Before Kai could take a single step, Jibril was on him in an instant once again, thrusting his lance fiercely at Kai which generated a powerful air blast. Jibril taunted, "Is dodging all you can do? I expected more from a national hero!"

Kai replied calmly, "Well, you certainly exceeded my expectations. This would be a good fight." Jibril, realising that his powerful thrusts weren't going to hit Kai at all, reduced his power output and increased the frequency of his strikes instead.

This placed immense pressure on Kai, as without his [Lightning Body] spell or his Luminos, he could barely keep up with Jibril's relentless barrage. Kai thought, "This is insane, to wield a heavy weapon so quickly must expend a lot of his energy. Let's see how long he lasts…"

Kai focused all his senses on avoiding Jibril's attacks, simply going with the flow as he weaved gracefully in between attacks. During his one year of training with Clan Vizard, demonic energy wasn't the sole focus of his training. After all, Akame had taught him that a strong physical body with sharp reflexes was crucial to maximise the use of demonic energy.

Till today, Kai shuddered upon the thought of going through those "defensive" sessions with Akame, where the demoness would simply vent all her frustration on him and he wasn't allowed to fight back or use mana. This forced him to hone his natural reflexes and speed to the next level, to the extent that Kai was confident of beating an Expert tier opponent without using a single ounce of mana.

Back to the present, Kai was still ducking from Jibril's onslaught by a hair's breadth, as he patiently waited for the perfect chance to counterattack, since he hypothesised that Jibril couldn't maintain his momentum for long given how heavy his weapon was. True enough, Kai noticed that Jibril's movements were starting to become sluggish as Jibril began panting in exhaustion.

After narrowly missing Kai again, Jibril wisely leapt backwards to afford himself space to catch his breath. Recognising the golden opportunity, Kai was about to dive in and impale his adversary when he suddenly interrupted his own charge, taking a step backwards cautiously.

One of the onlookers remarked, "Why did he suddenly stop? That was a rare chance to inflict some damage on Jibril!" Julian interjected, "No, Kai made the right move. If he had charged in blindly, Jibril would have finished him off instantly."

Julia added, "That's right. Look at Jibril to understand the situation." To everyone's confusion, Jibril's body was emitting steam as his skin turned rather red. Kai remarked in pleasant surprise, "I thought Enigma Abilities were disallowed?"

Jibril replied coldly, "This is not an Enigma Ability. It's a derived technique from the [Life Energy Conversion] technique from the [Superhuman Kung Fu Style]. Basically, by increasing the rate of blood circulation around my body, I can supply more nutrients and remove lactic acid from my muscles more rapidly. Simply put, I can recover from fatigue very easily thanks to the strength of my body, so your ploy to turn this fight into a battle of attrition won't work."

Kai gritted his teeth in annoyance. Jibril was starting to become a pain in the ass. With that technique of his, which is practically steroids, he would probably last longer than him despite expending more energy. Of course, there was probably a limit to this technique, but Kai believed that he would probably reach his limit before Jibril.

As Jibril continued to rain innumerable blows on Kai, who was still avoiding them well, Kai remembered the advice from his father, Arkad, when they sparred years ago. "A drawn-out battle is not merely a contest of stamina, it's also a race to see who reads the other's moves first." As Kai started immersing himself into the flow of Jibril's attacks, it was as though he could see them more clearly over time.

Kai declared confidently, "You want to see the Veridian Spear Style, here I come! [Veridian Spear Style - Twirling Lotus]." Kai began twirling his spear in front of him so quickly that the onlookers could only see its shadow. As Kai spun his spear more rapidly, Jibril realised that his attacks were being constantly redirected by Kai's interference.

Julian remarked, "Splendid. Seems like Kai has found his own rhythm and is now slowly pushing Jibril back." Julia added, "The spinning of his spear may be faster than the naked eye can follow, but any veteran can tell that those spins are purposeful, accurately deflecting Jibril's lance while avoiding its tip. After all, a lightweight spear cannot withstand a direct attack from Jibril's fortified lance."

