Chapter 500: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Gun vs Blood Rematch II

Ezra walked out from the Arena entrance, calmly waving to the crowd as their cheers rolled through the enormous structure.

The moment he appeared, the sound from the stands rose again.

Some spectators had been waiting for him.

Others had been waiting for Desmond.

Now both of them were finally standing in the same place.

Ezra continued walking without changing his pace.

His footsteps were steady as he crossed the short path leading toward the fight platform. The cheers, the banners, and the voices calling his name passed around him, but his expression remained plain.

He stepped onto the platform.

The snow beneath his boots made a soft crunching sound.

Ezra raised his eyes.

His plain black eyes locked onto Desmond’s crimson eyes.

For several seconds, neither young Alchemist moved.

The distance between them wasn’t large.

Yet the atmosphere around the platform had already changed.

The crowd had become more focused.

The arguments about who was stronger had suddenly become much more interesting now that both young men were actually standing face to face.

Patrick lifted his table microphone.

"Let the countdown begin!!"

His excited voice spread through the Arena.

The four Holographic Screens positioned around the fighting area immediately displayed the countdown.

The first number appeared.

THREE!!!

The crowd began counting with it.

"THREE!!!"

"THREE!"

"THREE!"

The sound came from hundreds of thousands of spectators at once, with different sections of the Arena producing slightly different rhythms before eventually blending into one massive voice.

Desmond looked directly at Ezra.

"I wished for this to happen, you know, Ezra Ashenlocke."

There was a smugness in his expression.

Ezra simply looked at him.

He didn’t reply.

He didn’t even appear particularly interested in what Desmond had said.

Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"I haven’t seen you with your maid since the beginning of this Combat Festival..."

His tone remained provoking.

"Did you sell her off?"

A few people near the front, who managed to hear Desmond’s voice immediately reacted to the question.

Some laughed.

Others looked toward Ezra, waiting to see whether he would answer.

Even though they were still confused on what Desmond was saying to Ezra.

Desmond continued before Ezra could say anything.

"If you sold her off, you should have given her to me. I would have loved to have her."

He wore a calm smirk.

Ezra still didn’t reply.

His expression remained almost exactly the same.

Desmond stared at him for a moment.

Then he laughed quietly.

The countdown continued.

TWO!!

The crowd shouted the second number.

"Two!"

"Two!"

"Two!"

Some spectators continued cheering for the fighter they supported even while the countdown was happening.

"EZRA ASHENLOCKE!"

"DESMOND DERLIS!"

"GO, SIR DESMOND DERLIS!"

"EZRA ASHENLOCKE!"

The voices overlapped across the Arena.

Desmond placed both hands on his waist and laughed calmly.

"Remaining silent like the first time we met."

He shook his head slightly.

"I can remember how much your fist landed on my face."

His crimson eyes narrowed with amusement.

"I also heard how you double-kicked the Prince on his face."

He paused for a moment.

Then he laughed.

"Hahaha..."

His laughter remained strangely calm despite the words.

The four holographic screens displayed the next countdown number.

ONE!!

Hundreds of thousands of spectators shouted the final countdown number.

"ONE!!!"

"ONE!"

"ONE!"

The sound shook the Arena.

"You are going to win, Sir Ezra Ashenlocke!!"

"Sir Desmond Derlis, beat his ass!!"

More voices overlapped aggressively.

The excitement had reached its peak.

In the seating section reserved for the High-board members and Elders of the Duke Houses, however, the atmosphere was different.

Several Elders watched the Holographic Screen in front of them.

Elder Fredricks folded his arms.

"Humph... finally, that useless child will lose."

His expression became displeased as he looked at Ezra’s face displayed on the screen.

Elder Yestin raised an eyebrow.

"Are you seriously supporting a member of another House instead of our own?"

Fredricks glanced toward him unbothered.

"I guess little Vera was right..."

Elder Paul shrugged.

"You are a traitor."

He pointed directly at Fredricks.

"What?!"

Fredricks immediately glared at him.

His brows tightened, and his hands shifted against his arms.

Elder Branthwaite remained calm.

