Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 183: Class-B’s Monster

Sporting a ferocious smile, Apollo summoned his scythe.

He turned to Ariel and said.

"If you bend over and bow to me, admitting you’re trash, then I might consider forfeiting the duel. What do you say?"

The other students were shocked by his crazy statement. Was he serious?

Ariel blinked, his brain thinking logically.

’If I can resolve this duel without the use of violence, that would be the best outcome.’

He immediately bowed towards Apollo, his expression blank.

Just as he was about to speak, Apollo launched a surprise attack at him.

His heel smashed toward his jaw, intending to kick him hard.

Ariel calmly crossed his fingers before his jaw, cancelling the attack and skidding backwards.

Straightening to look at Apollo, he said in a flat tone.

"Are you reneging on your word?"

Apollo dusted his shirt and scowled.

"Why should I promise a lowly dog like you such a thing?"

’Dog...’

Ariel blinked at the insult, feeling no fluctuation in his heart. Such cheap ragebaits were ineffective against him.

Apollo sweeped in with his scythe, as if intending to hook the boy’s neck.

Ariel took two measured steps back. The blade of the scythe narrowly missed his face, cutting a few strands of his long hair.

’He’s fast and aggressive, giving his opponents a sense of suffocation.’

Ariel analyzed as he dodged each and every one of Apollo’s strikes without effort.

Annoyed, Apollo paused and stared at him. His predatory gaze lowered to Ariel’s legs.

"You have quick feet. I wonder how you’d fare without those."

The next second, he charged forward with stunning speed, leaving trails of purple lightning in the air.

Ariel already predicted this and threw a dagger, forcing the boy to shift focus while he retreated.

Apollo dodged the dagger, then threw his scythe straight at the silver-haired boy.

Ariel remained expressionless, leaning to the side just enough for the weapon to fly past him.

Apollo appeared right after his weapon, swinging his fist straight at Ariel’s face.

’If I dodge again, he’d start suspecting. I should appear cornered.’

The boy leaned back, crossing his hands and placing his palms before his face.

Apollo’s fist sank into his palm, slamming him into the ground heavily.

Bang!

The impact was loud, but no damage was dealt to Ariel. His eyes remained cold.

A soft breath, and he suddenly grabbed Apollo’s wrist. Pulling him downward, he let the first hit the floor beside his head, then pushed himself using the arm as a pillar.

He slid away from Apollo, immediately rising to his feet.

Apollo slowly straightened, resummoning his scythe and turning to face Ariel.

"You aren’t a dog. You’re a sneaky rat!"

His purple eyes carried a hint of irritation as he charged at Ariel, propelling himself with a burst of lightning from his feet.

Ariel rolled his shoulders, then took a stance.

The scythe cut at him from the right, but was immediately blocked by his dagger.

Everything looked fine. Apollo had attacked, he had blocked.

The next moment, he was sent flying in the air.

The crowd was confused. Wasn’t that reaction a bit delayed?

Even Apollo appeared astonished.

Twirling his scythe in his hand, he confidently stepped forward.

"Your durability is commendable—but I find it quite annoying."

Grinning, purple lightning began sparking around his body, a prelude to an attack.

Standing some distance away, Ariel’s green eyes narrowed. Instinctively, he activated his ability—Analytical Supremacy.

Instantly, every of Apollo’s micro movements became visible to him.

’His retina is focused on my torso. That’s his target.’

’His muscles aren’t tightly locked. He’s preparing a feint.’

Noting all these details in microseconds, Ariel prepared simulations on how to react to the attack.

’I have to be average.’

Before Apollo even moved, the outcome had already been determined.

"Godspeed!"

He vanished, instantly reappearing before Ariel. His scythe shot straight at the boy’s torso, intending to leave him with a nasty wound.

Ariel crossed his two daggers before him, blocking the blade.

Just like before, there was a pause, and he was sent flying, crashing into the wall and falling limp to the ground.

There was silence, then the Class-C started cheering.

Apollo glanced at the seemingly unconscious Ariel, his eyebrows furrowed.

’I didn’t put enough force to make him slam into the wall. Is he that weak, or there’s more to this?’

Still confused, Apollo could only turn away from him.

"The winner is Apollo Silverstein."

Once the results were announced, Apollo returned to his seat while Ariel was carried away.

Hazel glared at his figure as he was being carried, knowing fully well that he had lost on purpose.

’That jerk!’

Clicking her tongue, she snorted and turned to Kaiser.

"I thought he’d at least make the match a draw."

Kaiser responded calmly. "Forcing Apollo into a draw is like announcing yourself to the whole academy. There is almost no difference between winning and actually having a draw."

Hazel also understood this, so she couldn’t really complain.

If Ariel’s opponent had been someone weak, then perhaps he might have been able to create a stalemated situation that would lead to a draw.

