Will of the Battlefield

The courtyard had scarcely settled after Hawk’s victory over Master Baelor when another figure wandered into the training circle.

Garret.

He walked with the same lazy gait he always wore, hands buried inside his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched as though the world bored him.

A yawn escaped him.

"So..." he muttered. "Guess it’s my turn."

The atmosphere shifted.

Unlike the excitement that had greeted Baelor, an uneasy silence fell over the instructors.

Master Oren frowned.

Baelor rubbed his aching shoulder.

Even Principal Athenok narrowed his eyes.

Only the students seemed confused.

Thane scratched his head. "Why’s everyone acting weird?"

Conor noticed it too. "...They seem to be nervous."

Garret finally stopped several paces before Hawk.

He removed one hand from his pocket.

"Garret."

"Hawk."

Neither bowed immediately.

They simply stared.

For the first time since arriving at Blue Leaf Academy, Hawk’s smile disappeared before the fight; his eyes became sharp, dangerously sharp.

Garret noticed. A crooked grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So, you can recognize one."

Hawk nodded. "I do. You’ve killed people."

The words landed like stones; several students blinked.

Garret answered without shame. "Quite a few, and you?"

Hawk’s expression remained calm. "I stopped counting."

Silence swallowed the courtyard.

Even Thane looked between the two men. "Hawk?"

Max quietly folded his arms. "So that’s why."

Simon swallowed nervously. "What?"

"Until now... Hawk was sparring."

He looked toward Garret. "This won’t be sparring."

Principal Athenok slowly stood. "No killing."

Garret shrugged. "If he dies, he dies."

The principal sighed. "I said no killing."

Garret rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Hawk finally bowed. "A pleasure."

Garret returned the bow lazily. "The pleasure depends on whether you survive."

No referee announced the beginning; no signal came.

Nothing. The duel simply started.

Garret was already in front of Hawk.

No warning or stance. His fist appeared from inside his pocket like a striking snake.

THUMP

Hawk barely turned his head; the punch grazed his jaw.

His body rotated with the impact before regaining balance.

Thane’s mouth fell open. "He moved without taking his hand out!"

Garret never stopped; a low kick followed immediately.

Hawk lifted his leg; the kick vanished.

Instead, Garret stomped directly on Hawk’s supporting foot.

CRACK.

Hawk stumbled. "Huh?!"

Sky shouted. "He stepped on his foot!"

Garret’s elbow immediately chased after Hawk’s face.

Hawk blocked; Garret grabbed the blocking arm and pulled.

Then whipped his head forward, aiming for Hawk’s nose.

BANG

Blood sprayed; several students gasped.

Garret backed away casually. "You’re slow."

Hawk wiped his bleeding nose. "...No. I’m adjusting."

Garret chuckled. "I was hoping you’d say that."

Unlike Vidu’s fight, whose style was known to Hawk, the new masters were difficult. They were not mere fighters, but actual masters that could earn a great name in underground fighting if they wanted.

This time Hawk attacked: a straight punch. Garret slipped outside with minimum movement.

His fingers suddenly hooked Hawk’s sleeve; he yanked.

The momentum carried Hawk slightly forward, just enough for a follow-up.

Garret’s knee buried itself into Hawk’s thigh. His muscles failed momentarily under the strain, and his balance faltered.

Another elbow came immediately afterward.

Hawk ducked; his own shoulder smashed toward Garret’s ribs.

Garret accepted it; the impact pushed him backward.

He smiled wider. "There you are."

The courtyard echoed with collision and violence; not the slightest hint of graceful martial arts remained.

Both men discarded beauty and elegance.

The exchange resembled two dogs fighting over the last scrap of meat in winter.

Short punches, shoulders, headbutts, knees, palm strikes, and every possible thing.

Every movement sought injury, not points. Not style, but damage.

Master Baelor folded his arms. "He’s worse than I expected."

Master Oren nodded. "They both are."

Hawk caught Garret’s wrist and twisted.

Garret rotated with it instead of resisting; his free hand suddenly reached behind Hawk’s neck.

