Is this how he felt? Rose thought back to what happened on the day when they spoke to the Headmaster. Only this time, the roles were reversed. However, it was no time to be emotional, she had to do something. She had to stop it.

“Rose! Where are you going!?”

There were only minutes left before the match started. Precious minutes that could save a life, which is why she ignored Ria as she ran towards the stadium halls, hoping to appeal to the Headmaster.

“Rose, wait!”

Though Ria’s voice fell on deaf ears, Rose still came to a halt as a shadow entered her peripheral and emerged in front of her.

“She’s right, ya know? Take another look and you’ll see, there’s nothing more that can be done.”

Trey blocked her path with his arms outstretched. Seeing them waste her time so doggedly was starting to get on her nerves. Just to indulge them, she turned towards the stage, noticing a peculiar group converging on the two contestants. Four people dressed entirely in white and three more who wore purple robes and hoods that hid their faces, walked beside one another as they approached the stage. Behind them, a handful of knights escorted the groups and raised a flag. One of the flags bore the mark of a golden sun and the other had two, blue, winged serpents coiled with one another. They stopped a few feet away from the stage as each representative stated their affiliations, starting with those clad in white.

“Representing the Church of Divine Light, I am Bishop Rodley Ulynes! Here to witness the duel between these passionate young men of Visterga!”

“Representing the Vistergan institution of magic, I am Keris Mystfal! By orders of the Headmaster, I too shall bear witness to this duel between our students!”

Rose could not believe what she was seeing. Still, reality callously marched forth, regardless of circumstance.

“A duello..?”

In a Duello di Visterga, both parties must consent to the battle or it would be declared null. The most logical conclusion based on the development was that Brad convinced Jenyx to take her place, for some unknown reason. But therein lay her confusion. There was virtually no merit in engaging Nyx in a duel as that would not only break their agreement with her, but also bring down their family’s reputation for publicly humiliating a powerless commoner. There was nothing that could justify this battle. Brad’s father would never have allowed it!

“Hear me, o proud citizens of our beloved kingdom! For the special match of this event, I present to you, a Duello between these two students, initiated by the courageous and bold Mr. Troan! As Headmaster, I could not ignore the hot-blooded spirit of youth. Let us all give them our blessing and enjoy!”

As the Headmaster’s voice boomed from above, Jenyx gave his hand to one of the purple robed figures and uttered a few words. A black magic circle wrapped around Jenyx’s wrist and formed itself into a serpent that harmlessly tattooed itself on his wrist, soon fading as it mimicked the color of his skin. As confused as Rose was, there was no longer any doubt. As the first to be hexed, it only meant that Jenyx himself had truly issued the challenge, and not the other way around.

“Rose… I don’t need to remind you what would happen if you interrupt a sanctioned Duello do I?”

Though she remained motionless as she watched, Ria remained vigilant and prepared herself to stop Rose no matter what. Interrupting a Duello di Visterga was nearly akin to treason in their kingdom, and at worst, one’s citizenship could be stripped. There was simply no way she would let that happen to her beloved friend.

“Why..? Why did he do this?”

Rose hated that she couldn’t understand Nyx’s actions. What he did was beyond reckless. Everyone would agree with her if she said it out loud. Out of all the questionable things that happened today, Nyx was the one most shrouded in mystery.

“It really is super weird though.”

As if he read her mind, Trey spoke as well.

“I mean– don’t get me wrong, I think he pulled a stupid move too, accepting a duel with his condition. But, for someone who’s in trouble, he looks pretty darn calm to me.”

Though they were far away, if one strained their eyes just enough, they could see Jenyx’s slight smile even though he was seconds away from being a sandbag. If he didn’t know any better, he would say that Jenyx was confident about the match. But that would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

“I do find it odd as well.”

This time, it was Ria’s turn to speak.

“When we returned here, there was something strange about him…”

“Strange? How?”

“I don’t know how else to say it… it felt like I was talking to a different person.”

Hearing Ria's observation of him only furthered Rose's anxiety. Looking at him, there didn't seem to be anything bizarre or out of place. But Rose was confident that Ria wouldn't lie to her, nor would she say such a thing for no reason.

(“What on earth is going on with you, Nyx?”)

**

(“I bet that’s what’s on her mind right now.”)

It wasn’t hard for Jenyx to guess Rose’s thought process just by looking at her face. It was only natural for her to think so since he’s never been this brash before. To those who knew him, his actions right now may seem to be the embodiment of stupidity, but he wasn’t worried. Everything would be made clear as soon as the battle begins.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

With the preparations complete on both sides, the fighters took their respective positions, awaiting the signal to start the battle. Brad could hardly contain his excitement over which spell to use first and how he should use it. Since it would be far too dangerous to keep treating him as he had in the past, Brad decided to never commune with him in any way afterwards, just like they wanted. But out of respect for their former association, he thought it best to give Jenyx a souvenir he would never forget.

“Begin!”

Without a moment’s delay, Brad placed his hands on the ground, creating pillars of varying sizes and shapes that flew at Jenyx’s direction, the standard tactic. All students wielding earth-based magic are taught to take advantage of the earth’s toughness to secure or disable opponents. A fitting style of fighting for Brad.

(“I’ll immobilize you first and take my time, you worm!”)

Things didn’t go the way he wanted however, as Jenyx deftly avoided everything while moving closer and closer to Brad. Though he wasn't yet at the level of the top students from class B and A, his casting speed was praised by the professors as being above average. Which is why the shock of witnessing Jenyx's inhuman speed made Brad pause for a split second. This opportunity did not escape Jenyx’s eyes. In one breath, he closed the gap between them with a leap, poised to attack Brad from above.

“Hieeee!!”

