*****
"W-What the..."
Erwin opened his eyes, and at that moment, he found himself in a mysterious white room with nothing inside, with the apparent infinity reigning over that strange world.
Under normal conditions, one person would get agitated, but not Erwin, since, despite the fact that he did not remember having been in such a place a long time ago, he felt almost comfortable.
"Anyway... what was I doing?" - Erwin wondered, who put himself in a sitting position. - "Well, maybe, it wasn't that important..."
Erwin simply sat watching the apparent emptiness, and forgetting what he was doing just a moment earlier.
"Hey, are you going to stay here?"
Suddenly, a voice caught his attention; when he turned around, he was surprised to see himself standing, observing him with a frustrated look.
"You are...me?!"
"Not really, I'm your subconscious! But that's not the important thing: what the hell are you doing here?"
Erwin, when asked by the latter, did not know what to answer, since in addition to not remembering what had happened, he did not even know how he got there.
"Hey, haven't you forgotten about the exam?!" the boy's subconscious screamed, with Erwin almost having a gasp.
"H-Hey, what exam are you talking about... The exam!" - At that moment, Erwin remembered what he was doing. - "I have to finish the exam!"
Erwin jumped to his feet, with memories beginning to flow through his mind like a raging river, and with it, also the memory of how Arnold had humiliated him, before he found himself inside that seemingly infinite space.
[So that's how I came here... I fainted!] Erwin thought angrily, making a smile provoked by the frustration of the moment. [I lost... damn it, I lost!]
"It seems like you've now remembered what you've been up to out there..." - said angrily his subconscious, looking at him with disappointed eyes – "Do you know why you lost?"
"Because I'm still weak..." Erwin said promptly, referring to the fact that he couldn't control any elements.
"... You're an idiot!"
His subconscious, annoyed by the response, struck with a violent punch Erwin, who, because of the force, fell ruinously to the ground. Erwin was stunned by such a gesture, so much so that he did not get angry at the fist, remaining to observe "himself" in a confused way.
"You know very well why you lost! You didn't give your 100%!"
"I gave my 100%! I don't know what you're talking about!" - exclaimed Erwin, annoyed that first the others, and then his own mind, thought he wasn't making a commitment. - "Simply, he was stronger than me..."
"... Force doesn't work with you, apparently..." he snorted his inner sefl loudly, crouching in front of Erwin.
"If you're really gave your all, then explain one thing to me: why didn't you fight to win?"
"W-What? I..."
"Don't try to deny it!" – his subconscious asserted – "I remind you that I am you..."
Erwin, thinking about it, But in his mind, he was really certain that at that moment, he was making a serious commitment. Yet, inside him, there was something that made him think that the words of his subconscious were real, although he did not totally agree.
"How can you be so stupid that you think you can fight in such a 'sleam' way? Do you know why your shots weren't effective? It's because behind your shots there was no determination to win against an opponent who, in reality, is weaker than you! Unconsciously you limited yourself, and that's why you now find your ass on the ground! This is not a game, we are talking about your future! And what is this story about the fact that you don't want to win because otherwise that bastard with the ugly snout will be expelled?! Do you want to follow in your father's steps, or do you want to go back into that hole named Hakvill, huh?"
In that moment, a light bulb went on in Erwin's mind, and in that moment, Erwin understood; he understood that in truth, he was having so much fun in that moment, that he was not giving 100 percent behind every blow given; in that moment, Erwin, unconsciously, had forgotten the fact that he was fighting for something more important, limiting his strength.
"... Damn, I wasted a big chance..." Erwin hissed, with shiny eyes, finally aware of the serious mistake he had made, albeit not with total awareness.
His subconscious, seeing Erwin's downfed expression, felt almost guilty for him, patting him on the back.
"Hey, hey, don't make that face! It's not all lost!"
"... What?" Erwin replied, wiping immediately his eyes.
"See... In this world, time passes differently. A few minutes have passed here, but outside have passed...not even 2 seconds."
Erwin's subconscious rose from the ground, then held out his hand to his alter-ego;
"So? What do you want to do? Do you want to commit yourself seriously, or do you want to go home?"
*****
Erwin opened his eyes again, noting the fact that he had finally returned to the real world; just before falling, with the agility of a feline, he somehow managed to control his body in mid-air, putting himself in an upright position and landing on his legs, leaving everyone present stunned.
[This energy...is a bit different from before.] - thought Leonard, who noticed a strange variation in the energy released by Erwin, remaining confused about it; it was not so much the amount of mana that Erwin released to create doubts for him, since it did not vary much, but it was the way he perceived his mana that destabilized him; usually, in perceiving the mana you can have many reactions: balance, imbalance, chaotic and many more, and these are related to the nature of the user.
But the presence of the boy's mana was something strange, as if the mana had turned into an extremely fierce and vital animal, ready to destroy everything around him. But at the same time, his mana, which seemed almost out of control, was not at all, since Erwin, apart from the serious expression, was totally calm.
All the professors felt this strange feeling, and none of them remembered having felt such a feeling.
[Interesting...] Thought Brenin, who believed Erwin was now out of the game.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Sorry for my behavior a little while ago, I wasn't in me..." - Erwin said in a serious tone, slowly approaching – "This time, I'm going to knock you out for good, be ready..."