"Stop with the silly accusations, Paul. We all know Vera was playing around."

"Then why is he speaking like that?"

Elder Ivanhoe narrowed his eyes at both Branthwaite and Fredricks.

Fredricks snorted.

"Do you all really think his beating Desmond of Derlis, even with his gadgets or whatever he has, is enough to make him the winner?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"How can that Lowline beat a Mainline of Derlis?"

His tone carried obvious disbelief and mockery.

"He already defeated the Mainline daughter of the Duke of Drakes, though."

Elder Tabitha finally joined the conversation.

Fredricks frowned.

The reminder was enough to make his expression change.

Ezra had already defeated a strong first-year student from a Mainline Duke House.

And it wasn’t some unknown student either.

She had been among the highest-rated first-year students in the Academy.

Fredricks clearly remembered that.

Yet his confidence didn’t disappear.

"He’s still going to lose."

He said it firmly.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

Elder Portia looked toward him.

A small smirk appeared on her face.

"Then let’s bet, Fredricks."

Fredricks looked at her.

"You believe Ezra will actually win?"

The expression on his face made it seem as though Portia had just told the biggest joke imaginable.

Portia remained completely unbothered.

"I do believe he will win."

She crossed one leg over the other.

"So, are you ready to bet?"

Fredricks narrowed his eyes.

"If I win, I get twenty-five percent of the first profit from the new firearms coming in."

His smug smile returned.

Elder Ivanhoe immediately frowned.

"That makes no sense."

"Don’t worry, Ivan."

Portia raised one hand, calming him down.

Then she looked directly at Fredricks.

"I agree to your request."

Her expression became serious.

"But if I win..."

She paused.

"You will buy the child a seventh-grade Ese with your own money."

Fredricks froze.

"What?! Seventh-Grade?! Do you know how much that is?!"

He pointed at Portia angrily.

His voice had become much louder than before.

Ivanhoe laughed.

"Says the person who wants twenty-five percent of the firearms production, and now you’re scared to buy an Ese."

Fredricks gritted his teeth.

His face tightened.

For a moment, he clearly looked as though he wanted to argue further.

Instead...

"Okay."

He answered hurriedly.

"I accept."

Fredricks leaned back into his seat and folded his hands.

"But don’t go back on your word when he loses miserably."

Portia only smiled, not saying anything else.

Her eyes returned to the Holographic Screen.

The countdown had already ended.

"BEGIN!"

The voice of the crowd echoed through the Arena.

The fight had officially started.

Fredricks watched Ezra.

He’s definitely not going to win.

A faint smugness appeared on his face.

Back on the fight platform...

Desmond slowly shifted his stance.

Before the word Begin had been shouted, he was still speaking to Ezra.

"I went back and trained my hand-to-hand combat skills, so I can face you better."

He lazily lowered his body.

His feet shifted across the snow.

One foot moved slightly behind the other.

His shoulders relaxed.

His hands came forward.

The lazy posture didn’t mean he was careless.

His Crimson Cognis had already begun flowing through his body.

It moved through his arms, legs, shoulders, and torso, strengthening his muscles and preparing his body for close combat.

"I like martial arts too, and I was really impressed by your level of martial arts."

His crimson eyes remained fixed on Ezra.

"To me, you are the best in terms of martial arts compared to anyone I have fought."

He spoke calmly.

There was no mocking smile this time.

He genuinely meant it.

Then the word BEGIN echoed across the Arena.

Desmond’s expression changed.

"Let’s see how much you have grown within the months after our fight."

His final words had barely left his mouth when his body suddenly moved.

Flash!

Desmond disappeared from where he had been standing.

His Cognis-enhanced legs pushed against the platform.

The snow beneath his feet exploded outward.

In the next instant, he flashed directly into Ezra’s front.

Ezra’s plain black eyes immediately moved downward.

He caught the movement.

His right leg shifted backward sharply.

At the same time, his hands moved into position.

His body lowered.

His shoulders relaxed.

His arms formed a familiar shape.

A perfect Tai Chi fighting stance.

