I stepped onto the arena platform, my blood was pumping and my heart was racing. I tightened my grasp on my geas more tightly and my breathing became steady.

I was wearing light armor to increase my agility during this fight, so I should have a speed advantage against my opponent.

I stretch my arms as I get into position.

I look over across the platform to see another person stepping up, a girl with long brown hair and round-tinted glasses. Her hair was tied back into braids and she was wearing tight church attire that highlighted the small curves of her figure.

She walked onto the platform with a long silver staff in hand. She walked over to her starting position and got into a fighting stance as she looked over toward me.

"Before we start this fight," She spoke calmly from across the platform, "I would just like to make it clear that I have no hatred for your kind."

"Really?" I replied, "Good for you."

"Don't take this as me going easy on you," She spoke up hastily, "I just think Azure's whole 'anti-demon' policy is stupid!"

Unsure of what to say, I only nodded. I'm not exactly a stranger to discrimination, but acceptance is something I'm even less a stranger to.

I've lived my life in a noble demon household that was allied with the Knightford Kingdom, so I was usually treated as the son of war heroes. Sometimes, demon refugees and war survivors would call me the son of traitors, but I just took it as the rambling of sore losers.

Other times, there was a very subtle feeling I got from the other noble children, but they always did their best to play with me regardless. Since I'm not an idiot, I realized that either they were either faking it or they really did like me that much.

However, I recognize the difference in this girl before me. She is from a kingdom that has a strict anti-demon policy. For her to actively go against something like that means that she is acting against the laws of her own kingdom.

She is either a total rebel or someone who carefully considers everything thoroughly, both of which would be disastrous for me in a battle.

The first is the possibility that she's extremely skilled in countering and attacking. In my fighting style, I use a series of quick attacks that are designed to drain an opponent's strength until they are no longer able to fight. But, if this girl is capable of countering me, it would spell trouble.

The chance that she would constantly be thinking about the possible outcomes and simulate the fight another problem. This implies that she considers each strike we make while fighting and responds appropriately.

Normally, this is a bad technique to use because it causes the fighter to become distracted. However, it is typically used by those with a high mental capacity and intellect.

As I was contemplating the following battle, the bell rang out, signaling the beginning of the fight.

We both charged forward at the same time. I spun around at high speeds like a drill, hoping to strike quickly. Analisse blocked my right-handed strike and immediately went for a counterattack with her staff, deflecting my blade to the side and striking quickly at my head.

I moved my head backward and narrowly dodged the strike. I spun around one more time and went for a strike with my right hand, but I fainted at the last minute and went for a kick to her stomach.

She quickly spun her staff around to block the strike, but the force of my foot sent her sliding back. Her arms flew up and I took the opportunity to rush up in front of her and slash at her chest.

Analisse quickly twisted her body out of the way of my slash, flipped, and kicked off of my side. She then sent her staff flying and me with great speed as she fell to the ground. The staff zipped through the air at blinding speed, causing loud, thunderous booms in the air. I moved my head away at the last second, but the force of it hitting the ground sent shockwaves out at me.

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Analisse landed and extended her right hand toward my position. The staff began vibrating in the ground as it flew out toward her, who had started sprinting toward me.

"Damnit." I dodged the staff and readied myself.

She grabbed the spear out of the air, gripped the bottom, and swung it at my head. I pulled my head backward and connected my swords by the hooks as I swung them with my right hand.

Analisse dodged by bending backward, she dropped to the ground and caught herself with her hand. She proceeded to twist her body and kick at me with her left heel.

The kick connected with my chest and sent me backward. She used her hand to lift herself back upward and she sped toward me once more.

Analisse extended her staff at my chest, but I dodged to the side and grabbed the staff with one of my hooks.

She looked surprised, and I took full advantage of her surprise by using my other sword to hook one of her hands. I pulled on the sword, but she instantly let go of her staff, causing only a small amount of her flesh to be cut off.

She then moved forward to strike my chest with her fists. I flipped my sword once more and blocked her right hand with it, I then brought my right hook sword with her staff in it and hit her with it.

The staff struck her head and blood came out, but she turned and grabbed the tip of the staff with both hands and pulled it away from me.

She then threw it once more, this time in a spinning motion. The staff spun like a wheel as it flew toward me, and I had no choice but to focus all of my attention on it. I focused on the spinning motion and pulled my sword up to hook the staff as it spun.

I twisted the staff, spun around once with it, and let it go. This movement sent the staff flying back toward Analisse, who caught it without issue.

"Impressive moves." She stated.

"Thanks," I replied smiling, "you're not too bad yourself."

We both rushed at each other once more. I slashed downward at Analisse, but she twisted her staff upright and knocked both of my swords off course.

