Daru struck first, exploding into a sudden dash that would've caught a majority of Class 70's students off guard.

But Zach isn't a member of the majority.

He was able to react, jumping a small distance back to dodge the stab and then struck back, though, like Daru's, his attack hit nothing but air.

A series of high-level exchanges began the next moment.

Daru showcased a ferocious offensive, his footwork light one moment, then firm, heavy, and forceful the next.

He slashed, stabbed, and employed a few high-level tricks, but the goon leader showed why he was highly ranked even among all the B-rankers.

Zach's juniper hair swayed in the wind as his muscular body easily moved his wooden zweihander around, defending all the attacks perfectly.

It seemed as though the two young men were evenly matched.

The goon leader's confidence shot to the skies, realizing that he could keep up with Daru.

'In the end, there's a limit to how wide a gap can be.'

This was the thought in Zach's mind.

"Haha! Nice try, your highness," he taunted, eliciting cheers from the members of the goon squad.

Their leader might even win like this, no?

One of them glanced at Daru.

His expression was as infuriatingly apathetic as ever, as though nothing could shake him.

They wanted to see him react, to crack, or fall, even.

But nothing.

Daru didn't even respond to Zach's words, simply continuing to attack as though he were a deadbeat employee who was merely getting paid to do his job.

One strike after another, no change in emotions.

Zach upped his antics, a bit frustrated himself: "Hey, hey, is this all you've got, Sword Prince of Ashton High? The grand reveal you've long arranged and waited for would end up in the trash bin like this. You've got to win decisively, no?"

The goon leader thought that he'd successfully pressed the right buttons this time, eagerly waiting for Daru's response.

But still nothing.

Daru naturally heard and even understood why Zach would think that he had long been planning for this.

However, he really was not, and he gave more damn about getting a good workout in.

His opponent wasn't even trying to win, anyway, so he might as well polish his skills with this decently high-level opponent.

From the moment the battle began and Zach didn't rush him, Daru already figured out what he was up to.

The goon leader was merely trying to frustrate him and tire him out, focusing wholeheartedly on defense to give his next opponent a higher chance of winning.

The lame guy had already surrendered before the match even started.

And so, he decided to just learn more about the above-average Joe instead, so that he would be able to better read their patterns and line of thinking in the future.

It wasn't every day that he would get a chance to spar with an ex-Sword Prince of a slightly less-known high school.

He might as well take everything he could from it.

However, in the eyes of the mediocre, this naturally wasn't the case.

The crowd of Class 70 cheered their hearts out, at the edge of their seats due to the high-level match unfolding before their eyes.

They were both learning and having fun at the same time.

Two students, both at odds with each other since day one, were having a heated, even match with their pride on the line.

What could be more intense than this?

After Daru's match against Bao, everyone thought that even Lynn might find it a challenge to defeat him, yet Zach was more than holding his own.

With every strike defended, the goon leader's solid plan was shaken, his will to enforce it to the end eroded.

He could win!

The lame prince was trying everything he could, yet he was defending himself more than well.

He even believed that his woman's skills with the sword were better than Daru's.

The heated match continued for three minutes with neither side obtaining a point, chipping on both competitors' stamina, but this time, everyone was well-entertained, even Talon, whose heart finally eased a bit.

It seemed he had overestimated Daru too much.

The cheers grew louder and louder, and soon, even those from Classes 67 and 68 went over to their dojo to watch closer.

Needless to say, the entirety of Class 69.

Their class representatives had already been decided. They were free to watch all they wanted.

The moment they tuned in to watch, they thought they were dreaming.

The Fallen Sword Prince was pushing the expected vice-rep back?

The students from other classes couldn't believe what they were witnessing, so despite not being too familiar with the students from Class 70, they dared to approach and ask.

They were naturally surprised to find that Daru Finnley was not a fraud at all.

In fact, his reputation turned out to be legitimate. It was just that he was holding back for today's grand reveal.

At least that's what came out of his classmates' mouths.

The other classes were naturally hyped, as this was the first case of an anomaly.

An F-ranker who was this good in swordsmanship?

Some people could only believe that he had done something horrible in his past life, and he was being punished in this one.

Why else would he awaken a trash sword despite such skills?

Only once they were aware of the whole context did they tune in to watch.

The match seemed to be heating up even more, as suddenly, Zach's confidence peaked, and he began counterattacking.

A few at first, but before the onlookers knew it, the two were engaging in a fierce back and forth — a sword dance that could be decided in the slimmest of margins.

Another minute later, and the script was flipped.

It was Daru on the defensive, with Zach repeatedly hammering him with two-handed sword strikes.

The crowd's cheers, especially those from the goon squad, grew louder and louder.

Their voices further gave the goon leader energy.

As she had always been, Lynn was deeply affected by her surroundings, finding her secret lover more handsome at that moment.

He was gloriously dismantling the renowned former Sword Prince!

While it could be argued that he seemed to be on form and was performing far better than usual today, it remained a fact that his opponent was Daru Finnley of Ashton High.

Were the rumors exaggerated, after all?

Only a pair of blueberry eyes remained unshaken.

Iris had clashed swords with Daru in the Myriad Sword Realm, and she knew what he was truly capable of.

Sure enough, just when everyone's excitement was reaching the high heavens and a majority were cheering Zach on…

Daru spun to dodge an incoming chop instead of blocking.

His momentum-empowered wooden tachi then came crashing on his opponent's neck.

The moment the crisp thud sounded, everyone fell silent.

Another thud then came as the juniper-haired bully fell to his knees, eyes rolling back as he plopped forward, slightly drooling as oblivion suddenly took him without warning.

The silence became even more deafening.

The only thing that could be heard was Daru's slow inhale and exhale as he performed the motion of sheathing his tachi.

He then turned to Talon and locked eyes with him.

The instructor was petrified for a moment, but upon realizing what the young man was planning to do if he didn't stop him…

"D-Daru Finnley advances to the finals!" he declared with a slight stutter.

Only then did Daru proceed to walk back to his bench under stupefied gazes.

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