The sparring continued after Hare and Prinz, with Bruce stepping onto the mat against Eliches. It went about as expected—Bruce, all brawn and no finesse, charged in like an angry bull, and Eliches sidestepped him with a bored expression, effortlessly redirecting his momentum and sending him sprawling onto the floor.
It was over in seconds.
Bruce groaned from the ground, rubbing his back. "You're just too strong, Lionheart."
Eliches chuckled, extending a hand to help him up. "Nah, you're just too big. Easiest target in the room."
Bruce grumbled, accepting his fate.
As for Muetaki… well, his match was over before it even started. His opponent, a smaller, scrawny student, took one look at him and immediately backed out, hands raised in surrender. The instructor barely had time to blink before marking it as a forfeit.
Muetaki sighed. "…"
And then—
"Alright, next up—Yulli and Lawlet. Please step onto the mat."
Yulli blinked. "Wait, am I fighting Lawlet?" He turned to look at his opponent, but Lawlet just smiled.
"Shall we?"
There was something off about that smile.
Yulli stood up with a wary expression, stretching his shoulders as he walked toward the mat. Lawlet followed, hands casually tucked into his pockets as if he wasn't about to fight in front of the entire class.
They stood across from each other.
"Are you two ready?"
Both nodded.
From the sidelines, Rio crossed her arms, watching closely. "Well, Yulli, this will show if my training actually stuck with you."
"Then… begin!"
Neither moved.
Unlike the previous matches, where people charged in immediately, both Yulli and Lawlet stayed put, watching each other carefully.
Yulli swallowed. "Okay, don't rush in. Observe first, act second. Rio drilled that into my head. But… I know next to nothing about Lawlet. He barely talks about himself, and the only thing I do know is that he asked that dumb question in class once…"
Lawlet tilted his head. "Not making the first move? Then don't mind if I do."
Then he vanished.
At least, that's what it felt like.
Yulli's eyes barely registered the movement before Lawlet was already up in his face, swinging a quick jab toward his gut. Yulli twisted his body just in time, narrowly avoiding the hit.
"HE'S FAST."
But Lawlet wasn't done. He kept up the assault, each strike coming in rapid succession, forcing Yulli to evade again and again. It was like trying to dodge raindrops in a storm—no openings, no wasted movement.
Yulli gritted his teeth. "My eyes are barely keeping up…!"
Meanwhile, from the sidelines, Roaches watched with keen interest. He stroked his chin. "Lawlet… On paper, there's nothing particularly remarkable about him. No overwhelming strength, no devastating techniques. But if there's one thing that stands out…"
His eyes narrowed as Lawlet blurred across the mat, his movements fluid and unpredictable.
"He's by far the fastest in the class."
The match was far from over.
"Got you!"
Before Yulli could even react, Lawlet had slipped behind him, arms wrapping around his waist in a tight grip.
"Since when was he behind me?!"
His thoughts barely had time to catch up before Lawlet hoisted him off the ground, preparing for a brutal suplex.
But Yulli wasn't going down that easily.
With sheer instinct, he latched onto Lawlet's arm, forcing his grip lower. His feet barely touched the mat before he twisted his body, slipping out of Lawlet's hold with a well-timed sidestep, putting just enough distance between them.
From the sidelines, Rio smirked. "Oh ho, you managed to block that, Yulli. Impressive."
Yulli panted, sweat dripping down his forehead. That was close. If Rio hadn't taught me that, I'd already be flat on my back.
Lawlet grinned, barely winded. "You look exhausted, Yulli. Need a break?"
Yulli took a deep breath and straightened up. "Not really. Is that the best you got?"
Lawlet's grin widened. "Provoking me, eh? Alright then. Let's see if you can keep up."
And then—he disappeared again.
A blur of movement, a gust of wind—before Yulli even registered what was happening, Lawlet was already in his face, unleashing another lightning-fast barrage of attacks.
But this time, Yulli was ready.
He didn't try to dodge everything—he couldn't. Instead, he focused on minimizing the damage, letting a few hits land on his arms and shoulders while keeping his footing. His strategy was simple: Conserve energy. Wait for an opening.
Lawlet was fast—absurdly so—but speed came at a cost. Even he had limits.
And soon enough, Yulli started to notice the difference.
The attacks were still rapid, but not as sharp. The flurry of blows was still relentless, but there were brief, almost imperceptible pauses between them.
He's slowing down…!
Yulli clenched his fists. This was his moment.
The second Lawlet hesitated between strikes, Yulli shot his hand forward, grabbing onto Lawlet's wrist.
The class erupted in shouts.
"Whoa! He caught him!"
"No way—!"
"Wait—what is he—"
With a sharp twist, Yulli shifted his weight and pulled Lawlet off-balance, locking his opponent's arm in place.
A joint lock.
Lawlet's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this.
"A joint lock?!" Hare blurted out. "Since when did Yulli know how to do that?!"
Eliches whistled. "He's full of surprises, huh?"
Lawlet struggled against the hold, but Yulli kept his grip firm. The pain was evident on Lawlet's face, and for a second, Yulli thought he had him.
Come on, tap out already…!
But Lawlet didn't tap.
Instead, he exhaled sharply.
And then—his entire arm infused with mana
A sinking feeling settled in Yulli's stomach.
"Wait—"
Before he could process what was happening, Lawlet's muscles tensed, his mana flaring as reinforcement spread across his body.
With sheer strength alone, he stood up—lifting Yulli along with him.
Yulli's heart dropped.
"Oh, come on! How does he still have the energy to—?!"
Before he could finish that thought, Lawlet shifted his weight—
And slammed Yulli straight into the mat.
Hard.
"AUGH—!"
The impact sent a shockwave through Yulli's spine, leaving him sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
The crowd erupted.
"Damn! He actually pulled it off!"
"That was brutal!"
"Lawlet wins!" the instructor declared.
The class cheered, some in awe, others just enjoying the show.
From the ground, Yulli groaned. "Kill me."
Lawlet, now standing over him, reached out a hand. "Well, I gotta admit, Yulli—you actually had me there. I didn't think you'd pull something like that."
Yulli grumbled, grabbing his hand and pulling himself up. "Yeah, yeah."
Lawlet grinned. "Honestly? I was trying to beat you without using my mana. Thought my speed would be enough. Turns out I was wrong."
"Right…" Yulli muttered, still very much in pain.
Rio, still smirking from the sidelines, crossed her arms. "Well, you lost, but hey—you made him take you seriously. That's progress."
Yulli just groaned again, dramatically flopping back onto the mat. "Wake me up when class is over."