The following day, I headed toward the waterfall area to execute my plan to dismantle both the Dragon Clan and the Lion Clan. It appeared they were set to meet at a river that flowed directly toward the falls.
I hoped Brian could successfully goad Geralt into a duel. Without that specific variable, my plan wouldn't work as intended.
Upon arrival, I saw the Dragon Clan and the Lion Clan gathered on opposite banks of the river. They were glaring at each other, poised for battle. I moved closer, hiding behind a tree not far from the action. Brian stepped forward toward the bridge connecting the two sides.
"Geralt de Jimena! I challenge you to a one-on-one duel for control of this area!" Brian shouted, staring down the dozens of Dragon Clan members across the water. "Accept my challenge, if you truly possess the honor of a Knight!"
Hearing Brian's offer, the Dragon Clan members began whispering among themselves; some even laughed openly at him.
"What Knight's honor? You're just afraid we'll crush your weak little Clan, Brian!" one member jeered.
"That's right! A Clan full of losers like you stands no chance against us!" another added.
Logically speaking, the Dragon Clan should have declined. They could easily overpower the Lion Clan, which was mostly composed of weaker teams. However, Brian is Geralt's eternal rival. Geralt has been itching to avenge his defeat from their last duel.
This was the perfect time for that pride to kick in.
Geralt stepped onto the bridge. The blonde-haired hero and the red-haired noble stood face to face.
"Fine. You have your duel, Brian."
Geralt's words shocked his followers. On the other side, Brian smirked; his plan had worked.
"Geralt! Why accept!? We can win easily if we fight together!" a Dragon Clan member protested.
Geralt glanced back over his shoulder.
"Relax. I won't lose to him again," Geralt said with a confident smile. "I've trained hard for this exact moment."
Geralt versus Brian, huh? No doubt about it—after I forced Brian to awaken his true strength, unless Geralt had a massive hidden trump card, he was destined to lose.
Geralt possesses the Blazing Fury Blessing. Its mechanics are quite similar to my Villain's Destiny. While my Blessing grows stronger the more I am hated, Blazing Fury scales with the user's own hatred toward someone else.
This is why, in the original game's future, Geralt would be consumed by hatred to gain power. He eventually betrays his family, his country, and his sister Scarlett just for the strength to defeat Brian.
"It's settled! we'll end this with a duel!" Brian exclaimed, looking fired up.
"I'm taking you down this time, Brian!" Geralt shouted back, sharing the sentiment.
The two fighters drew closer. The arena was a large bridge spanning a rushing river—a classic spot for a high-stakes PvP encounter if this were still a game.
"Accel...!"
"Acceleration...!"
They activated their speed magic simultaneously, both blurring toward the center of the bridge. Geralt swung first, but the blonde hero easily evaded the strike.
"Justice Blow!" Brian countered, his left hand glowing with energy.
"Temper...!" Geralt braced for the impact. He was pushed back, nearly sliding off the edge of the bridge.
"Cih, you've improved, I see," Brian said, smiling at his rival's growth.
"Don't act like you're above me!" Geralt snarled, lunging again. "Fiery Kick!"
Geralt's legs erupted in flames as he leapt at Brian. Brian ducked to the left, narrowly avoiding the arc of fire. Seeing an opening, Brian aimed a punch at Geralt's head. But before it could land, Geralt performed a mid-air spin to the right and delivered a left-footed snap kick to Brian's temple.
"Aghhhh...!" Brian was sent reeling.
That was a clean maneuver. Geralt had predicted the evasion and reacted instantly with a follow-up.
"How does that taste? The mud on my boots good enough for you?" Geralt mocked.
"Damn you... I'll pay you back for that!" Brian spat out a mouthful of blood, his face grimy from the impact.
"Try me, 'Hero'..." Geralt provoked him further.
Brian's limbs began to emit a golden radiance. A faint aura of mana flickered around his body.
