{Wee everyone to ourst day of thepetition. Man, I didn''t think it would end this fast}


    As usual, the female emcee energetically announced today''s schedule, facing many spectators when some of them were an important figure.


    They were already informed about the schedule and were a bit disappointed about it, but in exchange, they will witness some students who fight well. Also, the elite of the academy will take turns duelling each other to show the world how their performance was and to showcase their talent.


    {...Okay, in today''s duel opening, we will wee someone special from the academy fighting against the champion of the Martial Competition this year; we will wee Soma}


    A chorus of cheers resonated within the stadium as they saw Soma, wearing his uniform, calmly walking away and then standing in the Arena, observed by many curious gazes as to what kind of person who won over the other this year was.


    Of course, for those who watched yesterday''s match, it was still fresh in their minds how Soma directly destroyed half of the Arena, showing his full potential.


    They were anticipating what kind of battle he would show today and who would be his opponent.


    Then, as the curiosity peaked, and everyone in the venue turned to look at the other tunnel where the opponent came out. Their eyes bloated as they saw Rnd wearing long loose clothes that were perfect for intense movement.


    "I hope I was not toote".


    {Yep, for today''s duel, we will conduct a duel between Soma and our headmaster, Rnd. The strongest student and the strongest teacher will battle each other. I wonder who is going to win?}


    Rnd waved his hands, responding to his students and people who cheered for him and admired his figure.


    "No, you just got in time".


    Without further ado, Soma began his preparation as he spread his feet, putting his battle stance.


    "Why so impatient, let''s take it easy shall we?".


    "I''m sorry, but our ss has something to do with tomorrow''s festival, so I will pass on your offer."


    As soon as he finished saying his piece, Soma exhaled and sharpened all his senses to their limit; from the start, he intended to give the duel his all.


    The venue turned silent as heavy pressure came from Soma, who suddenly took the duel into another leap.


    Rnd was baffled, but he replied with a slight bow before preparing his stance. It was a rtively strong stance while his aura leaked out.


    {Woah, it seems both of them are raring up to do the duel, so, Teacher Lee, I leave it to you…}


    Lee appeared from the side of the Arena and then shouted his instruction.


    "Duel Start!".


    Soma and Rnd neither of them wear their equipment and decide to fight using their own flesh as a Martial Artist.


    In a blink, both of them disappeared and reappeared within each other''s range. A shadow of a fist appeared in Soma''s sight, which he dealt with calmly by tilting his head to the side.


    However,  when the fist loosened its finger as it spread out, forming a tight palm which Rnd swung to the side, trying to sever Soma''s neck.


    Soma lowered his centre of gravity and prepared his counter in the form of a palm strike, but Rnd found out as he brought down his palm to deflect the strike and grabbed Soma''s wrist tightly.


    Rnd''s pulling force made Soma lose his bnce for a bit. Then he saw a knee run straight toward his face.


    Noticing the grave situation he was in, Soma jerked his head to the side and rotated himself within that split second beforeunching his body up and countering with a spinning kick.


    Rnd stand still used his other hand to block it and release the grip on Soma''s wrist, which made him leap back.


    This time, Rnd took the initiative and began to pursue Soma, relentlessly engaging in closebat, with style.


    They could hear the lively atmosphere, the chorus and the adrenaline that heightened the two contestants further, narrowing their sightedness in focusing on each other.


    Soma noticed a slight opening as he side-stepped to the side andunched a swept punch, connecting it with Rnd''s ribs.


    He did indeed hear a crack, but it was not Rnd''s ribs; instead, it was the brooch he held in his pockets.


    Rnd got blown away for a few meters, regained his stance, rushed forward in an unexpected way while holding his ribs, and dashed forward like a mad bull, then using his shoulder to crash himself with Soma.


    Luckily, in time, Soma managed to cross his arms to protect his front area, but he got blown away a dozen meters.


    "Fuu, that was tough. I don''t think you are this strong".


    "Well thanks".


