Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess - Chapter 139

Chapter 139: Chapter 138- First round(2)
Academies based on their past standings and the points they have accumulated until now:

1. Ravencourt—100pts

2. Auroracrest—100pts

3. Runebridge—Drenovar—100pts

4. Avalon—Hener—TBD

5. Ironvale—0pts

6. Stellthorne—0pts

7. Valorian—Eryndor—TBD

8. Grimhold—hybrid nations—0pts

°°°°°°°°°

Valerie was given a seat amongst the Elites from each school.

They have been provided a separate area in the stands to sit with the other Elites and share their thoughts about the battles.

The general audience consisted of the students from each academy who failed to participate.

Other people from outside the academies, royal guests, and family members of the contestants would be allowed to watch the second and third rounds.

Valerie was currently sitting beside Annabelle and on the other side was Rudolph.

They were in the frontmost seat, and the other students were in the back, grouped according to their schools.

“Heyo~” Kevin suddenly appeared in the stands as he waved at his teammates.

“Good match, Kev. You overwhelmed your enemy and showed him where he belongs.” A short purple-haired girl grinned as she praised her fellow classmate.

The student whom Kevin crushed during his battle was from Stellthorne Academy, and the Elites who heard the girl’s words were gritting their teeth but couldn’t say anything here.

Some were ashamed of their teammate’s performance and some just didn’t want to look like a fool.

Kevin shook his head as he said, “You shouldn’t talk about someone like that, Cassie. It was a bad match; otherwise, he surely would have shown why he was chosen for this tournament.”

Saying so, the teenager sat down beside his teammate.

The girl, Cassie, grinned upon hearing that as she said, “Talking about a bad match-up, the next match is of a D-rank, right?”

Rhea flinched and every member of the Valorian academy, except for Sheldon and Ryan, directed their pleading gaze in Valerie’s direction.

The captain of Ravencourt glared at the girl before saying, “Sit down and watch the match. If you really want to provoke someone, do that when you are facing her on the battlefield.”

Those cold words made Cassie sneer, “You think I will hesitate?”

The Captain no longer paid attention to the girl and looked at the arena.

Cassie rolled her eyes before she also sat down and watched the two contestants making their way to the center of the arena.

Esner(Parkinson) also watched intently. The last time he fought Austin, he underestimated his combat skills and was humiliated in front of everyone. And most of all, Rhea.

Since then, he doesn’t know how much he has grown…but still in front of a B-rank…Esner was unsure if Austin could pull something off here when he had no one to support him.

‘It would be satisfying to see you losing like a dog~’

…..

Standing in the arena Austin looked at his opponent.

It was a girl with long green hair, which she had braided, and she was wearing the battle gear of the Avalon Academy.

She wore a confident smile on her face and in her left hand was her Shard in the shape of a rope.

Austin has memorized every person participating as an Elite in this tournament, and from what he knows, his opponent has agile feet but weak defense. There was no information about her Shard he could obtain, though.

“My name is Lucy. Nice to meet you.”

Austin nodded at her greetings, as he said, “I am Austin.”

Once the greetings were over, the referee stepped in before announcing, “The match will last for ten minutes. Victory is achieved by knocking out your opponent or forcing their submission. Lethal attacks are strictly forbidden—any attempt will result in immediate disqualification and expulsion from your academy.”

Austin nodded upon hearing that and so did Lucy.

The referee stepped back before raising his left hand.

“Participants, ready?”

Getting a nod from both sides, the referee declared, “BEGIN!”

Just as those words left his mouth, Austin’s feet and arm moved in sync: his feet took him toward his opponent while his arm threw away Wisp.

The crowd gasped as Austin vanished and reappeared before Lucy in a blink, his dagger flashing toward her.

“Shit!” Lucy cursed, barely twisting away in time—

SHLINK!

His blade was carved into the spot she had stood just a second ago.

Murmurs rippled through the audience. The sheer speed was unreal. Even the Elites watching leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

“A D-rank? Moving like that?”

“Impossible.”

Many began to wonder—was Austin truly a D-rank, or had he been hiding his real strength all along?

Lucy lashed out with her Shard—

STING!

A sharp crack split the air as something shot toward Austin. He tilted his body just in time, only to see a splash of water explode behind him, leaving a deep gash in the ground.

‘Damn… that would’ve hurt.’

Lucy landed gracefully, her feet barely touching the ground before she reshaped her Shard into a perfect ring and blew through it.

“The hell—!” Austin’s instincts screamed, and he leaped back just as a swarm of bubbles shot out of the loop, streaking toward him at alarming speed.

