...

Arthur and Thomas walked towards the center of the open field and stopped when they were standing in a distance where they couldn't attack each other with a single charge.

​​

"We meet again, Young Master of the Springfield Family," said Thomas, greeting his opponent with a sarcastic tone.

"But I'm not pleased to see someone like you; a young murder without a mercy," replied Arthur with a rare serious tone.

"Whoa! Don't accuse someone without definite proof; other people may misunderstand your words," he said while raising both of his hands in the air, trying to act innocent.

He then took a brief pause before smirking. "But if we are talking about killing someone, then aren't we the same?"

"Tsk! Don't put me on the same type of person as you. I only kill people who deserve to be killed – such as a criminal like yourself," replied Arthur with a sneer.

"Killing is still killing nevertheless. It doesn't matter if it is for a good or a bad cause, you still killed some in the end," said Thomas.

"There is no point arguing in this matter since our beliefs will never coincide," said Arthur while shrugging his shoulders.

He then paused for a moment to take a cylindrical item from his pocket before gripping it tightly. After that, he swung his arm downward once before doing another towards his right. And alongside his actions, the cylindrical item suddenly turned into a silver-steel spear.

"Just a piece of advice; our country may be too kind to get you admitted to a prestigious academy regardless of your background, but it doesn't mean you can just take it for granted since we will not overlook your actions if you get out of bounds," added Arthur while taking his battle stance.

"Heh!" Thomas didn't say anything after hearing those words but he instead took out a pair of daggers behind him and quickly assumed his own battle stance.

Meanwhile, Professor Michael who was patiently listening to them earlier finally raised his hand in the air before swinging it down. "Start!"

Swoosh!

Thomas quickly took the initiative right after he heard the signal and suddenly disappeared. And not long after, he arrived a few meters away from Arthur which was also an optimal distance for him to attack.

But before he could even do anything, he immediately saw a spearhead flying straight to his face.

Clang!

Thomas quickly leaned his head to the side to dodge while also swinging his right-hand dagger to change the trajectory of the spear.

But during that time, Arthur shifted his right foot forward before raising his knee toward his left while also twisting his waist towards the opposite direction. At the same time, he was also pushing his spear to the side, chasing after Thomas' head.

Due to those actions, the trajectory of the spear changed once again as the spearhead accurately followed his opponent's head.

"Tsk!"

Seeing that, Thomas tightened his grip on his dagger before swinging them upwards, forcing to change the direction of the spear once again. Then he quickly ducked forward to shorten the distance between him and Arthur, planning to attack in response.

His actions were quick but Arthur's response was already coming his way as if the latter completely read what he was thinking.

Thomas saw Arthur use the momentum of his push to lift the spear upwards while trying to adjust his grip on it. Then the latter jumped in the air with one leg before retwisting his waist towards the other direction while also throwing a back kick midair.

Thomas needed to quickly cross his arms in front of his face when he saw that since Arthur's foot was already magnifying in his eyes.

Bang!

Despite him blocking the kick completely, he was still pushed backward since he couldn't completely nullify the force from that sudden counter.

"Tsk!"

Thomas was still trying to recover his footing when Arthur used the moment of his spin to thrust his spear towards his opponent midair.

Seeing that, Thomas' eyes suddenly turned wide as he quickly moved backward while swinging both of his daggers in an outward circular motion.

Clang!

After his spear got deflected upwards, Arthur pushed the lower part of the spear downwards, letting it flip in the air as his feet fell back on the ground.

He then waited for a brief moment before punching his fist forward, accurately hitting the bottom of his spear and sending it flying towards Thomas who was trying to run away from him.

Swoosh!

Seeing the current speed of the spear, Thomas knew that he was going to be in trouble if he continued moving backward. So, he decisively stopped his movements before quickly jumping towards his right, barely dodging the spear.

But in that very moment, Thomas saw Arthur charging behind his spear from the corner of his eyes. And it didn't take long for him to catch up with his spear and quickly extend his left hand forward.

Thomas was still in the middle of his jump during that time and he was completely aware that he was going to be completely exposed to any attack when he stayed midair. So, he quickly forced himself to fall on the ground to have a better chance of dodging and blocking an attack.

But to his surprise, the attack that he was expecting was something that he did not expect.

Right after his feet touched the ground, Thomas also saw Arthur suddenly stop his change and slightly lean his body backward.

Thomas was slightly confused when he saw those actions but he immediately came to a realization when he saw Arthur's left hand that was supposedly catching the bottom of the spear, strongly tapped it instead.

And due to that, the spear that was still in the middle of flying past Thomas spun horizontally in the air all of the sudden.

Thomas's eyes immediately turned wide when he saw that and could only stare at the blade of the spear that was magnifying right in front of his sight.

Swoosh!

But at the very last moment, Professor Michael suddenly grabbed Thomas' neck and pushed the latter's head downwards, barely saving the young assassin from getting his head chopped off.

Meanwhile, Arthur coolly caught his spear before resting it on his right shoulder. "That should be it. Tsk! Tsk! It is way too easy than what I've expected."

On the other hand, Thomas was still blankly staring at the ground as he couldn't believe what just happened. "How can this be?"

Seeing how pitiful the state that Thomas was currently in, Arthur couldn't help but smirk. "Heh! Three Kings my *ss. It is just a false reputation that you get after some weak people overestimated yourself."

Hearing that, Thomas' eyes suddenly turned bloodshot for being fully enraged.

Professor Michael stared at him for a moment before raising his right hand and about to announce the winner of the duel. But he suddenly stopped when he noticed Thomas grabbed his left hand.

"Wait, Sir. We can just end it like this. I haven't shown my full capabilities yet," he said while still staring at the ground.

"Is that our problem? It is your fault for underestimating your opponent," said Professor Michael coldly before shaking Thomas' hand off him.

He was about to announce the winner when he was interrupted once again. And this time, it was Arthur who stopped him. "Wait, Sir. How about we give him another chance? I haven't shown my real capabilities either."

Professor Michael shot a sharp glare at Arthur and said threateningly. "Kid, we are not playing here right now, so you better consider your words before talking."

"If you want to have another match then do it later when we are done with everything just like what we told you yesterday," he added with a cold tone.

But despite being threatened by a much stronger expert than, Arthur was still acting quite calm which surprised the professor a little. And to add more into it, the latter even said. "Actually, we are only warming up earlier, Sir. It is not our real fight yet."

"Am I right, Thomas?" he added while looking at the young assassin on the ground.

Hearing that, Thomas became even more enraged since he knew that Arthur was purposely humiliating him. But the worst part of it was the fact that he couldn't do anything in response since he also wanted to have another match. So, he swallowed his pride and clenched his hands tightly, not saying anything.

Meanwhile, Professor Michael was also about to lose his cool. From his perspective, Arthur seemed to be also looking down at him.

But before he could even come up with a decision, he suddenly heard a voice transmission inside his head. "Let them be."

"Huh!?" Professor Michael was quite confused when he heard those words and quickly turned his head towards the owner of the voice. Then he saw Professor Valor assisting the academy principal sit on a chair.

"Principal's orders," added Professor Valor without turning his head.

"Tsk!"

In response, Professor Michael clicked his tongue and turned around, leaving the two behind. "Suit yourselves, kids. But this time, the two of you are on your own."

...