"Your opponent has fortified; please wait until the other match is over."
Ray listened to the man that explained the rules since his arrival; he was one of the professors at the academy, but they had assigned him to be his personal assistant during the tournament.
"Who is that guy?" He pointed at one of the boys in the arena; he had blonde hair and glasses. From time to time he shot some bullets toward his opponent, but most of the job was done by the soul dragon he had summoned.
"He's Marcus, heir of the gold family; his soul magic at that age is really impressive." He pointed at the dragon. "A soul creature's strength is defined by their presence in the real world. His beast has taken the shape of a dragon; a great future awaits him."
"The gold family, huh?" Ray had heard rumors about them; in his future they had no huge impact on the world, they just stood by the academy all the time.
His hands shook with excitement; a long time had passed since he had fought anyone, there was a limit to how much he could rise with his current level, and he was at the top of his own league for now.
He needed stronger people to train with, and the academy didn't have anything to interest him. If his plans worked, a huge margin could come in the future.
Soon the other person fell on the ground, but before they could announce a rest time, Ray moved to the center of the arena.
"I would love to start the final right now, if you have no problem with it. Let's not waste our precious time."
Marcus seemed annoyed; he spat on the ground: "This is not a playground, kid. Just because you are rich doesn't mean you can do anything you want!"
Ray sighed and thought to himself, "This is one of those guys." He cleared his throat and spoke with a calm tone: "I just care about the time of the people that are watching us, and you didn't seem tired. If you need your time, I can wait."
The crowd screamed at the same time, demanding the final fight.
He saw as Marcus became more and more frustrated.
"I guess Marcus doesn't have a problem starting the match." A new person joined their conversation; upon her arrival, the whole crowd went silent.
Ray turned his voice toward this new face; the person had one of the most beautiful faces that he had ever seen, short blonde hair and golden eyes, with a long dress that showed the curves of her body perfectly, but what made Ray go crazy was the long legs full of golden tattoos.
"Excuse me, I didn't introduce myself, young man. I am Kaine from the Gold family, also the director of the Gold Academy."
"What is her rank?… And is she the mother of that annoying jerk?" Ray moved his vision from her breast to her face: "I'm glad that I got to know you, my lady!" He took her hand and kissed her fingers.
She didn't mind the flirting and moved between them: "So Marcus from the Gold family, do you have anything to say before the match?"
Marcus's face was red from the anger as he yelled to the crowd, "This is a disgrace to the Gold Academy! He didn't even earn his place in the tournament. What about all the others that failed and didn't get the chance to be here? We as a society should leave this kind of behavior!"
Kaine waited for him to finish his speech; the whole crowd was silent. It was true that, unlike others, Ray didn't earn his spot even though he defeated Lana.
"Then why not make it a duel to death?" Ray grinned at the crowd around them. "When you talk, you must back it up. I'm ready to put my life on the line. What about you that earned your place?"
Marcus wanted to charge toward Ray when a hand on his chest stopped him. The newcomer said, "You are too overconfident, boy. If you are not scared, may I take his place?"
"And who might you be?"
"My name is Lia the Icecrow. I'm part of the sword saint squad and one of the top students in the academy." He stepped forward, facing Ray.
He was a little taller than Ray, but compared to him, he was way bigger in build.
"I'm afraid I must stop this..." Kaine said with a dry tone, "It's not fair for you to fight a junior to death."
Lia took his hands to his chin. "How about a fight with our dignities on the line? Whoever loses must leave the academy and never return."
"I accept your fight to the death." Ray's expression didn't change at all.
"What?" He didn't expect Ray to agree to the fight; he just wanted to scare him to know his place.
"I said it. Miss Kaine I recognize your kindness, but I would love to do this."
Kaine's eyes narrowed on her; she nodded. However, she was aware that she had to protect Ray at all costs. The damage if something happened to him was unimaginable.
She watched as he took out his shirt; the only thing that was visible on his body was muscles. "Who is he?"
The crowd went crazy for his actions;
"He took out his shirt..."
"His body is so perfectly built..."
"Is he stupid or what?"
The whole crowd waited for Kaine to start the match, but she just stood there staring at him. "Young man, you know this is a dangerous fire you are playing with."
Ray was getting bored; his blood called for a fight. "I just want to try my own abilities, and I'm pretty sure I'm safe in your hands."
She nodded and stepped back and announced, "Whoever wins this fight will be my own personal assistant among the students in the academy. We shall begin in a minute."
Another person appeared behind Lia.
"It's the sword saint..."
"She's so gorgeous..."
Ray stared at the new party; she had full armor, her black hair dancing in the air behind her.
She whispered something into Lia's ear: "Be careful; if he was not certain, he wouldn't put his life in danger." Any advice?"
"Don't let him get close; stay as far as you can, and it's an easy win."
A timer started to count above their head; everyone left the arena except the two.
Ray's mind wandered about Kaine; she was probably an SSS rank with her position at the academy, and she also had the looks. "Spending some time alone with her in a small office can make miracles happen."
"Now, I have two reasons to win this!"
He dropped his usual act; an intense killing intent rose from his heart. Every cell in his body now wanted only one thing: to kill.