Short Duel

Lucas and Lin Yan walked side by side toward the North Arena. Beatriz strode ahead, like an empress leading her subjects.

Lucas glanced at Lin Yan and said with a laugh, "I feel like a servant right now."

"Indeed, the situation is rather similar," Lin Yan replied softly, eyes fixed on Beatriz's imposing silhouette—not an ordinary girl, but an empress who had fought countless battles.

Thinking this way, Lin Yan felt an invisible pressure, as though it were unthinkable to speak casually to such a person.

Lucas noticed Lin Yan's lingering gaze, misinterpreted it, and nudged his shoulder playfully. "What's that? You barely met her and you're already in love with the icy empress?"

Realizing his stare had been a bit too much, Lin Yan's cheeks flushed. "Of course not. I merely observed how imposing Beatriz's posture is."

Lucas's eyes twinkled at another opportunity to tease his friend, his grin widening. "Oh? So you've been watching Beatriz this whole time? I thought you were different, Lin Yan, but it seems you're a pervert just like me."

Lin Yan was taken aback by Lucas's retort and grew even more embarrassed. "What? No way!"

"Shhh, don't shout—what if Beatriz hears you?" Lucas murmured.

"I heard everything, idiot," came Beatriz's indifferent voice from up front.

Lucas patted Lin Yan's shoulder. "You can thank me later. Now Beatriz knows you love her."

Beatriz didn't turn her head, but Lucas was certain he saw her ears twitch slightly—the most reaction she'd allow to such childishness.

Lin Yan, on the other hand, looked ready to dig a hole and vanish.

"You're... twisting everything, Lucas!" he protested in a low voice, cheeks blazing.

Lucas laughed even more, hands behind his head as he strolled casually. "Relax, brother. Life's too short to worry about details like these. If you're going to fall in love, you might as well fall for a goddess like Beatriz!"

"I'm not in love!" Lin Yan tried to insist, though his desperate tone only amused Lucas further.

"Of course, of course," Lucas said, nodding exaggeratedly with a lecherous grin. "Just studying her 'back contours' for academic interest, right?"

Lin Yan was speechless, shaking his head in defeat.

Beatriz stopped abruptly, forcing the two to skid to a halt behind her. She turned, red eyes shining with cold composure.

"You're making too much noise," she said in a low, melodious voice, as if stating a fact—but a bead of cold sweat ran down Lin Yan's neck.

"Sorry, Empress Beatriz," Lucas said immediately, tone dramatic and mocking, bowing extravagantly like a medieval servant.

Beatriz simply ignored him, turning back to continue walking with firm, graceful steps.

"You really have no shame..." Lin Yan murmured to Lucas, who answered with a proud smile. "It's an art," Lucas said, winking. "You should try it, brother. Women love shameless men."

Lin Yan sighed, resigned, as they resumed following Beatriz toward the massive gates of the North Arena, where their instructor waited.

As they passed through the gate, an intense, suffocating wave of energy enveloped them, forcing all twenty top students to stop in their tracks.

At the center of the arena stood a tall woman with long, flame-red hair. Her black suit, trimmed in scarlet, accentuated her voluptuous figure.

Her blue eyes—intense, almost cruel—scanned the group like a predator sizing up prey.

Lucas whistled softly at the sight. "Now that's what I call a Gothic mama..." he murmured in admiration.

Lin Yan choked at once. Beatriz merely folded her arms, watching the woman before them with a neutral expression.

The woman smiled, and the air itself seemed to grow heavier.

"Welcome, insects," said the heroine Scarlet Dawn.

"I hope you're ready... because I'm not here to teach children how to play hero."

Lucas watched attentively, putting on the good-student act—but those nearby, like Lin Yan and Beatriz, noticed his eyes roaming over the heroine's body, especially her bust.

"Hmm... she could turn around so I can study that wonderful backside," Lucas whispered inaudibly—but Lin Yan, Beatriz, and, unfortunately, Scarlet Dawn all heard his indecent comment.

Silence crushed the arena.

Scarlet Dawn—or rather, Helena—arched an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, her blue eyes flashing like sharpened blades.

For a moment, Lucas felt a murderous presence so intense it made him sweat—but still, he smiled. A brazen, provocative smile, as if challenging the most dangerous woman in the academy.

Helena drew a deep breath, her heels clicking on the floor as she strode until she stood dangerously close to Lucas. She leaned in slightly, coming within inches of his face, and spoke in a low voice laced with sweet venom:

"Repeat yourself, dear student. I didn't hear you properly."

The entire group held its breath. Some instinctively backed away as if expecting lightning to strike Lucas at any moment.

Lin Yan whispered, almost pleading, "Lucas... apologize. Now."

Beatriz only sighed internally, with no intention of intervening. It was clear Lucas was reaping what he'd sown.

But Lucas, of course, wasn't the type to know when to stop.

He tilted his head thoughtfully and replied with a cynical smile, "I only said your posture is... admirable, Teacher."

The gleam in Helena's eyes grew even more intense, teetering on the edge of madness—but her smile widened too, becoming even more seductive and threatening.

"Admirable, is it?" she said sweetly. "Then you'll love today's special exercise, Lucas Gracefall."

Lucas's smile faltered for a moment.

Helena spun elegantly, her red hair like living flames in motion.

"Pair up," she commanded, her voice sharp as a blade. "You'll have to survive for five minutes... against me."

A gasp of shock rippled through the students.

"Survive...?" Lin Yan whispered in horror.

Even composed Beatriz narrowed her eyes slightly, realizing the woman before them was not joking. This would not be a routine training. It was a hunt.

Lucas laughed excitedly. "This Gothic mama is really my type," he commented to Lin Yan, winking cheekily.