At first, they seemed harmless—until—

HIZZZZZ!

The moment a bubble popped against the ground, the water sizzled, eating into the surface like acid.

Austin’s eyes widened.

‘Great. Acid bubbles. Just what I needed.’

He twisted and dodged, barely slipping between the deadly orbs as they came faster and faster, closing in on him from all directions.

Austin gritted his teeth, his mind racing. The bubbles were coming too fast, forcing him on the defensive. If he kept dodging, he’d eventually slip up.

Tch!

He flicked his wrist, hurling his boomerang. It shot forward—but instead of cutting through the bubbles, he slowed it mid-air, letting it weave between them like a ghost.

Lucy smirked. “Missed.”

But Austin wasn’t aiming at her.

The moment the boomerang curved behind her, he snapped his fingers—

WHOOSH!

It shot forward at blinding speed, slicing through the air toward Lucy’s blind spot.

Her eyes widened.

CRACK!

She barely managed to twist her Shard into a shield by coiling it, deflecting the attack, but the force sent her skidding backward.

Austin took his chance. He surged forward, Shard in hand, increasing its weight mid-swing for a crushing blow.

Everyone shifted to the edges of their seats as they thought that the battle was reaching its climax.

However, maybe in a state of panic, Lucy suddenly twirled on her feet and swung her Shard with all her strength.

*ZAP*

Faster than he could have dodged, more so with his weighted Shard, a wave came rushing toward him, throwing Austin completely off balance.

*SPLASH*

He was hurtled back, his body drenched and his Shard slipping from his hand.

Austin coughed as what he engulfed was not truly water…his nose and eyes were burning.

Lucy didn’t miss the opportunity and jumped into the air before swirling her Shard into a tornado.

Austin’s eyes snapped as he realized that he was getting surrounded.

He instantly tried to get up and move—but,

“*COUGH*” His body didn’t support him when he needed it the most.

And the result was—

“Heeh~got you,”

—Austin was trapped in a water prison.

It was a huge orb of water. Levitating above the ground. And filled completely with blue clear water.

Everyone watched in fascination as Austin was trapped inside.

Moving his arms, and trying to strike the walls, but to no avail.

The water was filled with acids that were making his skin burn, and consuming that water would mean instant defeat.

Lucy slowly approached the orb. A smile of victory on her face as she tilted her head.

Esner had a nasty grin on his face which he hid behind his hand.

Rhea and everyone from Valorian were worried…however, the one who was the most, showed no reaction.

Many began to sneer and make fun of him,

“Look at that! A fucking mermaid!”

“Look at those flappy hands! Awwww!”

“Goddamn, she played dirty! Austin, you nooooob!”

“Haah~I am ashamed that he represents the Valorian.”

The ridicule was like a sweet melody to Lucy’s ears as she smilingly said, “Sorry to say, Austin, but the insult I faced by being matched up with you, truly agitated me.”

Austin’s mouth was full of water as he continued to move around.

However, looking closely anyone could tell that he was losing strength.

His eyes were red, and his body sluggish.

The referee was ready to stop the match if Lucy didn’t liberate him even after he lost consciousness.

However, Lucy was just agitated. She didn’t hate Austin.

That’s why, once Austin stopped moving, and closed his eyes,

*Snap*

“Agh!”

The moment she snapped her fingers and the water orb collapsed, Lucy felt a powerful grip tighten around her throat.

Gasps filled the arena. Many students didn’t even register what had happened.

“H-How did you…?” Lucy choked out, eyes wide with disbelief. Just moments ago, Austin had been unconscious—yet now, he stood before her, holding her in an iron grip.

Austin panted slightly, silently thanking the system for granting him the Aqua Lungs skill in the past. Without it, he wouldn’t be standing here.

He clenched his fist.

A surge of soul energy wrapped around his hand, shaking the ground beneath him.

The entire arena fell into stunned silence.

Lucy’s breath hitched—not because she was being choked, but because of that fist.

Tears welled in her eyes as she barely managed to whisper, “I-I give—”

BOOOOOM!

Before she could finish, Austin’s punch slammed into her gut with an earth-shattering force.

Her body shot across the arena like a cannonball, crashing into the wall with a deafening impact.

Austin didn’t even glance back to check if she was conscious.

Without a word, he turned and walked away.

The referee instantly headed towards the girl who was framed in the wall, before checking on her.

Her breathing was slow but she was alive and could be recovered.

As such,

“AUSTIN, WINS!”

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- This time it was a non-combatant type. Drop a comment.