Chapter 206: Vesper Vs. Luther

Vesper stepped forward, and the moment his boots touched the combat alloy, a translucent holographic display appeared above him.

[Participant: Vesper]

[Age: 18]

[Rank: A-Rank Sentinel]

[Class: 7-D]

[Previous Academy Evaluation: 81.6]

Another display appeared on the opposite side.

[Participant: Luther Daren]

[Age: 18]

[Rank: C-Rank Sentinel]

[Class: 2-B]

[Previous Academy Evaluation: 89.4]

A quiet murmur traveled through the audience.

The difference in their academy evaluations wasn’t insignificant. Luther had the better score, but Vesper had the higher rank, and most of the crowd immediately grew interested. This would be a good first match.

Their academy evaluation was based on both their academic and non-academic performance the entire school year. Each student had their own value at the end of each year. And it would be the foundation of their future and get scouted by different forces.

Luther stopped several meters away and raised his chin slightly. "You’re Vesper, right?" His mouth curled into a grin. "The academy’s favorite troublemaker."

Vesper didn’t answer.

Luther kept going, trying to provoke him. "I’ve heard about you. You might have a higher rank and strong body but your temper gets you into trouble every other week. Isn’t it embarrassing that someone like you is still stuck in Class 7-D despite being an A-rank?"

Vesper just stood there, and nothing happened. Luther frowned. "You don’t have anything to say? You deaf or something?"

Vesper didn’t, because he couldn’t hear him at all!

The moment he stepped onto the stage, he had put in the earplugs Aisha had tossed to him before they left the platform, and Luther’s voice was now nothing more than meaningless movement from a mouth in the distance.

Vesper almost laughed. Aisha knew him too well. She knew he couldn’t control his temper and decided to give a solution by making him use something to plug his ears.

Ever since he was young, Vesper had struggled with it. Once someone pushed the wrong button, he would explode before thinking, and his strength only made the consequences worse. He had been punished for it more times than he could count. But today, none of that mattered. Luther could scream at him all he wanted!

The horn rang across the arena, and the battlefield lights flashed red to signal the start of the match. Vesper moved the moment he saw the reddish glow, and his body shot forward so quickly that the distance between them vanished in an instant.

Luther reacted at once, raising both arms and reinforcing them with Sentinel power just as Vesper’s fist slammed into his guard.

Bang!

The impact sent a shock through his arms, and Luther gritted his teeth. Vesper didn’t give him time to recover. A second punch came from the side, forcing Luther to twist and block with one arm, only for another strike to crash into his shoulder and send him staggering backward.

A murmur spread through the audience. Vesper was much stronger than they had expected.

Luther quickly adjusted his stance and focused on defense. He avoided trading blows directly, using precise movements to redirect Vesper’s attacks and create distance whenever he could. For the first few seconds, it worked. Vesper swung, and Luther blocked. Vesper came from another angle, and Luther stepped away. The C-rank Sentinel had clearly prepared himself for a brute-force opponent.

But the longer the fight continued, the harder it became. Each time Luther blocked a punch, the force sank deeper into his bones. His forearms started going numb, then his fingers, and the pain slowly crept toward his shoulders.

What the hell was this strength? Vesper wasn’t even using his Sentinel power.

Bang!

Luther was forced back again, his heel scraping against the combat alloy and the arm he had used to block trembling. If he kept defending like this, his bones might actually break. He needed distance.

Luther twisted away and jumped backward, but Vesper followed. Luther raised one hand, and his spiritual energy erupted. The air beside him warped, and a large spiritual beast appeared. It had the body of a thickly built winged creature covered in brown fur streaked with grey, with large clawed forelimbs and two leathery wings spreading from its back. Its head resembled that of a wild mustelid, with a broad muzzle and sharp teeth.

The crowd reacted immediately, and the announcer introduced it.

"Luther Daren’s spiritual beast is a C-rank Toxic Wingbeast known as a Fumeclaw. Its unique ability is Rotting Breath, which releases a dense green vapor carrying an extremely powerful odor capable of disorienting opponents and severely disrupting their senses."

Vesper’s eyes lifted toward the creature as the Fumeclaw opened its mouth and green smoke poured out.

He moved sideways at once, but he was too late.

The edge of the smoke brushed against him, and a revolting stench slammed into his face.

His expression changed instantly.

What the hell was that?

The smell was so foul that his stomach twisted violently.

It wasn’t just unpleasant, it was disgusting, as though rotten meat, stagnant water, decaying plants, and something sour and acidic had been mixed into one unbearable stench.

Vesper’s vision blurred, and he almost vomited right there. His body tried to escape the source before his mind could catch up, but the vapor had already spread across the battlefield. More smoke poured from the Fumeclaw’s mouth and closed in from several directions until it formed a dense wall, and when Vesper stepped back, he found there was nowhere left to go.

"What’s going on?" Kane shot up from his seat. "Why isn’t he moving? Vesper?"

The transparent barrier around their waiting area blocked most of the blast from the stage, so none of them had realized what the spiritual beast had done. They only knew that Vesper had suddenly become disoriented and couldn’t counter his opponent’s attack. The announcer’s explanation reached them a second later.

"The Fumeclaw belongs to the Toxic Wingbeast type. Its Rotting Breath releases an extremely foul vapor capable of overwhelming an opponent’s sense of smell and balance. Oh, and its current class is Class 5."

Kane’s face changed, and Sabel’s did too. They understood what was going on at once.