Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 386

Chapter 386 89.2 - Duels

?"Huf…."

Letting out a long breath, Wilbers emptied his lungs.

And then, feeling the familiar surge of energy from his skill, tightened his grip on his sword.

The air around him shimmered as his mana concentrated, ready to propel him forward with devastating speed and power.

Blade Charge.

Astron, noticing the subtle shift in Wilfred's stance and the gathering of mana, swiftly drew another arrow from his quiver. With a practiced motion, he nocked the arrow and aimed, his eyes narrowing as he noticed that his enemy was charging for his skill.

SWOOSH!

The arrow flew straight and true, aimed directly at Wilfred's chest.

However, Wilfred had anticipated this move. He had faced enough archers to know their tactics, and he was well aware of this particular vulnerability in his skill's activation.

'Not this time.'

He quickened his skill's activation, his body blurring as the mana surged through him. At the last possible second, he deflected the incoming arrow with a swift flick of his sword, sending it spiraling off course.

CRASH!

With an explosive burst of speed, Wilfred charged forward, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake. The ground beneath his feet cracked from the sheer force of his launch, sending debris flying. Astron's eyes widened in surprise as Wilfred closed the distance between them in an instant.

Wilfred's blade gleamed as he swung it down, aiming for Astron's midsection. The speed and precision of the attack left little room for error.

CLANG!

Yet, Astron managed to draw his dagger just in time, deflecting the blow with a desperate parry.

The force of the impact sent shockwaves through his arm. His body shook a little.

'Ho…He withstood that.'

Reina was impressed, seeing he didn't fall down immediately. It was a natural response; after all, in general, most dagger users relied on agility.

CLANK! SLASH!

Wilfred's relentless assault continued, each strike faster and more powerful than the last. From Reina's eyes, it was evident that he had the upper hand.

'So, he realized he was not a match against him in terms of strength. And now he is using his speed, and pretty effectively at that.'

He weaved and dodged, narrowly avoiding each lethal strike, looking for an opening.

'He's fast, that he must be thinking now. Yet, his eyes are analyzing for a weakness.'

Wilfred pressed his advantage, his blade a blur of motion. Each swing was aimed to overwhelm and incapacitate, his technique refined through countless battles.

Yet, despite his fury, Astron managed to stay just a step ahead, his instincts and training guiding his movements.

Then, Astron saw it—a brief hesitation in Wilfred's movements, a momentary lapse in his relentless assault. It was barely noticeable, but to Astron, it was enough.

SLASH!

Seizing the opportunity, Astron feinted to the right, drawing Wilfred's attention. Then, with a swift, fluid motion, he switched directions and lunged to the left, his dagger aimed at Wilfred's unprotected side.

'Nice feint.'

Wilfred, caught off guard by the sudden change in direction, attempted to recover, but it was too late. Astron's dagger found its mark, slicing through the fabric of Wilfred's uniform and drawing a thin line of blood.

"Urgh!" Wilfred grunted in pain, stumbling back.

The crowd erupted in a mix of gasps and cheers, their excitement palpable as the duel reached its peak.

Astron took a quick, steadying breath, his eyes locked onto Wilfred.

'Now, what will you do?'

Wilfred, clutching his side, glared at Astron with renewed determination. The pain only seemed to fuel his resolve, and he quickly adjusted his stance, preparing for another assault.

"You won't get lucky twice," Wilfred growled, his voice filled with both anger from pain and respect for his opponent's skill. However, he still maintained his cool, his eyes focused.

Astron didn't respond verbally; instead, he maintained his focus. And then, he instantly switched to his bow.

'Huh?'

Wilfred was momentarily surprised, as they had been clashing blows in close quarters for a while now.

SWOOSH!

The arrow instantly flashed, aiming right towards his face.

'Wind psions for swift and precise attack? If you were capable of doing this, why did you let him charge with his skill?'

The arrow was faster than it was supposed to be. Something that Wilfred couldn't react to.

