"Stop spewing nonsense!"
Malcolm, still clad in the Dark Knight Armor, charged forward while trailing black smoke behind him. His gauntleted fist swung toward Simon with enough force to make the air tremble.
Vwoooong!
Simon smoothly twisted his shoulder to avoid the punch, slid to the side, and immediately answered with his left fist.
Crack!
Malcolm's head snapped violently backward, yet he endured the impact and extended his opposite arm. Simon responded at the same time, driving his right fist forward.
Crack! Smack!
Their punches crossed and landed squarely on each other's faces.
Both the Dark Knight helmet and Simon's skull helmet creaked under the impact, twisting slightly as their heads snapped to the side.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
The audience's excitement exploded at the sudden melee exchange.
Simon took a step back and wiped the corner of his mouth. Malcolm looked relatively fine, but Simon immediately noticed that his own barrier gauge had decreased slightly.
Malcolm noticed it too. A sneer immediately appeared on his face.
I can't win with pure hand-to-hand combat.
Simon's current Bone Armor was still in its initial stage. It increased the defense of the areas it covered and, by using the undead's Core, could also enhance physical strength like an exosuit.
Also, wearing a regular Skeleton as armor also made movement somewhat stiff, while simply reinforcing his body with internal jet-black was much more efficient.
That was why Simon had prepared a different way to use Bone Armor.
"Graaaaah!"
Malcolm swung again, but Simon ducked under the fist and immediately stepped into close range. He slipped one arm beneath Malcolm's armpit and locked it in place, then moved around behind him and caught the other arm as well before tilting his body to destroy Malcolm's balance.
"W-What?! You bastard! Let go of me!"
No matter how strong the armor was, once someone got caught in a proper joint lock or submission hold, brute strength alone wouldn't solve everything.
Simon immediately activated black magic.
Bone Armor!
Several segments of his Bone Armor detached from his body and latched onto Malcolm's Dark Knight Armor like ticks.
"You bastard! What the hell is this?!"
Simon grinned.
"I figured your suit alone wouldn't be enough to beat me, so I thought I'd lend you mine too."
"You son of a—!"
Malcolm immediately tensed his entire body, his face twisting in anger at Simon's blatant provocation.
Meanwhile, both Group 7 and Group 8 fell strangely silent after hearing Simon's words.
For some reason, the sly grin on his face and the way he casually provoked his opponent felt strangely familiar. Almost too familiar.
As the same realization dawned on them, members of both groups slowly turned their heads in the same direction.
Their gazes landed on a certain white-haired devil sitting among them.
"..."
Faced with their accusing stares, Knox blinked innocently before tilting his head as though he had absolutely no idea why everyone was looking at him.
"Hm?"
Seeing his shameless act, everyone became even more certain.
So you're the culprit!
While Simon focused on controlling the Bone Armor, Malcolm managed to pull his right arm free and immediately swung an elbow backward. Simon released him and retreated just in time to avoid the strike.
"I'll kill you!"
Malcolm lunged forward with another punch.
Simon bent backward so far that the back of his head nearly touched the ground, allowing the fist to pass right above his face.
While still dodging, Simon grabbed Malcolm's right arm and drove his right foot forward with tremendous force, forcing Malcolm down onto one knee.
Snap! Snap!
At the same time, more fragments of Bone Armor detached from Simon's arms and transferred themselves onto Malcolm's.
What the hell is this guy doing?! Enraged, Malcolm began wildly swinging his fists.
From Simon's perspective, Malcolm's Magical Combat was almost entirely built around brute force. Instead of trying to match that strength directly, Simon remained close and continued attaching more pieces of Bone Armor onto Malcolm's body whenever an opening appeared.
"Simon! What are you doing?"
From the spectator stands, Meilyn shouted anxiously. "He's a Special Entry too! If you don't fight seriously, who knows what'll happen!"
Beside her, Cami turned toward Rick with an equally worried expression. "Rick! Did Simon tell you anything?"
"He didn't say much, but I think I know what he's planning."
"Huh?"
Seeing both girls immediately turn toward him, Rick smiled before raising two fingers.
"There are two things Simon is especially good at when it comes to Summonology."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Restoration and Control." Rick's smile widened slightly. "Especially since Simon sometimes gets personally tutored by Knox~"
Hearing Knox's name, Meilyn and Cami instinctively turned toward Group 8.
Sure enough, Knox was sitting there with his usual confident expression, seemingly not worried about Simon in the slightest.
The three girls beside him, however, were a completely different story.
Cindy looked like she was barely holding back her panic, Claudia watched the arena with a tense expression, while even Merida's normally sleepy eyes were filled with expectation and concern.
Anyone who saw the three of them like this would naturally assume that they were deeply worried about Simon.
And, well...
They weren't exactly wrong.
Cindy, Claudia, and Merida were worried about Simon. It was just that there was something else they were even more worried about.
Their money.