Both crashed together; their foreheads collided again.

Neither retreated.

Garret laughed. "Hurts?"

Hawk answered with an elbow.

Garret blocked, barely.

The force numbed his entire arm. He mumbled, "So heavy..."

He retreated three steps.

Hawk advanced with numerous attacks.

Garret defended everything.

Then, without warning...

He threw dirt. A handful of loose sand exploded into Hawk’s eyes.

The students exploded.

"HEY!"

"That’s cheating!"

Hawk blinked instinctively.

Garret’s boot immediately slammed into Hawk’s stomach.

BOOM.

Hawk slid across the stone courtyard.

Thane shouted, "Pervert! You can’t do that!"

Garret ignored him and walked toward Hawk slowly. "Can? I just did."

Hawk rose while rubbing his eyes, his vision blurred. Garret attacked immediately.

No hesitation, a low sweep.

Hawk jumped; Garret had expected it.

His shoulder crashed into Hawk midair.

The impact flipped Hawk completely around.

Before Hawk landed, Garret kicked the back of his knee.

Hawk dropped onto one leg.

Garret’s fist stopped an inch from his throat.

Then he withdrew; he wanted more.

Hawk breathed deeply. "...Good."

Garret laughed. "You enjoy pain."

"No. I enjoy honesty."

"What honesty?"

"This." Hawk gestured toward Garret. "You aren’t pretending; you simply want to win."

Garret nodded approvingly. "Finally, you understand."

The duel intensified.

The courtyard disappeared beneath rising dust.

Neither fighter remained clean; Garret’s cheek was swollen. Blood trickled from his lip.

Hawk’s eyebrow had split open; his white hair had turned crimson in places.

Again they collided. The rhythm became impossible to follow.

Only masters could truly see.

An instructor smiled. "He learns during combat."

Baelor answered quietly. "So does Garret."

Garret suddenly retreated.

Three steps, four. Hawk chased.

The instant Hawk entered range, Garret deliberately stumbled.

His body tilted sideways; students thought he’d lost balance.

He hadn’t. As Hawk instinctively reached to grab him, Garret’s fingers hooked inside Hawk’s sleeve.

His other hand grabbed Hawk’s belt.

Using Hawk’s own momentum, he violently dragged him downward.

At the same instant, his knee exploded upward.

Straight between Hawk’s legs.

THUD.

The entire academy froze.

Hawk’s face turned pale, and his eyes widened.

Every male student instinctively crossed their legs, wincing in pain.

Thane screamed louder than anyone. "THAT’S ILLEGAL!!"

Sky covered her face.

Conor said in a pained voice, "...I felt that..."

Garret calmly shoved Hawk backward.

The white-haired manager collapsed onto one knee.

Coughing, trying to breathe.

The courtyard erupted.

"CHEATER!"

"That’s not martial arts!"

"You can’t attack there!"

Several first-years booed openly.

Even Master Baelor sighed and frowned.

Master Oren simply covered his face. "I knew... I knew he’d do something shameless."

Garret looked toward the furious students.

Then burst into loud laughter. "What? You think battle has rules?"

Nobody answered; his grin widened. "Everything... is fair... in love... and war."

An awkward silence appeared.

"No wonder an old pervert like you is still single." Thane pointed his finger at Garret, whose face twitched but didn’t answer.

Slowly, Hawk began laughing too. He remained on one knee.

Still breathing heavily, still in obvious pain. Yet he laughed.

Garret blinked. "You laughing at me?"

Hawk shook his head. "No. I’m laughing because you’re right."

He planted one foot firmly beneath himself, then another.

Ignoring the pain, he stood once more; blood ran down his face.

His breathing remained uneven. Yet his eyes burned brighter than before.

He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

Then looked straight at Garret.

"Now..." Hawk said with a broad grin. "My turn to fight dirty."

Garret’s smile slowly widened. For the first time in years... he felt excitement.

Around them, every master instinctively took one step backward.

The real duel had only just begun. The dirty duel.