Brad manages to dodge at the last moment and rolls away to gain some space. Fortunately, his opponent didn’t attack him as he recovered his position. However…

“A-ahh… impossible…”

A dent appeared on the now fractured floor he was standing on a second ago. Just imagining what would’ve happened if he had taken it directly gave him chills. But the most concerning thing was how he did it. Only those who dabble in enhancement magic and took years of training should have been capable of pulverizing stone or the like, and yet, a person who doesn’t even possess a shred of mana replicated such a feat.

“...Coward.”

“W-what the fuck did you just say to me..?”

Jenyx calmly walked towards Brad. Unconsciously, Brad took a step back as he watched his opponent intently. He didn’t show any signs of pain, nor did his fist bleed, despite having struck the ground with enough force to break it. It was impossible! Nevertheless, Jenyx just kept walking as if nothing happened.

“After all your preaching about how grand and powerful you nobles are, it seems like you’re nothing special at all, hm?”

("How dare you!?")

“DON’T GET COCKY, YOU BASTARD!!!”

Blinded by his anger, Brad mustered his mana into his hands, manipulating the earth into constructing a cluster of rocks to cover his fists. Though a somewhat weaker and smaller version of the Rock fist it was enough to reinforce one’s punching power without sacrificing much mobility. Bam! Bam! Bam! Brad could feel Jenyx’s flesh rebound with every hit. The nose, the jaw, the gut, he didn’t care where and simply kept swinging. Jenyx only had himself to blame for whatever happens to him in the match. He never should have angered Brad. As he mindlessly pounded away, he sensed that he was approaching his limits. Brad fired off the cluster of rocks like a shotgun, sending his opponent to the ground like a lifeless doll.

“Haaah… haaah… haah…”

Brad wheezed like he was breathing the last remaining oxygen in the planet after having poured every last fiber of his strength into the rush. Seeing his motionless enemy, beaten half-dead as he lay on the ground, he had no regrets. Though he was so tired that he couldn’t lift his arms anymore, it was worth it. He avenged his humiliation and proved his superiority over him. He defended their pride as a noble family. There was nothing more he could ask for. Right then, he felt like he was at the top of the world.

“Heh heh heh heh…”

Yet almost immediately, he was suddenly plunged down to the depths.

("No, no, no, I must've misheard it. He's just gasping for air, that's all there is to it!")

His eyes slowly lowered towards the voice’s origin. His face turned pale as he watched Jenyx laugh maniacally on the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood before rising to his feet effortlessly and wiped the blood that had streamed down from his temple with his knuckles.

“Incredible… it doesn’t even hurt anymore…”

He was bleeding, but he felt no pain. He felt the first few punches to his face, but after that, they became increasingly weak. The blood on the back of his hand was no doubt his, and usually that would mean that one was wounded. Yet, when he touched his temple again he could only feel the familiar softness and smoothness of his skin. No blood, no pain, not even a scab. The wound had already fully healed in a matter of seconds. It was all quite surreal. Especially to Brad.

“You… you’re not human! What kind of mons–”

At the next instant, Jenyx moved so fast Brad could barely react. A dull, throbbing pain seared his gut, making him bend down as he clutched his stomach. It hurts! It hurts! I can’t breathe! Brad’s mind ran a mile a minute as he struggled to get his breathing back. It didn’t feel anything like a punch. It felt more like he was struck by a pole, though he had never been hit by one before. The intense pain made him want to kneel, but his pride wouldn’t let him.

“Guh!?”

While engrossed in his thoughts, his head swiveled to the right as he heard a Pan! sound accompanied by a stinging sensation on his left cheek. Before he could even think about it, a second hit, much heavier and more painful than the first, made not only his head, but his entire body lurch upwards before falling to the ground. The taste of iron coupled with the fact that his back teeth were starting to feel loose made him grasp the reality of the situation. He cannot win.

Exhausted and battered, Brad struggled to crawl towards the edge, towards his father. Even from afar, he could recognize the surprise and terror in his father's face. They locked eyes with one another. Brad slowly reached out to him with his trembling hand. Surely, his father would understand even if he were to surrender.

*Crunch!*

“Eyyaghhhh!!!”

Jenyx suddenly brought his foot down on the crawling Brad’s leg, making it bend in an unnatural way. As Brad cried out in pain, Jenyx gripped his collar and punched him over and over again. In just a few moments, Brad's face swelled in bruises as he gurgled his own blood. He could feel his mind wavering between his conscious and unconscious with every hit, unsure of whether he was now dreaming or still alive for that matter. All he knew was that he wished for the pain to stop. As his mind sank, he caught a glimpse of his aggressor.

(“M-monster…”)

Brad didn’t recognize him. Perhaps it was due to the constant punches that shook his sight, or because he was starting to be delusional from physical trauma, Brad couldn’t make out whether or not it was truly Jenyx whom he fought. At the very least, he was sure that Jenyx’s eyes never had the strange, wing-like markings this person’s pupil had.

**

“Enough! He’s already unconscious!”

Three fully-armored knights desperately tried to peel Jenyx away from the unresponsive Brad. One clung to Jenyx’s outstretched arm as he was about to attack Brad again, the second tried his best in order to remove his grip on Brad’s collar, while the third locked him in a full-nelson to prevent him from putting any power on his attack. Behind, Count Baruth ran alongside a few more knights towards the stage.

“Uoh!?”

“Uwah!?”

Jenyx tossed away the two knights beside him like ragdolls.

“Let go.”

The third knight that clung to his body immediately released him after seeing how easily the two were whisked, despite wearing armor. Sensing the approaching squad, Jenyx glanced towards them. The priests and the purple robed witnesses followed them from behind. After taking one last look at Brad, Jenyx left the stage. Ignoring the frantic calls of a father towards his son.

Thus concluded the Magic Combat Simulation event.