She stabbed the staff into the ground and used it as a pole and kicked me in my face. I backed up and she flung the staff at my stomach. I brought my sword down to block, but I was too late and the metal staff collided with my chest causing me to cough out blood.

I flew away as the staff fell to the ground.

Analisse called the staff back to her as I struggled to get up after the blow. I used my swords as canes to help me stand. As I stood up, I felt the bones in my chest rub against my lungs, causing me immense pain.

I looked up to see Analisse walking toward me, staff in hand.

"You fought well, but this stuff was specifically designed to fight against demons," She sighed, " all Azure weapons are like that, unfortunately."

"Really?" I let out a laugh that hurt my chest, "Fine, I've been avoiding this, but it looks like I have no other choice."

"Pardon?"

I focused all of my magic power on my body, causing purple energy to fly from my body. I then concentrated all of my power on my legs. The sensation of weightlessness came as my leg strength increased tremendously.

I hopped up and down and stretched my legs, my body moving incredibly fast.

"W-what did you just do?" Analisse looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"It's a rare ability amongst my family that only I received," I moved back and forth with immense speed, "I can enhance my speed far beyond comprehension."

"Hmph," She exhaled as she got lower with her staff, "fine, I guess I'll get serious too."

Analisse began glowing in bright golden light and she split her staff down the middle. The two parts of her staff shone in a bright gold as they formed into two swords. Analisse's church attire began glowing and bright shining armor appeared on top of it.

"Let's fight!" She said as she lunged at me.

"Sure!" I returned her energy as I also ran forward.

I reached her far quicker than she had expected and she quickly slashed downward at me with both swords. I moved quickly, dodging both of her swords and moving to her side for a counterattack.

I swung my two hook swords, but they were met by one of Analisse's blades, which stopped both by the hook. She turned around and pulled the swords from my hand and tossed them away. She was much stronger than me, so I had no choice but to let go.

She proceeded to attempt a strike at my head, which I narrowly avoided by stepping backward.

I back stepped away from Analisse and sped toward my fallen swords, which I made it to in less than a second. I dragged the swords through the ground as I picked them up and accelerated with them in hand.

Analisse was caught off guard and attempted a block, but was too late. I slashed her right leg as I was running at speeds so high that the sounds of delayed explosions could be heard several seconds after I took off. I could see the former trail mine intersect with other areas I've run before while speeding through the arena.

I sped past Analisse once more, this time slicing at her left leg. She struggled to stand as I began moving all around the arena in an instant. I pushed myself to go even faster and my eyes began recognizing the surroundings less and less.

I pushed my eyes to the very limit of what they could perceive. My 'Leviathan Eyes' was special, as they could perceive reality regularly, even while going at speeds faster than light. I held my speed as I kept slashing at Analisse.

She caught my sprint multiple times and managed to hit me while I hit her, but I did more damage.

At last, I succeeded in slicing at her closely guarded neck and she fell to her knees while trying to heal it. She could only heal it to a certain point and tried to get up again, but she could not. Her body refused to allow her to stand, and I recognized this and decelerated my speed, and stopped in front of her.

My body had a few cuts from her sword, but she had taken most of the damage. There were gashes, small and large, all around her body, especially the legs. I had slashed at her legs multiple times in an attempt to get her to fall to the ground, but it was to no avail.

She looked up at me angrily, her tinted glasses breaking to reveal breathtakingly gorgeous golden eyes. She pouted and looked away from me as she let go of her neck and crossed her arms. Blood slowly trickled down from where she was holding and fell to the ground in a puddle of crimson that had formed.

"J-just, make it painless! Okay?" She looked away, red in the face.

"Fine." I sighed as I slashed at her chest.

Her vest fell to the ground and crumpled to dust. She looked up at me in shock that she was still alive.

[Winner: Reginald Leviathan!]

The arena announced my victory as a glowing white light enveloped both of our bodies. In an instant, all of the wounds on both of our bodies had completely disappeared.

I extended my hand downward at the sitting Analisse to help her up. She continued pouting but eventually grabbed my hand and I pulled her up.

I could see her face was bright red as she was looking away and she pulled her hand from her mind when she got up.

"Hmph, don't think this means I yielded to you!" She exclaimed while running back to the girl's locker room, "I'll beat you next time! Once I get your fighting style down, you're done!"

"Heh," I chuckled, "You can try!"

I turned around and let out a long sigh as I started my way back to the boy's locker room. I felt incredible after that fight, my heart was racing the entire time and I felt my lips curled into a grin for most of the fight.

I felt warmth on my cheeks as I thought back to the battle with Analisse.

She really is something.