Souta rubbed his chin as he pondered which one should he cheer. He looked at Bryan and Alice back and fort.
"What?!" Alice noticed his gaze. She looked at him with a frown.
Souta lifted up his hand and raised a thumb in front of her. He smiled and said, "Good luck!!"
"...what?!" Alice took a step back as she pondered what he was doing.
Souta didn't answer her. He just closed his eyes and ignored her presence. He could see it all. The students of shield class and mage class.
All the strong fighter and weak fighter in the stage. They couldn't completely conceal their power to him. Among all the participants here, only a few people weren't breathing heavily. One of them was him, the other one was the student from shield class, Brando. The other one was Bryan. And lastly, his classmate called Jin.
Jin was suspicious as he was hiding his true strength. He finished his fight but surrendered in his second match. He didn't even break a sweat from that. Right now, he was just leisurely watching all the battles in the sidelines.
Souta didn't know the reason why Jin's hiding his real strength, but now that he got an idea about it he will not forget Jin's name and face.
Then about Bryan and Alice's match. From his perspective, he could see that Alice's breathing was already heavy clearly different from Bryan.
Souta opened his mouth and said, "You'll be having a hard time. It's better to surrender if you can't handle him."
Alice looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. After a few moments, she opened her mouth and said, "What do you mean?"
Souta shifted his eyes to her and replied, "Can't you see it? You're already tired from your previous battles but Bryan is different. Although you could put up a fight you will not win this battle."
Alice's eyebrows knitted together from his words. She turned her head to looked at Bryan. She understood what Souta meant.
"Well, it's only my opinion." Souta shrugged his shoulder.
Bryan approached them and asked, "What you're talking about?"
"We're discussing how to defeat you. Alice was just asking me for advice." Souta replied.
"What?! Why are you discussing that!!" Bryan said in a loud voice as he looked at Alice and Souta.
"Of course, we'll discuss it after all you're pretty strong," Souta said.
"Hehe, well you can take your time." Bryan laughed as he scratched his cheek.
'Damn! This idiot! He thinks I'm praising him!' Souta cursed inside his head.
Souta shook his head and asked, "You will fight Alice in the next battle?"
"Yeah." Bryan nodded and he looked at Alice. He clenched his fist in front of him and said, "Let's both do our best!!"
Alice looked at Bryan in the eyes before she turned around. "Yeah."
Souta smiled looking at Alice's back. He guessed Alice wouldn't surrender easily from her reaction.
'Now they will consume some stamina in this fight. It will be easy for me to win this. The only problem is that Brando.' Souta turned his head and looked at the students named Brando.
Brando was a two-meter tall man. He has short brown hair and reptilian eyes. Some part of his body has green scales. From the looks of it, he was probably a halfling of beast kin. He was armed with a one-meter silver-colored shield with black linings at its side.
...
After a few minutes, Alex called Bryan and Alice's name. It's time for their battle.
"Good luck, Alice! Do your best to tire him!" Souta said to Alice.
"I know! I will knock him down and your next!" Alice replied as she turned her head.
"Oi Souta! Why are you only cheering for her?" Bryan complained to him.
"Ha!! It's already clear that she's more tired than you!" Souta said.
"So I'm stronger than her..." Bryan mumbled.
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that her opponent was stronger than you fought in your matches!" Souta said as he patted Bryan's shoulder.
"Huh? What's with that?" Bryan said in a loud voice.
"Damn! Don't talk just go!" Souta pushed Bryan's back.
"Ah!" Bryan stumbled forward as Souta pushed him. He looked at his side and saw Alice.
...
Souta looked at the two who were facing each other. Alice was wearing a cold face and Bryan have a cheerful smile on his face.
"Now, I could only hope that they put up a good fight..." Souta murmured as a grin appeared on his face.
...
The crowd was excited to watch the battle between Alice and Bryan. They saw them defeat their opponents with their strength but now they will face each other.
Even the teachers were eager to watch this battle. After all, they knew that unlike the other students these two were quite strong in their own ways.
"Ever since the first battle, this one will be the fiercest," Kanda said while looking at the two.
"Hmm... But Bryan has the advantage." Bargan said.
"Yeah, but also Alice. Her weapon is an orange grade, after all. If she could properly utilize its strength then she have a chance to win this match." Kanda said.
...
Bryan was standing five meters away from Alice with a smile on his face. He was excited to fight Alice as she was strong.
"Prepare yourself, Alice. I will not hold back." Bryan said with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Me too, I will not hold back." Alice nodded.
She then took out a small red pipe and it transformed into a spear. It was her orange grade weapon.
Bryan's was just a blue grade gloves. His gloves were black in color and it has five black gems in the back of his palm.
Alex looked at the two of them and nodded his head. He opened his mouth and said, "1... 2... 3... Battle start!!"
Bryan immediately rushed towards Alice as soon as Alex gave the signal. He pulled back both of his fists and when he arrived in front of her he threw a barrage of punch.
Alice took a step back and waved her spear blocking all the punch of Bryan.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Huff..." Alice took a deep breath before she lifted up her feet and launched a kick at Bryan's side.
Bang!
Bryan crossed his arm beside him and blocked her kick. He opened his palm attempting to grab her feet but Alice already pulled back her feet.
'Bryan is strong... Among all the students here he's the one that could match up to Souta.' Alice thought as she gained some distance.
She gripped her spear tightly and executed a combat arts that she hasn't used before.
[Triple Stab]!!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Bryan opened his eyes widely. He gritted his teeth and waved his hands quickly to block her attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bryan was surprised by the power of her attacks. He could feel a numbling sensation in his hands. He knew that he couldn't afford to block her attack. If that's the case then he would avoid her spear.
"Strong... Just like what Souta said." Bryan muttered in a low voice. He smiled and once again dashed towards Alice.
Alice calmly looked at Bryan and when he entered her strike zone she stabbed her spear.
Swoosh!!
Bryan ducked to avoid her spear. He then rolled to the side before he threw himself at her.
Alice gripped her spear tightly and clashed against Bryan.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Both of them traded blows against each other. From the looks of it, a person wouldn't think that they were students from mage class. They fought like they were an expert in close-quarter combat.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blow after blow they continued to attack each other.
"Ah!" Alice shouted as she executed [Repulsion Kick].
Bang!
Bryan flew five meters away before he stabilized himself. He lifted up his head and looked at Alice.
Alice also looked at Bryan and she moved her spear at her side while her other hand was in front of her. She then placed her pivot foot in front and her expression calmed down.
She exuded a fierce aura as she maintained her position. She waited for Bryan to attack her.
Bryan smirked when he saw her like that. He knew that she was preparing to launch a powerful attack.
In that case, he will also attack her with his own combat arts.
He made a grabbing motion in the air and a flame emerged from his palm. The flame coated his fist.
...
'Oi oi, that's high-level combat arts!' Souta was surprised that Bryan knew high-level combat arts. Souta only knew two combat arts and that's only common arts.
To produce flames without using mana. With just this, Souta already guessed that it was a high-level combat art.
To create a natural phenomenon without using energy. It can only be achieved by using combat arts.
...
"Let's go!" Bryan said before he charged towards Alice. He clenched his fist which was covered in flames. He then threw it at Alice.
"[Blazing Strike]!!"
Alice clenched her teeth and executed her own combat arts.
"[Berserk Spear]!!"
Boom!!
Both of their collided and it shook the ground.