Trying to regain control, Sean shifted his stance and launched a flurry of attacks. His sword moved with power, but Arthur dodged and deflected each strike with an economy of movent that left Sean increasingly frustrated.
A minute passed, and the tables had turned. Sean, who had started the match aggressively, found himself forced onto the defensive. Arthur's continuous and calculated strikes allowed him no room to counterattack.
'Was he just testing earlier?' Sean thought, irritation bubbling up as Arthur's relentless pressure pushed him back.
Unable to take the mounting humiliation, Sean decided to end the exchange decisively. Letting out a low growl, he unleashed a powerful horizontal strike, imdiately following it with a downward vertical slash, pouring all his strength into the attack.
"Damn it," Arthur muttered under his breath, recognizing the sudden shift in pace.
'Guess my earlier moves bruised his pride,' Arthur thought, gripping his sword tightly.
Instead of dodging or defending, Arthur stepped forward, eting Sean's vertical slash head-on with his own. The clash of their blades echoed through the arena, the force of the impact causing both of them to montarily slide back on their feet.
Arthur t Sean's strike head-on, his sword colliding with a resounding clang. The impact sent a sharp vibration up his arm, forcing him back a few steps.
Despite the force behind Sean's attack, Arthur's expression remained steady. If anything, a glint of excitent flickered in his eyes.
This fight was different. Unlike his past battles, where his life had been on the line and every move had to be calculated for survival, this was different. Here, he could finally let loose.
In real combat, he had always relied on lethal efficiency—quick, decisive strikes ant to kill. But this? This was an opportunity to refine his swordsmanship without worrying about life-or-death consequences. No skills, no mana, no magic. Just pure technique.
Clang!
Their swords t in a violent clash, the force sending a sharp jolt through Arthur's arms. He gritted his teeth as his feet slid back a few steps under the impact. Sean was strong—stronger than he had expected.
But Arthur was still standing.
Sean, however, was visibly shaken. His full-strength strike should have overwheld any first-year, yet Arthur had taken it head-on and was still standing.
'Tch… he's tougher than he looks,' Sean thought, tightening his grip.
Stay connected through empire
Arthur wasn't concerned with winning or losing. He was simply enjoying the fight—each clash of blades, each exchange of blows, each mont of pure swordsmanship.
As their swords continued to collide, small shockwaves rippled through the ring, the sheer force of their strikes causing vibrations in the air.
The watching students instinctively took a step back, feeling the growing intensity between the two fighters. What had started as a simple spar had escalated into a battle of raw skill and power.
At the far end of the club, a young man was imrsed in his training.
Leon Katz.
The vice president of the Sword Club, known for his eccentricity. He had been entirely focused on his own practice, but the commotion caught his attention.
Pausing mid-swing, he turned toward the gathering crowd, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Hm? What's with all the noise?" He muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Deciding to take a break, he sheathed his sword and strolled toward the ring, weaving through the murmuring spectators.
Spotting a nearby mber, he tapped his shoulder. "What's going on?"
The student turned, his expression a mix of excitent and disbelief. "Vice President, that first-year… he's going against Sean to prove his skills for admission."
As Leon approached the ring, the surrounding mbers instinctively made way for him. His presence alone commanded attention—after all, he wasn't just any upperclassman; he was the vice president of the Sword Club.
"What's his rank?" Leon asked, his tone casual but laced with curiosity.
One of the nearby students quickly responded, "He claid to be a low-tier Advanced Rank swordsman. That's why this spar is happening—to verify if he's telling the truth."
Leon's eyes narrowed as he observed the match. Arthur was matching Sean's attacks blow for blow, holding his ground against a mid-tier Advanced Rank opponent.
"I think it's already proven, then," Leon remarked with a smirk.
He continued watching in silence, his sharp gaze analyzing Arthur's movents. After a mont, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Judging by his swordsmanship, I'd say he's at least at the peak of the Interdiate level," he mused.
