Transmigrated Young Master's Yandere Harem

The training ground was far more crowded than anyone expected for a duel that had only been arranged a short while ago.

News had spread through the academy quickly, carried by the kind of excitement students could never resist, and by the time the group arrived at the outdoor sparring platform, people were already gathering from every direction.

Students lined the edges of the arena, speaking in low voices while waiting for the match to begin. The air carried the tense excitement of a real confrontation, not a friendly sparring session arranged for practice.

Azael, Morgan, and Elsa stopped near the edge of the platform where they had a clear view without standing too close.

Elsa stood between them with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She had barely spoken since leaving the cafeteria, and even though she tried to keep a calm expression, the worry on her face was obvious. Her pink eyes never left the platform.

Leon and Cedric stepped onto the sparring ground from opposite sides. Both carried real steel swords, the standard weapons used during official academy duels. These were not practice blades. Official matches demanded proper control and discipline, and both students understood the risks that came with using real weapons.

An instructor walked forward to oversee the duel. Instructor Dovan was a large man in his thirties with years of combat experience behind him, and his presence alone was enough to make the crowd quieter.

If Dovan was supervising personally, then this duel had been formally approved by the academy rather than being treated as a simple fight between students.

He looked at both fighters carefully before speaking. "Standard official duel rules apply. Mana and techniques are permitted, but attacks with lethal intent are forbidden. Any strike meant to cause serious injury will end the match immediately."

His voice carried clearly across the entire training ground. "Victory is decided if your opponent yields, loses their weapon, or is unable to continue. If I call for the duel to stop, you stop immediately. Understood?"

"Yes," Leon answered calmly.

"Yes," Cedric replied without any worry.

Dovan stepped back and raised one hand. "Begin."

For a few seconds neither of them moved. The silence between them was not hesitation but careful observation. Both were studying the other's stance, grip, posture, and breathing, searching for small weaknesses before committing to an attack.

Cedric moved first.

He stepped forward with a controlled diagonal slash aimed from the right shoulder. It was not a full-power attack but a testing strike meant to judge Leon's reactions and establish distance.

Leon avoided it with a small backward step and immediately countered toward Cedric's exposed side.

Cedric reacted smoothly, turning his blade just in time to intercept the strike. Steel clashed sharply, and the sound echoed across the training ground.

"Not bad, commoner.'

"It's just a beginning." Leon replied.

"We will see it soon." Cedric spoke."

While crowd fell silent after that first exchange.

Azael folded his arms as he watched carefully. Leon's movements immediately stood out to him. His footwork was unusual compared to noble students who learned formal swordsmanship from childhood.

Leon moved with smaller, tighter steps, wasting almost no energy. Every motion looked natural, built through practical experience rather than strict training forms.

Cedric advanced again with a flowing combination of attacks, each strike connecting naturally into the next. His style focused on pressure and momentum, forcing opponents into defensive reactions before overwhelming them completely.

Leon handled the first two attacks with quick deflections instead of direct blocks, redirecting the force while keeping his balance. When the third strike came, Leon suddenly stepped inside Cedric's range where the longer blade became harder to use and drove his elbow into Cedric's guard.

Cedric absorbed the impact and retreated quickly, creating distance before Leon could follow up.

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"He's good," Azael said quietly.

Elsa glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the duel. "He's trained since we were children," she said softly. "Even after everyone else stopped practicing, he would stay outside and continue training alone every evening."

"It shows," Azael replied. "His fundamentals are rough in places, but they're solid. He built them himself."

Elsa hesitated before speaking again. "But Cedric is rank eight."

"He is," Azael answered simply.

Elsa tightened her hands together. "Leon always does this," she whispered. "Whenever someone insults someone he cares about or pushes too far, he refuses to back down."

"Because he stands up for people," Azael said.

She nodded faintly. "Every single time."

Azael watched the duel for another moment before speaking again. "He's not losing yet. Watch the match properly instead of worrying."

Elsa blinked in surprise before turning her full attention back toward the platform.

