Chapter 53: Heart of War (1/2)

Chapter 53: Heart of War

“Chris took him to the contestants’ rest area! He’s really participating in the selection?!”

“His relationship with Chris is that close? Doesn’t Chris only care about training usually, plus she has severe facial blindness and can’t remember anyone?”

“Participating in the selection in his first year already? Can he come out victorious from so many fights and join the school team?”

Ayrin didn’t clearly hear the discussions over in the stands in the midst of the brouhaha. Rather, his heart slowly stirred up.

He liked this sensation on the eve of battle, he liked this atmosphere!

“I like this blood-boiling feeling, I like competition!” He silently told himself.

“There are more people in the selection this time. There’s a total of twenty groups, the group stage is a sudden death stage. Only after coming out first from the groups does it become a double elimination stage, that’s why you can’t forfeit any match.” Chris didn’t pay any attention to the stares coming their way from the surrounding stands either. She made a do-your-best gesture at Ayrin. “Several fights will start at the same time next. You just need go to the teacher and prepare for your fight when you hear the teacher call your name.”

“Ok!”

Ayrin likewise firmly brandished his fist, his hot blood boiling in his veins.

He’d already made up his mind. No matter who he faced, he had to knock them out!

Five areas around the same size had been simply mapped out from the field originally devoid of any mark. A Holy Dawn teacher was already standing inside each area.

Chris really hadn’t wasted any time. Just two or three minutes later, the teacher Carter Ayrin was familiar with walked to the center of the field and declared the start of the selection.

“Ayrin!”

Someone beside him suddenly called his name.

“Hm?” Ayrin turned his head around and immediately recognized the one who just called him. It was Kybaver, the one who’d brawled with him, Belo, and also Rinloran back then, the one he’d ended up knocking down. “Kybaver, you also came to participate in the selection?” He actually smiled as if he just saw a friend. “What about Dyfer? Why didn’t he come to the selection?”

“You…” Seeing Ayrin greeting him like a friend after the two of them fought, Kybaver who originally burned from head to toe with fighting spirit suddenly became a little helpless. He found that he couldn’t become angry no matter what. “Ayrin, I can condense arcane particles now. Last time I lost to you, this time I’ll definitely beat you.”

“Ah, you already condensed arcane particles, so fast!” Ayrin’s face immediately filled with envy. He immediately moved to Kybaver’s side. “How is it, what do you feel when arcane particles are inside the first arcane gate? Aren’t they like little glittering stars, and they feel especially powerful? What kind of feeling do you have when condensing arcane particles? What kind of feeling do you have when arcane particles flow inside your body?”

What the hell, was this an enemy or a friend?

“…” Kybaver was momentarily speechless.

“Anson versus Rowan…”

“The fifth group is starting with a duel between such heavyweights already.”

“They’re both ruthless characters, I don’t know who’s going to win.”

Exclamations and comments rose from both the stands and the contestant area at this time.

“Rowan?”

Ayrin felt that the name sounded very familiar. Then he remembered the next second. It was that class tyrant he and Belo said they were going to join hands and fight against.

He lifted his head and looked that way. He immediately saw, standing in the middle of a field, a boy with a pointy chin and loose hair draped over his shoulder, just the same as on Belo’s card. Facing him stood an exceptionally sturdy boy close to two meters tall.

“Rowan? Belo said he’s the strongest one in one of the classes in second year, his close-combat skills are more or less at the same level as yours, but his arcane skills are even stronger than Dyfer’s. That’s the guy?” He couldn’t resist pointing at Rowan and asking Kybaver beside him, “Who’s that Anson then, he’s also very strong?”

Kybaver was also startled when he saw a duel between two such persons. He subconsciously said, “Anson is a third year student. He has the nickname of “Impassable Iron Wall” in third year. His defense is particularly strong. He’s the same as Rowan, he’s one of the popular candidates people think can pass the selection.”

“Defense? He doesn’t smash and pound like Moss with such a big body?” Ayrin was suddenly confused. “What use is only defending?”

“What do you know! If the one who takes the initiative to attack doesn’t obtain results, he will naturally consume more stamina and arcane particle. Also, he’s expert at using close-range body skills to defend himself. Arcane masters who duel against him, as long as they can’t break through his defense and cause him genuine injuries, then they’d die just from the attrition. As soon as their arcane particle consumption becomes too big, they’ll definitely be unable to to block his ultimate counterattack!” Kybaver threw a contemptuous glance at Ayrin. He turned his head back, but then he suddenly became speechless. He didn’t understand why he would talk so much with Ayrin.

“Oh, I get it now. I wonder who’s going to win.” Ayrin actually shifted his butt and got even closer to him. It made Kybaver even more at a loss what to do with Ayrin.

The selection officially began. Although five matches kicked off at the same time every turn, it was obvious that the vast majority of Holy Dawn Academy students focused their attentions on Anson and Rowan.

…

It was very obvious that Rowan had a very good understanding about Anson’s characteristics as well. So, under the many cheers and battle cries from the second year students, he nevertheless stood motionless in his original spot, and didn’t take any initiative to attack.

But Anson also exceeded his expectations, approaching step by step in his direction, not slow nor hurried.

A crashing sound crackled in the air. The focus of everyone’s attention, the duel between Rowan and Anson, genuinely began in a flash.

Rowan merely stepped the tip of his feet twice in succession on the ground that he already arrived in front of Anson.