Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

402 Chapter 91.10 - Duels [2]

Not a pathetic display like that guy's, but a real illusion blade.

In the world of Hunters, everything was possible. This was the first thing a parent taught them.

There could be some restrictions made by the world, but eventually, to know about those restrictions, one needs to have information.

That information was hard to come by. Especially the more one climbed over the ranks.

The stronger a Hunter was, the harder it became to get a hold of information over them. Those who know about that information would either die or reveal their own strengths.

This was the first thing that Julia and Lucas were taught. They both were made aware of the importance of this fact.

The disorienting effect of the illusions was immediate.

Julia spun around, doing her best to try to locate the real Damien, but it was impossible.

Each reflection moved in perfect synchronization, creating an overwhelming sense of confusion.

She tightened her grip on her sword, her breathing steady despite the disorienting illusion. "You think this will stop me?" she shouted, her voice defiant.

In a way, this was her own way of strengthening her own mentality. Someone's words didn't need to be directed to others.

–THUMP! But her bravado was met with silence, the only sound being her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.

–SWOOSH! Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in her leg. She gasped, glancing down to see a thin line of blood seeping through her pants. The cut was shallow but precise, a testament to Damien's skill. He had struck without her even seeing him move.

"Did you feel that?" Damien's voice taunted from all around her. "In this realm, you won't see or hear me coming. Every step you take could be your last."

Julia gritted her teeth, the pain sharpening her focus. She had to stay calm and think strategically.

Something about you was always different, wasn't it? You always had a fast response. Is it related to your body?

Damien continued, his voice coming from all sides. He was smart. It was evident that he figured it out.

Well, that was natural. There were two times when they had faced each other before.

First, when they were 12 years old.

Sword Parade.

A tournament that she had won, beating Damien and Lucas.

At that time, she remembered how easy it was to beat Damien. Even Lucas was stronger than them.

But in the second one, when they were 13 years old.

The winner was Damien.

And that was the last time he had attended the Sword Parade. After that, he has continued to move forward with better achievements.

I hadn't forgotten about that loss.

Her enhanced reflexes were her greatest asset, but they were useless if she couldn't see her opponent.

It was evident that this move was solely created against people like her.

How is it? Do you like it?

Damien continued to taunt, his voice dripping with condescension.

Another cut, this time on her side. She winced, trying to block the attack, but her sword met only empty air again. She was getting frustrated, her anger bubbling beneath the surface.

"Damien!" she shouted, her voice filled with defiance and frustration. "You think these tricks will save you?"

At the end of the day, the Middleton family is only suited for the beasts. Beasts against beasts is certainly a fitting arrangement.

The words hit her like a physical blow. She had heard similar taunts before, people mocking her demeanor and her fierce attitude. But this was different. It was personal.

Realm of Dreams was indeed a perfect move against her, but she wasn't going to give up. Not now.

Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through her chest. Damien's blade had cut through her clothing, leaving a shallow but humiliating mark. The cold air stung against her bare skin, the cut a stark reminder of her vulnerability.

The crowd gasped, their shock palpable. Julia's vision blurred with rage, her mind flashing back to all the times she had been mocked as a beast. The memories of being treated as less than human, of being seen as nothing more than a wild animal, flooded her senses.

She hated it. She hated every bit of it.

A deep, primal roar echoed in her mind, awakening a trait she rarely acknowledged.

Her lineage, her bloodline, it was coursing through her blood. But at the same time, something differed her from others.

The weird trait she had always been something of a mystery,

But in moments like this, she felt it coursing through her veins.

[White Tiger*] – a trait that had appeared on her status window. Different from her family members, it was a weird trait that she had alongside her family's traits.

It heightened her senses, increased her strength, and gave her a ferocity that was unmatched. But it also brought with it a wildness of her own thoughts.

A double-edged blade.

She hated this trait more than anything else when she was a child since she acted differently. It came with a lot of need for care. She needed to quench her thirst for fighting randomly.

She felt the urge to fight and push herself, and it came at any time.

T-t-t-t-t-….You are really growling like a beast, aren't you?

As she was getting pushed by him and heard his words, Julia suddenly remembered something. While her wounds hurt, the pain in her chest made her remember a certain memory.

A memory of a time when a certain white-haired woman had cut the same place, and she spoke to her.

"Little sister. No matter what, you must never hate yourself. Only by accepting your own self can you move forward."

Those words came from the traitor, the person her family exiled. But she still remembered the smile she gave her. At that time, she didn't understand it, but now, as she felt her own emotions, Julia realized what she had meant back then.

'As if you knew I would come into this.'

As she realized, she thought about things differently. Why must she be like others? If this is how she was meant to be, why refuse it?

Seeing it like that, she realized the restrictions she was putting on herself.

What were senses? What did those mean? Did her trait [White Tiger*] only amplify her five senses, or was there something else?

Then she realized how narrow-minded she was.

This world contained more information than one's eyes, ears, nose, skin, or tongue could sense.

Mana imprints.

Intents.

Thoughts.

Concepts.

Aura.

Everything was included in this world. In such a place where these types of things existed, how narrowminded would it be if she only copied how a normal animal could feel the world?

If things were that simple, how could those monsters from dungeons be this threatening against all these hunters?

