Rivalry

Amelia saw Ares' battle-axe coming her way clearly. Her reflexes were way better than she showed before. She was measuring how sharp and quick his attacks could be and also the core of his technique with the battle-axe, so she sacrificed a great part of her reaction time due to this fact.

'His attacks aren't exactly as fast as I thought they would be! I can avoid it easily, particularly because my Wind Rider isn't a spell based on charging and momentum. I can move freely as if I am running normally!'

Ares saw with his own eyes Amelia dodging his blade as easily as someone who was standing in the same place, with no momentum in her body at all. She didn't skid on the ground while doing so, nor did she use a lot of strength in her legs or make complex footwork. All she needed to do was move normally and dodge it.

'It can't be!' Ares thought, trying to take her with his rebound, but he lost sight of her in the next moment.

"If it continues like this, Ares won't last too much time. I bet that Amelia is just being merciful with him because she respects him a bit more now. However, if she gets pissed off with his stubbornness, she will hurt him really badly," one of Amelia's friends said, crossing her arms and raising one brow. She was actually waiting for the last thing to happen. Ares didn't seem willing to back away at all."

Xavier was biting his nails nonstop due to the anxiety of watching that battle unfolding and not having the power to do anything about it.

'I can't just interrupt them, nor ask her friends to do so. We will need to wait until the end of this duel. However, they never said that they needed to be merciful. One time or another, Amelia will irreversibly hurt him.'

Xavier was trying to think about what to do, but he was out of options. Calling a superior wasn't an option since they closed the door of the cafeteria and Amelia's friends wouldn't possibly let him go so easily to denunciate them.

'I think that I just need to pray for you, Ares... May Nature balance the odds in your favor. You will need it, definitely.'

Nonetheless, despite all his praying, Ares was still getting hurt in the middle of the canteen and not landing a single attack on Amelia. He was just wasting his energy and exhausting himself. Now he was swinging his axe around with much more vigor and frequency as well. However, there was no way that he would be able to keep up with her.

'At the moment when she began to use Mystical Arts, I knew that I was done. As if her martial arts weren't enough, she is using mana now as well. I have twice as much disadvantage as before... So that's how it feels to fight against these trainees... I don't think I stand a chance in the end. I won't even tire them out.'

As long as that battle kept going, Ares got more and more disappointed with himself. He felt like his level was just too low compared to others.

'Maybe I could be doing something more to increase my strength... If I could only do something that was beyond the physical capabilities of humans... It didn't need to be something fancy at all, just support to give me more options when in a situation like this.'

As he thought it, even though his thinking was very fast, he took three more blows to his back that seemed like sharp needles slashing him. The pain increased more and more as time passed, such was the speed of the blows.

"Ares!" The boy heard someone shouting his name and got real again. He was so exhausted that his consciousness wasn't the same as always.

When he glanced to the side, he saw that Xavier took a step forward and was shouting at him.

"Please! Understand that there are battles that we cannot win and need to surrender!"

Once Ares heard that he felt like a bitter taste was spreading through his mouth. His heart seemed like being squeezed inside his chest. For someone as arrogant, proud, and confident as him, it was a huge blow to his pride to surrender. Nevertheless, he knew very well why Xavier was so desperate about it.

'Xavier is thinking about the future. He isn't caring about this duel's outcome, but the challenges' outcome in the next week,' Ares was a bit disappointed for needing to leave like that, but he needed to be patient and have discipline. Soon, those feeling would be washed by another battle, but until the end next time.

With a grim expression, Ares let his battle-axe fall to the ground seconds before his throat got impaled by Amelia's blades.

The blond girl with purplish eyes smiled at him with her pinky and shiny lips. There was a victorious gleam in her eyes. She was having a lot of fun now.

"I am glad that you took the right decision... That's awesome. So, do you admit your defeat?"

Ares crossed his arms and looked away.

"I preferred not to, but I guess nothing is helping it. However, don't get full of yourself. There is a lot more going to happen in the next week."

The girl's smile turned into a grin filled with white and clean teeth, though they were a bit spaced out. However, it seemed more like a charm than a flaw.

"I am looking forward to it, Ares. I cannot wait to fight with you, Arwin, and that other sleepy idiot. We are fueling the fire for this battle since the start of the year!" She crouched and happily took Ares' axe, giving it back to him.

Ares also smiled lightly upon receiving his axe.

In the end, that battle wasn't bad at all.

He lost the battle completely but gained a rival and another fight to look forward to in the future.