The Fight Of Genius Ban

By the time the two combatants had finished picking their weapons, the seats of the arena were already occupied by dozens of students. The students were mostly Third Class students, with about a dozen Second Class students mixed in between.

Han and Wendy were two of the dozen Second Class students. They had heard the news of a newbie student challenging Young Master Leon, and when they had heard it was Daniel, they immediately rushed to the arena, although they both had different reasons.

Han wanted to see Daniel's battle prowess. He wanted to know what was so special about Daniel that he was put in the Second Class program. He was also curious about Daniel's sword style.

Wendy on the other hand wanted to see how Daniel would fare against Leon. Leon was a stellar Pseudo-Sword Initiate, and he was very popular. Even though his attitude was bad, no one would want to be on the bad side of the Henarion Clan by offending their upcoming star.

Now, Daniel had gone and offended this proud scion of the Henarion Clan, and had gotten himself challenged to a duel! While Wendy knew Daniel was strong, she did not think he was strong enough to beat Leon. She thought it would be his face being trampled on.

Daniel held no such worries as he faced off against Leon. One of Leon's lackeys stood on a far side of the arena and gave the signal to start.

"Fight!"

The signal was given, and Leon leapt forward like a hungry leopard pouncing on its prey. His steps were quick and decisive, and his sword was like a strip of silky cloth dancing through the wind.

Thwack!

Leon's sword collided against Daniel's but instead of stopping or being repelled, the scion of the Henarion Clan was like a sticky snake as he slithered and wormed his way forward, forcing Daniel to take a step back.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Three consecutive strikes were blocked and Daniel found himself falling back under the intense but soft and flexible assault of Leon.

"He's been beaten back!"

"Leon was better. I knew this would just be a waste of time."

"At least it's better than sitting down and doing nothing."

'He's better than I thought." Daniel squinted his eyes. He had adopted a defensive posture to see how strong Leon's offensive would be, but he had underestimated the other boy. It was difficult to find an opening so he could escape the hot assault.

'Even still.' Daniel's posture abruptly changed as he took on a different vibe.

Whoosh!

The wooden blade of Leon's sword swung by Daniel's head and he made a strange movement with his feet, twisting his body weirdly from his waist in order to evade that strike. His sword then went in a slash to strike at Leon's opening.

"Not so fast!" Although Leon was surprised, he did not get caught up in his surprise. His sword was quickly reversed as he brought it back down to intercept Daniel's slash by slashing at his arm.

"What?!" Leon was shocked! His sword had hit nothing, swinging down uselessly and leaving him open. Behind him, Daniel swung his sword again, getting him on his left elbow, behind his knee, and finally pressing the wooden blade against the side of his neck.

"You lose, Leon." Daniel grinned triumphantly.

Leon's eyes quivered as the terms of their duel came rushing to him.

"If you win, I will become your follower, but it I win, you will become mine!"

He was the one who had foolishly stated those terms. If he had known, he would not have been so brash, but now... It was too late!

"I hope you remember your end of our deal?" Daniel put away his weapon and asked.

"I remember. I am an honorable member of the Henarion Clan, and will not go back on my word. From today hence forth, I will be your follower..." Leon spoke the words through gritted teeth. Even though he was a spoilt brat who would most likely be thought to run back to his clan to bail him out, he did not want to do that, as it would bring shame upon not only himself, but also the Henarion Clan. His parents and Clan Elders would never stand for that, so he had no choice but to stick to his words.

"No way!"

"Leon lost?! How?!"

Lackey One and Lackey Two were utterly shocked! They could not believe that the newbie that they had tried to bully only some time ago had so easily turned the tide and crushed Leon, the person that they held in high regard!

Wendy stood p in the stands with a slack jaw and bulging eyes. She had sparred against Leon a few times, and he had always given her the feeling of someone superior looking down on her. It irritated her to no end, but there was little she could do about it unless she got stronger. Now, she had just watched Daniel easily bat aside Leon's ego and bring him crashing down!

Han smiled coyly to the side. He was intrigued, and even more curious about where Daniel had popped out from. His mannerisms did not paint him out to be a noble, but his skills were certainly much better than the average noble child.

'This housemate of mine is certainly much more interesting than I thought.' Han thought to himself as he got up and made his way out of the stands and began the walk back to his shared house.

As Han left, the impact of the fight was only just beginning to sink into the skulls of the audience. They had been frozen ever since the fight ended, and Leon's statement was the only thing that managed to shake them from their daze.

"No way! Leon is going to be the newbie's lackey?"

"I doubt Leon would let himself be a lackey. Follower is a more apt term."

"Is there even a difference?!"

"Who is this newbie? He was strong enough to beat the most favored scion of the Henarion Clan in one fell swoop! And what was that move he used at the last moment?"