As if awaiting that moment, the dagger trembling in the air flew towards Russ's face.
The silver blade, tinged with a crimson aura, grazed his fair cheek before returning to Haru. For the first time, I witnessed deep gashes oozing thick blood, tracing crimson lines down his pale skin. Russ wiped it away with his hand, gazing back at Haru.
"..."
The teachers, spectators like Seowoo, and even the kids in the auditorium fell silent. It was an expression of reverence sent to the boy who inflicted more than superficial wounds for the first time.
Haru, who had swiftly caused the injury, silently spun the dagger back in his hand. Despite achieving his greatest feat, his face showed no particular excitement.
"Shall we continue?"
A somewhat muffled voice escaped his lips. Russ, catching his breath as if stunned, brushed aside his disheveled blond hair.
"You've mastered assassination skills at that age?"
"..."
"And seems like you're adept at dodging, too."
Russ, seeing Haru's silence, shifted his gaze to the dagger. A crimson aura flickered over the blade.
"The little kid earlier used it, and now you. Turning into an A-ranker isn't just for show, huh?"
With a smirk, Russ, amused, then swiftly conjured lightning in his hand, as he had with Hamin.
Kaboom!
Russ charged forward, and the dagger and lightning clashed violently.
The world flashed before my eyes. Seeing the lightning spark and feeling like he was being pushed back, Haru let go of the dagger he was holding in reverse without hesitation.
Zzt!
The sound of flesh burning was eerie.
"...!"
Russ, surprised by the unexpected move, widened his eyes. In that moment, Haru, holding the lightning, pulled it towards himself, while with his other hand, he grabbed Russ's face. The dagger was still in his hand.
Dodging the attack by wetting his head, Russ kicked Haru's abdomen.
"Crunch!"
With a groan, Haru was pushed back and tumbled roughly on the ground. The dagger he held in his hand was nowhere to be seen. Seowoo, noticing this, quickly turned his head towards Russ.
The handsome man with bold lines exhaled deeply and lowered his gaze to the floor. His eyebrows twitched once, up and down.
"I seem to be facing all sorts of trouble."
Before being kicked and sent flying, Haru had retaliated. A dagger was lodged in Russ's ankle.
With a grimace, Russ pulled out the dagger lodged in his ankle and teleported towards Haru. His flying hand, like that of a beast, snatched Haru's collar. Though Haru coughed a few times, it was merely a physiological reaction.
Watching Russ, whose eyes glowed with vitality, Kang Sihyun felt a shiver down his spine. In the blink of an eye, the tense atmosphere became almost unbearable under the guise of sparring.
This can't continue like this.
As the tension mounted, Haru and Russ, locking eyes, chuckled softly. The sky seemed to scream with a chilling sound. In response, their bodies moved simultaneously, as if triggered by a switch.
Crackle!
Lightning struck, and Haru kicked Russ's abdomen, pushing himself backward skillfully. In the process, Haru retrieved the dagger thrown by Russ.
Zap! The lightning struck where Haru had just vacated. Reacting swiftly, Haru leaped into the air, avoiding it deftly. It was a momentary exchange.
As Haru's form vanished, Kang Sihyun marveled at the increased speed of Haru's teleportation compared to the end-of-month evaluation.
Having struck more lightning around, Russ realized he had missed Haru and closed his eyes. He focused on his senses. The tension that made his hands clench covered Kang Sihyun's body as he watched.
Suddenly, Haru appeared behind Russ. As he materialized, the boy's shoulder twitched. However, before the attack could land, Russ teleported several feet away.
Haru's ambush failed, and Russ successfully evaded.
"..."
Their gazes remained locked. In this relentless duel, Kang Sihyun felt his eyes growing heavy and rubbed his temples. With each blink, the situation changed, and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the contest.
Having failed with the initial assault, Haru made a bold choice.
Throwing his chest wide open, he hurled the dagger with all his might. It flew faster than an arrow towards Russ, but it missed. Evading the attack by sidestepping, Russ wielded lightning and clashed with Haru's weapon.
With one dagger lost, Haru grimaced and stepped back. Predicting his retreat, Russ aimed lightning towards the spot. Realizing he was in trouble standing still, Haru rolled away to evade the lightning.
In that moment, Haru teleported to retrieve the dagger Russ had dropped earlier. As he materialized in front of Haru, Russ skillfully used his dry hand to activate a skill by stepping on Haru's hand. With the skill interrupted, the dagger fell lifelessly.
"Try again."
