[Elena's POV]
It was currently his turn to fight. This time, would he win?
However, after knowing him for all this time, I knew he always had a way to overcome the problems he faced, even with his limited abilities. This time his opponent was Prince Vlad, who possessed a unique Blood Nature Mana. The Empire knew very little about this magic; that was why Valeria had lost to him yesterday.
- Tap ... Tap ... Tap ...
Hearing the sound of footsteps to my right, I turned my head. A woman with braided green hair was about to sit beside me.
"Valeria? So you finally showed up," I said to her.
"Of course. It's time for him to fight against the man who defeated me, isn't it?" she replied while crossing her arms. "I'm curious to see how he handles the magic that allows that man to control other people's bodies."
She was right; Prince Vlad still possessed that mysterious magic. To this day, not a single student was certain or sure about what kind of magic he used. Even if I were the one fighting him now instead of Raul, I wouldn't have any answer other than avoiding his attacks or ending the match as quickly as possible before that magic of his could activate on me.
How would he overcome this magic later?
"However, I'm sure he will find a way to overcome that magic," Valeria said, appearing to smile. "Because he never fails to make his opponents dizzy with tactics and plans that are always one step ahead of the enemy."
What Valeria said was true. Raul might not have devastating magic on a large scale. However, somehow he was always able to match us with his limited magic.
Not long after, I saw Raul emerge from the tunnel toward the arena field. Prince Vlad followed shortly after him. However, why did the Prince's face suddenly become so annoyed like that after coming down from these stands? Previously, he had looked very happy that it was finally his turn to fight.
Did Raul say something that made him angry in the hallway?
"Defeat that foul Noble, Prince!"
"Make him pay for his cunning when fighting President Emilia!"
I heard taunts and insults hurled at Raul from the direction of the Lancer club stands. It seemed they were still angry because they had lost the agreement we made earlier.
***
[Raul's POV]
The two of us were already in the middle of the field; cheers could be heard praying that I would die in this match.
"Kill him!"
"Torture him until his mental state is shattered!"
It seemed those shouts came from the Lancer club spectator stands. They still held a grudge against me regarding yesterday's match, it turned out.
"So many people want you to die in this match," said Vlad, who was smiling at me. "You know, I will gladly grant their wishes."
"Can you?" I asked, intentionally belittling him to provoke him.
His smiling face turned back to annoyance as I hurled those words at him.
"Are both participants ready!?" asked the match Promoter.
We both nodded. Vlad appeared to clench both of his fists; it seemed he was very impatient to beat me up.
"In that case, the third match of the second round of the Grunbelt Academy Tournament, begins!"
The moment the Promoter announced the start of the match, I saw Vlad immediately activate Accel and Temper magic, then dart toward me. He launched a right hook; I shifted slightly to the left to avoid his attack. However, Vlad did not stop there and spun his body counter-clockwise to launch a Spinning Back Fist aimed at my head.
I blocked his attack with my left hand, activated Temper magic on my right hand, and then launched a punch toward Vlad's face.
- Bam!
Vlad's body was thrown back and rolled on the ground.
"Shit!" he cursed while getting back up.
"Judging by your messy technique, it's clear you aren't a Brawler," I said to him. "Why are you fighting with your bare hands knowing you don't understand their way of fighting?"
"Shut up! I'm doing this because I want to torture the enemy with my own two hands!" he replied, resetting his stance.
Such a stubborn kid. In that case, I'll teach you how to land a Spinning Back Fist.
Activating Accel magic, I dashed toward Vlad. He looked ready to receive any attack I launched. I then performed a hard kick toward his leg. Vlad tried to block it, but the hardness of my kick couldn't be fully withstood by him, making his body tremble slightly.
Not stopping there, I then launched several punch combos at him. He looked like he was having difficulty avoiding and parrying my attacks.
- Bam!
Again, I launched an extremely hard kick toward his leg. He looked like he was in a bit of pain and then jumped backward to maintain his distance from me. I chased him again, not letting him rest at all.
Lifting my leg slightly to give the impression that I would launch a kick again, I saw Vlad's gaze begin to focus on my right leg. However, I had no intention of kicking at all; this was just a feint for the real attack. In an instant, I changed my attack pattern and spun my body clockwise, then launched a Spinning Back Fist attack.
