The Head Warrior Brutus stood before Billy McGuire, almost like an indomitable fortress that refused to be shaken.

His stern gaze hardened even further upon facing Billy's scrutiny.

Tension wafted through the air as both of them silently stared at each other, prepared for Lucielle to signal the start of their fight.

'The best way to end this is by spamming my powerful attacks!' Billy thought to himself in a wide grin.

He tightly gripped his wooden sword, feeling his fingers and palm press on its hard hilt as his thoughts took a straightforward approach.

'Skill-wise, he stands no chance!'

Brutus remained his usual self, expressing the same stern demeanor he normally gave.

It seemed even when facing a 16-year old, the well-agreed adult did not desire to loosen up even slightly.

"Ready…" Lucielle's voice echoed through the vast field.

Both opponents already had their wooden blades in their grasp. All that they were waiting for was the start of the fight.

"… Set…"

Billy took one final glance at his Status Window and readied his body.

'I'll start with my most powerful Skill and—!'

"… Go!"

Billy's eyes glowed as he pushed his body forward, using one hand to carefully raise his blade while stretching forth his second hand to expel the effects of his Skill.

"[Gran—]!"

~WHOOOSH!~

Before he could go any further in uttering his Skill, a sharp gust of wind swept past him, and a silhouette appeared behind him.

It sent an instant chill down his spine, causing him to falter in the rest of his chant.

"H-huh…?"

The smooth surface of a wooden blade was resting on his shoulder and touching his neck.

"Do you yield?" The voice of the Head Warrior echoed in Billy's ears as he struggled with his disbelief.

'He's fast! Too fast!'

Billy couldn't even follow him with his eyes! His speed was definitely inhuman.

'Calm down, Billy! Of course, he's fast! He probably used his Skill faster than me, plus he's physically in better shape than I am!' He began to give excuses for himself in his mind.

'Besides, the reason he closed the distance between us so quickly and is trying to end things very fast is definitely because he's worried about my Skills.'

In essence, Brutus didn't want to give him the chance to activate his Skills.

'Hehe! Not like that's going to stop me!'

"[Greater Protection Field]!"

A barrier of energy suddenly began to manifest from Billy's whole body, expanding until it covered his immediate surroundings.

The energy barrier pushed every and all threats away from him, including the blade of the Head Warrior, who had once again moved so quickly that it seemed like teleportation.

"Hehehe…" Bully chuckled within himself.

Right now he was encased in a dome of pure defensive power.

Nothing could hurt him now.

'And now… where was I?'

"[Grand Fire Magic]!"

~VWUUUUUMMMM!!!~

In a ferocious roar, plumes of flames appeared on Billy's palm. The flickering embers seemed to increase by the second, and the caster seemed to be enjoying every moment.

"This is an A-Tier Skill. You don't have any Skill to defend against it!" Billy yelled in absolute confidence.

The silence between the two parties was telling.

While Billy was having his fun, expressing the biggest smile of his life, Brutus remained stoic in his demeanor.

Nothing about the Chief Warrior had changed in the slightest.

"Perhaps I should ask if you yield." Billy pushed further, his blazing flames now reaching beyond his barrier.

[Greater Protection Field], as the name provided, served to protect its caster. It did not prevent anything from leaving the barrier.

That meant Billy could attack non-stop while being untouchable in his haven.

"Well… have it your way."

Despite Billy trying to act disappointed by the Head Warrior's choice, his excitement could not be hidden from everyone.

~VWUUUUUUUSSSSHHHHH!!!~

The burst of flames began to charge towards Brutus, the red and yellow colors mixed in collided with each other as they danced forward.

Brutus stood his ground, his gaze lighting up as the rush of flames approached him.

One would expect him to try using his god-like speed to flee, but it seemed he was rooted in place.

He took a battle stance and brandished his blade by turning it once.

And then the flames arrived.

~VWUUUU—!~

Right as the flames were about to consume Brutus, he swung his blade in one swift motion.

~WHISH!~

The result caused all the students who watched to lower their jaws in absolute shock.

Their widened eyes could perhaps not believe or explain the sight that had just unfolded before them—even in a world of Magic and Swords.

Brutus had not only protected himself with his blade, but he parted the entire wave of flames with his blade's swings.

In just one moment, the raging sea of fire was divided into two, and extinguished not long after.

"Your proficiency at Magic is poor. Your Mana quality is unrefined, and its quantity is sorely lacking."

Brutus' words were, as always, composed.

At this point, Billy's face was red in embarrassment while his widened eyes tried to let go of the shock that paralyzed him.

In the depths of his thoughts he began to ask himself.

'I-is this guy really that strong…?!'

So far, Billy had used two Skills of his, yet he hadn't seen the Head Warrior use any.

'He had to have used at least one, right? RIGHT?!'

As Billy struggled to come up with an explanation for the current scenario he found himself in, Brutus opened his lips to speak.

"Is that all you have? If you are utilizing nothing else, then I suppose it is my turn to attack."

Once Billy heard this, his body shook into action as he automatically took a step back.

His mind tried to analyze the situation and think of the perfect Skill to use next—one that guaranteed his undisputed victory.

Unfortunately, his dawdling was not appreciated by the Head Warrior.

~WHOOOSH!~

In a flash, Brutus was right in front of Billy. The only thing that separated them was the glowing wall of the [Greater Protection Field].

'I-I'm safe! As long as I have that, then—!'

Brutus, still gripping his wooden blade with only one hand, gave a bending horizontal strike.

As the blade neared the barrier, the expectation was simple.

The wooden sword would shatter.

However….

~FSHUUUUAAA!!!~

… The opposite happened!

Like glass, the barrier broke into tiny pieces the moment the blade touched its surface with the force it had accumulated.

Once again, the audience was forced to gawk in downright shock.

The most stunned by this, however, was Billy.

His last line of defense had just been broken through like it was nothing, and the man who did so was now advancing towards him.

The fear that assailed Billy at that point was so raw… so primal.

He felt like shrieking and running off, and his bones were rattled to their core as his body felt like crumbling at that very second.

But… how could he do that?!

He was being watched by everyone—including the girl he loved with everything.

For her sake especially…

'I… I can't give up now!'

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Thanks for reading!

Please give your comments after reading. It goes a long way to encourage me.

See you in the next one.