However, against a monster like Apollo, equalizing meant proving that you were also a monster.

"Next is a Class-A student, Ashley."

The dark-skinned boy stood up from the seats around Iruca, then walked down to the stage.

Not showing any signs of nervousness, the boy confidently picked a card and called the name on it.

"Gaga...?"

Boom!

Something struck the ground behind him, making him flinch and turn. It was his opponent.

As a student of Class-B, Gaga displayed overwhelming confidence, his golden eyes locked on Ashley.

The boy immediately became tensed, summoning his armor and sword.

’I haven’t heard anything about him before. I have to be careful.’

Ashley adjusted his grip on his sword, the metal of his gauntlet scraping faintly against the hilt. His armor—dark, worn, and scarred from countless battles—caught the light in dull glints. Across from him stood Gaga.

He wore no armor, had no weapon—at least, not in the conventional sense.

Just a single black glove wrapped around his right hand.

Gaga’s golden eyes gleamed with something close to boredom.

"You’re the first to pick me," he said, voice calm, almost lazy. "Try not to disappoint me."

Ashley didn’t respond. He lowered his stance instead, blade angled forward, breath steady. His eyes sharpened.

"Begin."

Ashley moved first.

His footwork exploded into motion—fast, precise, practiced. In a blink, he closed the distance, sword cutting through the air in a clean, diagonal arc aimed for Gaga’s shoulder.

Gaga didn’t move, but the blade stopped.

Not because it missed, but because Gaga’s gloved hand caught it.

Steel met fabric, yet didn’t cut.

Ashley’s eyes widened slightly—but only for a fraction of a second. He twisted his wrist immediately, sliding the blade along Gaga’s grip, redirecting the force. His body spun with it, turning defense into momentum as he pivoted behind Gaga and struck again—this time for the neck.

The Class-B student reacted immediately.

Gaga tilted his head just enough for the blade to graze past, slicing a few strands of black hair.

Then he flicked his wrist.

Ashley barely registered the movement before something slammed into him

A shockwave—invisible and violent.

His body was thrown backward, boots scraping against the arena floor as he forced himself to stay upright. The impact rattled through his armor, vibrating against bone.

He slid to a halt, breathing controlled, but heavier now.

Gaga stood where he was, unmoved.

"...Not bad," Gaga murmured. "You didn’t go flying."

Ashley didn’t waste time replying.

He dashed again, faster this time.

His blade became a blur of motion, splitting into a rapid sequence of strikes—high, low, feints layered within real attacks. Each movement was deliberate, trained, efficient. He wasn’t aiming to overpower.

He was probing.

Gaga responded and raised his gloved hand.

Clang—Clang—Clang!

Each strike was stopped. Not blocked with effort, but intercepted, like swatting aside something trivial. Sparks flew where steel met the glove, but Gaga’s posture remained relaxed.

Then he moved. Ashley’s instincts screamed danger, and he dropped low instantly.

A heartbeat later, the air above him shattered.

A deafening crack split the arena as Gaga’s punch tore forward. The force alone carved through space, ripping apart the ground behind Ashley in a violent explosion of debris.

Dust erupted in its wake.

The audience gasped, all horrified.

Ashley rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the expanding destruction. He sprang back to his feet, blade raised, but his eyes had changed.

He now had a focused expression on his face.

’That wasn’t a punch,’ He realized. ’That was just... force.’

Gaga exhaled lightly, flexing his gloved fingers.

"You’re quick," he admitted. "But you’re thinking too much."

He stepped forward.

Ashley reacted instantly, meeting him head-on.

Their clash was explosive.

Ashley’s sword danced, weaving a defensive web as Gaga’s attacks came—not wild, but overwhelmingly powerful. Each swing of that gloved hand distorted the air, each near-hit cracking the ground beneath them.

Ashley blocked one strike—barely.

The impact drove him to one knee, armor groaning under the pressure. He redirected the force, sliding his blade aside before it could crush him completely.

A precise thrust aimed for Gaga’s chest.

For the first time, Gaga shifted his stance. The blade pierced through where he had been, but hit nothing.

Ashley’s breath hitched.

Gaga was already behind him.

"Too slow."

He gave the boy a light tap.

The back of Gaga’s gloved hand brushed against Ashley’s armor. The result was devastating.

The armor caved inward with a sharp crack, and Ashley was launched across the arena, slamming into the wall with enough force to shake it.

Silence followed, and the dust settled slowly.

Ashley’s sword clattered to the ground beside him as he struggled to stay conscious, his body refusing to respond.

Gaga walked forward, unhurried, golden eyes calm as ever.

"You lasted longer than most," He said simply.

Ashley let out a strained breath, a faint, exhausted smile forming despite everything.

"...Guess... that’s something."

Gaga stopped a few steps away.