Chapter 168: Stop, Please! [1]

“Or else?”

After a short pause, I uttered the words, my gaze never leaving Victoria.

Silence.

None of the other students dared to speak as Victoria observed me without lowering her weapon.

“Attacking fellow classmates on the academy grounds, breaking the rules and regulations set by the academy, not cooperating with the disciplinary team, even going as far as to commit such brutality.”

Victoria paused at the end, her eyes scanning the bodies of several seniors who had their dominant arms missing.

“You had been warned several times, so consider this your last warning, student Kael.”

Victoria’s eyes were now focused on me as she gripped her sword with more force.

“…”

I made no effort to reply to her statements.

Sigh.

I lowered my sword slowly before walking past Victoria in order to return to my dorm.

The moment my sword was lowered, there was a collective sigh of relief from the onlookers, who were tense from the events that had occurred in such a short amount of time.

“You will have to answer to the council, student Kael.”

My steps paused as I slightly turned my head to look at Victoria, who was looking back at me.

“Submit your weapon and follow me to the Student Council. The president will decide—”

“I don’t want to.”

“Hm?”

Victoria paused, gripping the sword in her hand again, as this might not have been the answer she was expecting from me.

“You don’t have any say in it.”

Her words were spoken with an authority that was impossible to refuse—

At least for the majority of the students.

And I wasn’t one of them.

“Is that so?”

“Surrender this instant—”

Swoosh!

Victoria’s eyes widened slightly, though she quickly managed to keep up with my movements.

As I scanned her core, it felt like Victoria was a Gold Ranker—maybe at Gold 2.

I tried to sense deeper, and… that confirmed it.

A Gold 2 while being a third-year student was an impressive feat, but it was expected of the eldest daughter of the Frosts.

As for whether I could defeat her?

I didn’t know.

But one thing was certain—

I was capable enough of fighting her without being defeated.

Clank!

My sword, which was swung in a clean arc aiming for Victoria’s stomach, was stopped mid-motion as she brought up her blade in between.

Haa…

For the first time since the practical session, I began to actively channel mana through every cell of my body.

The result being—

A deadlock.

Neither my blade nor Victoria’s was able to dominate, as both of us were applying mana behind the clash.

Well… I was the one attacking, while Victoria simply defended—or at least tried to.

Loosening my grip on the hilt, I twisted the sword, shifting its motion from slicing Victoria’s flesh to piercing it.

But—

Screech!

Victoria seemed to have predicted my attack, as her blade had already changed position, sliding across my sword from the side.

My arm was pushed back by the force, and I quickly retreated a few steps without giving Victoria any chance to counterattack.

Seeing me retreat, Victoria stood her ground, slightly bending her knees—as if provoking me to attack again.

After the initial surprise, Victoria had quickly composed herself and was now in full control of the space around her.

Her hands were quite flexible, moving the blade at such unnatural angles that she was able to block my attacks with ease—Well… After using her Gold mana

“Is he really a Silver 3?”

“Maybe he’s hiding his rank.”

“As if that’s possible.”

The students standing at the sides kept murmuring in low voices, though their words were loud enough for everyone to hear.

And there was indeed a reason for them to be surprised.

Though it was possible for multiple Silver rankers to fight a Gold core—it was under calculated circumstances and when the enemy was an average Gold core.

But the situation here was completely opposite of the norm.

Victoria was no average Gold core—on the contrary, she was one of the best in the history of Jutan, and her position as the Vice President of the Student Council proved it to a certain extent.

And here I was… fighting such an individual head-on—while being an entire rank below her.

It had to be known that after evolving one’s core, the nature of mana at an individual’s disposal evolved too.

Silver mana was more condensed than Bronze mana, and the same applied to Gold mana, which was many times more condensed than the mana of an average Silver core.

But… I was far from an average guy.

My baseline physical strength, coupled with my insane mana control, allowed me to use my mana reserves far more efficiently. At the same time, it allowed me to supply my muscles with the necessary mana in the required quantities without wasting a single drop.

“Scared?”

Victoria’s voice was slightly raised as she locked her gaze with mine.

Her voice was dripping with contempt—visible for all to see.

“I had given you the chance to cooperate peacefully. But… you seem eager to get disciplined.”

Victoria was being quite dominant in her way of talking.

Had her rank gotten into her head?

Possible.

Without verbally replying to her, I motioned for Victoria to attack me with the index finger of my left hand.

Her lips stretched into a small smile as she looked down on me.

“I had always been waiting to put you in the place you deserved. Maybe the gods have finally given me the chance.”

Victoria spoke as she began to walk toward me, her steps as quiet as the surrounding air.

“The gods, huh. Never knew you were such a—bootlicker.”

Swoosh!

Victoria vanished from her place—and so did I.

Our sword clashed against each other with a ferocity that sent sparks flying in the air.

At the same time, I could feel several other presences entering the area.

Perhaps Victoria’s henchmen.

Sigh.

My hands were starting to itch.

Maybe today was the day meant for the dogs to know—

Who their master was.

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