The duel had already entered a new phase. Mana now flowed through both fighters, though neither had used full techniques yet.

Cedric's sword crackled faintly with lightning mana whenever he committed to stronger attacks, increasing the speed and force behind every strike.

Leon's light element appeared differently, glowing softly around his movements and improving his speed and reactions rather than adding raw power.

Their fighting styles became even clearer as the battle continued. Cedric fought aggressively, building pressure with heavy combinations and enhanced strikes.

His lightning mana suited that approach perfectly, making every attack faster and harder to defend against.

Leon, however, fought with precision and patience. Instead of trying to overpower Cedric directly, he redirected attacks, searched for openings, and slipped into close range whenever possible.

At first, it worked well.

But Cedric's reach slowly became a problem.

Cedric was taller, and his swordsmanship had clearly been trained around using that advantage. Every time Leon managed to close the distance, Cedric adjusted quickly and forced him back again. The openings Leon searched for became smaller with every exchange.

A heavy clash near the center of the platform ended with both swords locked together.

Clang!!

Cedric leaned forward with his greater size and strength, forcing Leon backward step by step until Leon finally broke away and reset his stance. He recovered quickly, but the balance of the duel had shifted.

Cedric had found his rhythm.

The next attacks came faster than before. Lightning crackled visibly around Cedric's blade now as he increased the pressure.

Leon still defended successfully, his light mana enhancing his movements enough to keep him in the fight, but he was no longer controlling the pace. He was reacting instead of leading.

Azael narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the exchanges. Cedric had a pattern.

Whenever he prepared for a heavy downward strike, his left foot shifted slightly forward to stabilize his weight.

It was proper technique, but it created a small tell before every committed attack. There was an opening hidden inside that movement.

Leon either had not noticed it yet or had not found the right moment to use it.

Azael said nothing. This was Leon's duel.

"He's being pushed back," Elsa said quietly.

"He is," Azael admitted. "But watch his eyes, not his position. He's still thinking clearly. He hasn't mentally lost control of the match."

Elsa focused carefully after hearing that.

Leon circled away from another aggressive combination, deliberately giving ground instead of wasting energy resisting head-on. His expression remained calm, his golden eyes sharp and focused as he continued analyzing Cedric's movements.

Beside them, Morgan watched silently with her arms crossed. "Cedric has the advantage right now," she said quietly. "But Leon still hasn't shown everything."

"Neither has Cedric," Azael replied.

On the platform, Cedric attacked again with another fast sequence. His confidence had grown, and lightning mana burst more visibly from each strike now. Leon deflected the first attack. Then the second. Cedric raised his sword high for another powerful downward slash.

His right shoulder shifted.

His left foot stepped forward.

Leon saw it.

Instead of blocking or retreating, Leon suddenly stepped directly into the attack. He moved inside the arc of Cedric's blade before the strike could fully descend and twisted his own sword upward, knocking Cedric's wrist off balance at the exact moment the attack committed.

Then Leon struck forward with his free hand, releasing a concentrated burst of light mana directly into Cedric's chest.

The attack was not strong enough to seriously injure him, but the impact forced Cedric backward.

One step.

Then another.

Cedric barely stopped himself before losing balance entirely. He remained standing with his sword still in hand, but the confident expression on his face disappeared, replaced by sharp focus.

"Dammit...guess I won't hold back then." Cedric's sword started to crackle in blue lightning. It covered the whole blade.

"Sure...i will go out as well. "Leon said as his blade soon turned into white light color.

The crowd exploded into noise.

Students gasped and shouted in surprise after seeing Cedric driven back so suddenly.

Across the platform, Cedric stared at Leon carefully now.

Leon stared back without fear.

The duel had changed completely.

Azael slowly uncrossed his arms as he watched.

Beside him, Elsa finally released the breath she had been holding.

For the first time since the challenge had begun, there was something new in her expression. there was hope that Leon might win.

Meanwhile Azael narrowed his eyes. 'Hero...aren't hero also have light element...well there are many people with light mana...Now I am curious if hero would appear in this era or not.'