"Sunlight Fury!" Brian punched the air toward Geralt. The golden light surged from his fist, streaking across the bridge. Geralt dove to the side.
The blast hit the wooden bridge and exploded, sending splinters flying into the air.
"Hey, are you crazy? You'll destroy our footing!" Geralt yelled.
"I don't care, as long as it takes you down! Sunlight Fury!" Brian fired again, his hands moving in a rapid, alternating blur.
— Boom! Boom! Boom!
Geralt leaped and rolled to evade the barrage. He then focused mana into his right hand until embers began to swirl in his palm.
"Fire Bullet!" The embers shot forward like a projectile.
"Huh? Temper...!" Brian activated his defensive reinforcement.
— Boom!
The spell hit home. A cloud of smoke enveloped Brian. As it cleared, Brian was still standing, though his body was marked with fresh burns.
"Hoo~ you can still stand after that?" Geralt asked, genuinely impressed.
"Yeah... I'm not giving up." Brian's body was suddenly bathed in intense golden light. He was finally tapping into his Blessing. "Because that is my way of the Knight!"
Cringe. Absolute peak cringe dialogue from a peak cringe character. Why were these lines so popular with the fans? I have no idea; they probably watched too many shows about a yellow-haired ninja who loves ramen.
"I won't lose either, not after everything I did to beat you!" Geralt's body was likewise wreathed in flames.
This is the moment.
I began to creep toward the bridge, moving between the large boulders lining the riverbank to stay out of their peripheral vision.
— Boom!
Another explosion rocked the bridge. Both fighters were now covered in wounds from their clash. They were panting heavily, faces etched with exhaustion.
"Brian! Brian! Brian!"
"Geralt! Geralt! Geralt!"
The respective Clans cheered wildly for their leaders.
"This is the end, Brian," Geralt said, opening his palm. "Blazing Vortex!"
A spinning sphere of fire appeared in his hand—essentially his own version of a Rasengan. It was an original spell Geralt had developed specifically to counter Brian.
"I won't lose, Geralt!" Brian's hand glowed with golden light. "Lighting Fist!"
They both charged toward the center for their final collision.
"Briaaaaannn!"
"Geraaaaaltt!"
Their attacks were inches from connecting. But just as their fists were about to clash, their expressions shifted to pure shock.
Because I had suddenly appeared right between them.
"Huh? Raul? What are you do—Bugh!" Before Brian could finish, I kicked him in the head, sending him tumbling into the river.
"How dare you interrupt our Du—Aghhhh!" I followed up with a punch to Geralt's face, knocking him into the water as well.
The two rivals, who had just been fighting a life-or-death battle, were swept away by the raging current. A few hundred meters downstream lay a massive waterfall that would drop them both from a lethal height.
Silence fell over the area. The members of both Clans stood frozen, mouths agape, unable to process what had just happened to their leaders.
I didn't waste a second. I turned and bolted.
"Get that bastard!"
"Burn him alive!"
"Don't let him escape!"
The enraged roars of both Clans echoed behind me. This was to be expected. I had interrupted a duel—an act of supreme dishonor.
I looked back. Nearly a hundred students were chasing me, their expressions suggesting they wanted to eat me alive.
"Wind Blow!"
I dodged a spell fired from the crowd. I had to reach the cave. No matter how strong I was, I couldn't take them all on at once in the open. Entering the forest, I saw the students fanning out, clearly intending to encircle me.
"Earth Missile!"
Another spell whizzed toward me. I spun around and punched the clump of earth mid-air, shattering it, then resumed my sprint. Soon, four students cut me off from the front.
"I won't forgive you, you rotten noble!"
"How dare you interfere with our leader's duel!"
The lead student swung a punch. I dropped into a slide, gliding between his legs. As I passed him, two others tried to swing wooden clubs like baseball bats. I sprang to my feet and used a Charging technique to burst past them.
Only one person left in my path. He looked startled by my sudden proximity.
"Radical Blow!"