More precisely...the allowances they had bet on Simon winning this match.
At that moment, the same desperate prayer was practically echoing through all three of their minds.
Simon...Please don't lose!
Back inside the arena, Simon finally stepped away while breathing heavily.
By now, countless fragments of Bone Armor could be seen clinging to different sections of Malcolm's Dark Knight Armor, especially around the limbs where their arms and legs had collided the most.
"You think you can win with a cheap trick like this?"
Malcolm grabbed one of the bones attached to his waist.
Crunch!
He ripped it off and threw it onto the ground.
But the moment he reached for another one, Simon suddenly kicked off the arena floor.
Tap! He rushed forward.
Startled by the sudden shift back to offense, Malcolm immediately drew back his fist.
"Stop!"
Simon issued an Absolute Order. The Skeleton bones attached to Malcolm's arm instantly pulled against his movement, forcing the limb to halt midway.
"W-What?! My arm...!"
Smaaack!
Simon's straight punch landed cleanly against Malcolm's face. Malcolm staggered backward before trying to swing his other arm.
"Stop!"
Once again, the Skeleton interfered.
Simon twisted his waist and followed up with a heavy side kick to Malcolm's head. The Dark Knight helmet briefly distorted into a mass of jet-black before immediately returning to its original form.
"Guh!"
Armor or barrier, a sufficiently powerful impact could still deal damage.
Malcolm stumbled as though his brain had been shaken inside his skull, and this time, his barrier gauge visibly dropped.
"This crap! I'll just rip all of it off...!"
Of course, Simon had no intention of giving him that opportunity.
The moment Malcolm raised his head, Simon stepped in and landed three consecutive punches, slipped past the counterattack, and followed through with a precise spinning kick.
Thud!
Malcolm crashed onto the arena floor.
Simon immediately rushed after him, grabbed hold of his helmet, and drove his knee straight into it.
Smack! Crack! Crack!
Malcolm's helmet repeatedly flickered between solid armor and jet-black as the impacts continued to land.
His barrier gauge dropped below half almost instantly.
"Graaaaaaaah!"
With a furious roar, Malcolm threw himself forward and wrapped both arms around Simon's waist.
The tackle brought Simon crashing onto the arena floor, allowing Malcolm to mount him before raising one fist with a twisted grin.
"Back."
Simon gave another Absolute Order. Every piece of Bone Armor attached to Malcolm's body suddenly pulled his torso backward at once.
His raised fist never came down. Instead, Simon immediately took advantage of the opening and repeatedly punched Malcolm in the face until the mount completely broke apart.
Simon rolled away, sprang back onto his feet, and immediately turned into a heavy kick that slammed into Malcolm's abdomen.
Malcolm's body flew several meters across the arena.
"Gak! Kuh! Graaaagh!"
Writhing from pain and frustration, Malcolm gritted his teeth before opening his subspace.
I don't care about the consequences anymore!
Five more bottles of liquid explosives dropped into his hands.
With another furious roar, Malcolm charged forward while pouring jet-black into all five potions.
At this range, even if I die, he won't be able to dodge!
Malcolm was still wearing the Dark Knight Armor. Simon, meanwhile, no longer had Bone Armor protecting most of his body.
If the explosion went off at this distance, both of them would take damage, but Malcolm believed he would be the one who survived thanks to the artifact armor.
Attaching your Bone Armor to me was your mistake, Simon!
However, Simon simply stood there and smirked.
"You really can't go beyond my expectations."
There was no easier opponent to deal with than someone who had completely lost themselves to rage.
Simon calmly raised his index finger.
Clangclangclangclang!
Clang!
Clangclangclang!
Blades suddenly erupted from subspace beneath Malcolm's feet.
"Gah!"
The attack launched Malcolm straight upward from the arena floor toward the ceiling.
One moment, Simon had been standing directly in front of him.
The next, Malcolm's entire vision flipped as his body soared tens of meters into the air.
The explosive potions in his arms began releasing a blinding light.
"Siiiiiimooooooon!"
Malcolm's furious scream was swallowed by the blast.
KABOOOOOM!
Gray smoke exploded across the upper section of the arena as thunderous noise shook the entire stadium.
Spectators ducked and covered their heads while the explosion tore a hole straight through the roof, revealing the open sky above as violent wind rushed inside.
A few moments later, something emerged from the smoke.
Malcolm. The Dark Knight Armor covering his body had been completely destroyed and he was falling.
Simon calmly raised his right arm.
Clangclangclangclang!
Four Overlord blades shot upward.
They caught Malcolm during his fall and slammed him directly into the arena wall, pinning his body firmly in place.
Only after seeing that final attack connect did Simon finally let out a long breath.
[Malcolm Randolph: 0%]
[Simon Polentia: 79%]
The referee immediately raised one arm.
"Winner! Class A's Simon Polentia!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Cheers erupted from every direction like explosions.
"Overwhelming! Turns out, the other Special Entry No. 1 besides Knox Aznable is the real deal too!"