As the man, easily over 194cm tall, lifted Haru by the collar, the boy's feet left the ground. Russ, urging him to counterattack, grinned deeply, seeming intoxicated by the fight.
"Isn't this fun? Want to go again?"
With one hand holding Haru and the other wielding lightning, the man chuckled. With a crackle, electricity surged in Russ's hand. Haru's dagger trembled as if it might fly at any moment.
"Neither of you seems to be crazy about fighting, what's...?"
Kang Sihyun, sensing Russ's excessive excitement, chewed his lip. Just as he was about to look towards the teachers, thinking it was time to stop the duel, Haru's gaze suddenly turned towards him.
Exhaling softly as if realizing something, Haru lowered his gaze. His dry lips twitched several times. The boy, who had been surrounded by a crimson aura just moments ago, had now completely withdrawn his energy.
"...I surrender."
Despite the rough fight, a surprisingly mild surrender declaration flowed out. Russ, who had been brimming with vigor, blinked in surprise, emitting a strange sound, while the teachers who had been anxiously watching breathed a sigh of relief. Kang Sihyun wore a puzzled expression as his gaze met Haru's surrendering figure.
"Ending it like this?"
Russ exclaimed, incredulous. His eyes seemed to contain a sense of betrayal, as if saying, 'Weren't you feeling the same as me?' After swallowing a long breath, Haru nodded once again in response.
"...Yes."
Russ scratched his head at the seemingly unyielding figure. After a moment of hesitation, he exhaled heavily and straightened his posture. The man, now regaining his usual smile, shrugged.
"...Well, I did get a bit carried away. But hey, I got more injuries, so can you blame me?"
Russ, with a smile showing through the blood flowing from his ankle, didn't look quite alright. Haru, tilting his head apologetically, made his final apology and left the training grounds. He was promptly treated by the healing teacher, who healed his burnt and numb hand from the lightning.
Kang Sihyun watched Haru, feeling his soul stirring, until he stiffened and relaxed his body. Despite the rough atmosphere, it seemed like the training ended peacefully.
As he watched Haru wiping his chest and returning to the hall, Kang Sihyun turned his gaze towards Russ. Before he knew it, the healing teacher who had finished treating Haru's wounds was standing by him as well. Listening intently, Kang Sihyun felt like he could hear the healer teacher talking to Russ too.
"Next, student Baek Geonu!"
When Russ's treatment was over, the judge teacher called Geonu. He stood up silently and turned towards him. When offered a word of encouragement, he nodded and, raising his shield, headed towards the training ground.
If he's a tanker, he probably doesn't have any means of attack.
As Kang Sihyun watched him with a raised shield, wondering if it was too much to duel with just a shield, the teacher seemed to have the same thought, suggesting that he could also wield a sword if he wanted to. The boy shook his head. Why would I? Caught up in the question of why he only took the shield, Kang Sihyun could only understand the reason why Geonu took only the shield a little later.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Bright lightning struck the shield mercilessly several times. With an expressionless face, Geonu endured the shocks without moving from his spot, continuing his stubborn defense. He looked like a tree rooted to the ground.
As the boy stubbornly defended himself against Russ's relentless skill, Russ, wielding lightning, teleported behind Geonu. Geonu, who had been thought to be dull, quickly reacted and turned his body.
Thud!
Russ's unhesitant kick landed on top of the shield. Seeing Geonu's agile response, Russ smirked cynically. It was a look that said, "Look at this guy."
But the one who was more surprised than Russ was Kang Sihyun.
"Wow..."
He had that side to him.
Watching Geonu as he prepared to endure again, Kang Sihyun let out a short admiration. Geonu, who had given off a vibe of a sloth so far, was now actively shattering Kang Sihyun's previous perception.
Russ, who had suggested seeing how far he could go, snapped his fingers. Lightning struck from the dark sky. It was undoubtedly the biggest and most intense lightning Kang Sihyun had ever seen.
A thunderous sound, as if to prove him, resonated throughout the entire school. Flash! The lightning was so blinding that Kang Sihyun, who had closed his eyes tightly, belatedly opened his eyelids. Smoke was rising from the shield held by Geonu.
"Huh, did you block this too?"
Russ, who claimed it was the most powerful lightning among all the ones he had struck, showed a slightly frustrated expression. Kang Sihyun watched Geonu, who endured for a long time without using a single attack, in his blue eyes. While Hamin shook from just one lightning bolt, Geonu, who had blocked countless lightning strikes, looked unperturbed.
Crack!
That was the moment when something broke.
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