Silver's words left Descartes completely speechless.
Ranked third out of five, and the last one is Layla, who is six or seven years younger? Can that really be called strong?
He subconsciously took another look at Bluenote.
Stoic face, stern expression, tall, and burly. Regardless of his actual strength for the moment, his aura was certainly immense. To an outsider, he might even look like the strongest of the group.
"Serena said yesterday that he's ranked first. Is that true or false?"
"Well..." Descartes' question made Silver hesitate for a moment. "Anyway, my strength is average; I can't compare to the three of them."
This was a difficult question to answer—saying too much was an easy way to offend people!
You're certainly humble!
"Alright, alright, let's end the small talk there. It's about time!"
Ur suddenly cut into the conversation, interrupting the two while glancing upward as a signal. Descartes turned to look and realized that many people had already entered the duel arena, whispering and gesturing toward them.
"It seems the audience is in place. Next... it's time for the protagonists to take the stage!"
...
3:00 PM Sharp.
Descartes and Serena stood on the dueling grounds, five meters apart. Each stood slightly off-center, building up their fighting spirit. The surrounding spectator stands were packed. Everyone watched with excitement, focusing intently on the arena, afraid to miss a single glance or movement from the two leads.
"It's starting! It's finally starting! The duel between Descartes and the exchange student..."
"I heard Descartes' opponent this time is the strongest among the exchange students. Let's see what the strength of the Royal Capital Magic Academy's NO. 1 is like!"
"It's a pity Gildarts is out on a mission. Otherwise, if he knew something this fun was happening, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold back; he'd be clamoring to get on stage for a fight. That would be a real spectacle!"
"No need for pity! I'll record the whole duel with my Magic Phone and show it to him when he gets back! Then I'll tell him, 'See, that's what happens when you're always running off on your own—you can't even catch the exciting events at the academy'..."
"Hahaha... you're so mean~"
Suddenly, someone in the stands cried out in surprise: "Look... look over there!"
What was so interesting over there? Everyone turned to look and was instantly stirred into a nervous frenzy. Sitting in the corner of the stands was the number two figure of Fairy Academy, Vice-Principal Chris Lagrange.
"I can't believe the Vice-Principal didn't stop it; she even came in person to watch the duel. Is she actually interested in our childish play?"
"Even though she's an old lady, her mindset is quite young..."
"Idiot! You dare say that? Do you have a death wish?!"
While the crowd was distracted, Descartes and Serena finally made their move!
Descartes was faster, lunging forward like a tiger to reach Serena, his fist striking out in a straight line. Seeing the fierce momentum of his opponent, Serena immediately raised an arm to protect his head.
Boom—!!
Fist met arm with a dull thud.
"Not a weak punch!" During the struggle of strength, Serena cast a look of approval at Descartes.
The next moment, he struck back. With a sudden upward heave, he flicked away the fist pressing near his face, then closed the distance and threw a punch of his own!
Whoosh—!
Descartes tilted his head to dodge the punch, spun in mid-air, and swept out a kick aimed straight for Serena's neck.
"Too slow!"
Serena remained unhurried, taking half a step back. A wicked smile curled on his lips as his right hand formed a claw and lunged forward, intending to deliver a heavy blow to Descartes' crotch.
In the stands, every man turned pale, their teeth felt cold, and their legs trembled simultaneously. Every woman blushed, covering her mouth, unsure whether to be shocked or to stifle a laugh.
"Holy...!!"
"That's so low!!"
"What a sinister move!!"
"He's a literal demon!!"
But the person with the biggest reaction was the one involved in the duel. Descartes turned pale with shock, instantly snapping his legs together and using his core strength to spin rapidly in the air like a runaway top.
Serena's claw strike found no opening and froze in mid-air. Just then, Descartes suddenly stopped spinning. Borrowing the centrifugal force, he threw another kick upward, stomping heavily onto Serena's chin.
Thud!
Serena was instantly kicked into the air! Had he not retracted his tongue quickly, that hit would have definitely drawn blood.
"Incredible!!"
The crowd didn't expect him to resolve a dangerous situation in such a way, let alone succeed in a counterattack, and they broke into cheers for Descartes.
The four exchange students in the corner of the stands also watched with glowing eyes. "To be able to gain the upper hand in close-quarters combat against Serena... that kid isn't just a name!!"
Ur's gaze toward Descartes held a hint of investigative interest. A powerful opponent always piques the interest of the strong.
Silver watched the two separate on the field, also full of praise: "He's the second-ranked in this academy after all. It would be weirder if he didn't have this level of skill, wouldn't it? What do you think, Bluenote?"
Bluenote remained with his arms crossed, saying in his low voice: "Still... not flying!"
As for Layla, her small hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, and she didn't speak. By the standards of an exchange student, she should have been on Serena's side. But in reality, she wasn't familiar with Serena; from the time they met until now, they hadn't exchanged more than ten sentences. Conversely, she felt closer to Descartes. But she couldn't very well cheer for Descartes in front of Ur, Silver, and Bluenote, so she cheered for him silently in her heart.
On the dueling grounds.
After Serena landed, he messaged his chin haphazardly with his sleeve before looking at Descartes.
"Tch—"
"Not bad, not bad..."
"The second-ranked of Fairy Academy really has some skill! But next, I'll let you witness the strongest God-magic!"
As the words fell, his eyes snapped wide. With a swish, his right claw lunged toward the ground. Instantly, a surging magical power erupted from his palm, pouring directly into the earth.
Crackle!
The ground shattered instantly, spraying tiny stone fragments.
Rumble—
The earth trembled faintly, and space shook slightly. The stones scattered on the surface were affected, jumping uncontrollably.
"What's going on? An earthquake???"
Feeling the anomaly, the people in the stands thought an earthquake had struck and immediately became rowdy. Several younger students even stood up, preparing to find an open space for cover. However, they soon noticed something was wrong when they saw that most people, especially the seniors, remained in their seats.
"No... this isn't an earthquake. It's that guy's magic!"