A few students in the crowd nearly scoffed at the statent—until they realized who had said it. The mont they saw Leon standing there, their laughter died in their throats.
Sean, however, was an exception—not because of his refined technique, but due to his sheer physical strength. He fought like a brute, relying on overwhelming force rather than skill. His raw power had carried him to the mid-Advanced Rank, allowing him to overpower weaker opponents with brute force alone.
Hearing Leon's assessnt, the surrounding students started to understand why Arthur was able to keep up with Sean for so long. If Arthur had reached the peak of the Interdiate level in swordsmanship, then it made sense that he wasn't imdiately overwheld.
anwhile, after exchanging multiple blows with Sean, Arthur had already figured him out.
'So this guy is just a mindless brawler…' Arthur mused.
Sean fought like a rampaging bull, swinging his sword with reckless aggression, expecting his strength to make up for his lack of technique. That might have worked against weaker opponents, but against soone like Arthur, it was nothing more than blind arrogance.
A faint smirk tugged at Arthur's lips as he adjusted his stance.
Sean noticed it—and it enraged him.
"You…!" His face twisted in fury, veins bulging on his forehead.
He thought Arthur was mocking him. The realization stung his pride, and in his anger, his grip on the sword tightened. His eyes turned bloodshot, his movents growing wilder.
Sean had never truly considered Arthur his equal. To him, this fight was just a formality, a waste of ti. But now, after being forced into a prolonged exchange—and worse, feeling mocked—his pride couldn't take it.
His frustration boiled over. Ignoring the agreed-upon rules, he began unleashing his mana.
A suffocating pressure filled the air as Sean's full Advanced Rank aura erupted, sending a chill down the spines of the watching students. Those in the front instinctively took a step back, feeling the weight of his power.
Arthur frowned.
'This idiot… He's resorting to mana now?'
The match was ant to test swordsmanship—pure technique, no magic, no enhancents. Yet the mont Sean realized he couldn't overpower Arthur with brute strength alone, he chose to break the rules.
Arthur's gaze flicked toward the instructor. The older man, catching his silent ssage, imdiately moved to step in and stop the fight.
But before he could intervene, a voice from the crowd halted him.
A man stepped forward, his re presence commanding silence.
Lucas, the president of the Sword Club, observed the situation with an amused yet intrigued expression.
"You have two options, junior," Lucas said, his tone even. "You can choose to quit the match, or you can continue. After all, stopping a fight midway isn't exactly satisfying, is it?"
Then, with a slight smirk, he added, "Don't worry—even if you step down now, you've already proven your skills. You're more than qualified to join the club."
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, analyzing Lucas's intent.
'Is he siding with Sean? Or does he simply not want to miss a good fight?'
From what Arthur recalled about Lucas, he wasn't the type to be petty. He didn't seem like soone who would hold a grudge just because a first-year crushed the pride of a senior mber. If anything, Lucas was a battle junkie—soone who lived for exciting fights.
'That must be it,' Arthur thought. 'He wouldn't waste his ti if he wasn't interested.'
With that in mind, Arthur gave a firm nod. "I'll continue."
Lucas grinned as if he had expected nothing less.
Arthur then turned his gaze toward Sean, who now looked at him like a predator eyeing its prey.
'Tch, this bastard really thinks he can intimidate ?'
Arthur clenched his sword tighter.
'I'll make sure to teach this dog a lesson—one so thorough he won't bare his fangs at just anyone again.'
The serious expression on Sean's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a smug, leisurely grin.
The confidence he had lost after being outmaneuvered by Arthur had returned the mont he felt mana coursing through his body again. In his mind, the fight was already decided. After all, with his mana and rank advantage, how could a re first-year possibly stand a chance?
"I'll make sure to offer my junior so sincere guidance," Sean said mockingly, tilting his head as if he were so benevolent ntor.
"Don't take it too hard when you lose. Just see it as a learning experience and try to improve."
Arthur scoffed. "Thanks, senior, for wasting your precious ti on a junior like ."
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