- Bam!
My fist hit his face hard, making his body get thrown far back again. Because his gaze was focused on my leg, he didn't have time to respond to the arrival of my attack.
Ha! That's how you land a Spinning Back Fist correctly!
Vlad got back up; it was seen that he was holding his cheek while looking at me with full hatred.
"Let's end the games!" shouted Vlad, who was smiling again. "The real fight has just begun!"
After saying this, suddenly the blood in his body came out and floated, forming six solid red shurikens.
"So, when are you going to torture me with your bare hands?" I asked while pointing at the six floating shurikens.
"Shut up! After this, I will beat your face until it's ugly!" he replied while launching those shurikens toward me.
I drew my sword and then parried the shurikens aimed at me. However, Vlad was seen making a sword from his blood and then dashed to launch a powerful slash toward me.
- Clang!
I blocked his slash, but my body was pushed back slightly due to the hardness of the swing launched by Vlad. Vaguely, I heard something approaching from behind and immediately ducked.
- Swosh!
Several of those shurikens attacked again from my blind spot; luckily, I realized it quickly and avoided it just in time. However, this time it was Vlad who didn't give me a break; he dashed back toward me simultaneously with those shurikens.
- Tang! Tang! Clang!
I parried and avoided those shurikens, but Vlad was already prepared to slash at me again. I struggled to hold him off, but my body was pushed back again due to his attack which I couldn't withstand perfectly.
"Now, who's talking, hah!?" shouted Vlad, who attacked me again without stopping. "You've suddenly become quiet now that the fight is not on your side!"
I was having quite a bit of difficulty performing a counter-attack. That was because, besides having to avoid his shuriken attacks that were always targeting me, Vlad also always attacked whenever I finally got room to move.
But this is okay. I will make him feel like he's winning first before defeating him and beating him black and blue later.
***
[Valeria's POV]
The fight had been going on for five minutes. Initially, Raul had the advantage when they fought using bare hands. However, Raul was now being cornered after Prince Vlad used his magic.
"Prince Vlad's magic seems quite troublesome," said Princess Elena, whose gaze was still focused on the match field. "Those blood knives always follow Raul even though they have been parried by him many times, making his movements limited, which the Prince uses to attack him."
Princess Elena's words were very true; I had quite a bit of difficulty getting rid of those blood knives when fighting him. When destroyed, those blood knives could merge back together and chase just like before. It seemed the only way was to attack Prince Vlad, who was controlling the blood knife magic.
However, I had already done that with my golems. Yet still, Prince Vlad could control his magic well even though he was cornered. He possessed very great mana control.
Back to the match, Raul was seen at this time trying to avoid and parry the blood knives that were always aimed at him. Prince Vlad then performed a horizontal slash when he saw that Raul was already having difficulty avoiding. Luckily, Raul was again able to withstand that attack.
However, the Prince did not stop his attack. He launched a kick aimed at Raul's head, but he was able to avoid it just in time as well. When Raul was about to perform a counter-attack against Vlad, those blood knives were seen chasing Raul again, making him have to cancel the counter-attack and jump backward to avoid them.
However, there was a slash on Raul's right cheek. Blood was seen starting to flow down the man's chin. Exactly; one of Prince Vlad's blood knives had managed to slash him when Raul was avoiding earlier.
Prince Vlad then caught the blood knife that had previously slashed Raul's cheek. He then licked Raul's blood that was sticking to the knife.
"Hahaha! Are there any last words before I destroy you in this fight, Raul de Garcia!?" shouted Vlad, who appeared to be laughing out loud.
Why did he have to lick Raul's blood like that? Was this one of the strange habits he possessed?
"..."
However, what I saw next shocked me greatly. On the arena field, Vlad began to move his fingers just like when he was controlling my body when we fought yesterday. Raul was seen throwing away his sword and the Limiter ring he was wearing to prevent participants from being killed in this tournament.
"That's it! Blood is the reason why he can control someone's body!" Suddenly, I said it out loud.
