Chương 37: F-Rank vs. A-Rank

Ch 37 - F-Rank vs. A-Rank The two F-ranks launched a two-pronged attack, drawing their swords as they rushed Reika from opposite sides. She scoffed, channeling mana through her body before twisting aside effortlessly. Even so, Evan and Hiroto never faltered. They kept up the relentless assault in perfect sync, each covering the other's openings. Their coordination was far beyond what she had expected from two F-ranks. It was impressive, but ultimately meaningless.

Even without being able to retaliate with her lightning, Reika had no intention of letting a single attack land during the first minute. Bending backward to evade another slash from Hiroto, she snapped a kick toward his torso. He twisted away just in time, avoiding the blow with surprising agility. Reika clicked her tongue as a glint caught the corner of her eye.

"Ignara!" Evan shouted. Fwoosh! A burst of flames roared toward her. Lightning crackled around Reika's body, tearing through the fire before it could reach her. Her gaze shifted to the magic crystals glinting between Evan's fingers.

"Would you look at that! Our F-rank is using magic crystals!" Carmen shouted from the announcer's stand.

"A brilliant move... if your wallet can survive it!" Another crystal flashed. A massive shard of ice shot toward Reika, forcing her to dodge at the last second. The instant she landed, Hiroto's sword swept toward her neck. She struck his sword arm and reached to seize him, intending to throw him off balance, but he twisted with the momentum and slipped free before she could get a grip. Reika leaped backward as lightning erupted around her once more.

A heartbeat later, a roaring blast of fire, strengthened by wind magic, tore across the arena. The inferno collided with the crackling lightning surrounding her, only to be ripped apart before it could engulf her.

"Uh-oh! The one-minute timer is almost up!" Carmen shouted.

"Ten seconds remaining!" Evan attacked again, sending razor-sharp blades of wind racing toward her. Reika sidestepped them as Evan and Hiroto closed the distance once more, striking from opposite directions. Their swords came within inches of her, but she deflected one, slipped past the other, and continued weaving through their relentless assault without suffering so much as a scratch. Beeeep! The timer expired. KZZZT! Lightning exploded outward from Reika, forcing Evan and Hiroto to retreat.

"You're finished," Reika declared. She thrust out her hand. KABOOM! A bolt of lightning crashed toward the two F-ranks, and smoke engulfed the spot where they had been standing. Murmurs spread through the crowd. Reika narrowed her eyes. They had been standing too close together. That attack should have struck them both. As the smoke cleared, however, a massive wall of earth stood between them, its surface blackened by the lightning. He still has mana left?!

The moment the smoke began to thin, Evan and Hiroto burst out from behind the earthen barrier. Between Evan's fingers, two blue and two red magic crystals shimmered.

"Undara! Ignara!" Water and fire surged forth simultaneously, merging into a torrent that erupted into a dense cloud of smoke, swallowing the entire arena. Reika scanned the haze. A shadow flickered to her left, and she instantly loosed a bolt of lightning. Evan twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the strike before retaliating with jagged pillars of rock that burst from the ground beneath her. She leaped clear, then shattered another with a lightning-coated kick before launching herself straight at him.

All she needed was a single touch. One shock would end this fight. Surprise flashed across Evan's face, only to melt into a smug grin. Reika's instincts screamed. She glanced upward just in time to see Hiroto emerging from a human-sized portal, his sword already descending toward her. Throwing herself sideways, she barely managed to roll clear as he crashed into the ground where she had stood, the impact sending cracks racing across the arena floor. When did Hiroto learn to open a portal that large?

Was the smoke just a distraction so they could hide it? Her expression darkened. Despite their ambush failing, the two F-ranks never let up. Hiroto opened another portal and pulled out several magic crystals before unleashing a barrage of fire and wind. Reika was forced backward, lightning exploding from her hands as she tore through the incoming spells. Evan immediately followed up, flooding the ground with water before freezing it into a slick sheet of ice.

Reika's footing slipped, but she caught herself by slamming a hand into the ground. Lightning surged through the ice, shattering it into countless glittering fragments. How is Evan still casting? Reika frowned. No matter how efficient his mana control is, he shouldn't have enough mana left to— Her eyes widened. In Evan's free hand was a glowing mana stone, steadily pouring mana into his body.

"You lowly cheater!" Reika shouted. Evan only grinned.

"It's not cheating if it's in the contract! Always read the terms and conditions!" Another barrage of spells came hurtling toward her from both sides, forcing Reika completely onto the defensive as fire, wind, ice, and earth converged without giving her a moment to breathe. Whenever she tried to retaliate, Hiroto or Evan would simply dive into a portal, letting her attack pass harmlessly before stepping back out to continue their assault.