The difference between the two fighters became clear immediately.

Desmond relied on direct physical force and speed.

Ezra’s stance looked much more relaxed.

He wasn’t preparing to meet Desmond’s strength with strength.

He was preparing to guide it.

Desmond tightened his right fist.

His fingers curled into his palm.

Crimson Cognis gathered around his arm.

His shoulder rotated.

His waist followed.

Then...

Bam!

His right fist shot toward Ezra.

The punch carried enough force to disturb the air around it.

A violent gust burst outward as his fist approached.

Several strands of Ezra’s hair moved from the pressure.

Yet Ezra didn’t retreat.

His left hand moved forward.

His palm met Desmond’s fist.

Bam!

Ezra caught the punch, but the impact didn’t stop there.

The force from Desmond’s attack pressed against Ezra’s palm, trying to drive his arm backward.

Ezra’s wrist remained relaxed.

Instead of resisting the punch directly, he moved his left hand slightly to the right.

His palm guided Desmond’s fist away from its original path.

His shoulder turned.

His waist followed.

The movement continued through Ezra’s entire body.

Desmond’s punch had originally been directed toward Ezra.

Now Ezra was redirecting that same force around him.

Desmond’s balance began to shift.

His upper body followed the movement of his arm.

His feet tried to compensate.

But Ezra continued guiding him.

Then...

Bam!

Desmond’s right hand slammed against the ground.

The impact cracked the platform beneath his palm.

Snow jumped into the air.

Small pieces of rock were thrown outward.

The momentum Ezra had guided through Desmond’s body had forced him down.

But Desmond hadn’t finished.

The moment Desmond’s right leg struck the ground, he reacted.

His right hand suddenly grabbed Ezra’s hand.

His fingers locked around Ezra’s wrist.

Then he pulled.

Hard.

Ezra’s body was dragged toward him.

At the same time, Desmond raised his right leg.

His knee drove forward.

The target was Ezra’s ribs.

The movement was fast and direct.

Ezra reacted immediately.

His right palm moved down.

Bam!

His palm caught Desmond’s knee before it could reach his ribs.

The impact pushed his arm slightly downward, but Ezra maintained his balance.

At the same time, Desmond still had hold of Ezra’s other hand.

Ezra twisted his left hand.

His wrist rotated, and his fingers shifted against Desmond’s grip.

The movement was small.

But it changed the position of their hands.

Ezra slipped his hand free.

Desmond’s grip opened.

Ezra immediately moved.

At almost the same time...

BAM!

Their palms struck each other.

Ezra’s left palm collided with Desmond’s right palm.

The impact produced a heavy sound that spread across the platform.

Both young Alchemists were forced backward.

One step.

Two steps.

They separated from each other.

Snow moved beneath their boots as they stopped.

The crowd exploded.

"WOOOOOOAH!"

"What was that?!"

"They’re fighting without Alchemies!"

"Did you see that movement?!"

The cheers became louder.

The hand-to-hand exchange between the two young Alchemists had caught everyone’s attention.

Even people who had been expecting Ezra to immediately bring out a firearm were now watching closely.

Desmond himself felt the thrill more than almost anyone in the crowd.

He slowly raised his head.

His crimson eyes seemed brighter.

Cognis continued flowing through his entire body.

His breathing remained steady.

A smile appeared on his face.

Ah...

This is the level of combat I always wanted.

His fingers flexed.

The muscles in his arms tightened.

His stance lowered again.

There was no longer any trace of the careless attitude he had shown before the match.

He was excited.

Not because the crowd was cheering.

Not because he wanted to prove something to the Duke Houses.

He was excited because Ezra was giving him exactly the kind of fight he had wanted.

"Let’s fight to our hearts’ content, Ezra Ashenlocke."

Desmond spoke with a calm, gentle voice.

Ezra remained in his stance.

His black plain eyes stayed fixed on Desmond.

The distance between them was only a few meters.

Around them, the Arena continued to roar.

But neither young Alchemist paid attention to it anymore.

For the moment, there was only one thing that mattered.

The opponent standing in front of them.