The participants who were watching the progress of the match were seen looking at me with full of questions.
"What is it, Valeria? Did you realize something?" asked Princess Elena, who looked curious.
"I know the reason why Prince Vlad can control someone's body as he pleases!" I answered her. "However, to activate this ability, he must lick the blood of his enemy first."
Hearing my explanation, Princess Elena held her chin, looking like she was thinking. "Is that so? In that case, will Raul lose because Prince Vlad has succeeded in controlling his body?" Princess Elena asked, looking worried. "He also made Raul throw away the Limiter ring he was wearing; does he intend to kill Raul in this arena!?"
My heart felt heavy when I heard this from Princess Elena. I refocused my gaze on the arena field. Raul was seen walking slowly toward where Prince Vlad was, who was laughing very loudly. This was just like when I lost to him yesterday.
Would Raul lose too?
Raul was now in front of Prince Vlad; honestly, I didn't want to see this. To see Raul experience the same defeat that I experienced. If that happened, then nothing would change and there would be nothing to convince me to move forward from the defeat I experienced.
"Torture time has arrived! Hahahaha!" shouted Prince Vlad while launching a punch toward Raul's face.
"..."
"..."
However, the next sight made me unable to believe what I was seeing. The faces of all the participants watching the match looked shocked; even Vlad's face showed an expression of disbelief. Raul de Garcia, whose body I thought was currently being controlled by Prince Vlad, suddenly avoided that punch.
"Radical Blow!"
After shouting the name of his technique, Raul immediately showered Prince Vlad with a combo of punches aimed at Prince Vlad's face, solar plexus, and ribs. He then launched an extremely hard final punch toward the Prince's face, making him be thrown far back and then lie on the ground.
"Valeria! What happened!?" Princess Elena asked me. "You said Prince Vlad had controlled Raul's body? Why can he still avoid and move to attack the Prince!?"
Ughhh... Even though you ask that, I also don't know what actually happened. Prince Vlad looked like he was vomiting blood after being beaten many times by Raul; his face looked confused by what had just happened.
"It seems that Raul's body should have been controlled by Prince Vlad," I answered Princess Elena. "That was clear seeing as Prince Vlad looked confused as well; somehow did Raul manage to escape the Prince's magic at the last moment?"
How and why? That was what filled the thoughts in my head right now. I didn't understand how Raul always planned something one step and two steps further than his enemies.
Just like during the survival test, somehow he could make a plan that could make him defeat hundreds of students from our alliance. This time was the same; it seemed that earlier was not a coincidence but rather something he had planned from the start.
Raul de Garcia... Even though he doesn't have strong magic, it is his tactics and his demeanor in combat that make this man so terrifying.
***
[Raul's POV]
My plan to make him let his guard down was successful.
"H-How could you escape from my Profound Codex—Assimilate!?" Vlad asked with a shout. He tried to get back up with his wound-covered body.
Actually, I was never under the influence of his magic at all. That was because I drank the Randomize Blood potion made by Barney before the match. This potion makes my blood keep changing within a time limit of one hour. For that reason, when Vlad used Assimilate earlier to match his blood with mine, my blood had actually already changed again until it was no longer the same as the one he copied.
Making it so he couldn't control my body at all. I then pretended to be under his influence so that I could get close to Vlad and beat him up completely while he let his guard down.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! This hurts so much!"
Vlad looked furious right now, but he smiled and then started laughing again.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect to use this Profound Codex in a tournament against academy students!" shouted Vlad; his black hair suddenly began to turn white.
This is it... Vlad is going to use his other Profound Codex...
"I will show you a true horror, Raul de Garcia!"
The wind began to blow because of a strong mana pressure that appeared in the arena. Not long after, blood came out from Vlad's back, forming four solid red tentacles that he could move as he pleased.
White hair, red tentacles, and a face like a psychopath; for some reason, Vlad's appearance right now reminded me of a human MC who turned into a one-eyed Ghoul from a famous anime.
He then began to walk slowly toward me.
- Crack!
Suddenly he smiled crazily at me and then began to bend his fingers until they produced a sound.
"Now, it's my turn to torture you until you're finished, Raul de Garcia!" he shouted like a child having a tantrum.
