The Veilwalker

Alex gathered his 'mana' and so did Ethan, both conjuring their preferred weapon using their abilities. Alex created a silvery metallic spear with black finishes while Ethan went with the condensed air version of his twin blade. As Class F hunters, the strength of their conjured objects from their abilities wasn't very strong. That was why they preferred using an actual weapon for fighting.

Alex and Ethan waved around their conjured weapons and then brandished them, their eyes locked on each other. A moment of silence settled between the two, ignoring the explosions still ringing all around them. Their spectators observed with held breath, each with their own thoughts but had one thing in common; whoever was left standing was going to be theirs for the taking.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Alex and Ethan felt that the right moment was now, and they both disappeared from their position in the blink of an eye. Then…

ZING!

The ringing sound of their weapons cutting through the air reverberated around the vicinity. Alex and Ethan both had their backs to each other. In one powerful move, both boys used their weapons conjured from their mana to deliver a killing blow.

Their spectators held their breath awaiting the first person to fall. Of course, the majority already knew who would win, but in a fight, anything can happen. Given the right circumstances and resources, even weaklings could take down a god. But…

It was not one of those situations.

Alex stood upright without turning to look at Ethan and asked, "I never got your name."

"Ethan… Ethan Hall." He replied, his body already turning into light particles. But there was a smile on his face. His thoughts about Alex had changed after this encounter. It was true what they say, you never know someone until to interact in a language you both understand at a deep level.

When he first heard of Alex, his thoughts about him weren't much. However, he began looking down on him when he heard about his participation in the battle royale. Whatever his reasons for still being at the low tier of Class F, it was something only Alex could explain.

'Perhaps another time.' His curiosity about Alex had also grown after this exchange and he hoped to see once the competition was over. Another sparring session wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Ethan Hall. Mm… I'll come find you once this is over." Alex replied.

As someone who was gradually growing into the ranks of battle enthusiasts, Ethan had won his approval and he wanted to keep in touch with him even after this, so getting his name was the least he could do.

"…"

Ethan did not say anything else as he slowly turned into light particles.

When they had their last exchange, Ethan had attempted to surprise Alex with a hidden attack by detaching the second end of his twin blade and directing it towards his stomach, but Alex seemed to have anticipated that and responded by capturing the blade with his left weakened hand and used the hand holding his spear to parry the other blade and ran him through after.

As Alex stood there, blood could be seen leaking from his left palm. Any mishap and he would have been eliminated. Thankfully, he did not focus only on what his opponent wanted him to see but also paid attention to his body movements.

This gave him enough time to see what he attempted and took the necessary action. While not the ideal way, it was better than nothing. After all, he only truly started appreciating true combat when he awakened and enrolled in the academy.

'See through the veil of normalcy…' He recalled the words of James, Julia's butler and was grateful he took that advice. Not everything is as it seems. Focusing too much on something could create a blind spot in other areas. As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he noticed the movements of their spectators.

'Finally on the move, huh?'

He could see seven figures all moving at great speeds, approaching him, each with the thought of delivering the final blow to eliminate Alex. From his injured arm, if they ganged up on him, the chances of eliminating the big fish were high. It was almost as if anytime Alex made an appearance, there was an unspoken rule to take him out first.

"No one can reject free food, right?"

He commented and dashed towards the first closest student, his spear brandished with the tip lunged right into their chest without warning. He was still the fastest and strongest person around. Just because he was injured and sparring with someone did not diminish that.

He quickly moved to the next person and the next, finishing them at record speed. Only the cusses of the shocked students rank out before they were turned into light particles and if Alex hadn't finished them instantly, they would have been screaming in pain before ultimately exiting.

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"Now then, let's go find our archer."

He looked back to the direction he and his fight with Ethan came from and moved in that direction. He still needed to get his physical weapon as relying on his abilities would not be enough for the duration of the battle royale.

Once he was in range, he recalled his staff and shortened it before placing it on his back. He then looked around, searching for the girl but found no one around.

'Did she leave the vicinity completely?' He mused over the issue. 'Then again, this is a battle royale and she has no reason to trust what I said.'

Alex could understand why she wouldn't wait around. "I didn't even get her name…" But he didn't have to search long. An arrow came at him in the distance and Alex evaded it without a problem, the arrow passing him by.

"… Or not" He muttered and looked ahead of him. Abigail had another arrow nocked in her bow aimed at Alex, slowly approaching him. Her caution was understandable, but Alex felt like he was being treated unfairly. All he wanted was to know the person who gave him a wake-up call.