    Soma lowered his hands and controlled his breath, trying to calm his raging power from running amok. Part of him seemed to want to test the new technique he still couldn''t master. "Let''s see how Rnd will react first, hm?!".


    Beyond his sight, Soma saw Rnd roll his long clothes, and on his wrist, there was something coiling around and when Rnd released it with a click.


    ''Bang!''


    Those phenomena blew his conception, and he wanted to retort loudly that this was not some serial in a Ninja Manga.


    Another ''bang'' echoed, which made the entire venue cheer. They magnanimously took the bait.


    Not just in his wrist, Rnd began to take off the weight on his ankles and show him some shadow boxing without restraint.


    "Wooh, I feel free".


    "Nice swing and gimmicks you got there".


    "Well, thank you".


    "Oh, I am notplimenting you. Just want to spit that''s all!".


    Soma kicked the ground and shortened the distance between them. Rnd seemed happy with the asion as he grinned and faced his opponent head-on.


    Without his restraint, Rnd''s movement was the fourth time faster and heavier since it made Soma''s skin crawl every time he dodged it.


    But, if it was in terms of basic stats, the two were almost the same. Rnd, who is certified as an S-rank awakener, has at least a hundred in his statistics.


    However, as time passed, Rnd felt that his current strength was not enough to deal with Soma, who still dealt with his attack calmly. "This kid!? "


    Feeling rmed, Rnd unleashes his full swing of a punch that makes the air tremble upon impact on Soma''s palm. "As I thought he was".


    With a bit of squeeze from Soma, Rnd knit his brows in wary as he leapt back, distancing himself from Soma.


    After regaining some distance, he clenched his fist a couple of times and noticed he was sweating and had a hard time epting what was in front of him.


    Rnd nced at his opponent and saw him ready, retracting his fist back and letting his palm up, provoking him.


    "Hurry up!".


    His heart thumped, and it reminded him of one of the emotions a human has when facing an absolute peak: admiration and longing. But, despite all of that there is also a feeling of envy. ''No, nore ying!''.


    "Here Ie, Soma!".


    [Herculean strength: An enhancement magic that boosts the user''s physical ability up to five times.


    Used fifty mana per second]


    All of a sudden, Rnd''s body puffed and slightly erged before returning to its normal state. But the intensity and fierce power exuded enough to make the Arena tremble.


    Inside the VIP room, Viana observed the duel with an intriguing look, as she had never seen her husband act like that before his opponent.


    "Truly, remarkable. Show me what you have in hands, Soma".


    "Let''s go, Soma!!!".


    Meanwhile, on the other side, Serafina, holding her smartphone in her hands, pointed the camera to the Arena, recording the match to be sent to Xiao Rui, who was curious about the result.


    "Even the Headmaster is no match, huh".


    Hina sighed, as she never expected the duel to turn out like this. She looked to the side, watching Xiao Lian''s absentminded gaze. "It seems she found her answer." Hina muttered in her heart, smilling as she happy for her friend.


    Xiao Lian, unaware of her friend''s gaze, kept her look straight at the boy whose body was coated with a thinyer of crimson glow, whichpressed into a single point.


    One thing for sure is that her heart keeps drumming wildly while looking at his figure.


    "...Soma".


    Her words, soft and melodious, made even the flower bloom in winter as she clutched her chest.


    "You finally take this seriously, So, do I!".


    Soma circted his internal energy toward his veins, enhancing all of his body''s performance.


    A crimsonyer covered his entire skin in just a moment before condensing into his right fist.


    "Here I go, Headmaster!".


    "Kuh, Bring it on!".


    Rnd noticed something dangerous; his instinct kicked in, letting him lunge toward Soma.


    However, his attempt was already toote, and he saw Soma coldly whispering.


    "Don''t die on me!".


    [Martial Saint Second Technique Fist Destroying Evil]


    With a single stroke, a crimson aura released. It travelled in a straight line before colliding with Rnd, creating a massive burst of shockwaves that raised the dust in the Arena.