Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 102: Duel

"Yaaawn!" Amelia yawned as she stretched, walking through the academy courtyard. "I know she talked about important things, but that was really boring. She should take a teaching class... she's way too slow and dull," Amelia said as she walked alongside Kael after Mizuki's class.

"She's just trying to get used to it. It's clear she's never taught before Azalith," Kael replied, too preoccupied observing his surroundings.

The small white wyvern perched on Kael's shoulder looked around and commented, "That green-haired girl stopped following you."

'I figured. She didn't seem too happy about what happened earlier…' he thought. Even though Kael was sure of his actions, he didn't like causing trouble for new people. But it had happened anyway.

As they walked, Amelia started to notice the many gazes directed at her. Being next to someone tall and with a strong personality made her the center of attention.

She was already the subject of a few comments:

"What's she doing next to him?"

"Why does he protect her?"

"Why are they always together?"

"Are they a couple?"

Normally, she would ignore it, but the more time she spent with Kael, the more attention she drew. And some were taking their relationship the wrong way... something she really didn't want. But news traveled fast, right? And that made her question a few things.

'How depressing…' she muttered, glancing at Kael, who simply walked calmly. 'He's pretty handsome, despite his age…' she thought, but at the same time, she wasn't the only one who thought so.

With every step he took, a different woman reacted in a way that started to irritate Amelia. It was as if all of them turned their eyes toward him, some murmuring to each other about how handsome and charming he was. It repeated over and over again within just a hundred meters of walking…

'What a waste…' she murmured, annoyed.

"HA!!! WAKE UP!" A loud shout suddenly broke through the air ahead of them, drawing both Kael and Amelia's attention.

What was happening? Well… something that shouldn't really occur in a place where multiple races coexisted—racism.

"I don't see how a piece of trash like you could ever dream of becoming a Battle Mage!" A boy, slightly taller than his rival in the argument, shouted. He looked like a regular human, blonde-haired, wearing the academy's uniform.

As for his "rival," he was different… a demi-human. A humanoid monkey, a bit shorter. He, of course, wore Azalith's uniform, but he had a tail, and his body was covered in brown fur. He bore a resemblance to the myths of Wukong, the Sage Equal to Heaven.

Kael quickly took note of that, considering that, despite the years passing, he was still a Reincarnated. Though with each passing year, more of his past life faded from his memory.

"What a joke," Kael muttered, irritated. He wasn't someone who enjoyed watching scenes of bullying, not in this life… His past life had already been problematic enough because of it. Just witnessing this made his blood boil.

"Why don't you go back to whatever jungle you crawled out of and let real mages learn? You're taking the place of someone who could actually do something grander than you, you damn monkey," the boy sneered, jabbing a finger into the demi-human's chest.

"What did you just say?!" The demi-human snapped, enraged.

"Let's go." This time, it wasn't Kael who wanted to start a fight… It was Amelia. And she was furious.

'I'd stop picking fights if I were you…' Umbra murmured, eyeing Amelia as she stormed forward.

Kael looked at her but only commented to Umbra, 'Since I have all this advantage from being royalty, I might as well use it. I'm not as humble as you think.' He shoved his hands into his pockets and followed her.

'He's getting arrogant… Well, he can sustain that attitude with these kids,' Umbra thought with a shrug. 'The problem will come when he faces an enemy bigger than him.'

"My name is Kayle Rein! Come at me, declare a duel, you piece of shit!" The human boy shouted, clearly provoking the demi-human into accepting.

"Tch! You're going to regret this, you bastard," the demi-human growled.

The demi-human grabbed his academy brooch and pressed something on it. "I, Wuker Monez, declare a duel between me and Kayle Rein!"

"I accept," Kayle replied.

Kael merely watched and sighed. 'Magical artifacts capable of initiating duels… innovative, but incredibly stupid. It makes murder easy to cover up as an accident. If the barrier doesn't break immediately when someone is defeated, there's a small loophole for an assassination.'

'It's not exactly like that. It seems there's a limit where it breaks before the user gets too hurt. For example, if one of the combatants takes 80% damage, the barrier is likely to activate and stop further attacks,' Umbra explained. However… 'If there's a malfunction… something bad could happen, just like you're thinking.'

Kael sighed, watching as the two took their positions for the duel.

The crowd around them was growing rapidly, with students gathering to witness the clash. After all, it wasn't every day that someone declared an official duel in the middle of the academy courtyard.

Amelia, standing beside Kael, crossed her arms, visibly irritated. "Idiots. One trying to prove himself, the other trying to humiliate. This crap never ends well."

"Welcome to the real world," Kael muttered, his eyes fixed on Kayle Rein. The blonde boy wore a smug grin, his body already surrounded by small sparks of magical energy. An elemental mage, it seemed.

On the other side, Wuker Monez clenched his fists, his muscles tensed. Even without channeling visible magic, Kael could sense the latent presence of spiritual energy within the demi-human's body. If he knew how to use it properly, he could be a problem.

Umbra, still in his wyvern form, watched the scene with lazy interest. "I bet the blonde will try to end this quickly. He looks like the type who underestimates others."

