"…"
Although it was kind of late, Rotsard started to wonder how strong Justin was at the moment.
He already decided that he will let himself be defeated, that being his choice was making him feel slightly better, but…
…what if that peasant actually was strong enough to defeat him instantaneously, with just a single attack…?
"!"
Suddenly, a chill of disgust running down Rotsard's spine shook his entire body.
Could…
Could the rotten bastard of the third-rate villain accept an outcome like that…?
…could Rotsard Vallhall accept it…?
He might have been hurting, with the injury he suffered last month obstructing his every move, but…
He… he must at least put up some fight…!
He CANNOT let a FILTHY peasant completely trample over him…!
For himself!
As a matter of principle!
To confirm to himself that he will lose ONLY because that's what he must do to prevent the destruction of the world!
That the defeat is his own decision!
"...!?"
From the bystander's perspective, that is mostly the teacher overseeing the duel, a definite change happened in Rotsard.
His stance clearly shifted, and even the oversized uniform that was hanging on him like on a scarecrow couldn't obstruct it.
Not even mentioning the look in his eyes…
Rotsard's yellow eyes, the most distinct feature of the Vallhall bloodline, shone with a beastly glare.
The crowd of students was going wild, almost unanimously cheering for Justin, and even some of the faculty members didn't hide their pleased expression, expecting and praying for Rotsard's humiliation.
The teacher looked between two students facing each other ten feet apart one last time, and raised his hand, silencing everyone in a moment of anticipation…
"..."
"..."
The two opponents were glaring at each other without blinking. The tension between them was turning palpable.
And then…
"BEGIN!"
The teacher's hand dropped and he called out!
"!"
"GHH!?"
The very next moment Justin and Rotsard clashed!
"Wh…!? HOW DID HE…!?"
The gasp of shock spread through the audience. Someone even shouted in disbelief, because the person on the defense, the participant who let out a troubled grunt, was Justin and not Rotsard!
Despite Justin wielding a weapon giving him the advantage of reach, the right-handed Rotsard launched himself at him, attacking with his left hand first!
The attack was more of claw swipe than a punch. Justin instinctively blocked it and then grunted as Rotsard's forearm dragged against the wooden blade, forcing it back vhile Rotsard's knuckles nicked Justin's left shoulder!
"RAAAAH!"
"!!!"
Rotsard growled and wildly swiped downward with his right hand, aiming at Justin's head, but the future hero managed to fully dodge it by jumping back…
*WHAM*
"?!?!"
Rotsard's swipe was so wild, in fact, that he appeared to lose his footing and slam his hand into the ground… producing quite the powerful sound which caused the audience to gasp in pure confusion!
What was going on!?
"HAA-! UWAAH!?"
"!"
Justin saw an opening and tried to use it, encouraging himself with a spirited call similar to Rotsard's earlier growl, but that call turned into a startled cry when, instead of trying to regain his balance, the bleached-blond-haired boy swept upwards with his left hand so wildly that he almost knocked the wooden sword right out of Justin's grip!
Actually, Justin's hand stung, and red marks appeared on his skin despite Rotsard's fingernails never coming close enough to nick him…!.
"HMPH!"
"GHURGH…!"
But that last movement exposed Rotsard far too much, and Justin scoffed as he delivered a devastating kick to his opponent's stomach, sending him to his knees.
"...ghugh…!"
Rotsard's insides felt as if the needles already stabbing them turned scorching hot, and he threw up some blood in his mouth.
He forced it back, gulping everything down, and bared his teeth in a wild grin before launching another attack.
"!?!?"
The audience… couldn't believe their eyes.
It was… a close call...!
No matter if someone was experienced in combat or not, the two opponents facing each other seemed basically equal…
Which shouldn't be so unbelievably shocking, considering that they were classmates but…
BUT!
But one of them was Justin, a peasant student on a scholarship, the diligent and hardworking student who was praised and recognized for his combat talent! And the other one was the notorious slacker coasting through on his family power alone, Rotsard Vallhall!
And Rotsard wasn't even using magic!
There MUST have been something wrong!
It couldn't be the truth!
Simply couldn't!
The fight continued, getting more and more unbelievable with each passing second turning into minutes.
"GO, JUSTIN!"
"SHOW THAT TRASH HIS PLACE!"
"JUS-TIN! JUS-TIN!"
There was no doubt as to which side the audience was on, and after the initial shock, everyone started cheering for the peasant student, even chanting his name to a deafening degree.
"...!"
Using an accelerating spell and transitioning from dodging to the sides into a jump, Justin repeated the pattern that won him the previous duel with Rotsard, but his opponent's reaction speed to it was outside his expectations… and…!