Intruder

(-April 2, 2061/ 12:35 PM/ Current location: University's exclusive arena-)

His gaze became cold and missing emotions, his iron-like fist and wounded body made a hundred blows in one move after Raiden's strongest strike in just a millisecond.

It was unsuccessful. The angle of his body, the trajectory of the attack was poorly aimed due to how his body was positioned earlier. But the Magic spell that Raiden prepared from his right arm stopped functioning.

The floor that Mordred stood on made a massive crack that nearly halves the fighting stage.

He produces a powerful shockwave that makes winds that rival a storm.

The dust that came out of the cracks, flew by the wind of his shockwave and came in contact with the audience.

Mordred recovers his balance and makes distance with Raiden.

[Mordred: No more holding back.]

As he says with his expressionless complexion and half-awake eyes.

He moves swiftly to Raiden's engagement range.

Mordred punches left and right, upwards and under without any rhythm.

Mordred's strength is his enemy, speed is Raiden's ally.

Even with Raiden's maximum effort, he couldn't dodge all of the cascades of jabs and heavy strikes without a constant and repeating pattern.

Blow after blows he quickly lost his stamina and tolerance of pain. He can't last much longer.

What he needs is a small opening for him to stop his barrage.

Raiden stops moving for a quarter of a second. This gave enough time for Mordred's right fist to hit his jaw.

After that, he made another move.

Mordred's right side is wide open.

Raiden did a left hook to damage it.

But he was too slow.

Mordred lunges himself further into his range. Raiden missed and hit nothing but air.

He swiftly and strongly punched his right optic nerve, causing him to lose equilibrium.

[Mordred: Losing balance now are we?]

He punches his left optic nerve, jaw, joints, ribs, and face with no mercy.

What the audience saw is the comical line of "Never bring a knife to a gunfight".

John, who is watching on the Headmaster's private balcony, smiles proudly.

While the headmaster is horrified of the event happening before his very eyes.

[John: Just look at him. He's not even giving him a chance.]

[Headmaster: Stop this right now! The student is gonna die if this continues.]

[John: It's no use. Once someone is like that, it will never stop.]

[Charles: Just what have you been teaching him?]

--------------------------------‐-----------------------------

(-Before the duel-)

(-March 1, 2061/ 8:15 AM/ Current location: Training grounds)

[Mordred: Acceptance?]

[John: That's right, acceptance is the key to staying sane in a life or death situation. Picture this. You are in a fight that will certainly end your life or will end someone else's. How will you react?]

[Mordred: I don't know.]

[John: You will need to act like a lifeless body. A machine that does what it's told to do.]

[Mordred: So I lose my emotions? Is that right?]

[John: That's right. Instead of despairing for yourself, you despair for them. You accept that they are gonna lose as of this moment and you cannot stop it. That is acceptance in a fight.]

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(-Present day-)

(-12:35 PM-)

Raiden made distance against Mordred. With all the energy that he can muster He leaps back with most of his lower body's strength so he could rest for a tiny bit before resuming.

Mordred did not do anything while he was attempting to recover. He did not chase but walked towards him slowly. His expression is nothing but blank space, waiting to be written.

[Raiden: Damn it. I need a miracle.]

As Mordred treads down to strike him again, A hunk of metal drops down from the sky and pummels to the center of the arena, Intervening the duel that Raiden is having.

The audience, The Headmaster, not a single one, did not wonder why such a thing was plunged down in the center of the arena.

[Mordred: What is this?]

The metal glowed a bright red light, activated, and turned into a golem.

The Headmaster sitting from the balcony messages everyone sitting.

[Headmaster: Evacuate The Arena!]

The sentries ran to the audience to escort them out of the Arena.

The golem raises its right hand to the sky.

[Mordred: Don't tell me!]

The Golem's hand falls down. Its hands are made of pure iron so the impact will ravage the whole stage.

Raiden is unable to evade due to his body needing to rest. The amount of damage that Mordred caused his unfortunate fate.

Raiden's life flashes before his eyes. He finally met his rival just for his time being alive to ultimately be ended so quickly.

To anyone, they will die with regrets but to him, he dies with gratification.

He closed his eyes with full acceptance of his fate.

As it was said, it did destroy the whole stage but what is surprising is that he's still alive after the Golem's attack.

[Mordred: What are you doing? Stand Up!]

[Raiden: You.....]

A wall of pure Magic-made gauntlets defended him from the attack. Raiden notices that his eyes have regained pigment.

He was back to his old self.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

(-At the Headmaster's Balcony-)

[Anna: A Test You Say!?]

Anna got flabbergasted by what Anastasia and Charles explained to her.

[Charles: It is necessary. The school headline would say: "Two students defeat an Iron golem during their duel". It would make him instantly famous all over the school and the whole country. Plus, making connections would be easier with that move.]

[John: He's right. We only have 20 years so the quicker the better.]

[Anastasia: I agree as well. Not only will it save us time, but it will also promote Mordred's growth dramatically.]

[Charles: And we wouldn't be alive after 20 years. I may look young because of a drug but it's only to strengthen what's left on my body.]

Anna wanted to reject this kind of treatment but she couldn't.

They were all correct.

In only 2 decades, humanity and all of the other races will face it's second magical war and only a few youths are powerful enough to stop it. The old ones have only one step left to the grave or have ceased existing.

[Anna: Just why?]

[Charles: For everything that exists in this world, we will do anything for it and for him.]

Anna walks up to the glass wall that protects them from incoming debris.

[Charles: Do you really want to play that card?]

[Anna: Do you really want to doubt that card?]

She breaks the glass with her bare hands. The broken pieces fly out of the room and fall to the ground.