Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 178: Startling Duel

Apollo raised his scythe slowly. Trails of purple lightning danced on the weapon, sparking with dangerous intensity.

Leonidas’s brows furrowed, and he immediately got serious too.

Raising his shield, he hit his sword against the rim twice.

Clang! Clang!

The sound was clear, and he could feel more strength surging into his body. His ability was a simple and very effective one—Call of the Knight.

It had different stages, but the stage opened to him at this level was just basic overall enhancement by performing some actions common to Knights.

Eyes blazing with confidence, he leaned forward and attacked.

Slash!

His blade cut at Apollo’s neck with terrifying speed, making some students gasp in surprise.

Apollo reacted just in time, leaning backward and allowing the blade to miss him by an inch. The scythe in his hand turned, striking vertically at Leonidas’s torso.

Forced to abandon his follow-up attack, Leonidas raised his shield to block the attack.

Shiing~!

The scraping sound of metal against metal was grating to the ears, but the two boys didn’t care.

Sweat dripped from Leonidas’s forehead, and his breathing became heavier.

’He’s strong... and fast. Not just that. It’s like he can read my moves.’

Seeing the faint grin on Apollo’s lips, the boy grew alert.

Apollo closed the distance with a zigzag, his purple hair flailing from side to side.

Leonidas raised his shield defensively, only for Apollo to duck and disappear from his view.

"Huh?"

Bang!

A heavy punch struck him in the back, making him fly forward with a pained cry. He crashed to the ground, rolling in pain.

"Argh..."

Listening to his pained voice, Apollo dismissed his scythe and pocketed his hands.

Approaching the defenseless boy, he stepped on his head and looked straight at Adela. There was a taunting glint in his eyes, like he wanted to see her furious.

However, seeing as the girl still had an amused smile on her lips, he scoffed.

"Tch. Don’t worry, you’ll crack soon. I’m sure."

A single kick to the head knocked Leonidas unconscious. With a cold expression, he walked back to his seat, crossing his legs like a king.

Medical staff immediately came up to carry the boy off the stage, meanwhile hushed whispers about Apollo flew about.

"Damn. Poor guy. He could have chosen anyone other than Apollo."

"That guy is a real delinquent. I heard he beat up some grown men when he was in middle school."

"Fuck! He’s so scary. It must be horrible being his classmate."

While the discussions sparked, Instructor Natalie continued.

"Next on the list is a Class-A student. Iruca Sanders."

The girl stood from her group of friends, her expression determined. Clenching her fists, she walked down to the stage, her silver-white hair bouncing with every step.

When she reached the Class-A’s box, she took a deep breath and took a card from the box.

"Name?" Her class instructor asked with a soft, comforting smile.

Iruca stared blankly at the name on the card, then looked into the crowd.

"Sebastian Hemsworth..."

Hearing his name, the golden-haired young man released a boisterous laughter.

"Hahahahahah!"

His legs crossed, he clapped his hands. He didn’t even make any move to stand.

"This is truly a heavy luck—a beautiful one."

Staring into the violet eyes of the girl, he grinned.

"How about this? If you agree to go on a trial date with me, I will surrender and let you win."

Hazel reacted instantly. "Sebastian?!"

"I can hear you even without the unnecessary noise, Hazel." He sighed, gently combing his hair.

Patting his thighs, he stood up and stretched his body.

"I won’t stoop so low to threaten a girl to go on a date with me—that’s ugly."

He began walking down the to the stage. Adjusting his tie, he displayed a confident smile.

"All women are eventually attracted by my own magnificence. It is only a matter of time difference."

He climbed onto the stage, facing Iruca directly.

The girl gave a bitter smile and summoned her weapons and armor. Just like Leonidas, she summoned a sword and a shield.

Sebastian chuckled, stretching out his hand for a large golden greatsword to manifest.

Weng!

A casual swing from the sword made the air itself vibrate.

Iruca’s eyes became determined, and she raised her shield defensively.

"Begin."

Instructor Natalie’s clear voice rang out.

Holding the greatsword vertically above his head, Sebastian brought it down heavily.

Bang!

The arena trembled when his weapon hit the ground. A curved blade of energy was sent out from the swing, heading straight for Iruca.

’Protective Embrace.’

Raising her shield, Iruca used her ability to add another level of defense before her.

’This should be—’

Boom!

The blade of energy slammed into the invisible shield she had created, creating a loud ear-numbing sound.

The shield wasn’t broken or shattered, but trembled incessantly. Iruca was even forced to skid about five meters back.

Feeling her shield wavering, she was astounded.

"Marvelous!"

Sebastian’s amazed voice rang out. Stabbing the greatsword into the ground, he folded his arms.

"You withstood that attack of mine without faltering. You are worthy of my respect, human. I will also allow you to attack me once."

His tone was utterly arrogant, but he was filled with a righteous sense of pride and confidence.

At the spectator’s seats, Hazel grew nervous. "What is this guy doing? He hasn’t even done anything great."

Beside her, Kaiser sighed through his nose.

"Sebastian is a unique person. Do not judge him using the norms."

While Hazel remained anxious, Iruca’s eyes sharpened.

’Does he mean it? I can attack him? He’s not even wearing an armor!’

Soon, concern slipped into her eyes, evident for the golden-haired youth to notice.

"Hahahah. Are you worried about my well-being?" His grin widened. "Worry not, my body has been crafted to the peak of what a human can achieve. You cannot hurt me."

Instead of being offended by his last statement, Iruca was relieved. She didn’t really want to cause unnecessary injuries for others.

Putting her shield away, she raised her sword and charged at him.

Her speed was fast. But to Sebastian, she was a little slow. He could have reacted and used his greatsword to block, but he didn’t.

The girl’s blade nearly reached his shoulder when it was stopped—caught between his index and middle fingers.