Chapter 47: The Battle Between Old Friends
Ren's POV:
I stared at the person who emerged from the forest with a grinning face, then froze. There was a man walking towards me with steady steps: Kyle.
I was almost stunned for a moment but held it back. He had changed a lot since the last time I saw him seven years ago.
If, back then, he was just a tsundere and smart kid, now he looked like a true warrior. Coupled with the greatsword on his back, it only amplified his Aura.
He stopped fifteen steps away from me. I looked into his eyes with a hint of sadness, and said.
"Kyle? Is that you??" I leaned forward.
Kyle tilted his head casually but couldn't hide a small smile at the corner of his lips.
"Oh? You still remember me, huh?" he replied.
I gently shifted my weight to one leg, tilting my head, "Of course, I remember you, buddy."
I straightened my body and pointed at him with a mischievous expression. "—because you owe me money."
This remark made Kyle flinch slightly, then he looked at me with narrowed eyes, rubbing his chin. "When was that? I thought you just gave it to me..."
I laughed softly, "Haha, I know."
Then I looked behind him curiously, "By the way, where is Mia, Kyle?"
He followed my gaze and sighed faintly, slightly annoyed.
"She got lost and separated from me, you know? A few years ago she became directionally blind."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but laugh. A moment later, I finally stopped, slightly breathless.
"Ahem! Alright, alright. We should probably start, right?" I asked in a relaxed tone.
Kyle laughed and took his greatsword from his back, then said. "I've been waiting for this, you bastard!"
I shrugged slowly, "That's how it is..."
I pulled out a spear, a Yari. But the interesting thing about it was that the tip had no blade. The Yari consisted of three handles connected by magic locks at each joint.
With a slight push of Mana, the locks opened—click—and the three parts could be detached or reattached at will.
The weapon could change from one long spear to three short rods in an instant.
Kyle looked at my weapon with a strange face, and asked, "What weapon is that??"
I smirked, "See for yourself when we fight."
Right then, I lowered my body slightly, pointing the bladeless tip towards Kyle. He was also ready.
His surprise was replaced with a serious and sharp face.
Then with a final word, I said, "You first."
Whoosh!
I disappeared from the altar and appeared behind him, striking his back with my blunt weapon. Kyle was surprised, and without looking back, he ducked his head. My weapon passed over him.
Swish~!
Not wasting the opportunity, Kyle's right foot lifted and shot towards my chest with a speed that split the air.
I rotated my Yari weapon and deflected the attack by hitting his leg. Kyle's foot missed me, but that wasn't enough; his greatsword, coated in brown Aura, slashed at me from bottom to top.
However, I jumped back before he could hit me. I wasn't using my limitless power right now, so if I got hit by Kyle's attack, I would take damage.
"Tsk, slippery bastard!"
I looked at Kyle longer, crouching. There was a warmth that felt strangely unfamiliar in my chest. Then I smiled at him.
"Seven years, huh…" I muttered softly. "You grew up faster, buddy."
Kyle ran his hand through his hair with a hint of arrogance, "Heh... of course."
He took a stance again and said, "Let's start again. I will definitely defeat you, Ren!"
I stood up and laughed loudly while pushing my hair up. "Hahaha!" Then I lowered my hand, staring at him sharply and smirking.
"Don't count on it."
Instantly—I disappeared.
I struck him with great force, coating my weapon with Aura, but Kyle was not to be outdone. He laughed and attacked me directly, coating his sword with his Aura.
Our weapons were inches away from clashing—and less than half a second later, in an instant, a massive collision occurred.
BAAAM—!!!
The air around them exploded; leaves swirled like a small storm.
The forest shook violently, and the ground beneath us cracked like a spider web. But we were still grinning, facing each other, unwilling to retreat.
Then we both disappeared again, then appeared elsewhere and exchanged blows again. The ground shook continuously as they fought. Then with a very loud Boom!
One of them was thrown into the forest: Kyle.
However, he immediately halted his body by plunging his sword into the ground and shot towards me again, laughing madly.
"Hahaha!! Come on!!"
Boom!
Third Person POV:
Several half-humans in the forest walked with nervous steps because they heard the sound of devastating impact in the forest. The ground occasionally shook because of it.
Boom~!
The sound of the collision was heard again; they looked around the forest with fear.
"What kind of battle is that...? Is it the second-years?"
"Maybe. But I didn't expect it to be like that..."
They all remained silent until the sound of another collision was heard again, this time louder. That made them flinch and break out in a cold sweat.
Then, as if a meteor itself was heading towards them, the impacts became stronger and more frequent.
Boom!
Boommm!!
Boommmm!!
The air split as someone passed by them, who froze ten steps away from him. The person passed, crashing through the trees, and now he was still being flung.
Then another person passed them from behind, chasing the one who was thrown back. Ren, with his crazy smirk, ran past them, relying only on a little Aura on his feet.
His movement was a blur. He held the tip of his weapon with his right hand, making the Yari weapon flash against the air.
The person who was thrown, or Kyle, gritted his teeth but still endured.
Ren arrived in front of him just after Kyle stopped being flung, then hit him with a force that made the air scream.
Seeing that, Kyle quickly dodged to the side, spinning. Ren's weapon struck the ground, creating a crack.
Kyle wasted no opportunity and quickly slashed Ren's neck with his sword. But Ren, he smirked wider.
Then quickly struck Kyle's sword, making it jump upwards. Then Ren released the Yari in the air, spinning it quickly and joining it into a blunt spear, then—
In the middle of the spin, he kicked the base of the spear, and the spear hit Kyle's stomach strongly, making his stomach seize up.
Kyle shot backward, crashing into trees, his breath catching in his throat. But Ren didn't stop. He picked up his spear and shot towards Kyle, giving him no time to breathe.
It was brutal, but—in a fight, nothing is fair.
In that split second, Kyle muttered, "Hah... a monster is still a monster, huh?"
Then the air around Kyle changed, becoming more pressing. His Aura grew much stronger. When Ren saw it, he wanted to retreat, but he had already advanced, only less than a step away from reaching Kyle.
At that distance, Ren saw him smile cruelly, then he muttered.
[Enhancement.]
Instantly, Kyle's Aura exploded like a tsunami, causing Ren to flinch and be thrown back by the shockwave of his Aura.
Then Kyle—he disappeared and appeared above Ren, his sword already raised high. He slashed down with extremely devastating power.
CRACK—BOOOM!!!!
The air cracked like shattering glass.
...
Meanwhile, in the outside world, there was a large stadium displaying the exam on a large blue screen in the center. And around it were second- to fourth-year students.