Overwhelming Firepower

Lucen’s attack was a simple chop, but the speed was so great that most students could only see a blur. This was an attack he made without even using his aura or enhancing his body with spells.

Roderick, who had no time to dodge, had no choice but to try to do something else. He stopped his charge and at the same time met the attack head-on with an upward swing at full power.

The two war axes collided in the air. A sound like iron striking a bell exploded across the arena.

For a moment, Roderick felt as if he had struck something that could not be moved.

His arms shook violently. His shoulders screamed. The aura mantle around his body flickered as the force of Lucen’s blow pressed down on him. Roderick gritted his teeth and poured more strength into his arms.

The axe he was holding had snapped, and Lucen’s axe was coming down on him. He closed his eyes as he thought that he was going to get hit, but then the hit never came; instead, he heard Lucen’s voice.

”What kind of warrior closes his eyes in battle?”

Roderick slowly opened his eyes. Lucen’s dull axe had stopped just above his head. It was so close that Roderick could feel the wind from the strike brushing against his hair.

The broken remains of Roderick’s own axe were still in his hands.

”So are you still going to continue?”

Roderick stared at the axe above his head. His body could not move.

The confidence he had carried into the arena had cracked the moment his weapon broke. He had thought he was strong. He had thought that, at the very least, he would be able to force Lucen Thornehart to use his famed weapons.

But Lucen had not used them. He had not even used aura or mana. This was a complete defeat for him.

Not only did he lose, but he had lost so overwhelmingly that it was beyond doubt to anyone present.

He had challenged Lucen so openly without shame, filled with confidence of his victory, and this was the result.

Roderick’s hands trembled. The broken axe shaft in his grip felt heavier than it should have. He wanted to speak.

He wanted to say that he could still continue. He wanted to insist that this was not over yet... But he knew deep down only a fool would continue, like this.

”Tsk, I can pretty much hear your thoughts. You’re thinking about giving up already. A real warrior would-”

Lucen did not finish his thoughts as he reined in the personality of the character he was acting as, using Acting Adept. He was getting too into the role, and that was not a good thing.

Lucen took in a slow breath. The wild grin on his face slowly faded. The rough, battle-hungry presence that had filled the arena weakened, and the calmness that everyone had seen from him earlier gradually returned.

The change was so clear that even the students noticed it. A moment ago, Lucen had looked like a monster who enjoyed battle more than breathing. Now, he once again looked like a young noble instructor standing in front of a student.

Lucen lowered the dull two-handed war axe and rested it against his shoulder. ”Whatever... This battle is over, seeing as you have nothing else to show me.”

After saying that, Lucen looked at the other students and spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. ”Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me? I want to finish the five-person duel quota so that no one bothers me later.”

The arena became silent after Lucen spoke. For a few seconds, no one answered.

Most of the students were still looking at the broken training axe in Roderick’s hands. That had not been a duel, but a one-sided beating.

However, not everyone accepted what they had just seen.

Among the A-Class and B-Class students, a few narrowed their eyes. To them, Roderick had not lost because Lucen was overwhelmingly strong. He had lost because he had been weaker than they expected.

”He was too emotional,” one student whispered.

”His guard was terrible.”

”He relied too much on strength.”

”If he had not tried to meet that attack head-on, he would not have lost so badly.”

Those whispers did not come from S-Class. The students of S-Class had seen Lucen fight during the monster attack. Alexander, Mina, Nina, Ryan, and Cael all knew very well that Lucen was far from ordinary.

Elion had also seen Lucen fight a few times, so he knew the truth and remained silent, his storm-grey eyes fixed on Lucen with a thoughtful expression.

A few students, who believed they could do better, raised their hands and wanted to challenge Lucen.

”Principal, is it alright to fight four at once, or can I just take them all?” Lucen asked Principal Aldren with that confident smile of his; the battle-crazed trait was now making him feel excited.

Principal Aldren looked at Lucen for a moment. Then his gaze moved toward the students who had raised their hands.

”That can’t be allowed, seeing as these duels are meant to assess one’s individual abilities.”

Lucen shrugged his shoulders. ”Then one by one it is.”

Principal Aldren looked at the students who had raised their hands. ”Those who wish to challenge Sir Lucen Thornehart, step forward and state your names.”

Four students stepped forward. Two were from A-Class, and two were from B-Class. All of them were from the knight department.

The first one was a spear user. The second carried a sword and shield. The third used twin blades. The fourth was another axe user, though unlike Roderick, his expression was much more cautious.

Seeing them, Lucen smiled faintly. ”Good. At least you all have enough courage to step forward after seeing that.”

One of the A-Class students frowned slightly, but he did not answer. Principal Aldren looked at the first student. ”Begin with your challenge.”

***

The students who watched the entirety of the four duels could not help but once again be reminded of Lucen’s famous moniker, the Ever-Victorious. True to his moniker, it did not seem possible for Lucen to lose.

It was a sight most of them would never forget. No matter who his opponent was, Lucen would also use the same weapon.

Not to mention every time he used a different weapon, his demeanour changed completely each time, as if he became a different person.

In the first match, Lucen had taken the character of a certain spearman with blue spandex. His movements were athletic, fast, and precise.

He held the spear loosely in one hand, yet the tip never wavered. It was as if the weapon had become a serpent waiting to strike. It ended quickly with one pierce of Lucen’s spear.

The next fighter was one who used a shield and sword. Lucen’s demeanour changed again; this time, he felt like a towering wall of shield.

This time, Lucen used a historical figure from his old world as the character, the famous king of Sparta, Leonidas.

Lucen won without even using much of his sword; just bumping his shield and parrying with it was enough to defeat the student.

By the third match, the students of the A-class and B-class were finally understanding that Lucen was not one with false fame.

The remaining two challengers were regretting their decision to challenge Lucen. Now they were going to be beaten up badly and be ridiculed by the other students. Still, they could not back down and continued the challenge, doing the best they could.

The same as the others, Lucen defeated the remaining two with ease. Once that was done, Lucen rested the dull weapon he was holding against his shoulder and looked around.

The awe in the faces of the students had become something similar to worship. Lucen showed his usual confident smile as he glanced at Alexander’s group.

Alexander showed a burning competitive spirit, his eyes burning with passion to improve. ’Heh, I guess doing that had a good effect. Yeah, the stronger the protagonist is, the better the chances are for this world’s survival.’

Principal Aldren stepped forward, and the murmurs slowly faded. The students immediately straightened their backs. Even those who had been staring at Lucen with shining eyes forced themselves to look toward the principal.

”You have all seen enough,” Principal Aldren said calmly. ”Whether you were inspired, frightened, or humiliated by what happened here does not matter.”

His gaze swept across the freshmen. ”What matters is what you do after seeing it. So go and choose your classes wisely, leave no regrets and become the best version of yourself. Everyone, go to your respective classes and meet your advisors.”

”Yes, Sir!”

The students answered in unison before slowly dispersing.

However, even as they moved toward their respective classrooms, many of them kept glancing back at Lucen. The image of him defeating five challengers without using his famed guns, using only their specialities, without the need of aura or mana, had already carved itself into their minds.

Some looked inspired, some looked terrified, some looked as if their pride had been crushed before the school term had even properly begun.

Robert walked beside Lucen and yawned before speaking. ”It seems the knight department is as violent as ever. Still, I saw a few interesting students, maybe teaching these brats wouldn’t be as boring as I imagined.”

Lucen smiled faintly as Robert spoke, his gaze already moving toward the academy halls where new stories waited for them.