Despite Peak Rank 1 Aura Warrior, Bram Krauss could exert the power of an Early Rank 2 Aura Master.
Such were the charms of Mid-rank or higher-rank martial arts. They could draw out more power through the more clever and sophisticated use of aura.
But no matter how great Mid-rank martial arts were, Bram Krauss couldn’t close the gap between his attack power and Vaan’s defense.
Furthermore, it didn’t come without a price.
Bram Krauss was quickly exhausted from his consecutive use of Mid-rank offensive-type martial art skills.
Ding!
<You have learned the offensive-type martial art, Tiger King’s Fist (Mid rank)>
<You have learned the offensive-type martial art, Great Tiger Descent (Mid rank)>
<You have learned the offensive-type martial art, Rising Tiger Uppercut (Low rank)>
<You have fully comprehended the Krauss Household’s internal aura circulation method, The Way of the White Tiger (Mid rank)>
Vaan was sent soaring a few dozen feet into the air with the last uppercut.
At that point, Bram Krauss was almost completely exhausted and only had enough stamina for one more move, which he saved for last.
Bram Krauss entered a horse stance and held his fist with the other hand like he was charging up his attack as his red aura converged towards it.
“Try not to die on this one, Vahn!” Bram Krauss barked, but he wasn’t so sure his following strongest move would inflict much damage.
He twisted his body mid-air, fixing his center of gravity during his descent.
“Great Tiger Fist Cannon!” Bram Krauss roared as he threw out his charged fist.
At the same time, Vaan twisted his body like a spinning top to evade the blast wave of aura from Bram Krauss’s fist before he flipped forward and kicked down with his heel while still in mid-air.
Great Tiger Descent!
Peng!
Vaan’s counterattack connected, landing right on Bram Krauss’s shoulder, which dislocated under the force of his heel.
However, Vaan didn’t finish with just a single attack.
Right after landing, he did a low sweep with his leg, knocking Bram Krauss off balance before sending out a roundhouse kick, which connected with his ribs.
Ka-cha!
Several rib bones broke as Bram Krauss was sent flying several yards.
Having channeled all his aura into one place, Bram Krauss had sacrificed all his defense and speed for power, which ultimately didn’t work out for him. He did not expect Vaan to be so nimble in mid-air.
“Ugh…” Bram Krauss grunted from the pain before suddenly coughing up some blood.
Evidently, his broken ribs had punctured one of his lungs.
Wihnhilda Angelsin, who had been waiting on standby, immediately stepped forward to intervene in the duel and cast a healing spell on Bram Krauss.
“Shall we put an end to this duel, Bram?” Vaan calmly asked as Bram Krauss was being treated.
After hearing his question, Bram Krauss put on a wry and helpless smile.
“As much as I want to continue, my stubbornness will only bring humiliation onto myself. It’s your win, Vahn,” Bram Krauss stated.
His body was exhausted, and his aura was also spent.
An exhausted body could quickly recover with time, while aura required both time and heavy training to recover.
Aura users generally don’t expel aura from their bodies. While such methods generated great power, it was also incredibly wasteful.
“It was a good fight,” Vaan said with a smile, having learned quite a few new martial arts from Bram Krauss.
Such quality of martial arts wasn’t common and could only be found among the wealthy and powerful households. It was more advanced compared to what the common mass trained.
Evidently, aura training was divided into external and internal methods.
Thanks to the duel, Vaan had finally acquired an internal aura circulation method. Alas, he couldn’t use it unless he produced some aura first.
Even the Mid-rank martial art skills he replicated couldn’t demonstrate their full potential without aura.
That being said, Mid-rank martial arts with the empowerment of aura were still around the peak of Low-rank martial arts.
<Basic-level Great Tiger Descent → Intermediate-level Great Tiger Descent>
<You have learned the offensive-type martial art, Great Tiger Fist Cannon (Mid rank)>
“A good fight indeed,” Bram Krauss admitted. He had learned of his shortcomings.
He was used to overpowering his opponents with superior strength, speed, and martial art skills. But when met with a stronger opponent, such a method of fighting would only make him lose quicker.
If he had conserved his aura and stamina, the situation might have turned out differently.
However, Bram Krauss didn’t know that Vaan had trump cards he didn’t use. He would only use them in life or death situations.
…
“The winner is Vahn Cadieux,” Wihnhilda Angelsin declared.
Right after, the crowd erupted with cheers after a period of silence. They had been shocked by the turn of events.
Not only did Bram Krauss lose to the new library assistant, but the new library assistant had shown how incredibly tough his body was.
“Incredible… I haven’t seen a fight like this in a while… It was exhilarating! I feel like challenging someone now,” a third-year servant mentioned with lingering excitement from watching the duel.
Suddenly a small group of fifth-year True Witches made their way through the younger crowd of servants and witches.
“Move it.”
“Y-Yes, my Lady.”
None of the servants dared to oppose the fifth-year True Witches, while the younger witches silently complied with unhappy looks.
“Vahn, was it? Become my servant—No, my man. Only a man of your caliber is a match for me,” a fifth-year True Witch named Zaria Whisper spoke domineeringly.
She wasn’t giving Vaan a choice. No, she was ordering him.
“Hmph!” another fifth-year True Witch snorted unhappily and said, “Don’t listen to that stuck-up bitch, Vahn. Clearly, I am more suited for you. I don’t have any other men, so I can shower you with plenty of love.”
“Come with me, kay?” the fifth-year True Witch added with a flirtatious wink.
However, it wasn’t just the fifth-year True Witches interested in Vaan.
He could feel the greedy gazes of some Senior Witch-level academy instructors as if they had found treasure.
Trouble was coming, but it was well within his expectations.