-Clang! Clang!

Yeniel and Locke crossed swords from afar.

They kept fighting, gradually moving further away from where Evan and Rudy were locked in their own battle.

"Your attacks are too straightforward, aren't they?"

Yeniel taunted as she blocked Locke's sword.

Locke's sword was simple.

It stabbed when it said it would, and it swung where it said it would.

That made it easy to dodge.

But, these straightforward attacks left no big openings.

It was easy enough to evade Locke's attacks, but finding a chance for a counterattack was impossible.

So, Yeniel decided to act calm and provoke him.

"Do you really think you can keep this up?"

Yeniel dodged Locke's sword and spoke.

"You saw Evan's skills during the evaluation, right? As a swordsman, shouldn't you have fought him instead?"

Even with these provocations, Locke just kept pressuring Yeniel silently.

"If we keep fighting like this, Evan will come to help"

"Enough."

Locke slashed his sword with force.

Taken aback by Locke's sudden attack, Yeniel quickly retreated out of Locke's range.

'Did it work?'

Yeniel thought for a moment, then shook her head.

Locke's expression was still neutral.

As they put more distance between them, Locke pointed his sword at Yeniel.

"I made my choice. It's not too late to regret it when that guy actually loses."

Locke got into position again.

"Rudy Astria is strong."

Yeniel frowned at those words.

"I heard you two didn't get along? You seem to know more than I thought."

"That's right. That's why I know. I often study Rudy Astria."

Yeniel looked disgusted.

"What are you, a stalker? Into guys, are you?"

Locke, who had been nonchalant all along, showed anger at these words.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not doing this because I enjoy it."

But his anger, too, faded quickly.

"I'm just keeping tabs on him."

At Locke's words, Yeniel grimaced.

'This guy doesn't seem to be shaken by anything.'

Thinking so, Yeniel gripped her sword tightly.

She decided she had to get serious.

Best to meet the straightforward with straightforward.

If she tried any weird strategies, she might just hurt herself.

"Alright then..."

Yeniel took a deep breath and prepared to charge at Locke.

"Everyone!! Fire!!!"

Just when she fully prepared herself, she heard an unusual noise.

A mix of magic and shouting.

Suddenly, magic surged out from between the trees.

"Haah!"

Locke and Yeniel swiftly dodged.

It wasn't just a single spell.

The attack came from a group of three, not just one person.

Locke and Yeniel sprinted to take cover behind a large tree.

-Boom! Bang!

"What are they up to?"

"It isn't strong. Seems like the weaker ones have teamed up."

At Locke's words, Yeniel nodded.

She'd anticipated this.

Weaker teams struggled to get high rankings on their own, so they often grouped together.

A tactic of the weak.

Yeniel flashed a thin smile and proposed to Locke.

"Should we join forces for a bit?"

Locke eyed Yeniel skeptically.

Yeniel pointed her sword at Locke and said,

"Do you want to keep fighting?"

Locke thought for a moment and observed the enemies.

Only a few of them had shown themselves.

About five were visible.

But there would be more.

Maybe two teams, or even three....

Locke turned to Yeniel and agreed.

"A temporary alliance."

Yeniel chuckled softly and dashed into the crowd.

When I called Priscilla's name, a silver-furred wolf appeared behind me.

Priscilla formed icicles and aimed at Evan.

Caught off guard, Evan stopped his sword mid-strike.

And in that moment, Priscilla rushed to me and pushed me aside with force.

"Cough!"

I was thrown to the ground by Priscilla's enormous body.

Evan shifted his grip on his sword, focusing on deflecting the icicles.

Many icicles flew, but none could stand against Evan's sword.

They crumbled to dust and vanished.

I hadn't wanted to summon Priscilla...

Priscilla is a powerful yet dangerous force that exceeds my abilities.

Just summoning her drains a lot of mana, and it chips away at my mental strength too.

"Gasp......"

Feeling my mana rapidly depleting, I gasped.

But I couldn't send her back now.

Since I already used some many in summoning her, I had to make use of Priscilla.

"Priscilla! Keep him under pressure!"

Biting my lip, I forced myself to stand.

I channeled mana into my fist and charged forward.

Evan was pelted with icicles, and I dove into the fray.

I swung my fist.

I threw several punches, but each narrowly missed.

The icicles, however, managed to land minor hits on Evan.

These minor wounds weren't significant, but the fact that Evan was on the defensive was a good thing.

I kept swinging my fist.

Evan dodged as best he could, my fist kept slicing through the air.