As Kai continued to ward off Jibril's assault, he soon discovered an opportunity to break the deadlock. With a flick of his wrist, Kai swiped his spear so hard against Jibril's lance that it momentarily knocked him off balance. Kai then pressed down hard against Jibril's lance with his spear, restricting his movement as he quickly slid his spear up Jibril's lance, generating sparks from the intense friction.

Consequently, Kai ended his movement with a fierce horizontal slash, catching Jibril squarely on the chest before he could defend himself in time. Jibril could only stagger backwards, still in shock from the events that had transpired. Without giving him a moment of pause, Kai shot his spear forward, causing it to whistle through the air like an arrow.

This time, Jibril was prepared as he covered his entire body in black mana armament, causing Kai's spear to bounce off him harmlessly. To his surprise, Kai had instantly appeared before him, catching his spear in mid-air before pulling his spear back, setting himself up for an overhead swing.

Kai shouted, "Let's see how you handle this! [Veridian Spear Style - Crashing Thunder]!" Kai coated his spear with black mana armament before bringing his spear down quickly, intending to cleave Jibril in half. Sadly, Jibril blocked the immense attack with his lance, creating a shockwave that spread out swiftly as the ground below him cracked under pressure.

To Jibril's surprise, Kai had suddenly released his grip on his spear, twisting his body in mid-air before aiming a sweeping kick on Jibril's forehead. The attack was successful in breaking through Jibril's defence, and Kai rode the momentum to finish his attack with a back heel thrust, kicking Jibril several metres away.

Kai caught his spear with his right hand before it dropped onto the ground, exhaling deeply to catch his breath. He looked at their respective hit points. Seems like Jibril was hurt only slightly more badly than he was, at 90% health VS his 95%.

Meanwhile, among the onlookers, Yuri could only gasp, "That downward sweeping kick with his left foot earlier is almost identical to my [Burning Wheel]! To think that he could come up with such a technique on the spot, as expected of Big Brother!"

Back to the battlefield, Kai taunted, "Hey, I thought you had much more up your sleeve given the way you were bragging about your Edgecliff Lance Style. If that's all you've got, I'm sorry to say this, but your defeat is certain." To his astonishment, Jibril started laughing heartily before displaying an expression full of enthusiasm and…bloodlust.

Jibril spoke calmly, "I guess I underestimated you too much, Kai Veridian. Very well, I'll show you the full extent of the Edgecliff Lance Style, a fusion style between the [Superhuman Kung Fu Style] and traditional lance techniques!" Jibril disappeared in a flash after concluding his statement.

A bead of sweat trickled down Kai's forehead as he could barely track Jibril's movements now, only seeing glimpses of the afterimages he had left behind. Previously, Kai could still follow Jibril's speed, but it seems that he had been holding back all this while. This was Jibril's true maximum speed with the technique, [Flash Step].

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Kai felt a tingling sensation down his spine warning him of an imminent attack as he quickly stepped out of the way. Unfortunately, he was a tad too slow as Jibril's lance ran through his right waist, injuring him rather severely as his hit points dropped to 70%.

Jibril didn't stop there, as he continued flickering around Kai while chuckling, "Can't keep up? Don't feel bad, not many can survive my [Edgecliff Lance Style - Flash Rush] after all. However, don't go dying on me yet, I've yet to have my fill in torturing you, mwahahaha!"

Kai grabbed his bloodied waist as he resolved to stay calm. Panicking would only serve to hasten his defeat after all. The only way out of this ordeal would be to adapt to Jibril's speed as quickly as possible. The onlookers couldn't bear to watch as Kai was repeatedly battered by Jibril, his hit points dropping steadily into the danger zone.

One of them remarked, "It's over, no one has ever escaped from that relentless assault before, his hit points are just going to be chipped to zero." Yuri's hands were clasped tightly as she prayed that her brother would discover some way out of his predicament. In her worry, she failed to notice that Kai was actually taking less damage with each successive attack, as he was slowly getting accustomed to Jibril's new speed.

