Return Of The Strongest Player

Boom!

Evan's feet exploded with mana, creating dents beneath his feet. With a crushed cheekbone, fatigued feet, blurry vision, and a pocket knife, he charged at Caroline, who was still processing the gash on her leg.

Regaining her composure, Caroline extended her arm. "[Gust]."

Wind danced at her fingertips, condensing and building pressure. Her hand shot back due to the recoil, and the condensed wind shot towards Evan.

Evan, having fallen prey to the same spell, didn't react strongly. He slid underneath the height which the wind was focusing on. Then, he threw his knife like a boomerang towards Caroline's face.

Caroline utilized [Gust] again to knock the knife off its course. However, by that point, Evan was a few inches away from her face. Curling his fingers into a fist, he extended his arm.

Smash! 

Evan's fist collided with Caroline's face, shattering her nose. At that moment, Evan's knife returned to his hand, and he thrust it forward.

Boom!

A split second before his knife pierced Caroline's throat, Ms. Gomez grabbed the knife's hilt and pushed Evan to the ground.

"The winner of this battle is… Evan Smith!"

Since Caroline was from the Derek Family, not many people cheered for her loss. However, there were a fair amount of people who did, either due to Evan's sheer skill in close combat or due to their hate towards the Derek family.

All things considered, Evan considered his victory a satisfying one.

Returning to the stands, he immediately heard towards Gary. His intention was to meet Arthur, but noticing that Jake sat beside him, he immediately altered his course. Evan high-fived Gary before sitting down beside him.

"I understand if you want to leave," said Jake, leaning forward emotionlessly. However, underneath the selfless facade, one could view the lonely child.

"Shut up," replied Arthur, placing his arm around Jake's neck. 

A few seconds passed, and the announcer entered the arena again. He seemed nervous as he gazed at the crowd. Suddenly, his eyes locked on a certain man with crimson eyes, who sat beside a man with dirty-blonde hair.

"The next battle is between… Arthur Solace and Alisha Mason Ainsworth."

Silence descended upon the entire arena. The crowd was dumbfounded, wondering how the battle had been authorized. Many were already surprised that Arthur hadn't been crippled by the Ainsworths.

What was Arcadia Academy thinking? Were they deliberately trying to antagonize the Ainsworths?

But the Ainsworths also had some influence on the match-ups. Why did they authorize such a battle, knowing what had occurred last time? Once the veil was draped upon the arena, no one saw Gregorio and Arthur's conversation last time.

So, they weren't aware that the two had even met.

Jake glanced worriedly at the crimson-eyed man, who remained stoic. However, internally, he was questioning Gregorio's sanity. With a single day left before the banquet, he should have been avoiding trouble.

However, Gregorio Dune was forcing him to battle Alisha.

'What the fuck did I do in past life to have this fate?' Arthur wondered, when realization suddenly struck him. He clutched his temples. 'Never mind, I did some fucked up shit.'

Standing up, he headed towards the arena. Jake warned him not to allow his emotions to run rampant. Considering her track record, Arthur was certain she would attempt to get inside his head.

He simply had to prevent that.

Stepping onto the arena, he got into position. From the opposite side emerged the cyan-haired woman. She wore a black, skin-tight suit, and her hair was tied back for the battle. In her hand was a familiar rapier.

It was just like their battle a few months ago.

"It's been a while," greeted Arthur, maintaining a stoic expression. The crowd let out boos, complaining about the match-up. However, the announcer and the staff of Arcadia Academy ignored the parents.

They couldn't lash out because of such petty reasons. They had a reputation to maintain. A prestige.

"It has," replied Alisha. Her expression was emotionless, too. "The last time we spoke was during Mr. Mason's first lesson after his prolonged absence. I'm glad we have the opportunity to redo this battle."

"I don't relate," replied Arthur, brandishing his longsword. Tying his hair, which fell to her neck, into a bun, the crimson-eyed man assumed a stance. His eyes were focused, and his mind was practically drowning with clarity.

He used mana to expand his blood vessels, allowing a higher amount of blood to flow to his brain. In turn, his alertness increased several fold. It was similar to the effect of caffeine, a neuro stimulant.

"That's quite rude," said Alisha, using Mana Infusion to infuse her rapier with mana. Mana particles shimmered beside the blade of her rapier, providing it with illumination. The glow was white, with particles of cyan.

On the other hand, Arthur infused his blade with crimson energy. Orange-red aura spilled from his body, and his feet dug into the ground. He prepared to charge, waiting for the announcer to announce the initiation of the battle.

"Begin!" The announcer announced, and the wind blew in both directions, with both moving against the grain. Cyan and crimson aura collided, causing smoke to envelop the arena. The two moved at terrifying speeds.

The crowd watched with envy and surprise.

Unlike what they expected, the battle would be quite interesting to spectate. Both were exceptionally powerful, having learnt from the best at Arcadia Academy. They were the number one and number two students in the Academy.

But would that hierarchy change? That depended on the outcome of the battle.

For the entire year, Alisha constantly seeked ways to surpass Arthur. From training several hours a day without rest to studying mana arts and theory relentlessly. She even risked her life hunting strong beasts after the Invisible Venom Lizard incident.

Yet, even though she never once saw Arthur training, the man still kept widening the gap between them.

Was he naturally strong? Was there any chance of her ever surpassing her self-proclaimed rival?

She had childish thoughts such as this at first.

But then, as she matured, she realized the truth of the matter… that she wasn't the only one working hard.