My fist landed squarely on his jaw. I heard a distinct cracking sound—likely some broken teeth.
— Brak!
He was sent flying into a tree.
"Damn! He's too agile!"
"Keep chasing him!"
Using Acceleration, I pushed my speed to the limit. After a few more moments of running, the cave entrance came into view. I glanced back; they were still right on my heels.
Perfect. Just as planned.
I ducked into the cave, and the mob followed me in. Once deep enough, I stopped and turned to face the dozens of angry students.
"Haha! Give up, you rotten noble! You've trapped yourself!" one student gloated.
"You'll pay for your dishonor!"
Hee~ you're quite confident for having cornered a snake. But don't you know? A wild animal is at its most dangerous when backed into a corner.
"I'm not the one who's trapped," I said, giving them a villainous smirk. "You are."
— Boom!
A sudden explosion rocked the entrance. The cave mouth collapsed, sealing the exit and plunging the tunnel into near-total darkness. Yes... I had instructed Scarlett to blast the entrance once they were all inside.
— Rumble!
"Huh? What's that sound?"
"Why is the ground shaking?"
Piers must have finally broken through the earthen wall connecting to the river. Moments later, the roar of rushing water reached our ears. I hurried toward the secondary exit I had prepared. Water began to flood the cave, and panic set in among the students.
"Does anyone have light magic!?"
"Quick! Get to higher ground! The water is filling up!"
"No! Try to blast the rubble at the entrance!"
Hahaha! Enjoy your little water park excursion!
After a short search, I found the vertical shaft leading upward—the escape tunnel Piers and I had dug specifically for this. As I climbed out, a hand reached down for me. I grabbed it, and I was pulled to the surface.
"You did it, Captain?" Piers asked.
"Yeah... both Clans have been severely weakened now."
I looked down into the hole; water was already swirling at the bottom.
"Piers, close it up," I ordered.
"Right away, Captain."
After the "massacre" of the two major Clans, I sent Piers to scout their basecamps and see how many had actually survived my trap. I returned to our basecamp to rest.
Strangely, Scarlett hadn't returned yet. I had told her to blast the cave entrance and then head straight back here. I intentionally kept the full details of the plan from her, fearing she wouldn't approve of what I did to her brother.
— Crack!
I heard a twig snap. I turned to see Scarlett standing there. Her expression was flat, but I could feel the intense Nature Mana radiating from her.
"I went to the site of the duel to check what happened," Scarlett said, her voice icy.
It was the first time I'd heard her speak so much. Usually, she just responded with nods.
"I heard you interfered in Geralt's duel," Scarlett said, walking toward me slowly. "I heard that just as they were about to clash, you appeared and knocked them both into the river."
Yeah... I knew it was a dirty move. But technically, I hadn't broken a single rule of the exam.
"I thought I had misunderstood the rumors about you, seeing how you've acted so far." Faint wisps of smoke began to rise from Scarlett's body. "But it turns out they were right. You are a rotten noble with no honor at all."
Hearing such harsh words from a girl as beautiful as Scarlett actually stung a little. Well, it wasn't like I hadn't predicted her anger, but I had hoped to avoid fighting her at this stage.
"I did it to pass the exam," I offered as a justification.
"Is that why you didn't tell me the details? You were afraid I'd stop you if you dared to defile Geralt's duel, weren't you?" Scarlett's voice rose. "Geralt has been waiting for that duel for a long time. He trained non-stop just for that moment, and you destroyed it with your dirty, shameless actions!"
Scarlett's gaze was pure hatred. She clearly wanted to tear me apart.
"This is a competition. Things like this are bound to happen."
Hearing my cold response, Scarlett dropped into a combat stance. She was one hundred percent committed to a fight.
"Yes... this is a competition. And you just destroyed all the hard work my brother put in!"
Scarlett's body erupted in flames, scorching the leaves around her feet.
"I'm going to burn you alive, you trash!"
The moment she finished speaking, she lunged at me with everything she had.