Noting that Kai had less than 10% of his hit points remaining, Jibril declared, "If this was solely a contest of technique, I think you would have fared better. Goodbye, [Edgecliff Lance Style - Sky Descent]!" Jibril leapt into the sky before kicking off mid-air, soaring towards Kai's unprotected back.

Kai's eyes remained closed, his expression deathly calm as he simply twisted his spear such that its tip was pointing backwards and into the sky. Without warning, his eyes flickered open as he emitted a mysterious and dangerous red-coloured aura unfamiliar to all present except Julian and Julia.

Just before Jibril's lance could impale Kai, Kai suddenly performed a backhand thrust of his spear before culminating in a back flip over Jibril. As Jibril was moving too quickly, he could not see Kai's counterattack in time, thus, Kai's spear effortlessly flew through him, boring a hole through his chest as Jibril crashed into the ground where Kai was previously.

Before Kai landed gently following his acrobatic stunt, he caught his spear with both hands while it was mid-flight. Subsequently, without hesitation, he infused his spear with his red aura and lopped off Jibril's head by slicing his unprotected nape, ending the duel effectively.

The system announced, "Winner - Kai Veridian. Match terminated." The audience went eerily silent as they couldn't believe the outcome they had just witnessed. Jibril had Kai under his thumb throughout the match yet a single counterattack was all it took to put him out of commission.

As Kai and Jibril exited the cubicle, Jibril muttered almost incoherently, "I may be a proud man, but I acknowledge my defeat when it's due. The Veridian Spear Style is indeed superior to the Edgecliff Lance Style."

Upon hearing Jibril's words, Kai suddenly burst out laughing. He choked, "I'm sorry…I don't mean to be disrespectful to you or your family's Edgecliff Lance Style. It's just that…there's no such thing as the Veridian Spear Style!" Jibril looked confounded as he asked, "What about those techniques you displayed earlier?"

Kai waved his hand and continued, "Nah, they were all techniques I made up on the spot. In truth, my father didn't teach me any fixed forms when it came to the spear, he only taught me the basic techniques of thrusting, twirling and slashing.

However, he did impart to me a concept which you probably confused with a style; flexibility. Simply put, we have no fixed forms in our spearplay, as our actions are decided by the moves of our opponents. Everything is spontaneous and designed to follow the opponent's flow so that we might unconsciously find an opening to exploit.

Moreover, as we're not restrained by fixed forms, we're encouraged to be more creative and thus unpredictable in our attacks. For instance, you didn't see that last attack coming right?"

Jibril nodded, "Yes, you had such an awkward form when you released your spear, I didn't think it was possible to generate so much power with such a stance." Kai's face then turned grim as he said solemnly, "Back to the main issue. I really think you ought to talk to your father about what happened then. I can personally vouch for my father that he's a person who would prioritise relationships over personal achievements. Not to mention that he's a real lazy dude."

Jibril looked down in shame as he muttered, "I guess you're right. I'm sorry for causing such a large commotion and humiliating you in the process. Please accept my humblest apologies." Kai simply waved his hands to signal his acceptance to bury the hatchet as he left the Training Hall, Yuri following behind him closely.

A middle-aged man was seating leisurely on his sofa as he took a sip from his tea. He was Jireh, the legendary Black Lance in his heyday when he was still a member of the Nirvanian Black Ops. He glanced at the photo he had taken with his comrades from the Nirvanian Black Ops many years ago, recollecting those beautiful memories, especially those with Arkad, his best buddy.

Jireh then moved onto another photo, a picture of his only son as a baby. He smiled brightly as he reminisced the day his son was born, the amount of joy he felt at being a father. His thoughts were disrupted when he heard someone opening the main door. It was Jibril, and he had returned from another long day in school.

Actually, school ended a long time ago, but Jireh knew his son was always pushing himself to become the best, his thirst for improvement knowing no bounds. Jireh guessed that Jibril had probably stayed in school to participate in more ranked battles to maintain his #1 rank.