Arnold watched the scene; unlike the professors, he didn't have the ability to notice the radical change in Erwin's mana, but it was enough for him to look at the seriousness on his opponent's face to make him sweat cold.
"... Interesting!" - exclaimed Arnold, who, despite having the feeling that things would go wrong for him, certainly didn't back down – "Show me what you can do!"
Arnold charged with all his strength Erwin, ready for a fierce exchange of blows; Erwin observed the latter without attacking, carefully observing his every movement;
Arnold noticed a strange tremor in Erwin's body: he probably still felt a terrible pain from the blow he received at his sternum, and was struggling to move as before; for this now Erwin was standing still.
[Even if you want to take me seriously... It's too late now, you're fucked!] Arnold thought, who despite the bad feeling he felt, tried to convince himself that Erwin was done; arrived in fact in Erwin's process, he loaded all his mana into his right fist, so as to make sure that with that blow, his opponent would never get up again. This time, however, he did not make the same mistake as before, thus deciding to throw a powerful, but direct and precise punch.
"Die!"
Arnold's punch was like a cannonball that, whizzling and cutting the air around him, was ready to hit Erwin's face with extreme speed and violence; At that moment, in his mind he thought of many ways to dodge those shots thanks to his animalistic instinct; but with his body in those conditions, he would not be able to dodge the shot and get slaughtered by that.
In a split second, a memory came to the surface of his mind, regarding when he had begun training in martial arts with Ron.
---
-Flashback-
> 8 years ago....
>
>
>
> "... Why can't i hit you!?" Erwin exclaimed with tears in his eyes, disappointed that he couldn't hit Ron.
>
> "I explained it to you, didn't I? Your blows are predictable..." snorted Ron, irritated by the fact that Erwin had a tendency to cry every times things didn't go as he wanted.
>
> "BUT I FOLLOWED YOUR ADVICE! MY SHOT WAS PRECISE AND DIRECT! YOU ARE A LIAR! SNIFF*" The Little Erwin screamed, sobbing like when a child's candy is taken off, creating a huge annoyance for Ron, who was deemed to hit him in the head.
>
> "Listen, damn brat..." - said Ron, with his left eye having numerous tiks because of anger – "Wide strikes are the easiest to parry and counterattack at the same time, as they have a trajectory that, besides giving you time to prepare for impact, leaves more areas uncovered. Direct strikes, on the other hand, have the highest probability of hitting because of their speed and accuracy, but they have two major flaws...if you are not experienced, of course: first, is the fact that an inexperienced person's gaze helps you figure out which direction the puch will go; second, is the fact that with a proper technique..."
>
>
-end of the flashback-
[...They are easier to dodge, thus unbalancing the opponent and creata many opportunities to attack... Was that how he said to me?]
Erwin, remembering Ron's words, put both palms of his hands in front of Arnold's fist, who, a little amazed by this action, did not pay much attention to it, thinking only of breaking down everything that stood before his punch.
As soon as Arnold's fist touched the palm of Erwin's hand, however, the latter carried out the only move that, in his condition, he could still perform: with his left hand, he initially placed his left hand on Arnold's fist;
[I don't know what you want to do, but it won't work!] The sophomore thought, seeing that the strength of his fist was superior to the opposition of Erwin's left hand, he didn't care much about that move.
But Erwin, waiting for the right moment, absorbed part of Arnold's blow; this caused him pain, but he didn't pay much attention to it, since, thanks to the fact that his body was empowered by mana, it was bearable. At the same time, with extreme speed, fluidity and strength, he swirled the wrist of his hand, dryly and decisively deflecting the trajectory of the blow, which was now headed towards nothing.
"Evasive....leaf technique!"
Arnold was surprised by that move, and immediately tried to react, but in the next instant, he realized with amazement and anger that at that moment he was completely unbalanced, with no chance of returning to balance.
"No... i can't lose!" Exclaimed Arnold, who at that moment maximized his defense through mana, convinced that it would be enough to shield himself from the coming attack.
But the moment he saw Erwin's gaze, shivers of fear came over him, with the feeling that he would lose.
"Your ability is pretty cool..." - Erwin began, looking at his opponent with a sharp and cold look, ready to hit Arnold with all his strength – "But i'm stronger!"
With a fist imbued with mana and unprecedented violence, Erwin's blow hurled itself against Arnold's body. The thin barrier of rock, which previously deterred and protected Arnold from powerful attacks, collapsed under Erwin's blow as if it was a sandcastle swept away by a terrible storm. His fist, directed toward Arnold's side, shattered it, releasing a terrifying sound; the gruesome sound of bones shattering under his fist echoed in the gym, like the roar of a defeated dragon.
The jury of professors watched the scene with wide eyes and incredulous looks. Martha, with a heart swollen with pride, shook hands, acknowledging Erwin's exceptional talent. Leonard, whose gaze had always been of respect for the young man, nodded approving, satisfied in observing Erwin's staggering power.
Yilenia, the cold teacher, was the only one who kept her expression cold and sharp; she appreciated Erwin's fight, but there was one thing that bothered her at the time...
Arnold's fall coincided perfectly with the lifting of Erwin's fist, who, with pride, announced the triumph with a joyful smile.
"I won... I WON!"
END OF CHAPTER 24 – GIVE IT YOUR ALL