"Whoa! This is unbelievable!" Carmen exclaimed.

"Anyone tuning in now would think they're watching three A-ranks clash!" The relentless onslaught forced Reika all the way to the edge of the arena. Cornered, she glared at the two approaching F-ranks.

"How about giving up now?" Evan said, casually tossing several glittering magic crystals into the air before catching them.

"Might be less embarrassing than letting all of Nova Terra watch you get beaten up by two mere F-ranks." Hiroto said nothing, simply lowering his stance and tightening his grip on his sword.

"Give up?" Reika sneered. Lightning crackled violently around her body.

"Don't make me laugh. There's no way in hell I'm losing to the two of you!" She channeled lightning into the soles of her feet, blasting herself high into the air before landing near the center of the arena. The instant her feet touched the ground, she thrust out a hand. KZZRAAAK! A blinding pillar of lightning erupted toward them. Hiroto reacted instantly, opening a portal directly in its path. The raging beam vanished into the spatial rift, but Reika didn't stop.

She poured even more mana into the attack, the torrent of lightning growing fiercer with every passing second. The portal trembled violently. Ripples spread across its surface as though it might collapse under the relentless assault. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Taking advantage of the moment, Evan burst out from behind Hiroto and charged straight toward her.

"Oh no you don't!" Reika shouted. Without stopping her beam, she thrust out her free hand. KZZZT! Another bolt of lightning shot toward Evan. But instead of dodging as he always had, Evan planted his feet firmly on the ground, spread his stance, and stretched out his right hand as though welcoming the attack. Reika's eyes widened. What the hell is he doing?

"Evan, you idiot! Dodge!" Carmen screamed. KZZRAK! The lightning struck him head-on. Yet instead of being blasted away, blue arcs raced across his body, dancing over his limbs before converging at his left arm. Evan's grin widened as he thrust it toward Reika. TZRAK! Her own lightning came roaring back. Reika froze. He... reflected it?! By the time her body reacted, it was already too late.

The bolt skimmed across her side, tearing through her clothes and leaving behind a blackened burn that oozed blood before the remaining energy slammed harmlessly into the arena barrier. Silence fell over the stadium. For several long breaths, no one spoke. Then the entire arena erupted.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Carmen shouted into her microphone.

"Did... did an F-rank really just send an A-rank's own lightning back at her?!" The roar of the crowd filled Reika's ears as she stared ahead in disbelief. Her lightning beam gradually faded, and across the arena Hiroto collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily as his portal finally winked out of existence. Evan remained standing, though barely. His body trembled violently as stray arcs of electricity danced across his skin, yet the smirk on his face never faded as he met her gaze.

"You lost," Evan said. Lost? I... lost?

"Don't disappoint me." Her mother's voice echoed in her mind. No... She couldn't lose. She was an A-rank. The daughter of the Thunder Wolf. There was no way she could lose... not to two F-ranks.

"I DIDN'T LOSE!" Reika screamed. Lightning erupted around her with even greater ferocity, the air crackling as violent arcs surged in every direction. The arena was bathed in blinding blue-white light, as though another explosion was about to tear it apart.

"Reika, stop! The match is over!" Carmen yelled.

"The winners are Evan Whitfield and Konoe Hiroto!" But Reika barely heard her. The pounding of her heartbeat drowned out everything except the furious crackling of her lightning. Through the haze, her bloodshot eyes locked onto Evan, whose infuriating smirk still hadn't disappeared.

"You'll die!" She thrust out her hand. Lightning roared forward— Clap! Someone caught her wrist. Instantly, the raging lightning around her vanished, snuffed out as though a violent storm had been silenced by force.

"That's enough." Reika froze. Her father stood beside her, his grip firm and unyielding as he looked down at her.

"You've lost."

"I... lost?" Reika whispered. Hearing those words from her father shattered the last of her resolve, and her legs gave out beneath her as she collapsed to her knees.

"You're insane, Evan Whitfield!" Carmen shouted as she barged into the infirmary.

"I knew you had a few screws loose, but I didn't think you were that batshit crazy! Who in their right mind thinks tanking an A-rank's lightning head-on when you're a squishy little F-rank is a good idea?!"

"But it worked," Evan replied, lying back on the bed.

"I reflected it back at her." He honestly didn't see the problem. Sure, it had been a gamble, but even if it had failed, the worst outcome would've been losing the match. Reid would've healed any injuries afterward anyway. Carmen let out an exasperated groan before turning to Reid, who was calmly peeling an apple.

"Do you seriously have nothing to say to your completely unhinged brother?"

"Hmm." Reid sliced off another strip of peel before smiling.

