20

Today marks the end of the first two months of the first years in the academy.

And on the first day of the third month takes place a dueling contest among the first and the second years.

Professors and instructors score the students based on the ratio of the duels won and lost by that student.

No one is allowed to skip these duels as they make up for about twenty percent of the total scoring of the mid terms exams.

A student is required to take part in at least five duels for omegas and ten for alphas.

If the challenged student does not accept the duel, it can not happen.

So these duels are accepted by both the parties and then proceeded.

If a student could not find dueling partners the instructors randomly assign duel partners.

Mostly the second years challenge second years only and are fair to their juniors. Even if they defeat a junior in battle they get only half score from the original.

So they usually avoid dueling with first years.

But this does not include some first years who are too arrogant and pick second years as their dueling partners.

These foolish first years are then beaten up by the second years. This is also a part of the traditional dueling ceremony that the arrogant first years are shown their places.

All the first and second years have been gathered in a training field with various arenas.

The Apex is both the years arrive along with their homeroom teachers at last and they explain the rules to everyone.

Everyone chooses their first dueling partners and the arenas each supervised by different instructors get filled up in no time.

Solomon had chosen Irina as his first dueling partner. Afterall he thought that it was important for him to know how far behind he was from the first rank student being the second ranker himself.

They waited for their turn together as all the arenas were already filled up.

Suddenly something came up to Solomon's mind and he asked curiously.

" If you do not mind, may I ask you something princess Irina?"

" There's no need for the formalities Solomon. We are all students here.

You should just call me Irina.

Ask whatever you want. I shall give you a satisfactory answer of possible."

" Fine Irina. May I know if you have ever been in contact with 'her' at the time you were at borders?

I have heard you spent a whole of three years there training."

" Indeed I have met 'her' Solomon. But why would you suddenly wish to know about a general from our kingdom.

Have you perhaps known each other before?"

" Oh no. I was just curious.'She' had helped me once before. Though after that I have never met her again.

But at that time when I met her too she was covered in a dark cloak and her face was covered too.

It has always been so mysterious. I was just wondering if you had seen her real face or appearance."

" Of cource not. Only the king is supposed to know about things like that.

Also no one has ever seen her true face except for the king.

She is not working under the supreme general of the kingdom and directly accepts orders only from the king."

" Oh I see. Thank you. It seems our turn for the duel is coming soon."

There was only one pair left before their turn came.

When they stepped onto the arena the air was charged and almost everyone was waiting for their duel.

The most anticipated duel this time. They definitely wanted to know how strong the Apex of the first years was.

Could they even reach her?

Was she as untouchable as she seems?

Is she really that strong to handle an alpha in his rage as she had done in the freshmen's banquet?

Was she really that strong that the instructor himself had to fight her in the combat practical lessons?

There were so many questions in their heads for the princess of the Blue Moon kingdom.

Solomon for ready with his sword in his hand and took a proper stance ready to attack any time the whistle blew.

Irina stood perfectly straight. Her posture relaxed but she seemed ready too to strike at any time now.

Solomon raised his brow when he saw that Irina did not take out her sword as it was hanging at her right side.

Is she really that strong, that she thinks she can beat me without using her sword?

Isn't it overconfidence?

Maybe. But I should be careful of this girl. She is always calm. Maybe she will take the sword out when she sees that she can't beat me without it.

With these thoughts going on in his head he striked as soon as the whistle blew.

But to his astonishment Irina took the tip of the sword in between her first two fingers and flicked it.

The sword fell down on the ground as everyone watched stunned.

Solomon had not used magic in this strike but it should not have been this easy for her to strike her sword with a flick of her fingers.

Disbelief.

That was all written over Solomon's face as he watched his sword fall down from his hands.

Then came a punch to his gut and he was just standing there, unprepared as it struck him right in the middle.

A mouthful of blood came out staining his uniform as a wave of dizziness hit him and he fell unconscious in a few moments.

It all happened in just a few seconds. And the students who were excited for the duel between the top two students immediately fell silent.

They understood now that this girl was the only top student in their class.

And the others were leagues behind her. Seeing how she knocked out the second ranker who was also a prince in just a punch was really astonishing.

The instructors who had not yet met with the first year Apex were also at a loss of words.

Should she really be taught different from others and transferred to the second year directly as instructor Colsen had suggested?

They still remembered how absurd it felt when a direct transfer like that was demanded by instructor Colsen.

Though they knew that Irina was a formidable warrior they never knew it was to the extent that no one in her heart could even stand against her for a few seconds.

Do they really need to pass this girl directly over to the second year?