The second-year students, who were laughing and chatting a few seconds ago, fell into silence.

"But," Kaigaku said, "I can find that juniors don’t have a habit of respecting seniors."

The tone wasn’t loud, but it carried a sense of quiet authority that made even the drunk students stiffen.

He stepped forward.

Then, without hesitation, he reached for the sword at his side and unsheathed it.

A chill ran down Elysia’s spine.

"Wait—Kaigaku, that’s unnecessary," she said, stepping forward.

But before she could move closer, Edwin stepped in front of her, raising his arm to stop both Elysia and Jin.

"Don’t interfere," he said and his eyes locked on Kaigaku.

Jin frowned. "Edwin, what are you doing?"

"He wants respect," he said, "but respect isn’t demanded. It’s earned."

With that, Edwin reached for his own sword and unsheathed it.

Kaigaku smirked, clearly intrigued. "A brave one," he said, his voice holding a hint of amusement.

"It’s been a while since someone talked back."

One of the drunk students laughed nervously. "Oh, this’ll be fun. A first-year challenging Rank 2!"

Another whispered, "He’s crazy. Kaigaku’s not just strong, he’s a combat specialist."

Kaigaku ignored them.

He adjusted his grip on the sword, holding it loosely with one hand. "Let me give you a hint of my strength," he said.

The moment he finished speaking, he disappeared.

Edwin barely had time to react.

A sharp gust of wind struck past his face — Kaigaku’s sword was already swinging toward his shoulder.

Edwin twisted his body, blocking the strike with his blade, sparks flying as metal clashed against metal.

The impact sent a shockwave through the ground.

"Hmph," Kaigaku said, stepping back lightly.

"Good reflexes."

Edwin steadied his footing. "I’ve trained harder than you think," he said.

Kaigaku lunged forward again, his movements were fast, too fast for most to follow.

His sword flowed like water, each slash connected to the next in a rhythm that looked almost like a dance.

Edwin parried each blow, sparks illuminating their faces as they exchanged strikes.

"Impressive," Kaigaku said mid-swing.

"You’re not afraid to face someone above your rank."

"Afraid?" Edwin countered, ducking under a horizontal slash.

"Fear doesn’t build strength."

Kaigaku’s smirk widened. "Then let’s test that strength!"

He stepped in close and delivered a powerful downward slash.

Edwin raised his sword to block, but the sheer force behind the strike sent him sliding backward several meters, his boots scraping against the stone.

The onlookers gasped as cracks appeared on the ground where Kaigaku’s sword hit.

"Overwhelming..." Jin said.

Elysia clenched her fists. "Kaigaku’s strength—he’s not holding back," she said, her voice low with concern.

Edwin exhaled deeply, feeling his arms numb from the impact.

His sword arm trembled slightly, but he gritted his teeth and stood up again.

"You’re strong," he said.

"But strength alone doesn’t mean victory."

Kaigaku chuckled. "Confident words." He raised his sword again, his aura were intensifying.

A faint white glow surrounded his blade as his mana began to surge.

(He’s using mana enhancement!) Elysia realized, her heart racing.

Kaigaku moved again, faster this time.

His sword came down like lightning.

Edwin deflected once, twice—but the third strike slipped past his guard.

Kaigaku’s blade grazed his shoulder, cutting a shallow wound.

Edwin grunted but didn’t step back.

Instead, he pushed forward, swinging his sword horizontally.

Kaigaku blocked it easily, but Edwin used the rebound force to twist his body and deliver a quick kick to Kaigaku’s side.

The older student blocked the blow with his arm, but the impact made him shift his footing slightly.

"Not bad," he said with a grin.

"You’ve got spirit."

Edwin smirked faintly. "Glad you noticed."

They clashed again.

Steel collided with steel, creating a ringing echo that drew attention from passersby.

The fight became faster, sharper — a blur of blades and sparks.

Kaigaku’s movements were fluid and composed, while Edwin’s were sharp and instinctive, filled with raw determination.

"Come on, first-year!" one of the second-year students shouted, half cheering, half mocking.

"Show what you’ve got!"

Elysia, however, didn’t move.

Her eyes followed every strike.

She could tell — Edwin was slowly getting pushed into a corner.

Kaigaku’s experience and speed were simply too much.

Kaigaku feinted left, then delivered a quick upward slash that knocked Edwin’s sword slightly off balance.

He followed up immediately with a kick to the chest, sending Edwin stumbling back several steps.

"Edwin!" Cecelia called out with worry.

Edwin coughed, straightened his posture, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I’m fine," he said, forcing a smirk. "I’m still standing."

Kaigaku tilted his head. "Stubborn."

He raised his sword again. "Let’s see how long you can last."

This time, Kaigaku’s strikes came like a storm.

He moved faster than before.

Each swing forced Edwin back further.

Sparks flew, boots slid against the stone, and the air was thick with tension.

Elysia’s hand tightened on her dagger’s hilt. She wanted to intervene, but Edwin had told her not to.

"Come on, Edwin... don’t give up," Jin muttered.

Kaigaku brought his sword down for another powerful strike — and just as it was about to hit, Cecelia stepped between them.

"Stop!" she shouted.

Kaigaku froze mid-swing, his blade halting inches away from Edwin’s chest.

Edwin, breathing heavily, lowered his sword slowly.

"Tomorrow we have a mission," Cecelia said, looking straight at Kaigaku.

"You’re going to injure him before that even begins?"

The surrounding students went quiet.

Even the drunken ones looked at each other awkwardly.

Kaigaku blinked once, then withdrew his sword, sliding it smoothly back into its sheath. "A mission, huh?" he said.

"Fine."

He turned his gaze toward Edwin. "You’ve got guts," Kaigaku said.

"You’re reckless, but... I’ll admit, you’ve got potential."

Edwin wiped his sweat and gave a small, tired smile.

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

Kaigaku gave a small nod, then looked at the group of second-years behind him. "You all, another round of beer!."

"Yeahhhhhh" the second year shouted.

Jin sighed deeply. "That was insane..."

Cecelia turned to Edwin. "You shouldn’t have fought him."

Edwin shrugged slightly. "Maybe not. But if we don’t stand up for ourselves now, they’ll think we’re weak."

Elysia looked at him for a long moment. There was exhaustion in his eyes, but also pride. "You did well," she said quietly.

Edwin smiled faintly. "Thanks."

As they began to walk back toward their home, it was already night.