Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Shk.
Hector crouched down like a professional sprinter preparing to run. It was a rather unusual stance for fighting, but it would let him lunge forward immediately without any preparation.
Eyes turning a deep crimson, Camibarez didn't back down and activated Bloody Wind.
"Cami."
It was then that Simon grabbed her shoulder. He was back on his feet.
"I'll deal with him."
"Ah, Simon! But you were hurt You should just rest!"
"I've recovered from the shock. Besides, Hector is picking a fight with me, so it's only right that I deal with him."
"Whoever 'deals with' me, you better decide soon."
The jet-black overflowing from Hector began to drip onto the floor.
"I'm going in."
Hector charged in. The ground shook, flinging up dust as he moved so fast he disappeared.
Simon immediately leaped in front of Camibarez, crossing his arms in front of himself to block.
Thuummp!
Hector's fist stopped in front of her. Simon had blocked it with his crossed arms.
"Kughh!"
Simon was dripping with sweat, and Hector was calmly smiling.
"You should've done this earli!"
Simon's waist twisted and his leg shot up. Hector pulled his head back in surprise, and a flash of darkness barely missed his chin.
'Tsk His combat dark magic is great as usual!'
Hector backed away momentarily. Simon lowered his leg and let out a slight sigh.
"Do we really have to do this here?"
The sound of a loud fight had drawn spectators from all over the alley.
"You do realize that attacking someone like this is unheard of, right?"
"We're Kizen, Simon."
Hector extended out his arm and opened a subspace.
"When we want to fight, we fight. No one can stop us."
Skeletons rushed out of his subspace.
'Observe! The fruits of my holiday labors!'
Hector swung his arm wildly.
The skeletons' bodies collapsed into a multitude of bones which started to merge into countless lengthy spears.
'That's!'
{Bone Spear}
Simon dodged by quickly kicking off the floor. The bone spear pierced into the dirt where Simon was just standing.
'Hector is using restoration techniques?'
Pshk! Pshk! Pshk!
Bone spears rained down from the air and Simon was forced on the defensive, only barely dodging each one.
"Kuhahahahaha!"
Hector swung his left hand this time. Several skeletons poured out of his subspace, clinging to his feet and fists.
Simon's eyes widened in horror.
'Localized Bone Armor for boots and gauntlets!'
Hector hadn't done well in his Summoning class in the first semester. He had studied in advance in all his subjects, but restoration was a field he had struggled with.
But now, he was using the restoration skills freely enough to put them into use.
'I didn't get any proper sleep over the holidays! This is the product of my blood, sweat, and tears!'
The ground where Hector was standing began to crack.
'Now taste what it's like to be felled by your oh-so-great summoning skills!'
Hector dashed at Simon with explosive force.
Simon quickly opened his subspace and brought his arms to it. Bones clung on.
Hector's attack held the strength of a grizzly bear. Clearly, Simon wouldn't be strong enough to block it.
'If that's the case!'
Simon issued an absolute order. The bones in his right arm flared with dark blue mana, and the two boys' Bone Gauntlets clashed in the center.
Kapoooooow!
The violent collision scattered litter, logs, and any small animals unlucky enough to be even vaguely close to the blast.
The throng of spectators screamed and covered their faces.
Whish! Whish!
Dodging Hector's brutal swings with simple combat techniques, Simon pointed his right arm toward his subspace again.
Additional parts clung on the top of the gauntlet. First was a disk made of bones, then bullets and a muzzle.
{Bone Armor - Handgun}
Hector's eyebrows twitched.
'A new skill?'
Parrying a blow coming from the side, Simon pointed the muzzle at Hector's forehead and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Hector barely caught the bone bullet in his left hand.
'Just when I thought I caught up with you, you pull out another freaking skill!'
Hector backed away, rage in his eyes.
No longer forced on the defense, Simon unleashed the firepower of his handgun.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A hail of bullets turned the shack behind Hector into Swiss cheese. However, Hector dodged them all and used the moment where Simon reloaded to reach toward the pile of bones behind him.
{Bone Spear}
The bones flung themselves into position, forming spears that poured down on Simon.
This time, Simon didn't have the momentum needed to weave around the spears, being stuck shooting in place, so he threw his body to the side to dodge.
As he hit the ground, he finished reloading, but Hector's onslaught continued like heavy rain.
Clack!
Simon spun the central disk to get the internal mechanism moving and aimed at Hector.
Projectiles fired by both of them filled the air and blotted out the sun.
"Wow! So this is a fight between necromancers!"
"Awesome!"
Without the two realizing, the spectators were also getting worked up. They were shouting and cheering for the side they wanted to win.
"Hey, look over here!"
"Some Kizens are fighting!"
While all the onlookers shouted in excitement, Camibarez was the only one with her hands clasped together in fear as she watched Simon.
Poooooow!
The two men collided in the center and were equally pushed back. Hector was dripping with sweat.
'Why won't he go down?! He won't let me get a single clean hit! I want to win! I want to beat that bastard's face into the ground!'
Stomp!
As Hector stomped his foot, the remains of the two dozen skeletons he had used so far floated into the air.
'I'll beat you and prove that my blood-soaked effort was worthwhile! I'll prove my honor, both to this world and to myself!'
