, is relatively soft, able to absorb much of the impact.
It would result in nothing more than Dougton experiencing pain for a while.
At the impact, Dougton's face instantly turned ghostly pale, sweat cascading down his forehead.
The intense pain left him unable to utter a sound, his body curled up like a shrimp.
This scene made countless students inhale sharply in shock.
In less than ten seconds, Howard, a newcomer, had subdued three seniors. It was truly astonishing.
One knocked out by a wand, another immobilized by blows, and yet another warrior was gasping for breath under the weight of a Gravity spell.
Even after the duration of the Gravity spell had ended, and the warrior managed to stand, he was panting heavily, clearly lacking any capacity to continue the fight.
When Howard turned to look at that warrior, he even fell flat on the ground with a "thump," pretending to still be unconscious.
This scene sent a wave of cheers among the first-year students.
Abby, Judy, and Howard's two roommates were equally overjoyed.
Howard, holding Dougton by the collar, gently patted his cheek and said with a light chuckle, "We don't seem to have any personal grievances, do we?"
At this, Dougton hastily shook his head.
"So why provoke my fellow first-years, and why provoke me?"
Howard asked outright. Alas, Dougton was in too much pain to muster a reply to his question.
Just then, nearby the field, another voice rang out, "Fantastic, big sis, you've finally arrived!"
"Glyn's here too!"
"Boss Sarah, please make your move quickly!"
Exclamations continued to rise, turning Howard and many other students' gazes in that direction.
Suddenly, a group of figures appeared, moving with remarkable speed toward the scene.
Leading them was none other than Caitlin!
At her side were Glyn and Aisha, and two unfamiliar faces whose status seemed even higher than Glyn's.
Indeed, the higher-level students were aware that it was Matthru and Dougton who had instigated the matter, but as upperclassmen, they weren't inclined to see a newcomer take down one of their own.
Hence, they had urged Caitlin and her companions to intervene.
Little did they know of Caitlin's sentiments towards Howard.
Swiftly arriving below the stage, Caitlin scanned the area and seeing that Howard was unharmed, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Dougton, what are you playing at? As seniors, you should be looking after the newcomers, not causing trouble," Caitlin reprimanded.
Almost the moment her words fell, all the upperclassmen froze, then their eyes widened in shock, sizing up Caitlin with surprise.
Even those by her side were no exception!
Normally, the unwritten rule of seniors bullying juniors was present in every academy. Although it was not encouraged, it was never actively stopped.
Especially considering that Caitlin herself had once bullied new students!
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