Chapter 279 - End of the Line!

As it approached noon, Kyoto’s number seven training ground became lively. Every first-year student ran over to watch the highly anticipated duel. The students also wanted to see what kind of strength Moss, the recent focal point, had.

Although the duel had not started yet, the predictions had already begun.

“There won’t be any suspense in the duel.”

“Why not? Not many accept Moss being tenth in the country, but that’s still his result in the college entrance exam. Today’s duel is real, and the exact rules remain unknown.”

“That’s right. I heard Armand is a Dwarf Defender, and his defenses are insanely high. Moss shouldn’t be his opponent if it’s purely about defense.”

…

Amidst the students’ discussions, Armand and Moss arrived at the training ground.

Since the training ground was full of people, Morales, standing beside Moss, narrowed his eyes and said excitedly, “You’re great, Boss Moss. Even the seniors have gathered here. You have to let me broaden my horizons today, Boss Moss!”

‘Sure. This chubby dude’s eyesight is extraordinary. He can tell even the seniors are here with just one look,’ Moss thought smilingly.

He patted Morales’s shoulder and said lowly, “Didn’t Miss Becky say you two should stop the duel? She said this in front of all the first-year students, so we have to listen to her.”

Then he changed the topic, “It’s not much of an eye-opener anyway, so let’s find a place another day. I’ll ask you for some advice since you’re well hidden.”

“Moss.”

Moss heard a familiar voice calling him and turned around to greet the person smilingly, “Hello, Nat.”

He wanted to continue speaking when Nat beat him to it, “Good luck, Moss. I believe in you!”

Then she turned and left. Even though she wanted to chat with Moss more, she did not want him to see her worry. Still, she knew Moss would have no problem facing Armand since Moss was ranked tenth in the college entrance exams.

Moreover, the two top club presidents and the Great Five had attempted to recruit Moss over the past few days. It showed that they approved of Moss’s strength. Even so, Nat was still concerned about him.

Also, she was embarrassed to stick around for too long because Morales was by Moss’s side. Morales likely knew how Nat felt, so she had the foresight to avoid him.

Nat hurriedly left after saying a few words, stunning Morales. Then his narrowed eyes widened as he said to Moss, “Even Nat the Goddess took the initiative to greet you, Boss Moss! It seems your relationship is not as simple as everyone thinks.”

“What are you talking about, Morales? We’re just ordinary classmates.” He did not seem amused and fiercely patted Morales’s shoulder. Then he threw this sentence to Morales, “I’ll settle the score with you after my duel with Armand.”

Then he walked toward the center of the training field.

Armand saw Moss walking over and asked, “How do you want to duel?”

When Moss was three meters away from Armand, he stopped and said indifferently, “Whatever you want.”

“I heard your defenses are impressive. How about we duel in defense? Whoever breaks through the opponent’s defense first wins!”Armand said with a proud smile on his lips.

“Sure,” Moss did not show any emotion on his face as he replied calmly.

The surrounding students began to discuss in groups of three or five.

“Moss agreed so readily?”

“Doesn’t he know that the opponent is best at defense?”

“Isn’t he being a little too arrogant?”

“Not necessarily. The strongest points of a Knight are offense and defense!”

“Armand is digging a pit, and Moss is just jumping in.”

“Moss is a man of few words, huh?”

…

Armand revealed his Viking axe without paying attention to the surrounding students’ comments. Then he took a few cloves of garlic and chewed them in front of everyone. He muttered, “Garlic gives me strength!”

His sharp eyes shot at Moss, saying, “I’ll attack first since I’m the challenger!”

“That’s your call,” Moss was calm as ever.

Armand shouted, “Look at the ax!” Then he charged toward Moss.

Morales could not help but comment, “Armand set the rules, yet he attacked first. He’s a big man that’s taking all the advantages. How shameless of him!”

Then he took the lead in booing at Armand, which caused everyone else to follow suit. However, it did not affect Armand. With a strong wind, he waved his Viking axe and swung it toward Moss.

Slam! The Viking axe stopped midair. He did not know when, but a translucent shield had appeared between Moss and his Viking ax.

“Wow!”

“What a powerful force! It cracked Moss’s shield!” Some students with sharp eyes could not help but shout when they saw it.

“The garlic-eating Dwarf Defender is so powerful! I think he’ll break Moss’s shield with one more attack!”

…

More students began to support Armand after his attack.

“How is that possible?” Jonya rushed over immediately when she received the news. She was shocked when she saw what had just happened.

She knew Moss possessed Absolute Defense so cracks would not appear on his shield so quickly.

‘Maybe he’s not using Absolute Defense. Is he crazy? That was such a powerful attack from the Dwarf Defender! It would be a small matter if the Dwarf Defender shattered Moss’s shield, causing him to lose the challenge, but if Moss got injured, it would be a huge problem! How could Moss be so rash?!’

With that thought in mind, Jonya felt some lingering fear and could not help but frown.

Nat saw the axe clearly since she stood where the axe was going down. Her heart was in her throat when the giant axe almost hit Moss.

However, she finally heaved a sigh of relief when she saw a shield appearing, and Moss stood there unscathed. Then she saw the cracks on the shield and became even more worried.

Moss ignored the situation outside the training ground and became excited since he had received the next ax. It seemed he had to stop there, as Armand still had some tricks up his sleeves. After all, he could not take a heavy blow right after entering university.

With that thought in mind, Moss raised his Viking ax, took his four-star Sacred Frost Sword, and said, “All right! Watch out!”

He swung his sword and struck Armand’s shield.

Bang!

Armand took a step back, but Moss only slightly dented his shield. It made him excited as he swung his axe at Moss again.

Crack!

The crack on Moss’s shield became deeper, but it did not break. It shocked Armand. He initially wanted to celebrate but could only place his hopes on his next attack. However, Moss’s next attack destroyed his hopes.

Moss’s sword smashed onto Armand’s shield, and both sides were in a stalemate for a long time before Armand’s shield split in two.

Then Moss put away his sword and cupped his hands. “You barely have enough strength. Thank you for letting me win.” He exited the training ground immediately after.

Moss did this because he did not want to attack Armand. His first attack was to test his opponent’s defense, and after that, he quickly calculated the strength of his next attack.

Moss deliberately held out during his second attack for a while, mainly because he was conservative with his calculations. Otherwise, he would not be able to create the illusion of winning.

Most of the surrounding students felt regret and disappointment when they saw what had happened. They were regretful that Armand had lost but felt disappointed in Moss’s strength, which the president and deans favored.

“Noel, although the Dwarf Defender’s defense is strong, Moss could barely win. His strength is decent at best,” Anjiro said disdainfully.

“It’s not that simple,” Noel walked away.

Although he was unsure of Moss’s true strength, he had an unprecedented sense of urgency after the recent events.