I maintained constant pressure on Evan, not allowing him a moment's respite.

My breath became ragged.

My mana was depleting.

A creeping dizziness began to cloud my senses.

When I focused my senses, Evan came into view.

Evan, also struggling for breath.

He was suffering as much as I was.

I wasn't done yet.

"Spikes of Hell!"

I channelled my remaining focus, infusing dark magic into my fist.

"Arghh!!"

Evan was suddenly jabbed in the side by an emerging spike.

He'd been unable to keep track of my magic while focusing on my fist and Priscilla' attacks.

I smirked.

"Got you right there. You little bastard."

Both Priscilla's and my direct attacks are strong.

Evan knew this.

So, he decided to bear the hit of my dark magic while dodging the other attacks.

However, this was a poor decision on Evan's part.

Dark magic doesn't just inflict pain upon the enemy.

It possesses other effects.

Just as the Abyssal Flame has the capacity to inflict excruciating pain, there's another ability nestled within it.

That was its true power.

As Evan was pricked by the thorn, his movements stopped.

The ability contained within Spikes of Hell was immobilization.

The power to stop the opponent's movements.

It didn't last long, but it offered ample time to land a powerful strike on Evan.

"Haaah!"

I pulled back my right fist to the full.

And charged it with mana.

I unsummoned Priscilla, and the mana previously used to sustain her was channelled into my fist.

"This fist carries the sorrow of being second."

Sure, I chose that second seat, but it came with its share of sorrow.

I also want to be first, to be the protagonist.

I didn't want to be second forever.

But, the protagonist's responsibility was heavy.

Although I've been helping people till now, I've been doing so with a self-defense mechanism.

If I can't save this person, it's not my fault.

It's Evan's responsibility, it is Evan that made a mistake. I am not the one at fault.

I didn't want the responsibility, but I also didn't want to give up.

So, I used Evan in that way.

But every time I harbored such thoughts, I felt frustrated.

How great it would have been if I had reincarnated as Evan, not 'Rudy Astria'.

If I had been the protagonist...

If I had Evan's abilities...

But such thoughts were useless.

Because I'm already Rudy Astria.

The opportunity to land a punch on Evan...

There aren't many such opportunities.

If Evan progresses further, I might not stand a chance, and we might not ever again find ourselves in a fight like this.

This could be the last time.

So, I'm about to release everything I have pent-up on you.

As much as I've helped the story, take a hit for not progressing it like you should be.

-Kwaaaaaaang!!!!!!!!!!

"Arghh!!!"

I landed my fist squarely into Evan's gut.

Evan was propelled into the air, hurling far away.

It was only after colliding with a distant tree that he plummeted to the ground.

"Haa."

A wave of dizziness washed over me due to the abrupt expenditure of a massive amount of mana.

I held my throbbing head and sunk down to the ground.

"Uh."

I immediately lifted my gaze to Evan.

He was unconscious, his eyes rolled back.

Seeing this stirred a sense of exhilaration within me.

"Haha."

I chuckled.

That's the punch of the second seat... you brat...

I tried to get up from the ground.

But suddenly, my legs gave way, and I found myself back on my knees.

"Uh."

My head pounded painfully.

It was the backlash of summoning Priscilla.

Having recklessly used dark magic and Priscilla, my mental energy was severely drained.

I shot Evan a fleeting glance.

Evan's gem.

I could take his gem and add it to mine to steal his points, but I didn't.

Because Evan had to be on top...

Even though I won now, there was no guarantee that I would be stronger later.

There are things that I can do and things that only Evan can do.

Evan hadn't been particularly helpful so far, but I hope that one day he would.

Even though he was unconscious, I addressed him as if issuing a warning.

"I'm giving you a chance."

So far, I have not interfered with any opportunities that Evan could have.

I was giving all the elements that could make Evan stronger to him.

But I wouldn't stand idly by if Evan only grew stronger without contributing to the story.

"Grow stronger, Evan."

I spat out those words and concealed my presence.

A shrill noise reverberated throughout the mountains.

Then, the teaching assistants called a stop to all the participants locked in combat.

-The joint practical of the first and second years has now concluded.

With that, it came to an end.

Professor Cromwell monitored the score situation from the mountain's entrance.

[

Rie Von Ristonia

Evan

Borval

]

Evan beat Rudy Astria.

Professor Cromwell wanted to cheer like a child, but he held back his emotions.

"Hmm, hmm."

With a smirk, Professor Cromwell guided the students emerging from the entrance.