Lin Yan shook his head in utter despair. "You'll die with a smile on your face, didn't you know that...?"

Helena then looked directly at Lucas, her full lips still curved in a smile.

"Gracefall," she called, voice thick with malice. "You go first. No partner."

Lucas's grin grew wider, as though he'd been given the best gift imaginable. "Challenge accepted, Gothic mama."

The other students watched as if witnessing a man marching cheerfully onto the gallows. Lin Yan covered half his face with his hand, unable to watch the impending tragedy. Beatriz, arms still crossed, turned her face just slightly, a rare spark of interest in her eyes.

Helena snapped her fingers.

Runes glowed scarlet on the arena floor, forming a circle that sealed the combat zone in a barrier of energy.

She walked gracefully to her starting position, then turned, hands on her hips, her voluptuous figure outlined perfectly by the black-and-scarlet suit.

"Prepare yourself," she said, her voice that of a war goddess.

Lucas raised a hand casually, as if greeting an old friend. "Hit me gently, okay?"

Helena's smile widened even more—and then, with a sharp crack in the air, a suffocating blast of red energy erupted from the heroine Scarlet Dawn.

Lin Yan shuddered in place, whispering, "Lucas... you're really going to die."

For the first time in a long while, Beatriz allowed herself a slight smile. "He asked for it," she said in her deep, melodious voice.

Lucas kept his mind calm, calculating the distance between him and his opponent. But before he could think much, Scarlet Aurora lunged toward him, becoming a blur as she quickly closed the gap.

Scarlet Aurora prepared to land a punch to Lucas's chest. Lucas saw the punch coming, elegantly dodging to the side, causing the fist to strike nothing but air.

Even with the dodge, Lucas felt an unexpected pain in his chest, as if Aurora's punch had landed despite his evasion.

"Huh, you really dodged it? Seems like you're not just a pretty face," Scarlet Aurora said, sounding surprised, and without giving Lucas time to think, she swung her fist forcefully to the side, hitting Lucas's ribcage and sending his body flying like an arrow.

Lucas's body crashed hard into the energy barrier. Aurora's punch didn't cause much damage, but it certainly hurt. Lucas could feel the shockwaves of the punch rattling his bones and internal organs, causing unbearable pain that made him kneel.

The pain faded in an instant, as his body wasn't normal after practicing the Stellar Body technique, and it healed within seconds. But something puzzled Lucas's mind, an uncomfortable question.

'How did this happen? Does she have the ability to ignore my resilience? With my body, even a nuclear bomb would have trouble scratching me!'

Lucas then raised his arms in a gesture of surrender.

"Wow, I've never been so humiliated in my life. I feel like a toy right now," Lucas said with a grin, noticing that Aurora was tense for a moment but relaxed when she saw he was fine.

Lucas decided to tease Helena a bit. "Seems like my gothic mommy is pretty aggressive. I wonder if you're like this in bed too."

Helena—Scarlet Aurora—went pale for a brief moment, the red flames around them flickering with her restrained fury. For a second, the air seemed to freeze.

She raised her hand, and the runes on the ground glowed even brighter in vivid red. Beatriz and Lin Yan muttered under their breath as they saw Helena's power growing.

"Shut up, Lucas," she growled, her voice low but charged with electricity. 'If you keep provoking me, you'll have to deal with much more than just a punch.'

Still kneeling, Lucas lifted his gaze, wearing that crooked smile that most would find unbearable—but to Helena, it was a challenge she couldn't ignore.

"Well, gothic mommy," he replied, still kneeling, not even attempting to look regretful. "You hit me like you were fighting a worm… I can't wait to see how you 'finish the job' outside the arena."

A cutting silence spread. Beatriz clenched her fists, discovering—for the first time—a hint of genuine irritation in her cold gaze. Lin Yan pressed his temples, fearing the storm he knew was coming.

Helena—partly offended, partly amused by the challenge—lowered her tone, hissing:

"You know this crosses the line, right? But… fine."

In an elegant move, she removed the cloak from her shoulders and threw it to the ground, revealing shimmering runic symbols beneath the tight uniform.

"Get ready for something… more personal."

Before Lucas could respond, she lunged again, but this time, synchronized with a pulse of chaotic energy that distorted the space around her. Lucas felt every fiber of his body compressing under an invisible force—as if he were being squeezed by an iron fist. His smile vanished, and adrenaline took over.

He tried to raise his arm to block, but the wave hurled him toward the barrier. Lucas's body slammed into the energy barrier, his bones creaking—but thanks to the Stellar Body, he recovered in seconds.

Beatriz let out a low sigh:

"He asked for it…" she murmured, though her tone betrayed a hint of genuine concern.

Lin Yan, still stunned, stared at Lucas:

"Are you insane? She could have really finished you off!"

Lucas stood up, shrugged his shoulders as if shaking water off a cape, and took a firm step forward:

"But look," he said, raising his chin, "gothic mommy still hasn't shown even 10% of what she can do. How about a round two, Professor?"

Helena furrowed her brows, and then, almost involuntarily, let out a short but genuine smile:

"You're… unique, Lucas Gracefall. I like that."

And with a snap: the energy field exploded into sparkling fragments, signaling the end of the duel. As everyone stepped back, Lin Yan and Beatriz exchanged a glance filled with apprehension—and, despite everything, a spark of admiration for the audacious Lucas gleamed in Beatriz's eyes.

But Beatriz quickly extinguishes this admiration, because in her mind Lucas was still a vulgar man who chose to have sex with some girl instead of arriving early at an event considered important.

But even if Beatriz didn't realize it, she had already begun to see Lucas in a different light, unconsciously separating that audacious figure from that vulgar man, perhaps not even she knows these thoughts, perhaps deep down, just deep down, she likes audacious people, something that not even she knows.

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End of Chapter