"Hoo~ Previously you were talking about weakening Elena's mental state or something like that," I said to him, starting to provoke him. "However, with power this weak, I doubt you will succeed in doing so."
Vlad's smiling expression now turned to look annoyed after hearing my taunt.
"Shut your mouth! In this mode, I can even finish off three academy instructors in the Draconia Kingdom by myself!" he replied while preparing a stance to start attacking. "However, right now you are the one I will finish off!"
The four red tentacles on Vlad's back began to elongate and dart toward me. I hurried to activate Acceleration magic to avoid them and then quickly grabbed my sword that I threw earlier.
As much as possible, I must not touch those tentacles with my bare hands. That was because his blood tentacles contained a poison that could weaken the body's nervous system if there was too much contact with them.
This is Vlad's other Profound Codex, which is Bloody Ghoul.
"Don't you run!"
Grabbing my sword, I immediately turned around and saw the four tentacles about to hit my body hard.
- Clang!
I blocked them with my sword, but the attack was very strong, making me still get thrown until I hit the arena wall.
Ughhh... His strength was stronger than I expected. In this mode, the strength possessed by Vlad would increase many times over. Withstanding his attacks was not the answer, but avoiding them would also surely be difficult if I didn't use one of my Profound Codices, which is Prince of Darkness.
However, Vlad didn't let me perform an analysis; he again swung his tentacles toward me. Using Accel magic, I hurried to move to avoid them; it was seen that the arena walls began to crumble due to Vlad's tentacle attacks.
Truly a terrifying strength. I had to get close to him if I wanted to be able to attack. Knowing this, I immediately dashed toward Vlad. He appeared to smile and then again elongated his tentacles toward me.
I avoided the first tentacle by performing a spinning move to the side and then continued my run. The next tentacle came; I then performed a sliding move to glide under that tentacle. However, I couldn't stop and hurried to jump into the air using Axio magic to avoid Vlad's other tentacles.
"You can't avoid it in the air; die!" shouted Vlad while elongating the fourth tentacle toward me.
Activating Repel magic to strengthen my body and Temper to strengthen my sword simultaneously, I prepared to withstand Vlad's attack.
- Tang!
My sword collided with that tentacle, making a spark of fire appear. My hands were trembling withstanding this extremely large force. Not long after, the sword slipped from my grip because it wasn't strong enough to withstand the pressure of that tentacle. However, I managed to arrive near Vlad at this moment.
Landing on the ground, his face was seen to be shocked that I could withstand his tentacle attack.
"Radical Blow!"
I again launched a combo of punches at Vlad's solar plexus, chin, and ribs. After six attacks, I then launched an extremely hard punch toward his face which was already covered in blood, making him be thrown far away.
My breath was already very heavy; my body had begun to feel exhausted. However, after receiving two of my strongest punch combo attacks, the Limiter installed on Vlad's body had not activated at all, indicating he had not yet lost in this tournament.
"Aghhh... Shit! It hurts so much! You damn human!"
Vlad got back up; this time he was already having difficulty standing. However, I felt a strong mana aura pressure reappear. Vlad was seen again bringing out blood from inside his body; that blood then stuck to the entire body of the white-haired man and then formed an armor.
It seemed he had mastered level two of the Profound Codex he possessed. This was the first time I met an enemy who could use level two of their Profound Codex.
"This time, you will not be able to touch me, Raul de Garcia!" shouted Vlad, who then brought out four additional tentacles on his back.
Backing away, I then picked up my sword that I had dropped earlier. Vlad then again elongated his tentacles toward me. Hurrying to activate Accel magic again, I then tried to avoid all of his attacks. A loud rumbling sound was heard as those tentacles hit the match arena walls.
I then saw Vlad start to stomp his foot on the ground.
That movement... Could it be!?
I hurried to jump into the air using Axio magic; suddenly dozens of solid branched blood like trees appeared from inside the ground. Vlad had used his foot to send his blood into the ground so that I wouldn't realize it and then performed a surprise attack when I let my guard down.
"Cih, you realized it too, it turns out!" cursed Vlad, looking annoyed. "However, my attack is not over yet!"