Kael agreed mentally. "And if Wuker isn't careful, he could get seriously hurt."

At the center of the circle, a professor appeared, summoned by the academy's system to supervise the duel. He was a tall, thin man with graying hair and a bored expression. "Duel registered. Standard rules: the magic barrier will activate and stop the fight when one of the combatants reaches 80% damage or forfeits. No lethal attacks allowed. If either of them tries to break the rules…" The professor's gaze turned cold. "I will personally handle it."

Both combatants nodded.

"Begin."

As soon as the words were spoken, a translucent barrier formed around the arena, enclosing the two in a magical sphere.

Kayle Rein moved first. He raised his hand, and instantly, lightning crackled around his body. "I'll finish this quickly," he declared, sending a wave of electricity straight at Wuker.

The demi-human dodged with an impressive leap, spinning through the air and landing gracefully. "It'll take more than sparks to catch me, blondie."

Kael narrowed his eyes. Wuker's movements were fluid, natural. He didn't just rely on magic—he trusted his own body.

"That kid has a fighter's instinct," Amelia remarked beside him.

"Let's see if that's enough."

Kayle growled, raising his hands again. "Then try escaping this!"

This time, he summoned a barrage of lightning spears, launching them like projectiles, slicing through the air at high speed.

But Wuker didn't just dodge. He ran straight toward the attack, weaving between the spears with absurd precision.

Then, at the last moment, before Kayle could react, Wuker appeared right in front of him, his fist wrapped in spiritual energy.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

BAM!

The impact was brutal. Kayle was sent flying backward, crashing against the barrier with a loud thud. The barrier shimmered, absorbing some of the force, but it was clear the hit had hurt.

The crowd held its breath.

Kayle got up, gritting his teeth. "You bastard…" His body began to glow more intensely, his magic surging. "You're going to regret that!"

Kael frowned. Something was wrong. He sensed a disturbance in the energy flow surrounding the duel.

And then he realized.

"Amelia."

"Hm?"

"Prepare to interfere. This duel is about to spiral out of control."

Kayle Rein was furious. His entire body trembled with rage and raw magic as sparks crackled around him. His pride had been wounded—he, a noble, a talented mage, humiliated in front of everyone by a demi-human.

The energy around him intensified, his eyes glowing a fierce golden hue. This has already exceeded 80%… so why isn't the barrier stopping the duel? Kael thought, his gaze shifting to the professor.

The man remained in the same spot, watching the fight with a bored expression, as if waiting to see how far things would go.

"That bastard is allowing this…" Amelia growled, clenching her fists.

Kayle raised his hands, gathering his mana into a single point above him. The air crackled with electricity, threads of energy condensing into a spear of pure lightning.

"I'm going to end you," he spat, his eyes overflowing with hatred.

On the other side of the barrier, Wuker Monez assumed a defensive stance, but Kael noticed the slight tremble in his legs. He's exhausted. If that attack hit him, even if the barrier stopped it at the last second, he would suffer serious damage.

Kael gritted his teeth. Damn it…

"Amelia, protect the others," he ordered, already moving.

"Wait, what?"

He didn't answer. Time seemed to slow as Kayle hurled his lightning spear with full force. The attack tore through the air toward Wuker, too fast for him to react.

But before the lightning could reach its target…

CLAP!

Kael appeared between them and caught the spear with his bare hands.

The impact was brutal. Electricity surged through his body, burning the skin on his hands and arms as violent sparks crackled around him. The force of the attack pushed him back several meters, but he didn't let go.

The crowd collectively held its breath in absolute shock.

Without hesitation, Amelia raised her hands and conjured a protective barrier around the spectators, preventing shards of energy from scattering across the courtyard.

"What…?" Wuker blinked, confused.

Kayle, on the other hand, widened his eyes in pure horror. "W-What?! How did you—?"

Kael slowly lifted his head, his cold eyes locking onto Kayle's. His expression was pure contempt.

"That was pathetic."

With a sharp motion, he crushed the lightning spear between his fingers, completely dissipating Kayle's magic. The thunder that had once roared in the air vanished as if it had never existed.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Kael lowered his hands, his skin slightly charred, but he showed no sign of pain. His gaze remained unwavering.

"If this is your level, you have no right to call anyone weak."

Kayle took a step back, his pride crumbling under the overwhelming presence of Kael. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

That was when the professor finally moved. He took a step forward, clapping his hands slowly.

"Interesting..." he murmured, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

Kael narrowed his eyes. He wanted to see this happen.

But before he could react, a new voice echoed through the courtyard.

"Enough."

The tone was calm but carried an unquestionable authority.

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice, and walking through the crowd was none other than Mizuki Inari.

Her golden eyes gleamed with a mix of interest and disapproval, her nine tails swaying slowly behind her.

"This has gone too far," she declared, her voice firm. "And you…" Her gaze shifted directly to the professor. "Have some explaining to do."

The man smiled but said nothing.

A chill ran down Kael's spine.

Something was wrong with this academy.

And he knew this wouldn't be the last time he faced a situation like this.