“Wow folks, I don’t know about you, but if I ever owed Daisy money, I would not miss a payment… Regardless now for round five… ARE YOU READY?!!!” Harry’s question was met with a round of enthusiastic cheers, the crowd having fully recovered from the terror and the confusion the previous rounds had caused, thanks to Daisy and Maelsteez's relatively more straightforward fight.

“Our next contestant is a close friend of mine. A business partner in my Tavern, ‘THE BITING REMARK!!!’ I would suggest anyone of the right age and with money, such as you lovely weal-ahem-well to-do kids, come on down and enjoy the festivities. We have golem fights, bardic battles, strip teases, and mud wrestling with real mud golems!!!”

Lincoln, who was standing next to Harry, gave a slap to the back of his head for shamelessly advertising his private business during the tournament.

“Anyways, as I was saying, one of my business partners. The boy with the razor tongue… KLINE THE WORDERER!!!!”

The audience, despite being confused with Harry’s strangest introduction yet, turned their attention to the left-hand tunnel. Kline staggered out of the tunnel, falling to his knees as he began crawling away from the tunnel’s exit. Holding a hand that to the crowd was blurred, he slapped the floor, causing a stone wall to shoot up, blocking the path he had come down.

This entrance was already odd, but Kline’s appearance, which was already bizarre when he first arrived, was even weirder now. He had even more designs drawn on his face, but along his back in six different colours were six separate handprints of varying shapes and sizes.

Upon having closed off whatever was pursuing him, Kline scrambled to his feet and trudged over to the starting mark, much to the evident concern of the watching Harry.

“Yo Kline… Seriously bud, you ok? You look like you got dragged backwards through all the circles of hell?”

“I’m fine… let’s just get this over with… I haven’t slept properly over the past seven days,” Kline replied, stifling a massive yawn.

“I say, why does he look so bad?” one of the observing nobles in the VIP box asked.

“Oh, that is because of his training partners,” Alex casually replied.

“Training partners?” the noble repeated.

“Yes, I let them sit with him in his waiting room for moral support,” Alex explained.

“And who pray tell were these training partners? I thought we agreed only to teach our chosen student,” Yuu asked.

“Oh, no one to worry too much about. I had Kline assist with the kindergarten class for the entire week leading up to the tournament,” Alex replied to the aghast reactions of the entire VIP box.

“You mean…” one of the observing professors began gesturing to Kline, to which Alex just nodded.

“Best helper I’ve had in ages…”

“And he didn’t run away?” another professor asked as the one sitting behind him began to rock back and forth while hyperventilating.

“Oh, he tried. Zaparis is surprisingly good at snare traps… go figure,” Alex replied with a blase shrug.

“And you had the gall to chide your fiancee for her training… hers is torture, but yours is murder by a thousand tiny hands!!!” The comment from the noble sent a fresh stir of indignation through the observers, especially from a hooded figure at the back of the room. Under the pressure of the disapproving glares of everyone in the VIP booth, Alex began to retreat a few steps.

“Hey… in my defence, Kline has gotten as skilled at avoiding strikes as I have,” Alex retorted, trying a last-ditch effort in his defence. “If he continues, he will surpass me with ease in that field.”

As Alex desperately tried to explain why trapping a teenager in a task even grandmasters failed at, the door to the booth opened, and six small children walked in. The sight of these figures alone caused several professors to recoil in terror. Ignoring their looks, the children approached Alex, who just crouched down and welcomed them with a big group hug.

“Hey kids, you have fun?”

“YES!!!! Mister Kline is so nice; he let us put magical well wishes onto his back before he entered,” Cassius declared.

“Zappy even wove in some steel silk thread into his clothes, so they are extra tough,” Olivia added as she puffed her chest as if the feat was hers as well.

“.... ……” Alison declared before approaching Mimi and embracing her mother in a big hug.

“Ok, kids, one moment,” Alex said as he went to the back corner of the VIP booth, retrieved six footstools, and placed them at the edge of the balcony wall overlooking the arena.

“Now we are going to watch Kline fight. I want you to be on your best behaviour… no noise other than cheering. We don’t want Kline to get distracted, do we?”

“”NO, SIR!!”” All six children lined up with military precision and saluted Alex. This action alone only terrified the people in the booth more than anything else could. Especially Michael, who was seeing the kind of control Alex could command over a class traditionally given to people meant to be punished.