He swung his arm, and a swarm of spears fell toward Simon, leaving no room to dodge.
'I can see why Hector is so obsessed with fighting me.'
Stomp!
Simon brought his right foot to the ground, also sending up the bones of all the skeletons he had used. He then gathered the bones in front of him.
'Actually, I could just lose once and it'd make my school life a little easier, but'
Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Simon moved his hands like a conductor's batons as he felt his heart pounding in determination.
'I never want to lose a fight!'
The bones gathered closest to him piled up one after another, forming an expansive barrier.
{Bone Wall}
Pipipipipipipi!
The bone spears raining down were blocked by the wall, bouncing off in all directions. Finally realizing what was going on, the spectators yelled in fright and ran out of the way of the flying bones.
"What's the commotion?!"
Even Langerstine's guards had joined in.
* * *
* * *
The excited onlookers flinched at the sight of the guards, either backing away or turning and running. Langerstine's guards were notorious for their excessive use of force.
"What kind of crazy bastards are making a scene in broad daylight?!"
The guards pushed their ways through the crowd.
But it wasn't a gang, residents, or tourists who were fighting in the street. Two boys in Kizen uniforms were fighting fiercely, their red ties whipping through the air.
The guards, who had stepped in so confidently, all looked bewildered.
"It was Kizen?"
Just then, an old woman pushed through the onlookers, grabbed a guard's arm, and shook him violently.
"Oh my, please stop them! Our shop's back there!"
"Hmph. You see, Kizen isn't under our jurisdiction, so"
Another guard walked up to the first and said to him,
"M-Maybe you could try asking them nicely? You know, like, 'Please stop fighting!' "
"You do it, you crazy bastard!"
Even the guards were busy arguing.
"Pardon me."
A man suddenly strolled past them. The guards warned him it was dangerous, but he kept walking.
Slam!
The two boys collided once more, being pushed backward.
Thanks to their Kizen uniforms, they were unharmed, but their jet-black was starting to deplete. So was their stamina.
"Simon Polentiaaaaaa!"
Hector opened his arms wide in preparation.
At first, he was just planning to exchange a few blows before stopping, but he had changed his mind.
From the subspace that opened all around him, the scales of a corpse dragon poured out and began to cover his body. His legs and torso transformed into the image of a dragon in an instant.
'I can't wait for the Duel Evaluation where I can show my skill on the big stage! But first, I'll crush him here and go on with the second semester!'
He opened his mouth and shot out a stream of jet-black breath.
Kabooooooooooom!
The fire and resulting explosion scattered the screaming spectators as they finally realized the seriousness of the situation. The flames quickly spread to buildings, engulfing them.
Ssshhhk!
And in the center of the explosion, metallic blades coiled like a snake covered Simon.
Hector smirked.
"So you finally brought out that summon! Be warned, I may not be able to control myself from now on."
The tentacles made a gap, showing Simon's fierce eyes.
"Are you going to continue?"
"Of course!"
Flap!
The corpse dragon's wings passed through holes in Hector's backpiece, unfurling to their full size.
"Let's end this here, Simon Polentia!"
Both of them rushed at each other simultaneously. Hector's dragon claws and Simon's Bone-Armored fists slashed through the air.
Tap.
"!"
Both of their arms were grabbed by a single person at the same time.
With tremendous force, they were pulled by their arms in different directions, crossing past each other as they were flipped over in midair.
Simon's eyes widened. He saw a red bubble floating above him.
'This is'
Kabooooooooom!
There was an explosion of blood, and the two boys' bodies smashed into the tiles.
"Hmm"
The brown-haired man who had subdued them in an instant stood with his arms crossed in the center. He wore a brown suitthe same shade as his hairand carried a briefcase in his left hand.
"You cannot do this here."
The man adjusted his monocle. His voice was very calm and gentle, soothing those who heard it.
"We have not yet begun schooling, so I would like for you to behave yourselves."
"Kugh!"
Hector looked up, his face covered in shattered tile.
"Who are you to interrupt a duel between Kizens?!!"
It was then that Cami rushed over, covering her mouth in surprise.
"P-Professor?"
"Oh. It's been a while, Camibarez."
He said with a soft smile.
Simon's eyes widened.
'Is that the professor that Camibarez went to over the holidays?'
Simon was racking his brain trying to make sense of the situation, but Hector gnashed his teeth and jumped to his feet.
"Who are you?!"
"In lieu of my master, Silage, who is away on an important mission, it would appear that I will be teaching Hemomancy for a semester."
The man smiled.
"My name is Walter Han, and I shall be your Hemomancy professor. Pleased to meet you."
'A new professor in Hemomancy?'
Simon, Hector, and even Camibarez looked surprised.
"P-Professor?! How did you?"
Not just a substitute for Silage, but a full-time professor of Hemomacy for an entire semester?
An external interview must've already been conducted to secure Walter's position.
"However, I am not yet a professor. I must reach Roke Island to receive my tenure to become one."
He had passed the Kizen interview, but he was currently still a regular necromancer. But once he traveled to Roke Island and faced Nefthis, he'd be a fully-fledged Kizen professor and wield immense power.
Simon thought,
'Not yet a professor, huh? How odd.'
Hector slowly got up from the ground on shaking legs.