"It's finally this match's turn!"
"Yeah, who do you think will win?"
"From what I've observed, although the Fallen Sword Prince is a bit pretentious, he isn't all that bad in swordsmanship and is at least C-tier in terms of it. This is a good match, but I believe the range of Jason's arms and longsword will do the job."
"I think so, too…his false highness is good at keeping enemies at bay using the reach of his tachi. He would be on the receiving end this time, and I don't believe he knows how to handle such a situation. I've never even seen him go on the offensive in sparring."
The other classes' ranking matches had just finished, and this was the only match everyone could watch, so young men and women flocked closer to Class 70 to watch.
Some even went as far as to approach Daru's classmates to ask about why they were so hyped about this match.
Wasn't Daru Finnley already proven to be far from being as good as he was advertised by Ashton High?
He was even an F-ranker now, so why pay this much attention to him?
Naturally, the students of Class 70 enthusiastically explained how Daru isn't as unskilled as everyone thought he was, how he disrespected False Witness and his squad, including Jason, before the ranking matches began.
Those from Classes 67, 68, and 69 finally understood the hype and got a bit excited.
Bad blood and an even matchup!
They were only able to catch bits and pieces of Daru Finnley's sparring matches from a distance, and he seemed to always be on the back foot whenever they watched.
Those from other classes lost interest in him after a week, concluding he was nothing but a total fraud.
Hearing from the students of Class 70 that they judged him wrongly naturally piqued their interest.
This time, they planned to watch the match to the end.
Daru and Jason walked to the center of the dueling area, wooden swords in hand.
The two locked eyes—the former looked ahead with a hint of indifference, while the latter had a cold gaze and a vicious smile.
The overly enthusiastic individuals concluded that Daru had already lost in the psychological battle.
It seemed evident that he was barely keeping his nerves intact, hiding it in a mask of indifference.
His opponent, on the other hand, looked confident and ready to kill him.
Such a gap in mindset was bound to make a difference in battle.
Only, they failed to consider that their judgment of how Daru was feeling was way off.
He already fought Jason in the sparring matches, and Daru wasn't too interested in him anymore, having already figured out his style and the extent of his skills in just a single match.
"Hahaha, Your Highness Daru, this is unfortunately a ranking match, so I can't hold back. Do try your best to entertain the crowd. They probably came here for you, anyway. It would be a bit embarrassing for you to lose now, wouldn't it?" laughed and taunted Jason, pointing his longsword at Daru.
The onlookers were hyped. They were liking Jason and his confidence more and more.
But then, the "cowering" Fallen Sword Prince suddenly responded in a way they didn't expect:
"It's impossible for me to lose against you, though," Daru said in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact manner, freezing the smile on everyone's faces.
Wasn't the fallen sword prince nervous?
Or…
They didn't have to guess for much longer, as Talon announced:
"Begin!"
Almost immediately after the instructor's signal, Jason charged, roaring as he downslashed at his opponent.
"I'll wake you up, delusional prince!"
Daru only sighed in response, thinking in disappointment: 'All you had to do was use your range and keep me at bay to make things more difficult for me, and you can't even do that…'
The only thing he could learn from this match was not to follow Jason's bad example and to actually use his brain while fighting, wasn't it?
And what does Daru do whenever he's up against a dumb opponent who's not even using his brain?
Simple.
He ends the match as quickly as possible so he can move on to more fruitful things.
Brandishing his sword once, Daru charged right back at Jason, killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Nothing was more effective than attempting to truly kill one's opponent when it comes to ending a battle in as short a time as possible.
"Y-You damned prince…"
Jason sensed his murderous eyes, hesitation gripping the young man's heart for a moment.
Only when he remembered they were using wooden swords did he manage to calm his nerves down.
Unfortunately, the momentary loss of focus was more than enough to make things significantly easier for Daru.
He easily sensed Jason's wavering heart like a voracious beast that smelled juicy blood and flesh nearby.
With a smooth and calm lean, he dodged his opponent's attack, utilizing his elbow, which was now positioned close to Jason's body, to strike.
The underling wheezed slightly in pain, stepping back after suffering a clean hit to his solar plexus.
Before Jason even noticed, a wooden tachi was already heading for his neck, striking him cleanly with just enough force to knock him out.
The lackey plopped to the ground, kneeling before falling on his back while foaming slightly at the mouth.
The entire sequence didn't even take five seconds, and Daru didn't even have to strike his opponent three times to end the match.
The sixth training field fell so silent that one could truly hear a pin drop.