Chapter 92: A dangerous fight
Clara swallowed hard. "R-really? Is he that strong?"
Lucius nodded. "Of course. I only have 5 Marks. Even though my combination is good, it’s barely a third of what he has. And his combination is in no way inferior to mine. I’m still a Rank E, after all. He’s almost a Rank B."
Such a huge gap couldn’t be bridged by skill alone. Because, even though he has a skill (and a very good one at that), Darius has one too, and it’s pretty good.
The fact that he stands a chance of winning already speaks volumes about his skill, since his hand-to-hand combat skills are far inferior to those of Darius, who is a natural-born martial artist with magic that enhances his abilities.
However, for Clara, who had seen Lucius accomplish the impossible many times, this was a blow that was hard to take.
Could the man who, as an F-Rank, was able to shatter the Obsidian Gorilla with a single punch really lose in a head-to-head fight against Darius?
She trembled.
Lucius looked at her and almost instantly noticed her fear, so he burst out laughing.
"Hey, little girl, don’t compare that battle to this one. The difference between a D+ Rank and a talented mage with 15 Marks is just too great. You can’t compare them."
She sighed. "What are you going to do, then? If you face him..."
"No problem. Even though I have little chance of winning in a head-on fight... in a strategic battle, I’m sure I can beat him."
"Strategic on such a small arena?" Clara asked skeptically.
"Hehe, there’s always a way." Lucius laughed suspiciously.
--
The second day of the tournament began.
[Ranking: #1,010 vs. Ranking: #1,005]
Lucius’s second match wasn’t much different from the previous one, and he had his third and fourth matches that same day.
The third match was against the fighter ranked #1,003—one of the three most powerful D-Rank fighters.
In terms of strength, they were on par with many C-Rank fighters, but they ultimately fell to Lucius’s brutal sword skills or his occasional magic spells.
.
The fourth match... an unexpected surprise.
A match that drew attention because of what was at stake and the strength of the opponents.
[Lucius Asturias (Rising Star) #1,003
vs.
Oliver Williams (Lance of the Wind) #1,000]
When Clara saw the announcement, she turned to look at Lucius beside her.
"He..."
"It seems the level at New Asturias Academy has risen considerably. I’m afraid there’ll be a big surprise this year at Central Academy." Lucius laughed.
That the No. 1,000-ranked fighter had managed to beat the No. 700-ranked fighter was a huge surprise.
"Aren’t you worried?"
"As long as it’s not the No. 501-ranked fighter, I think I’ll be fine in a head-to-head match without you there," Lucius replied.
She sighed. "I really admire your composure."
"Hahaha..."
In the afternoon, Lucius’s fourth match and Clara’s fourth match began.
One was aiming to officially enter the C Rankings. The other was trying to secure a spot within the top 2,500 to qualify for the next round.
-
"Do you know what that guy said to me before he knocked me out of the arena with a punch?"
In the combat arena, Lucius and Oliver looked at each other.
Lucius was intrigued by Oliver’s question. "My dear younger brother seems to be obsessed with me, so I can guess a few things."
Oliver laughed. "I’m sure you can figure it out. He said that when it’s his turn to face you, he’ll wipe the floor with you and use all his power. At the end, he said, ’I’ll kill you!’—something like that."
Lucius burst out laughing. "That definitely sounds like something he’d say."
"Yeah... he almost knocked a tooth out of me right then. He’s got a dangerous punch. I don’t want to face him again." Oliver shuddered.
"Is that why you decided to drop so far in the rankings?"
"I wish I could say yes," Oliver said, glancing toward the dressing rooms. Standing there was the man who had just defeated him. "But this time, they’ve really run me over... Sigh, almost a year of effort trying to break into the Academy’s Top 10, and it looks like it’ll be impossible for now."
"It’s not that bad," Lucius said. "New geniuses and lucky people have emerged. But you’re not doing too badly either. Maybe that guy will make it to the top alongside Darius, and you can come in right behind him."
Oliver laughed. "Sounds like there’s a ’but’ coming."
"Of course. This time, you’re going to lose. You’ll have to work hard to make it to the playoffs—remember, you’ll only have two matches left to stay in the Top 1,000 and keep the advantage of facing weaker opponents."
"You’re really confident in yourself."
"If I’m not confident, who will be?"
"Hehe, you’re right. Unlike those who have families backing them, we have to rely on ourselves. I admire you, so I’ll fight with all my might." Oliver summoned his spear and swung it.
The wind parted in his wake and then embraced him tightly, as if to comfort him.
He wasn’t just any mage—he was an Attribute Mage. And his core magic is wind.
The strong wind buffeted Lucius’s clothes, so he summoned his sword.
"Let me test your wind."
"Hehe, I don’t know what to make of you. You don’t seem to belong to any attribute, so I’ll say... I’ll test your peculiar magic and subdue it with my wind."
Oliver thrust his spear forward. The wind swirled and lashed out at Lucius head-on.
Lucius leaped to the side, swinging his sword to cleave the magic in half.
As he landed, he charged at Oliver at full speed.
Oliver threw several similar wind attacks in his path, which were either dodged or split in half. They didn’t cause any damage, but they did slow Lucius down.
Seeing that Lucius was so determined to engage in a head-on fight and had no intention of using his magic, Oliver smiled.
"Head-on fight? I’m better at that."
The sword and spear clashed, and immediately both began attacking frantically.
The sword and spear collided repeatedly, inflicting varying degrees of damage until one side gained the upper hand.
BOOM!
Lucius was pushed backward, his feet scraping against the ground.
’At least a mid-C-rank force,’ he calculated.
He looked ahead and dove to the side to dodge an attack from above.
BOOM!
The force carved trenches into the sand.
"You’ll have to get serious if you want to beat me, Rising Star." Oliver’s green eyes gleamed. "Even though I just lost, I’m not that weak."