Chapter 39 - 1 vs 4
The four students spread out in what they believed was a proper combat formation, their weapons drawn and confidence radiating from their postures. They had clearly done this before – coordinated ambushes against isolated students to steal their accumulated cores.
Time to end this pathetic display of power.
Without warning, Draco activated both of his shared skills simultaneously, feeling the familiar surge of power flow through his enhanced physique.
[Skill Activated: Hyper-Sonic]
[Skill Activated: Nano-Vision]
His agility doubled instantly, bringing his effective speed to a staggering 44 points, while his vision transformed to highlight weakness and vulnerability in his opponents’ stances and equipment. The world seemed to slow around him as his perception processed information at an accelerated rate.
The four attackers had barely begun to advance when Draco moved.
He wasn’t going to hold back against students who had tried to injure Zephyr, attempted to ambush him, and clearly thought themselves mighty enough to intimidate and rob their classmates. They deserved to learn exactly how wrong their assumptions had been.
Draco’s enhanced speed carried him across the distance to the nearest student before the young man could even react. His sword work had been honed through actual life-or-death combat, not academy practice sessions, and the difference was immediately apparent.
The first target was the archer who shot at Zephyr. Taking care of him first was the best option, the first reason was because he would be annoying to deal with, and secondly was because he shot at Zephyr.
Seeing Draco appear before him, the archer’s eyes widened in disbelief and shock. He immediately tried to nock another arrow, but Draco’s blade was already there, striking the bow from his hands with a precise cut that left deep gashes across his knuckles. Before the student could cry out in pain, Draco’s pommel struck him squarely in the solar plexus, dropping him to his knees and leaving him gasping for air.
The second student, wielding dual daggers, attempted a flanking manoeuvre that might have worked against a normal opponent. However, Nano-Vision highlighted the telegraphed nature of his attack pattern, showing Draco exactly where and when the strikes would come.
Nano-vision wasn’t an overpowered skill, not at all. But because of the difference in strength between them, it operated at a higher level.
Draco sidestepped the first dagger thrust with minimal effort, grabbed the student’s extended wrist, and used his momentum against him. A sharp twist sent the attacker tumbling across the rocky ground, his weapons skittering away as he tried to break his fall.
[Master, you’re amazing! They can’t even touch you! ＼(^o^)／] Zephyr called out from his elevated position, watching the one-sided combat with obvious delight.
Draco had told him to stay in the air. Draco knew that beating them would be easy, and wanted to verify his own strength against others from different classes, to know where he stood just from his borrowed power alone.
The third student, armed with a heavy mace, swung his weapon in a wide arc that would have been devastating against a stationary target. Unfortunately for him, Draco was no longer where the attack was aimed.
Moving with fluid grace, Draco ducked under the swing and drove his elbow upward into the student’s exposed ribs. The impact lifted the larger boy off his feet momentarily before he crashed back down, his mace falling from nerveless fingers as he clutched his injured side.
How can he be so powerful? the leader thought desperately as he watched his teammates being dismantled. Beastmasters aren’t supposed to be this strong! They’re support specialists, not combat monsters!
The leader himself wielded a sword and shield combination, which should have provided both offensive capability and defensive protection. However, his little academy training had not prepared him for an opponent who moved with the lethal efficiency of someone who had faced actual death in combat.
Draco’s blade work was relentless and precise. Every strike targeted specific vulnerabilities that his enhanced vision revealed – gaps in the student’s guard, weak points in his stance, moments when his shield was positioned incorrectly.
The leader’s confidence crumbled as he found himself being pushed back step by step easily, his defensive technique proving inadequate against Draco’s assault. Cuts appeared on his arms and legs as Draco’s sword found its way past his increasingly desperate attempts to block.
This isn’t possible! We planned this perfectly! Four against one should be an easy victory! Unless the person is part of A-Class. But he isn’t!
"How... how are you this strong?" the leader gasped between laboured breaths, his shield arm trembling from repeated impacts. "Beastmaster’s can’t fight like this! You aren’t even using your bea...ughh!"
Draco didn’t bother responding verbally. Instead, he increased the tempo of his attacks, his enhanced speed making it impossible for the students to maintain adequate defence. A final, decisive strike knocked the shield from the leader’s grip and sent his sword flying through the air.
Within less than two minutes, all four attackers were on the ground with various injuries, nothing permanently damaging, but certainly enough to make them think twice before attempting another ambush. Their faces were bruised and swollen, their pride thoroughly crushed along with their misconceptions about the bastard Beastmaster of the Ashblade house.
The archer was still struggling to breathe properly. The dual-wielder was nursing what was probably a sprained wrist. The mace user was holding his ribs and wincing with every breath. The leader sat in the dirt, staring at Draco with a mixture of shock and growing horror with various injuries.
The group had already long since realised just how badly they miscalculated the altercation.
"Your examination storage rings. Now," Draco commanded.
Unlike before, they didn’t dare to disobey him. With trembling hands and defeated expressions, the four students began removing their storage rings. They had no choice, resistance would only invite more painful lessons in the reality of their situation.
As Draco collected the rings, he was pleasantly surprised by their contents. Several beast cores glinted within each storage space, suggesting these students had either been more successful hunters than their combat performance indicated, or they had already robbed other contestants of their accumulated rewards.
Probably a mix of both. Whether it was fighting or stealing from lonely students.
The leader looked up at Draco with desperate hope in his eyes. "You... you got what you wanted. You can let us go now, right? We won’t bother you again."
Draco reached into their equipment and pulled out the emergency crystals that professor had distributed to each student. The small devices glowed softly in his hand, and the four attackers’ eyes widened as they realized what he was holding.
"Actually, I don’t think I will," Draco said calmly.
Without any hesitation or mercy, he crushed the crystals in his fist.
The reaction was immediate and devastating to their hopes. The crushed crystal sent out a magical signal that would bring an instructor to this exact location within minutes, and there was only one reason why an emergency crystal would be activated in a situation like this.
"No! No, no, no!" the leader cried out in growing horror as he watched the crystal turn into particles that flew with the wind. "You can’t disqualify us! We weren’t trying to kill you! "