Six tentacles then began to lunge toward me while I was in the air. I tried to twist my body to avoid those tentacle attacks. However, one of them managed to catch my leg.
"Got you!"
I tried to cut it using my sword which had been given sharpening magic—Avilar. However, not a single scratch appeared on these tentacles. Truly an extremely troublesome ability! The tentacle swung my body, throwing it forcefully until it hit the arena wall.
Ughhh... The bones in my body felt like they were all shattered. He threw me very forcefully.
I had to get close if I wanted to defeat him. However, with the blood armor covering his body, it would be very impossible to hurt him. I had to defeat him in one strike. If not, then those tentacles were the ones that would finish my life.
I had thrown away the Limiter I was wearing. That meant I could die in this match. However, this was one of my plans to defeat Vlad and pierce the armor he was wearing. I had to suffer and be closer to death so that this attack of mine reached maximum power.
"What's the matter, Raul de Garcia?" asked Vlad, who was seen smiling toward me. "Have you died with just an attack like that?"
I tried to get back up with the help of my sword.
"Fun time has just begun!" shouted Vlad, who again lifted his eight tentacles. "I won't kill you before I'm satisfied torturing you completely."
Torturing me, huh? In that case, I gladly accept it!
Activating Accel magic again, I dashed back toward Vlad. Seeing this, he smiled and then began to direct his tentacles toward me again. I tried to avoid and went into defensive mode at this time. Several tentacles managed to hit my body.
Extreme pain began to attack my body until I vomited blood. No... this is still not enough; I have to suffer even more, I have to be closer to death to defeat him.
I got back up and dashed toward Vlad.
"Hahaha! Have you gone crazy? Attacking me directly continuously!" said Vlad while again elongating his tentacles toward me. "Have you given up? However, I won't let you die easily! I will torture you here until you beg for me to kill you!"
Those tentacles hit my body hard again. I even felt that my left shoulder experienced a dislocation. My vision began to blur; my head was covered in blood which made me feel extremely dizzy.
I think it's time to activate my other Profound Codex—Vengeance.
Getting back up, I activated Accel magic, dashed toward Vlad, and began to utter an incantation.
"Cast Off My Wrath ... "
Four tentacles began to attack; I increased my focus and then began to avoid them with an acrobatic move.
"Clothe Me With Rage ... Destroy My Enemy into Nothingness ... "
Vlad again elongated the remaining four tentacles to block me from getting close.
"Your fate is to die at my hands, Raul de Garcia!"
Running in a zig-zag, I managed to avoid the remaining four tentacle attacks. Vlad then aimed at me with both of his palms. It seemed he was going to shoot me with Bloody Burst magic.
"Feel this, Bloody Burst!"
A high-pressure blood shot like a laser then came out from both of Vlad's palms. I then used Axio magic to jump and avoid into the air.
"Aggghhhh! Die you!"
Vlad lifted both of his palms, trying to direct his blood shot so that it would hit me. However, his efforts were in vain; I then landed and used the Charging technique so that I could appear in front of him quickly.
"Plus Ultra ... "
Vlad looked shocked that I quickly appeared in front of him. My right hand began to emit a deep black aura, a sign that my magic had been activated.
"Full Vengeance of ... Smash!"
Punching his chest with all the strength there was, a cracking sound was heard when my fist hit his body.
- Crack!
"Im-impossible! My armor should be impenetrable!" shouted Vlad, who didn't believe the reality.
"Arghhh! To infinity and beyond!"
The moment I shouted those words, Vlad's body was thrown extremely forcefully due to the impact of my punch which had been enveloped by the Vengeance skill.
- Boom!
His body then hit the match arena wall which resulted in an extremely loud sound; a very large crack was seen created on the wall. The blood armor worn by Vlad shattered instantly; his blood tentacles also disappeared. Not long after, the Limiter he was wearing activated, indicating Vlad had already lost in this tournament.
"The winner of the third match, Raul de Garcia!"
Silence was created as the Promoter announced my victory to all the spectators present in the arena.
My vision began to blur ...
My body fell and my consciousness began to disappear.
"I ... won ... "