Chương 69: Chapter 67-Chosen Class War: Chosen Bluff

The crowd buzzes barely below a whisper. First years, second years, and even third years flow in, trying to find a seat. It's nothing like when the Princess was having her duel, and based on her expression, she definitely notices. It would seem that watching CJ, better known as The Chosen One, fighting the Undefeated King of the second years is a sight to behold. A spectacle, some might say.

"Do you believe this, Hopper? Look at this crowd. We were lucky to find any seats," the Princess says as she looks over the crowd.

"Yeah, I mean, CJ is Rank 1-""Shared Rank 1," she corrects me immediately.

"Apologies, Princess. CJ is our Shared Rank 1, and not to mention, this is the final fight of the Class War. People are curious to see if the first years are going to pull off a miracle," I say as I look at the score. 1st Years 2nd Years 100 151 The Princess sneers at the score like it has offended her in some way.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see how the Charlatan manages to pull this off." Scratching at my bunny ears, I tilt my head.

"How not if?"

"Hopper, if there's one thing I've learned about the Charlatan, it's this. The more dire the situation, the more likely he is to come out on top," she says with a small smile. Is she? No. That's impossible. Unless- Lu and Luna pop up out of nowhere." You guys excited?" they ask in accidental unison. Luna gives Lu some side eye before continuing.

"Sorry, are you guys excited to see The Chosen One fight?" she asks. The Princess lets out a small chuckle.

"Excited? Far from it. This fight is a foregone conclusion. What I'm excited for is the glory of victory." Lu shakes his head.

"Don't be so sure. Tristan was able to easily beat both my sister and me." With a hint of shock, I look over at Luna.

"Was it close?"

"At the beginning, yeah, but as the fight dragged on, the tables quickly changed. We think it-""It doesn't matter what he does. He will win," Garus says from the seat behind us.

"You're awfully confident. He may be The Chosen One, but if history means anything, they aren't perfect," Luna says with her usual antagonistic behavior.

"It doesn't matter. He said he will win, and that's exactly what he's going to do. Isn't that right, Cousin?" Garus asks Penelope. Penelope hides a hint of shock and tries not to smile.

"I see you finally cleared your mind of all that filth, Cousin." Lu clears his throat.

"Not to interrupt this lovely family bonding, but how exactly do you expect him to win? The math doesn't add up. Even if he did win, you guys would still be a point behind." As if answering his question, a familiar voice booms through the arena.

"Hello, everybody!! It's your favorite announcer, Vivi! Before we get started, I have a guest who would like to make an announcement!" Vivi announces from the announcer booth.

"Hello, uh, this is Mavic Blinc. For those who don't know, I am the Disciplinary Head for the Student Council. I am here today to announce that we've been made aware of some cheating during this Class War. The two students responsible have been expelled, and their duels will no longer be considered valid. Thank you," he says with a hint of nervousness.

"Come on, Mavis, show some gusto," Vivi whispers, but she's still audible.

"What else do you want me to say? I already relayed the information," Mavis whispers back.

"Something inspiring or exciting. Here, do it now. Say something," Vivi commands as she shoves the magical microphone in Mavis's face.

"Uh… Go Stags!" he yells awkwardly. The whole arena goes quiet.

"Alright, let's just adjust the score and move on," Vivi says with an awkward chuckle. 1st Years 2nd Years 100 149 Lu and Luna look up at the score, flabbergasted." How?" they say in accidental unison as the doors to the arena begin to open. Garus gives off a cocky smile.

"That's because he has a plan." Fuck, I don't have a plan! Yeah, I had a plan initially. First, I would throw him off with the changing of the score. It paid off to gather info on those bottom-feeding traitors, but my plan got kind of thrown out the window when I got stabbed! As do most people's plans. Which means I'll have to wing it. I'm good at that. I might as well be a rat with wings with how often I wing it. Do I want to be a rat? Focus! You're bleeding out here.

Ok, they might make me forfeit the fight if I come out stabbed. So, I can't let them know I've been stabbed. Simple. Yeah. Fuck. Okay. Let's [Disguise] the wound and the blood. Good as new. Except for the pain. The door in front of me begins to open, and the voice of Vivi booms through the arena. Alright, no more time to think. Time to put on a show.

"In this corner, we have Tristan Mallory! Rank 1, the Undefeated King of the second years with a charming smile! In the other corner, we have Carlos Juárez! Shared Rank 1, The Chosen One, and look at those horns!" Vivi says with gusto. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Walking toward the center of the fighting pit, I carefully mask my pain. Done it plenty of times before.

"As agreed by the participants, we will be changing the terrain into the streets of the Capital! If the participants could initiate the [System] duel!" she says as the fight pit morphs into a large street with multiple buildings.

"Actually, before we start, could I say a few words?" I ask Vivi.

"Why not?!" Vivi says as she gives me the floor.

"I'm not going to bore you all with a long speech. I just want to say, or rather predict, one thing. Tristan Mallory won't land a single damaging hit on me. I swear on the Gods," I say as I point at Tristan. The crowd erupts with cheers.