“Up you go,” Alex said as he helped each climb up to the foot stall so they could see over the lip of the wall and watch the fight themselves.

“Sorry for the delay, folks. I have been told our next contestant is finally ready to enter… though he has requested I only announce his name when he reaches the mark… The next contestant is…” As Harry trailed off while continuing his spiel under his breath, mainly as was previously stated, even the gods can’t shut him up.

The audience drew their attention to the right-hand tunnel, out of which marched a dozen heavily muscled boys from various years of the school, all in crimson red plate armour carrying spears with a flag flying atop it. As soon as they all fully exited the tunnel, they stepped to either side of the exit and turned to face one another.

With their positions set, all twelve boys began stomping their right foot. Due to extra plates of metal attached to their boots that created something similar to a symbol, each stomp began to create a metallic crashing noise. Soon the deep thud of all twelve of their spears began to beat out as they stamped them into the ground.

All observing this knew it was like a triumphant arrival of a royal. An honour guard ready to declare their leader's arrival. Soon a deeper and heavier metallic thudding began to echo out of the tunnel—heavy footsteps of a giant approaching his latest battle. The moment before he reached the exit of the tunnel, all twelve boys crossed their spears, creating a tunnel with flags all depicting his emblem.

Red stepped out of the tunnel itself and began pacing through the tunnel of flags arriving at his mark. With a single signal from his hand, all twelve boys retreated back into the tunnel. Turning his gaze to the still muttering Harry, he gestured it was time for his intro.

“Here is a crimson riot or whatever,” Harry muttered despondently, thinking his introduction would’ve been a thousand times more dramatic if he was allowed to pair it with Red’s chosen entrance.

Having fully arrived now, Red gave an appraising look at Kline only to scoff at the very sight of him turning his nose up at the exhausted-looking wererabbit before him.

Before Harry could even begin the next part of his opening to offer Kline a chance to provide a few words, his noise-amplifying device was snatched from his hands by Red.

“I was told to expect a real fight, and I get this wastrel? You are nowhere near manly enough to face me!” Red declared as he flexed his muscles to display what he considered a real man should be.

“I only agreed to this tournament as it is the path to fight my true goal,” he added as he pointed an armoured finger up at the VIP booth.

“You need not worry though, little rabbit… When I am done breaking you, I will offer to help rebuild you better!!!” Red then turned to face the VIP booth fully.

“Lord Alexander… should I best your student here, I demand the right to duel you!!! No healing array skewing the battle, only a true fight between warriors!!!”

Alex, who was observing this whole exchange from the edge of the balcony beside his kindergartener class, merely smirked. As he rested his chin in the palm of his hand, he gave a single nod.

“Very well, I will accept your terms… so long as you obey the rules of this tournament and don’t kill Kline, I shall accept your request…

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“I shall follow the rules, but don’t expect mercy for your least manly student!!”

“I shall help make this interesting then… OI KLINE… YOU LOSE TO THIS DUMBASS. YOU WILL BE MY HELPER FOR THE KINDERGARTENERS FOR THE REST OF YOUR SCHOOL YEARS!!!”

These words alone sent a wave of terror through the stadium. Many considered it to be a death sentence. Kline, though had survived a week. He had survived seven times longer than even grandmasters had. He intently knew the hell that awaited him if it had to be extended.

In response to Alex’s provocation, Kline’s entire being began to radiate a shining white aura. The aura alone made Harry and Lincoln break out into a cold sweat, the sheer concentrated pressure rolling off him in waves. The strength of the aura was such the arena’s defensive barriers began to activate to prevent it from assaulting the audience.

Shakily handing the device to Kline, whom he had never felt so threatened by in the past. Harry, alongside the rest of the audience, waited with bated breath to hear Kline's response.

“You are no roaring lion; you’re a peacock; you squawk and pose. To my eyes, you are nothing but an oafish brute trying to stand amongst real pros. You don’t know what a real fight is like. But when I’m done with you, please send your thanks to Mike,” Kline's verse finished with him pointing to Michael.

“You’ve seen a real battle?” Red asked incredulously.

“Yes, I have survived that,” Kline said, gesturing to the kindergarteners. However, Red, who was a scholarship student and thus unaware of the children's reputation, assumed Kline was pointing to someone else.