Double Register.

Even though he had used his skill [Double Register], which was a common rank skill that enabled him to increase the speed of his skill's activation.

He hadn't used it previously since he didn't feel the need to.

It took a lot of mana to use, after all, and most of the time, he did it to surprise his enemy and finish them. He was planning to do the same now as well.

That was why he was a tad bit late using his skill even if he had activated his skill and then utilized his trat.

Circular Blade.

SWOOSH! THUD!

The arrow went past through the circular blade formation that had just formed, and then, in an instant, it pierced through his shoulder.

"Argh-!"

With his right shoulder dislocated, blood splattered everywhere across.

"Gasp! Brother!"

"Wilhelm."

His family, who was watching him, gasped, especially his little brother, with his eyes wide open.

SWOOSH!

Astron instantly appeared right before Wilhelm, his dagger shining.

'No! I must not lose!'

Yet, Wilhelm refused to lose his family in front of him. Even if he was ranked 1500 across and it was middle, he still had the ambition to be better than now.

And he couldn't afford to lower his rank.

Blade's Fury.

Thus, he activated the strongest ability he could use. The ability that originated from his trait [Blade's Attachment].

Stage 3 of his trait. He had just recently stepped into the territory of stage 3, and his control over it was still lacking.

Wilfred twisted in mid-air, using his enhanced agility to narrowly avoid the strike. He landed awkwardly, his wounded shoulder protesting the movement, but he didn't let it slow him down. He charged forward, his blade blazing with energy, and launched a powerful overhead strike at Astron.

Astron sidestepped the blow, his dagger coming up to deflect the sword. The impact sent sparks flying, the force of the collision momentarily pushing both fighters back.

That was how it was supposed to play, yet Astron did something unexpected. Utilizing his flexibility, he twisted his ankles, pushing his mana into his legs. Then, he rotated his body, using it as an anchor to the ground, and he used the force of the sword as the torque.

Wilfred's eyes widened.

SWOOSH! Because, suddenly, an attack occurred from his side!

'Another dagger?' His eyes had been tracing the dagger Astron held in his hand, yet that made him miss the other dagger.

'When?'

Wilfred noticed this too late, and his reflexes kicked in. In an instant, his sword was on his right side, aiming to deflect the attack.

Yet it was too late.

Wilferd didn't manage to pick his posture up to the utmost efficiency.

THUD!

That particularly forceful strike from Astron sent Wilfred stumbling back, his grip on his sword faltering.

Astron seized the opportunity, lunging forward with his dagger aimed at Wilfred's heart. Wilfred, using the last of his strength, brought his sword up in a desperate block.

CLANG!

The force of Astron's blow sent Wilfred's sword flying from his hand, the blade skittering across the arena floor. Wilfred fell to one knee, clutching his dislocated shoulder, his breathing labored. Astron stood over him, his dagger poised for the final strike.

"Yield," Astron commanded, his voice steady.

Wilfred looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of defiance and resignation. He knew he was beaten, but he refused to let the fight end without dignity. With a slow, deliberate movement, he bowed his head.

"I yield," he said, his voice barely audible.

The arena fell silent for a moment, the tension thick in the air.

[Winner, Astron Natusalune.]

Then, the crowd erupted into applause, their cheers a mixture of relief and admiration for the combatants' skills.

For the first time today, they witnessed such a good fight. None of the other ones could compare to that since most of them ended rather quickly.

Only this one was this toe-to-toe.

Astron stepped back, his expression calm as he lowered his dagger.

Garrett and Reina watched from the stands, their expressions thoughtful. Garrett's eyes shone with a mixture of pride and concern as he observed his protégé.

"He's grown stronger," Garrett said, his voice tinged with approval.

Reina nodded, her gaze still fixed on Astron. "Indeed."

And then she touched the necklace on her chest.

[The record has been sent.]

After hearing the notification, she turned his head to Garrett.

"Then, should we go greet him?"

"….Indeed, we should…."