Chapter 73: Exceptional Duel
Representing the human side was Elizabeth Starlight. No one had objected when she had been called the strongest among them.
Her calm expression and icy gaze traveled over the elves for a few seconds.
Elves had always believed their beauty surpassed that of any human. Yet, as they gazed upon Elizabeth, they found themselves stunned. Never had they imagined that a human could possess a beauty that rivaled, or even surpassed, their own.
Princess Arabella triggered a similar reaction on the human side. Her elegant, pointy ears and delicate face made them do a double take, quiet gossip starting to form on both sides.
Meanwhile, under the stares of awe, Winston had gripped Leonard’s shoulder and was shaking him with both excitement and bewilderment.
"Bro! Bro! Bro! There is no way! We knew that she was hiding something when we first met her, but it turned out that she had been a princess undercover?!" He whispered, face growing paler by the minute.
"Crap! Do you think that we actually broke some formal code or something while we were down in the Death Zone?! Although she might feel grateful since we saved her, what if the rest of her kin get the wrong idea?!"
Honestly, Winston didn’t know much about elves, and considering that they had gotten to know and even exchanged numbers with their princess, it made him lose his cool.
From what he understood, elves were prideful by nature, and they might not take too kindly to humans getting close to their princess, regardless of the circumstances.
"What are you two mumbling about?" William neared, not wanting to be left out of the fun.
Before Leonard was able to utter a word, Harley arrived beside him and tugged on his other shoulder.
"I was wondering where I had heard the name before until I remembered Winston mentioning her. Tell me, how do you know an elf princess?!"
Of course, Harley knew that with their engagement broken off, she had no bias to pry... Yet she did anyway.
Fortunately, the presence of the elves had stirred the curiosity among everyone in the Elite grade, causing many groups of gossip to form, so they didn’t stand out.
Elizabeth and Arabella stopped in front of each other.
For just a second, Arabella’s eyes lingered behind her adversary. Her gaze landed on Leonard, and her eyes seemed to soften in relief, glad that there was a human she personally knew.
"SILENCE!" Professor Hartman bellowed at the top of his lungs, causing all chatter to cease.
"You all seem to have gotten the wrong impression of hand-to-hand combat and why it is a mandatory lesson to begin with!" Hartman spoke harshly and threw a glance at Headmistress Jennifer.
She nodded, prompting him to continue.
"No doubt you are all wondering what the point of learning to fight with your hands is. All of you use weapons, and some of you, like the healers, mostly stay in the back line, never having to worry about frontal confrontations."
He paused briefly, letting the silence settle.
"NAIVE!"
Hartman’s sudden shout made everyone raise their backs upright.
"What would you do if your weapon broke or got stolen? Or when you are ambushed in your sleep and have less than a second to react?! Your bodies are your most reliable weapons and have to be honed just like your classes and skills, lest you want to become monster food! Did I make myself clear?!"
"Yes, Professor Hartman!" The scholars answered in unison.
They still remembered how insistent Professor Albert had been on using the correct title, and they weren’t about to make the same mistake.
Hartman folded his arms in content and glanced at the two challengers.
"The rules are simple. Only skills that directly boost your body are allowed... any others are forbidden. Obviously no weapons of any kind. The winner is decided by who remains in the ring or if their adversary admits defeat."
Elizabeth and Arabella didn’t have problems grasping the rules, both getting ready for the spar.
"Legendary Bloodline, there is no need to hold back." Arabella announced, dropping into a battle stance.
"Likewise, Mythical Bloodline." Elizabeth replied calmly, doing the same.
At first glance, Arabella was at a disadvantage, both in terms of her Bloodline rank and her lower level.
However, Elizabeth primarily relied on spells, while Arabella relied on her bow. The constant drawing of her weapon had honed a formidable explosive power within her slim physique.
The battle could go either way. The spectators held their breath.
"Begin!" Jennifer shattered the silence.
Elizabeth and Arabella charged at each other with unwavering resolve.
First to strike was Elizabeth, taking the initiative as she threw a fast jab forward.
Arabella reacted with inhuman agility and flexibility, her knees bending elegantly as she went under the blow.
She unleashed a kick aimed at disrupting her adversary’s balance.
The attack was too fast for most to see, yet Elizabeth reacted in time. She dodged by moving backward.
Arabella noticed a chance and pushed forward, her goal being to get Elizabeth out of the ring.
They proceeded to exchange numerous blows against each other. While their strength wasn’t all that mind-blowing, the real danger came from their precision.
Their strikes came fast like unending rain, each one targeting joints and weak spots, aiming to disrupt the other’s balance.
Eventually, the battle came to an end.
Arabella moved swiftly, honed by the years she had spent in Woodfrey’s forests, and swept Elizabeth off her feet.
Elizabeth didn’t let herself tumble to the ground. Instead, she executed a graceful backflip and landed masterfully on the ground, ready to retaliate.
"That’s enough! Winner, Princess Arabella!" Hartman signaled the end of the battle.
Elizabeth blinked slowly and glanced downward, where she had landed just shy out of the ring.
"It’s my loss."
She admitted defeat without a change in her composure and shook Arabella’s hand.
"It was a pleasure." Arabella gave a subtle bow before returning to the group of elves.
"Princess Arabella, you were amazing! You showed the humans how it’s done!" One of the elves flattered her performance.
"I don’t think so." Arabella shook her head, observing Elizabeth.
"For a human, she had keen instincts. I held multiple advantages and still barely won. If we had met in a real battle, it’s almost certain that I would have been on the losing end."
The elves exchanged glances since Arabella had said it, her words must be true.
"It seems this year we have some exceptional individuals..." Hartman expressed his approval of the two.
"Holy... these two were really amazing."
"No wonder they are called the strongest among us."
"The rest of the spars will surely pale in comparison to their elegant duel..."
"Next... Plamen! Why don’t you choose one among you all?" Hartman shattered the chatter, calling one of the elves into the ring.
Plamen was an elf with white hair and ember eyes, arguably the second strongest elf who had been tasked with guarding Princess Arabella.
Plamen chose one of the elves and had a short spar. Although their technique wasn’t bad, it didn’t hold a candle to the previous duel. In the end, Plamen came out on top.
"Good match. Now, it’s our turn to show what we can do." Jennifer suggested. "Russell, you have a Heavenly Bloodline, so why don’t you step onto the stage?"
He complied. In his mind, it was only right to be called upon. After all, he was among the very top.
"Now, choose the opponent you want to face in a duel."
Russell stroked his chin thoughtfully. Slowly, a cruel smirk curled up on his face as an idea came to mind.
"You." Russell said calmly, pointing straight at Leonard.