Chapter 348: Frenzy [2]
The commoner was currently trapped in a sort of battle mode, and trying to protect himself while defeating me was the only motive in his mind.
It was the same state of mind that I had been trapped in when Arthur had made me engage in combat with the monsters the very first time that we had travelled through the forest.
One had to train their willpower through meditation and also constant combat in order to get out of such a trance, but Noah, having just felt a massive surge in power, was completely lost in it.
I could bet that the guy didn’t even know that he was locked in such a state of mind.
Evading another strike, I retreated a few steps, only for Noah to charge towards me like an animal in a frenzy.
His eyes had begun to turn red, and I could also see hints of saliva drooping from his mouth.
It was an ugly sight to see, but now I had gotten used to it.
"Just...DIE!"
Noah roared with all his might as he channelled massive amounts of mana through his sword before trying to slice my chest—
Thumping the ground below with my foot, I propelled myself into the air before turning upside down and heading for Noah, with my blade moving in a wide arc, aiming to decapitate him.
"Mana Blast!"
Tsk.
At the last moment, Noah used his pesky ability to completely dodge my attack.
I had to say, it sure was a good ability to have, not that I was jealous of the guy.
"Cough... cough"
Hm?
Just as I landed on the ground and was ready to launch another set of strikes, Noah began to cough aggressively while being destabilized at the same time.
I could have taken advantage of his state to quickly end the fight, but with so many eyes watching us... it would have been a little cowardly of me, as my main aim had been to degrade Noah, and not the other way round.
Observing Noah, who had now dropped to the ground, I could tell that the backlash of using the mana sword, after just having evolved to the Gold core, was finally hitting the protagonist.
His body, which had been under severe stress due to the rapid chain of events that took place one after the other, was finally beginning to break down.
"Take him to the infirmary."
As expected, Zenur was the first one to arrive, quickly followed by Elsa and the remaining instructors, as well as the students who had been witnessing our fight since the start.
The turn of events was a little faster than I had estimated, as according to my calculations, Noah should have been able to fight a little longer, but maybe... he was weaker than I had assumed him to be.
"Leave me."
Noah’s words made the instructor who was trying to lift him pause in his actions, as the protagonist used his sword to stand up while trying his best to balance his body.
"I can... still fight."
The words were becoming incoherent to hear, but Noah’s emotions were clear for all to see.
"You may continue it later. Your body is in no shape to fight—"
Thud!
Before the bald instructor could complete his statement, Noah’s body dropped to the ground with a thud.
Quite a pathetic display.
The backlash that Noah had suffered was the same as the one in the game, and as his other powers had stayed consistent, it was only reasonable for the backlash to stay consistent as well.
If it had not been consistent, then... Noah’s ability would have become a completely broken one, and quite terrifying to say the least.
The backlash was what prevented the protagonist from constantly using the ability in every battle.
It usually included being unconscious for a few hours to days or even months, depending on the time and the intensity with which Noah used the ability.
I hoped it would stay the same in this reality as well, or else—
Well, there was no use being excessively negative about everything.
That would be equivalent to me being scared of Noah... a thought that I detested to my core.
Two instructors standing nearby had picked Noah up, as the crowd parted ways to let the protagonist be delivered to the infirmary for his treatment.
"You do know that fights aren’t allowed on the grounds of the academy, and here you are... having defeated both your sister, and now your classmate in a brutal battle."
Walking closer to me, Zenur spoke in his usual carefree manner, not showing even the slightest hint of seriousness in his voice.
"Wasn’t it the headmaster’s wish?"
I countered with a question of my own.
I had no interest in being held responsible for today’s fight and being punished along with Noah.
"As diplomatic as ever. Still, you will have to write your statement and submit it to the student council in your defence."
Zenur shrugged his shoulders before mentioning the formality required after such confrontations between the students.
"I will take care of it."
As expected, the student council president was ready to pounce on me.
Turning to look at Leon, the guy had a serious expression on his face as he met Zenur’s gaze.
"That’s fine with me. You kids can settle everything... just make sure not to be too harsh on the kid."
Hm?
Was Zenur referring to Noah?
He was being pretty lenient with him.
Some new order from the headmaster?
"I will handle it from here."
Leon, on his part, gave a neutral response, not agreeing with Zenur’s demand.
Well... being the president, he indeed had more authority in matters relating to the students.
The rest of the students and the instructors were curiously listening to our conversation, as it might have been an entertaining episode for them.
"Why are all the monsters in the same year?"
Zenur mumbled the words before walking away, with the instructors following him.
Elsa gave me a firm glance, which I largely ignored, before retreating along with Zenur and the rest.
"I guess, we have a lot of things to discuss... student Kael."