“What was it like surviving against it?” Red eagerly asked, getting excited already

“I couldn’t find a moment's rest. Attacks would come from any and every direction. Half the time, I couldn’t see them even being cast. Retreat was impossible, and retaliation would only lead to worse… I learnt how to shut off my body's desire for sleep!!! WHEN YOU FACE A BOTTOMLESS PIT OF ENERGY, YOU DO OR DIE!!!”

Kline told the honest unrestrained truth. The kindergarteners had launched spells from hiding places without mercy. As they lived in Alex’s tower, Kline was required to live with them for the duration of his training. You have never felt terror till you’ve seen a girl sleepwalk on the ceiling singing a nursery rhyme with only lala’s. Tragically Red continued to misread the situation.

“I AM NOW EVEN MORE PUMPED TO FACE SUCH A POWERFUL FOE!!!” Deciding it would be best to retreat from the arena while they still could, the duo returned to the referee booth and rang the gong to signal the start of the fight.

Feeling the drive for battle after hearing what he assumed were battle stories facing Alex, Red began to let his own battle aura roll off him. It was at such a level the barriers once again had to engage to block it to ensure no one lost consciousness in the audience.

The audience witnessing this began to worry for Kline. He was well known for his timid and jumpy personality. Despite his strength, he was facing what many considered the most dangerous student in the school currently.

The moment the gong finished ringing, Kline made his move, which was a direct frontal assault at Red. Seeing this, Red clicked his tongue in disapproval as he wound back an arm and delivered a punch in Kline’s direction. Only for Kline, like a leaf in the wind to effortlessly avoid the strike. Now standing next to Red’s arm, he grabbed it and ran between his legs before pulling the limb with all his might.

The result of which was it forced Red into a forward roll, where he landed flat on his back. Kline recalled learning how to do this with the acrobatics practice he did with the kids during a PE lesson. In any other tournament, this would’ve been a victory as any warrior fallen on their back is defenceless. Red, however, burst out laughing.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!!! I owe you an apology Worderer… I see now you have much inner strength… To put me on my back so quickly, I see now I cannot take you lightly!!” Red declared as he clambered back onto his feet, pausing only to punch the floor with his engraved gauntlet.

As he stood up, the earth beneath where he punched began to rise and warp and take the shape of a pole. By the time he had reached his full height, Red now held a halberd in his hands.

Red took a fresh and heavy swing with his new polearm at Kline. A few in the crowd even screamed, half expecting to see Kline bisected. Only to see him fall limply backwards as the blade of the halberd cleaning swept over him, clipping only a few stray hairs.

From the audience’s perspective, it now looked like Kline was flat on his back. But Red could see a clear inch clearance and was surprised to see Kline had somehow kept his balance with his heels as a fulcrum.

Wasting no time, Red began thrusting with the tip of his halberd at Kline. Only for him to manouver in a way Red had never seen before. He was rotating while staying flat on the floor. Perfectly avoiding all his strikes, Kline, however, was just recalling the twister tournament he was forced into against the kids.

“Those strikes are no joke. Any one of them would be game over for me… that is, if they actually connected,” Kline said as he rolled around red continuing to avoid his strikes with relative ease.

As he reached a point behind Red, Kline now revealed the hand he had kept hidden under him. Like with Daisy, this hand was blurred by the baffle-field. Red readied himself for whatever attack would fly out, planning to deflect it only for a burst of flame to explode in his face.

“WOOO, THAT’S MY TECHNIQUE!!!” Hadean cheered.

Recoiling from the blast to his face Red was unable to react to Kline, who had jumped up onto his back and slapped a hand across his helmet. A trick he had experienced himself one early morning when he tried to sleep in. The slap itself was charged heavily with the spell lightning touch. Retreating away from the flailing Red, Kline watched as steam rose from under his armour, the woven fur of which was smouldering.

“You know you can forfeit anytime you like?” Kline asked.

“I could say the same to you,” Red replied, not looking as self-assured as he had been at the start. Deciding to go on the offensive, Red channelled more energy through his muscles than usual and closed the distance between him and kline, taking a heavy swing at him. Quickly side-stepping the clumsy strike once more, Kline readied to counterattack only to feel a heavy fist slam into his face.

Recoiling from the strike, Kline retreated further and looked at Red. To his and the audience's shock, what had been assumed to be decorative parts of his armour were, in fact, a second pair of arms. Stood in front of Kline, all four arms now at the ready, Red roared in triumph.