"What a stunning statement and to invoke the Gods. As expected from The Chosen One! Let's see if he can make that statement a reality!" Vivi riles the audience up even more. Tristan shakes his head.

"By the [System], I, Tristan, accept this duel. Your hubris will be your end."

"By the [System], I, CJ, accept this duel. Try to make it entertaining for the audience." Duel Initiated CJ vs. Tristan"Begin!" Vivi yells. Standing still, I watch as Tristan also stands still.

"Why aren't you moving?" Tristan asks. I cock my head.

"Should that really be the question you're asking?" He looks around at the street.

"You're not going for cover. That must mean you know that my [Skills] aren't that easily evaded, but even if you are The Chosen One, don't you think you're being a little too cocky?" he asks as he reaches behind his back. I answer with a devilish smile. He quickly pulls out a straw voodoo doll.

"You're truly not fit for that title," he says as he twists the arm of the doll. Pain-filled screams leave me as I hunch down.

"You should take better care of your hair, Chosen One! With my Soul Link, you'll be powerless to fight me. I don't know what you were planning, but this match is as good as mine!" he yells as he laughs maniacally.

"Ahahaha!"

"Have you lost your mind from the pain already? I thought you would be tougher than that."

"Sorry, I wasn't laughing at the pain. I was laughing at you," I say as I brush the dust off my jacket.

"How are you able to stand? This is… impossible," he says with shock lacing his every word.

"Did you really think I didn't know your plan? I was on to you from the very start. I am The Chosen One after all," I [Lie]. Thank the Gods. To think that thing Helia cleansed was from this asshole. I don't know about anybody else, but I like my arm unpretzelized.

"You may have thwarted my Soul Link, but I have plenty of other [Skills] under my belt. Just you wait, Chosen One." I let out a long yawn as I loosen my tie.

"I'm waiting." Please don't come! I'm in so much pain from this stab wound that I can't even move an inch. If this had been any other fight, I would have booked it into one of these buildings by now, but now I just had to get stabbed. Who stabs somebody before their big duel?! I'm going to get that asshole later. For now, I just have to keep winging it. Tristan suddenly rushes towards me at… a very sad speed. Even this injured, I think I could dodge, but this has to be a trick of some sort.

I'll test it with one of my pebbles. I [Throw] one of my pebbles, but miss because of the pain. The pebble veers off into one of the buildings. Damn it. This is- An explosion bursts forth from the building, sending Tristan flying into another building. That building then explodes, sending him into the air and into another building. This goes on for a minute as he bounces between buildings, until finally landing back where he started. Tristan, now covered in soot, stands up with a cough.

"To think you saw through my trap and even used it against me. As expected from you. Your kind is sly after all," he says as a faint chittering drones throughout the pit.

"Of course. I saw through your traps the moment I entered the field. Did you really think I didn't notice them?" What the fuck just happened? No, really? What just happened? Did he rig these buildings to blow? That has to be against the rules, not like I'm one to talk, but Gods his luck must be terrible if he somehow set every single one of them off. Even then he's hardy. More than I expected if he survived that barrage of explosions. Tristan heals his wounds as he loosens up.

"To think I would have to use this [Skill] against you. Prepare yourself, Chosen One!" he yells as he sends a darkish red energy my way. Shit, I can't dodge. Closing my eyes, I watch as the energy flows past me with no describable effect. Huh. Tristan used <Curse of Pain>. You are Immune.

"How?!" he yells with hate-filled eyes.

"Not to be that guy, but you do know that [Curse] is considered an 'evil' [Skill] by the church, right? Maybe don't use that?" Tristan shakes his head as he pulls at his hair.

"Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. I was told… I was promised you would be weakened." Weakened? This asshole is in cahoots with that other asshole who stabbed me! The audacity. I would respect it if I weren't the one who got stabbed, but why is he fessing up now? Actually, why isn't anybody coming down to expel this guy? He just admitted to cheating. Unless… They can't hear us. Oh, things are about to get fun.

"I see. So, you are with them. Next time, send somebody who can actually get the job done. He barely even cut me before I took care of him," I [Lie].

"It seems I have to do the job myself. Listen here, Devil. You're going to die in this pit today. I'll make sure of it," he says as he takes out the same doll as last time.

"You already tried that once. It didn't work the first time," I say as a sudden searing pain rushes through me.

"This is different, Devil. I'm finally using my [Title], [Leech King]," he yells out as he grips the doll tight. The pain grows and grows until it suddenly fades away. It feels like my life force was sapped away. Along with what little HP I had left. I feel sluggish, weak, and sickly. What in the hells did he do to me?

"Yes! This is what true power is! Everything that was yours is now mine! The power of The Chosen One is mine!" he says and then promptly falls to the ground.

"You okay?" I ask as I walk over to him.

"I can't move. What's happening to me? Poisoned? How? You had poison in your system? You've tricked me! You Devil!!" he yells with hate-filled eyes.

"All according to plan," I [Lie] as foam comes out of his mouth. Duel Concluded Winner CJ +3 LCK +1 CHA +1 CON Skill <Poison Res. > has Leveled Up Skill <Disguise> has Leveled Up Skill <Lie> has Leveled Up 1st Years 2nd Years 150 149