Hector sank into a low crouch. It was a peculiar stance, but Simon knew he could launch himself forward from that position like a coiled spring. Kamibarez, her eyes glowing red, held her ground and activated her swirling wind of blood.
"Kami." Simon placed a hand on her shoulder as he rose to his feet. "I’ll handle him."
"Simon! But you’re still recovering from the impact...!"
"I’m fine," he assured her. "Besides, Hector challenged me. It’s my fight to finish."
"It doesn’t matter who steps up." The Jet-Black overflowing from Hector’s body began to drip onto the ground. "I’m coming."
He charged, kicking off the ground so hard his form vanished in a cloud of dust. Simon immediately leaped in front of Kamibarez, crossing his arms in a defensive stance.
Hector’s fist stopped inches from her face, blocked by Simon’s forearms.
"Grr!" Sweat poured down Simon’s face as Hector’s lips twisted into a smirk.
"You should have just come out like that from the—!"
Before he could finish, Simon’s waist twisted, and his leg shot upward in a blindingly fast kick. Hector jerked his chin back just as a black flash sliced through the air where his head had been.
’Tch, his martial arts are as sharp as ever!’ Hector thought, retreating a step.
Simon lowered his leg, letting out a steadying breath. "Do we really have to do this here?" Onlookers were already gathering in the alleys, drawn by the commotion. "You know this is completely insane, right?"
"We are Kizen, Simon Polentia." Hector extended an arm, opening a Subspace. "If we want to fight, we fight. No one can stop us."
A horde of skeletons poured out from the portal.
’Watch closely! This is what I accomplished over the break!’
Hector swept his arm through the air. The skeletons instantly disintegrated into a cloud of bones, which then began to reassemble into the shape of long, sharp spears.
’That’s...!’
‘Bone Spear.’
Simon kicked off the ground, narrowly dodging as the bone spears curved through the air and slammed into the dirt where he had just been standing.
’Hector can use Restoration techniques?’
A volley of spears rained down from above, and Simon scrambled to avoid them.
"Hahahahahaha!" Hector roared, swinging his other hand. More skeletons emerged from his Subspace, their bones immediately reshaping and attaching themselves to his legs and fists.
Simon’s eyes widened in shock. ’Bone Armor boots and gauntlets!’
He remembered clearly from their first-semester Summoning class: Hector had been terrible at Restoration. Despite having excelled in every other subject, he had struggled immensely with the technique, which relied heavily on innate talent. But now, he was wielding it freely, effectively enough for actual combat.
’I didn’t get a single decent night’s sleep during the break! I pushed myself to the brink, coughing up blood to reach this level!’ Hector’s feet cracked the ground beneath him. ’Now you’ll know what it feels like to be beaten at your own game—Summoning!’
Hector charged with explosive force. Simon quickly opened his own Subspace and raised his arm as bones snapped into place around it. The incoming attack was like the swipe of a grizzly bear’s paw; Simon knew he couldn’t block it with raw strength.
’In that case!’
He issued an ‘Absolute Command’. The bones on his arm flared with dark blue magic, and the two boys’ gauntlets crashed together.
’KRA-KOOM!’
The violent impact sent splinters of wood and shattered tiles flying. The crowd of onlookers screamed and shielded their faces.
’Whoosh! Whoosh!’
Dodging Hector’s wild swings with only the movement of his upper body, Simon reached his armored hand back toward his Subspace. More components clicked into place over the gauntlet. A wheel made of bone materialized, a projectile loaded into place, and an ejection port formed.
‘Bone Armor - Handgun.’
Hector’s eyebrow twitched. ’A new technique?’
After deflecting Hector’s next blow, Simon aimed the handgun at his rival’s forehead and willed the trigger to pull.
’BANG!’
The bone bullet shot out like a flash of light. Hector barely managed to catch it in his left hand.
’Just when I thought I’d caught up, he pulls out another bizarre technique!’
As Hector retreated with a furious expression, Simon unleashed a torrent of fire. ’Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!’ Bullets riddled the wooden shack behind Hector, turning it into swiss cheese. Hector dodged frantically, extending an arm toward a nearby pile of bones.
‘Bone Spear.’
The bones floated into the air, forming into spears that soared high before plunging down toward Simon. Forced to move, Simon leaped aside while reloading. As he clicked a new round into place, Hector’s relentless barrage continued.
’Click!’
Catching the incoming projectiles on his armor, Simon spun the wheel of his handgun and aimed at Hector. The air became a chaotic web of flying bone.
"Wow! So this is a fight between necromancers!" one onlooker shouted.
"This is incredible!" cried another.
The crowd was now thoroughly engrossed, clenching their fists, cheering, and clapping.
"Hey, get over here!"
"Two Kizen students are going at it!"
While the onlookers roared with excitement, Kamibarez stood alone, her hands clasped in prayer, her eyes fixed on Simon with worry.
’CRACK!’
The two clashed in the center of the street before recoiling simultaneously. Sweat poured down Hector’s face like rain.
’Why won’t he go down? Why can’t I land a single hit? I want to win. I want to beat this bastard so damn badly!’
’Thud!’ Hector stomped his foot, and the remains of the twenty-odd skeletons he had used floated into the air.
’I will defeat you and prove that my blood-soaked effort meant something! To myself, and to the world!’