Jireh asked warmly, "How's school today, my dear boy? You don't look too good today." Jibril snapped, albeit as politely as possible, "Father, I fought with Kai Veridian today. The name sounds familiar? Yes, he's the son of Arkad, and also a recognised hero in the country. Sadly, I lost convincingly, embarrassing our family name. However, more importantly, I want to know the truth. The truth of why you left the Nirvanian Black Ops."

Jireh's eyes widened for an instant, before he regained his composure and took another sip of his tea. He smiled and encouraged, "Don't take the defeat too heavily, my boy, there would always be someone better than us, not to mention that your opponent was a national hero. As for the reason why I left the Nirvanian Black Ops, it's simple really. Those lads were family to me, but I had a real family that needed me more, that's why I left."

Jibril was still confused as he pressed, "You didn't leave because you were forced to?" Jireh chuckled, "What are you saying, my dear boy? In fact, Arkad wanted me to stay when he took over Roland as Chief of Nirvanian Black Ops. I ceded the top job to him and even my current appointment in the Nirvanian Black Ops then because at that point in time, your mother was severely ill.

I didn't want to leave her alone on her deathbed while I was on a mission, so I took unpaid leave to be by her side till the very end. When your mother passed away, you were only barely 2 years old. With your mother gone, I couldn't risk the possibility of you becoming an orphan by returning to the Nirvanian Black Ops, where death was a daily business.

Hence, I officially left the Nirvanian Black Ops. I chose to remain in the military as an instructor, for my strengths still lie within the Army. That way, I can pursue my interests while avoiding frontline duty whenever possible, so that I may be a good father to you, to make up for your late mother who would have wanted you to have an enjoyable childhood."

Tears were brimming in Jibril's eyes as he recalled his childhood, the time he spent playing games and training with his father. He realised that all of this wouldn't have been possible if his father was in the Nirvanian Black Ops, as the elite unit was on duty almost 24/7. Jibril could only choke on his tears as he stammered, "W-Why…"

Jireh quickly embraced his son as he spoke solemnly, "I love my comrades in the Nirvanian Black Ops, but I love you and your mother even more. Sometimes, in life, we all have choices to make. The world is cruel in that aspect, but it also teaches us to be more appreciative of what we possess now due to our scarcity. I would give up the world just for you alone, my boy, always remember that.

When you find someone or something that deserves such conviction, you would know that you had already found your purpose in life to overcome all obstacles in your way, becoming truly invincible. Always remember these words, my boy."

Jibril could only sob in silence as father and son locked in embrace for several minutes, the burden in Jibril's heart finally lifted.

"Ah, I'm so glad to have you onboard, Kai. Yesterday, you seemed hesitant and unwilling, but today, all I can see is unwavering enthusiasm. May I ask what exactly convinced you to take up my offer?" Headmaster Zilean enquired.

Kai replied confidently, "Well, I've personally experienced the strength of 2 of your finest students, Yuri and Jibril. After duelling them, I can sense immense potential dwelling within them, crying to be unlocked. The key to unlocking their potential is experience and to obtain experience, exposure is indeed required.

Initially, I was worried that these students did not possess the maturity required in battle. After all, more important than combat strength is the strength of their will, to persevere through all odds regardless of how bleak a situation might be. If they didn't possess such mental fortitude, it would increase the burden on us Mentors as we would be compelled to shield them from all harm that might befall them along the way, which may even cost our lives if we're not careful.

Of course, I'm making assumptions from the limited pool of people whom I've interacted with, but I believe that our students can rise to the challenge when called upon."

Headmaster Zilean clapped as he quipped happily, "Excellent answer. Ah, they're here, let me introduce to you the team you would be leading. Come in." Kai's jaw slumped to the ground in surprise as four individuals stepped into the office.

Headmaster Zilean chuckled, "Hi students, meet your Mentor for your upcoming mission, Kai Veridian. Likewise, Kai, this would be the team under your charge, they are the highest ranked students in our school, so please take care of them. Good luck everyone!"