"I was worried, but I also said I trusted him. Since everything worked out, I'd say it was worth it." Evan couldn't help smirking at the dumbfounded look on Carmen's face. Did she actually think Reid was the sane one? Sorry, but his brother was even crazier than he was.

"Argh!" Carmen raked both hands through her hair.

"I give up! You two are completely insane!"

"Anyway," Evan said, "how's the stream doing? Did it get many views?" At that, Carmen's frustration instantly vanished. A grin spread across her face as she pulled out her phone and held it up for him. Although the recording had only been uploaded a little over an hour ago, it had already surpassed 700, 000 views, and the number continued climbing every few seconds.

"It was a massive hit!" she said proudly.

"At this rate, it's going to become my most-watched video ever!" Evan took the phone and scrolled to the comments, where thousands of viewers were still pouring in with stunned reactions.

"Am I crazy, or did two F-ranks just beat an A-rank?"

"Nah, this has to be staged. There's no way."

"Those aren't F-ranks. They're F-rank-shaped monsters."

"The announcer wasn't kidding when she said it was an expensive strategy. (╥﹏╥)""I paused, rewound, and watched the lightning reflection five times. HOW?!"

"That wasn't luck. Those two actually had insane teamwork."

"The portal guy deserves more credit. He was carrying the defense."

"Forget the lightning. HOW MANY MAGIC CRYSTALS DID THAT KID BUY?!"

"Someone calculate how much money Evan burned in this fight!"

"I'm never making fun of an F-rank again."

"My bank account took psychic damage watching this."

"Konoe Reika is never escaping the memes after this."

"That lightning reflection just became the coldest moment of the year."

"Bro really hit her with the 'No u.' (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞""The cameraman deserves a raise."

"This fight is getting shown in every academy from now on."

"Calling it now. These two are going to become S-ranks one day."

"I've watched this three times already."

"The A-rank's confidence disappeared faster than my paycheck."

"Who's here after seeing the clips all over ClipTok?"

"So what are you going to do after this?" Carmen asked.

"You're practically an internet celebrity now. I bet there are already countless reporters trying to get an interview with you. Or maybe you'd rather appear in one of my videos? We could call it... An Exclusive With the F-ranks Who Beat an A-rank!"

"No thanks," Evan replied. He'd only proposed the match for Hiroto in the first place. Teaching Reika a lesson had simply been an added bonus, and the unexpected internet fame was the last thing he wanted.

"I just want to rest and sleep."

"Exactly. Rest is very important." At the cheerful voice, Evan scowled and shot a glare toward Junhao, who was lounging in one of the infirmary chairs as though he owned the place.

"And why the hell are you still here?" Evan asked.

"Is that how you talk to your brother's friend?" Junhao pouted.

"And here I thought you were my biggest fan."

"First of all, since when are you friends with my brother? Second, I've never been your fan!"

"But your brother said you were."

"My brother is an idiot!"

"Okay, that's enough," Reid said before calmly stuffing a slice of apple into Evan's mouth, cutting off his protest. Evan grumpily chewed it while glaring daggers at Junhao. Junhao chuckled.

"Your little brother is fun, Reid. What do you two think about joining Skybreak? I think you'd fit right in."

"Dream on. We're never joining your guild." Just thinking about it gave Evan a headache. Even without his curse, joining the guild led by the world's number one Awakener practically guaranteed a life full of trouble.

"You're really something," Carmen said with a laugh.

"I never thought I'd see someone turn down an invitation from Skybreak's Vice Guild Master without a second thought."

"It's too early to think about things like that," Reid replied as he continued slicing another apple.

"We haven't even completed our mandatory training or received our licenses yet."

"There's no rule saying you have to wait," Junhao said. He casually picked up one of the freshly peeled apple slices and tossed it into his mouth.

"Hey! That's mine!" Evan protested.

"You're an adult! Peel your own apples!" Junhao ignored him, helping himself to several more slices. That was the last straw. Evan threw off his blanket and tried to leap out of bed, but Reid caught him by the shoulders before he could.

"Let me go!" Evan shouted, struggling against his brother's grip.

"Nobody steals my food and gets away with it!" Carmen clicked her tongue.

"Wow. You just beat an A-rank and now you think you can take on an S-rank?"

"Calm down, Evan," Reid said.

"At this rate, you're going to wake Hiroto." He glanced toward the neighboring bed, where Hiroto remained fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. Evan reluctantly settled back onto his bed, though he continued glaring daggers at Junhao. The S-rank only returned an infuriating grin before leisurely popping another slice of apple into his mouth. That's it! Junhao's name was officially added to Evan's ever-growing Book of Vengeance. One day, he'd make him pay for every last slice.