“I am a true, noble son of the Frozen North… I was created for battle, and I shall not lose!!!”

“Oi Gorm, you got four arms?!” Yuu asked.

“No, tis a rare trait even amongst Gorm’s people. Gorm only recalls one such clan that practices creating children with such bodies, and they are battle hungry even by Titan standards.”

With all three of his free arms, Red slammed them into the ground, shaping the earth into three more heavy stone halberds. Retreating even further from Red, Kline couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of the armoured giant wielding four extremely heavy weapons. For the first time since the fight started, he doubted his ability to avoid them.

“Woo, you go, mister Kline!!!! Don’t let this big red dummy beat you!!!” Looking up to the VIP booth Kline was surprised to see it was Alison who had cheered him on. Feeling his shaking resolve harden. If the eternally nervous quiet girl could summon her voice for him, he couldn’t fail.

“It has been years since I have had to use all four of my weapons… But you who survived fighting Lord Alexander are truly a worthy foe!” Despite Red’s confident tone, he was slightly shaking. The toll of pumping out battle aura to weaken his foe and the electric blast sent through his skull had severely thrown him off his game, and he realised he needed to end this quickly.

However, Kline truly had mastered one skill in his week-long hellish training: reading his opponents. He had to, so he could step in before hell broke loose. His eyes told him Red was barely hanging in there and that this four-weapon deal was more a desperate bluff than anything else.

“I shall meet your strength with my own then. A skill I developed to enable me to survive my training,” Kline said as he began to mutter a spell that was blurred out. Soon three pairs of spectral hands began to float around him, linked to his body by a mana thread.

Kline had hoped he would avoid resorting to this as it was heavily draining for his already depleting stores of mana. But he had enough to ensure he would bring down Red and stay standing.

Kline was now more than glad he had learnt this spell, as he had nearly starved by the third day. The kids seemed to be skilled food thieves, and he only had two hands to defend his food with. So heading to the library, he got a book that let him conjure the phantom limbs so he could hold all six children in place and eat in relative peace.

Chanting further spells that blurred his mouth and then all hands he had. Kline readied for his next move. Much to Red’s horror, all eight hands Kline had were now crackling with lightning energy. A single hand had been enough to nearly break him, but eight would be too much.

He knew this next strike would decide the winner. Would it be his stone blades that hit first or Kline’s electrified touch?

“So this is how you survived fighting Lord Alexander…”

“Huh?” Kline replied, looking confused. “I’ve never fought Professor Alex… well, not seriously, at least…”

“But you said you survived him when we were getting ready to start?”

“No, I was pointing to the kindergarteners he somehow controls…” Kline replied. These words alone cut any desire Red had to fight Alex. If this was the strength needed to face small children under his control, how strong must he need to be to survive the man himself? Deciding to pursue a fight with Alex no longer, Red decided to win this fight at least.

Seeing an opening, Kline charged toward Red while he took swings using all four of his halberds simultaneously, only allowing a slight delay between the pairs of polearms. Kline, however, once again became like a leaf in the wind avoiding the first two and then hooking his foot on the first Halberd, so Red’s own swing would pull him out of the way of its following one.

Now within Red’s guard, Kline climbed onto his back and slapped all eight electrified hands against various parts of Red’s body. All at once, Red let out an anguished scream as his skeleton became visible to the entire audience for a moment.

When the flash of energy dissipated, Red was swaying back and forth before falling backwards as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Unfortunately, a fatigued Kline could not respond in time and ended up being pinned beneath the armoured giant's form.

After a few moments of zero movement, Lincoln, with Harry in tow, stepped out into the arena and approached the pair. Checking both boys, Lincoln gestured up to the array staff to question them about something. One of the staff members hastily ran into the arena and confirmed his suspicion. Whispering the result to Harry, the audience could see even the announcer, for the first time in his life, had been left speechless.

“Ladies and Gentlemen… I honestly don’t know how to say this… we have confirmed with the healing array team, who were tracking the combatants' vitals… the result of round five is… A DRAW!!!!!! The Crimson Riot was only unconscious when he landed on his back, and Kline lost consciousness at the same time due to the fall. This is unprecedented in the history of trials of champions between rival teachers fighting for their jobs…”

Lincoln shot Harry an annoyed look.

“Look, I know this is the first time this event has happened, so I am not technically wrong…. Regardless the result is a draw, and Round Six may be the deciding game point!!!”