He swung his arm, and a devastating barrage of spears rained down, leaving no room to escape.
’I think I understand why Hector is so obsessed with fighting me,’ Simon mused. ’Whoom!’ Not to be outdone, he stomped his own foot. The bones of every skeleton he had summoned floated up and converged in front of him. ’Honestly, I could just let him win. It would probably make school life easier. But...’
’Thump-thump. Thump-thump.’
Feeling his heart pound in his chest, Simon conducted the floating bones with his hands like a maestro.
’I never want to lose a fight!’
The bones stacked together, forming a seamless, tower-like barrier.
‘Bone Wall.’
’Th-th-th-th-thwack!’ The storm of bone spears slammed into the wall, ricocheting in every direction. The onlookers, finally grasping the danger, screamed and scattered to avoid the flying shrapnel.
"What’s all this commotion!"
Finally, the Langerstine city guards arrived. The excited crowd flinched at their appearance, backing away or turning to flee. The local guards were infamous for their excessive force.
"What kind of lunatic is—!" A guard shoved his way to the front, then stopped short. The combatants weren’t gangsters or locals. They were two boys in Kizen uniforms, their red ties fluttering as they fought. The guards, who had approached with blustering confidence, now looked utterly bewildered.
"...They’re from Kizen?"
Just then, an old woman pushed through the crowd and grabbed a guard’s arm. "Oh, please, you have to stop them! My shop is right behind them!"
"Ahem. Ma’am, Kizen is outside our jurisdiction..."
"H-Hey, Chief," another guard whispered. "Maybe just try asking them nicely? ‘Could you please stop fighting?’"
"You do it, you idiot!"
Even the guards were now arguing amongst themselves.
"Pardon me." A man calmly walked past them. The guards warned him it was dangerous, but he didn’t break his stride.
The two boys collided and were thrown backward. Their uniforms protected them from injury, but the physical toll of the impacts was mounting, draining their Jet-Black and stamina.
"Simon Polentiaaaa!" Hector roared, spreading his arms wide. He had initially planned to exchange a few blows and be done with it, but now his mind was set. Subspaces opened all around him, and the scales of a Corpse Dragon poured out, encasing his body. His legs and torso rapidly transformed into a draconic form.
’I can’t wait for the Duel Evaluation! I’ll crush him here and now, before the second semester even begins!’
He opened his maw and unleashed a torrent of Jet-Black breath.
’KABOOOOOOOM!’
A crimson-black inferno exploded in front of Simon. As flames engulfed the area, the onlookers screamed and scattered. Embers caught on a nearby building, and it burst into flames.
’Whoosh!’
In the heart of the explosion, a metallic blade coiled like a serpent, completely shielding Simon.
Hector grinned. "So you finally brought out that summon!"
"From this point on, I might not be able to hold back either." The blade parted, revealing Simon’s piercing, gleaming eyes. "Are you sure you want to continue?"
"Of course!" ’Flap!’ The tattered Corpse Dragon wings on Hector’s shoulders spread to their full, imposing size. "Let’s end this here and now, Simon Polentia!"
They charged at each other simultaneously. Hector’s dragon claws and Simon’s bone-armored fist sliced through the air.
’Thump.’
’!’
Suddenly, a hand seized each of their arms. An incredible force twisted their limbs, causing their bodies to cross and flip in mid-air. Simon’s eyes widened as he saw a single red droplet materialize above him.
’That technique is...?!’
’BOOM!’
A blood explosion erupted, slamming both boys into the ground and shattering the tiles beneath them.
"Hmph."
The brown-haired man who had subdued them in an instant stood between them, arms crossed. He wore a brown suit that matched his hair and held a briefcase in one hand.
"This won’t do," the man said, adjusting his monocle with his ring finger and thumb. His voice was so calm and gentlemanly it seemed to soothe their frayed nerves. "The semester hasn’t started yet. I’d appreciate it if you’d exercise some self-restraint."
"Ugh!" Hector lifted his head, which was covered in tile debris. "Interfering in a duel between Kizen students! Who the hell are you?"
Just then, Kamibarez ran over, her hand clamped over her mouth in shock. "D-Doctor?"
"It’s been a while, Kamibarez," he said with a gentle smile.
Simon’s eyes widened. ’This is the doctor Kamibarez was staying with?’ While Simon’s mind raced to process the situation, Hector gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet.
"Identify yourself!"
"It seems I will be teaching the Hemomancy class for a semester in place of my teacher, Silage, who is away on an important mission." The man smiled. "My name is Walter Han. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
’A new Hemomancy professor...?’
Simon, Hector, and even Kamibarez stared in surprise.
"Doctor! I-I mean, Professor! How...?"
"Professor Silage’s mission is expected to be a long one, so upon his recommendation, I have been formally appointed to take over the class."
Not just a substitute, but a formal professor. Walter’s appointment had already been confirmed through an external interview.
"And for now, I’m still just a doctor," he added. "I’ll officially become a professor after I go to Roc Island and receive my teaching credentials."
He had passed Kizen’s interview, but he was still technically an ordinary necromancer. Once he met with Nephthys on Roc Island, he would wield the immense power of a Kizen professor.
‘For now,’ he says.
Just then, Hector slowly got to his feet.

Comments

Loading...