"Is Kizen some kind of never-drying spring?! Every year, it keeps producing monsters like this! It's crazy!"
"He's only seventeen? Damn, that's depressing."
The adults laughed as they excitedly went over the highlights of the match. Meanwhile, the scouts among them were far too busy to join in, frantically scribbling notes with their quills or activating communication crystals to report back to their respective organizations.
Before long, urgent voices could be heard from several corners of the spectator stands.
"Change his recruitment priority immediately!"
"What the hell are you people doing over there?! You said he didn't even do any pre-enrollment studies! He's already using Bone Armor, you maniacs!"
Similar reactions quickly spread among the scouts as Simon's name rapidly climbed higher on their lists.
At this point, there was no longer any doubt. A top-tier prospect had appeared.
No...calling him merely a prospect no longer felt quite right. What they had just witnessed was the rise of a new star.
Meanwhile, the second-years who had placed bets could only accept the results with bittersweet expressions.
"Ha, that bastard Malcolm... tsk!"
"Number 1 really served him a big one."
"Betting's all about luck, hahahaha!"
Among the cheering crowd, the members of Group 8 and 7 immediately stood and waved toward Simon.
"If I get paid, drinks are on me, Simon!"
"Simon! You were awesome!"
Simon looked toward them with a relieved smile before raising one hand and waving back.
Knox also joined the cheering from his seat, cupping one hand beside his mouth before calling out in a loud voice.
"Good job, Simon! You even trashed the Royal Kingdom of Dresden's treasure!"
Normally, when cheer after cheer came one after another, it would only make the atmosphere even louder.
This time, however, the exact opposite happened. The cheers abruptly died.
For a brief moment, the entire arena fell into an unnatural silence as students, nobles, scouts, and even several instructors slowly processed what Knox had just shouted.
"What did he just say?"
"Dresden's treasure?"
"That armor?"
Confused voices began appearing throughout the stands. Among the VIP spectators, Molly felt her heart sink.
She had been hoping no one would recognize the armor Malcolm had worn. There were plenty of people here knowledgeable enough to realize that it wasn't an ordinary artifact, but recognizing its exact origin at a glance was another matter entirely.
Unfortunately, someone did recognize it. And that someone just happened to be Knox Aznable!
As more and more eyes turned toward him, Knox tilted his head with an innocent expression, seemingly confused by the sudden silence surrounding him.
Of course, for Knox to not realize what he had just done?
Please, how could the perpetrator not realize it?
In fact, Knox had shouted those words on purpose.
I thought because Andre lost the duel against me, he wouldn't lend that armor to Malcolm anymore to fight Simon. So, I thought the chance of Andre getting expelled was lower than in the original story.
The corners of Knox's lips almost rose as his gaze swept across the arena.
But look, what do we have here~? To think that fool still used this armor, hahaha! Isn't this basically giving his head on a silver platter to me? Isn't this a big chance for me? Of course I will take it!
"Hmm? Why did everyone suddenly go silent?" Knox asked with an innocent tone, as if he genuinely had no idea what was happening. "Don't you know that armor was a Dark Knight's Armor, the symbol of Dresden's Royal Knights? Isn't that basically a treasure?"
Several people in the audience visibly reacted to those words.
Knox, however, merely placed a finger against his chin.
"Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, isn't it strange? A first-year student who doesn't have any connection at all to the Royal Knights of Dresden somehow possesses a Dark Knight's Armor?"
The silence finally broke. Murmurs began spreading from one section of the arena to another.
"This... now that I think about it..."
"What he said makes sense!"
"How did Randolph get something like that?"
At first, most of the questions came from students, but it didn't take long before the outside spectators joined in as well. The nobles were particularly quick to understand the implication, and several scouts who had stopped writing after Simon's victory hurriedly put their quills back onto their papers.
Molly's expression grew increasingly stiff. Knox hadn't directly accused anyone yet. But that somehow made it worse.
"Ah, right!"
As if he had only just remembered something important, Knox suddenly clapped his hands.
"Didn't Malcolm say, 'This is a gift from someone who holds a grudge against you,' when he put on that armor during the duel just now?"
The murmuring intensified.
Knox's innocent smile remained unchanged as he continued connecting the dots for everyone.
"Maybe someone gave it to him? But unless that person has some connection to the Royal Kingdom of Dresden, I don't think that would be possible, right.....~?"
Then, Knox slowly turned his head toward one particular section of the spectator seats.
"Senior Andre?"
The moment that name left his mouth, countless heads followed Knox's gaze almost simultaneously.
Students turned around. Nobles looked over. Scouts stopped writing. Even several instructors shifted their attention toward the same place.
And there, sitting among the spectators, was Andre Dresden.
His face had gone completely ashen.
The arrogance that normally seemed permanently carved into his features had disappeared, replaced by naked horror as he realized that almost the entire arena was now staring directly at him.