Wasn't there a reason why the Middleton Family was better at dealing with monsters and not the Arkwrights?

'Right. I was not even using it to the full extent.' Taking a deep breath, Julia closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the power of the [White Tiger] fully.

She let go of her fear and embraced the wildness within her. She felt her senses expand, not just heightening her sight and hearing but also giving her an intuitive understanding of her surroundings.

It was as if she was connected to nature, to the world itself.

She could feel the vibrations in the ground, the shifts in the air, and the faintest hints of movement. Her mind was clear, her focus sharp.

Those things, which were mere illusions, felt like they couldn't disturb her senses.

She felt like a sphere was being formed around her. A sphere with a radius of five meters. And right at the surface of that sphere, she suddenly 'felt' something.

A presence.

'Here.'

She could sense it.

SWOOSH!

Damien moved to strike again, confident in his victory. But this time, Julia was ready. She sensed his approach and felt the minute changes in the air around her. She sidestepped his attack with fluid grace, her movements precise and calculated.

"You think you can mock me? Treat me like a beast?" Julia's voice was calm, but it held an edge of something fierce and untamed. "I'll show you the strength of a true Middleton."

Julia's newfound awareness of her surroundings gave her a brief advantage, allowing her to sidestep Damien's attack with fluid grace. She felt every shift in the air, every vibration in the ground, and knew exactly where her opponent was. But as the moments passed, she realized that relying solely on her [White Tiger] trait made her feel no different from a beast, a creature reacting to its environment.

She was more than that. She was a swordsman. She resonated with the sword and held it as an extension of herself.

A swordsman is what she was.

CLANK! Damien recovered quickly from his missed strike, his eyes narrowing as he realized Julia had adapted to his illusions. He swung his blade again, but Julia was ready, parrying the blow with a precision that left him momentarily off balance.

But she needed more. Just sensing her opponent wasn't enough. She needed to incorporate her heightened senses into her swordsmanship to create something uniquely her own.

As Damien pressed his attack, Julia's mind raced. She thought about her family's techniques, the principles behind them, and how she could merge them with her own abilities. She let go of the idea of copying others and instead focused on creating something new, something that belonged to her alone.

Damien's blade came at her again, and Julia met it with her own, their swords clashing with a resounding clang. But this time, she didn't just react; she anticipated. She could feel the intent behind his strikes and sense the rhythm of his movements. It was as if she was reading his mind through the connection of their swords.

Julia closed her eyes, drawing on the energy within her, letting it flow through her body and into her blade. She envisioned her technique, a synthesis of the Middleton Family's raw power and her own refined precision.

"Damien," she called out, her voice steady and confident. "You're about to witness something new."

Damien sneered, not understanding the shift in her demeanor. "Empty words won't save you, Middleton."

Julia smiled, a fierce determination lighting up her eyes. She took a deep breath, centering herself, and then she moved.

Her sword flashed in the dim light, moving faster than before, guided by an innate understanding of her surroundings and her opponent. She called upon the essence of the [White Tiger], but not just as a wild beast. She fused it with her swordsman's discipline, creating a harmony between instinct and skill.

「Sword of Middleton: Tiger's Resonance」

The technique was a blend of raw power and precise control; each strike was imbued with the ferocity of a tiger and the precision of a master swordsman. Julia's movements were fluid yet powerful, her blade cutting through the air with a grace that was both beautiful and deadly.

Damien's eyes widened as he struggled to keep up. Each time he thought he had a read on her attack, Julia's blade was already moving to the next position, guided by her heightened senses and her newfound technique.

"You can't keep up, can you?" Julia taunted, her confidence growing with each successful strike.

Damien's expression shifted, a smile creeping onto his lips despite the pressure he was under. "You're really strong, Middleton. A worthy opponent indeed. But it seems you've failed to measure your limits."

As he spoke, Julia's heart suddenly throbbed inside her chest, a sharp pain radiating through her body. She gasped, her confident demeanor faltering as she fell to one knee, struggling to fight against the pain.

Damien stepped back, his smile widening as he saw her distress. "You may be able to see everything and sense everything, but at the end of the day, a beast can never achieve more than what its body permits. This is what differentiates a beast from a human."

After all, she had forgotten one thing. Her body was not like a strong monster's. It was a human body, and it had limitations.

His words stung, but there was a certain glint in Damien's eyes, a flicker of fear masked by his taunts. He felt threatened by Julia's prowess, recognizing her potential despite his harsh words.

Julia gritted her teeth, her hand clutching her chest as she fought to stay upright. The pain was excruciating, but she refused to give in. She wouldn't let Damien's words break her spirit.

"You… don't understand…," she panted, her voice strained. "I'm not… just a beast…."

Damien's smile faltered slightly as he saw the determination still burning in her eyes. He knew he had underestimated her resilience, and it made him uneasy.

"You can't win if your body fails you, Middleton," he sneered, but there was an edge of uncertainty in his voice. "Yield. At least while you can stand."

However, reality was often disappointing like this and there was nothing Julia could do about it.

"….."

Yet she didn't yield, only to fall unconscious.

THUD! At that exact moment, she failed to realize it, but there was one thing that changed inside her.

Her trait [White Tiger] had evolved into another one.

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[Báihǔ] – Legendary Grade.

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