NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78: Against the Five
Hayden then forced his breathing to steady.
As he did this, he sensed Enemy D's sword coming at him…
'You don't want me to take a rest, but your move is predictable.' Hayden sidestepped at the last second and used his knee to drive into his enemy's gut!
Oof.
Enemy D folded!
Hayden had surprised them just now with his increased speed. After all, he finally used his Aura to increase his speed. He did this by controlling his Aura on his feet. Something that Aura Users who had just awakened them shouldn't be capable of doing so in just a few days.
Then, at this time, Enemy B who had finally recovered attacked. He wanted to take Hayden down to the ground.
'Too slow.' Hayden ducked, then rammed his shoulder into his sternum.
Crunch.
Enemy B staggered back as he underestimated Hayden's speed just now.
"Don't underestimate the kid… Headmaster Mensa had been training him… Probably for years already. Use movements that hadn't been taught in the Academy so you won't be predicted." Enemy E said and he made sure that Hayden heard.
It could be a way to disrupt Hayden's plan but he didn't care.
Hayden continued to use the whole room to his advantage. He was constantly moving and avoided getting encircled… This way, even if he had five enemies he had to deal with, he would only have to fight one or two at the same time.
This way, Hayden was able to control the situation and the battle had already lasted for more than 15 minutes or so!
'I actually lasted this long even if I'm blindfolded… This Aura thing is awesome.' Hayden thought as he fully immersed himself…
But this time, Hayden felt the flicker—the split-second hesitation before the real strike. He intercepted the wrist that was about to grab his neck, yanked them off-balance, and swept their legs.
Thud.
Enemy A was down and he wouldn't be able to stand up for quite some time. However, Enemy E moved swiftly and almost hit Hayden's shoulder…
'They're being considerate… But I won't.' Hayden thought.
As soon as Enemy E attacked again, he caught the dagger hand, twisted—
Snap. A training blade clattered to the floor!
This was definitely a move that he would use in his previous life when dealing with people with knives… The move was so swift and practiced that even the Headmaster squinted as he felt that Hayden was too good at this.
'Just what kind of training did the Gray Family put on this kid.' Mensa thought as he watched Hayden's movements.
He could only guess that Hayden had been training in their manor together with various types of warriors. After all, aside from basic sword stances, foot technique, and others, the Academy didn't teach many of Hayden's movements, especially the martial arts he was using.
As Mensa thought of this, he saw the others pounced on Hayden all at the same time.
Hayden was able to evade the three others but one of them was able to catch him.
They grappled for a moment before Hayden felt the fingers of his enemy locking around his throat.
But Hayden had a way to deal with this situation…
He leaned into the grip, then slammed his forehead forward.
Thud!
Crack. Nose met skull and obviously, Hayden's skull was stronger.
The grip loosened as the enemy felt the pain.
Hayden then used his knee to deal with him—
"Guh—!"
Just like that, the enemy crumpled in pain...
Clap!
"Alright… That's enough…" Mensa said as he clapped his hand. He had already seen enough and although he could see that the students he hired still wanted to have a go and at least break one of Hayden's arms, he knew that Hayden would just hurt them more.
"Your mission was to train with him for two hours but I will end it now. You will still receive the same Dawn Points. Don't worry." Mensa said and it comforted the five students at the very least.
After all, training with Hayden hurts a lot.
"Hayden, you can remove your blindfold. From now on, you will train with them for at least an hour every day."
Hayden could only nod at this as he tore off the blindfold…
Soon, he saw his five senior squires lay scattered around him—one clutching their stomach, another spitting blood, a third groaning into the stone.
They may be in pain but none of them were seriously injured. As long as they have an aura within their bodies, it would just be a matter of time before they recover. Perhaps 10 to 15 minutes was more than enough.
Mensa, on the other hand, stood by the door.
"It's satisfactory, Hayden…" He simply said—but his eyes were definitely showing something deeper. Approval.
Mensa definitely liked Hayden's performance and he couldn't hide it completely.
Hayden grinned and thanked the Headmaster… Soon, he also sat on the floor as he finally felt the exhaustion after straining his body and mind.
Using his heightened awareness constantly was truly draining. Nonetheless, he knew that the training was really working.
"Headmaster, you mentioned that Captain Rygar Stormcrest's personal squire will arrive next week… However, he will only challenge me before the day of the competition… Can you tell me about this person?" Hayden suddenly asked as he rested.
He wanted to at least plan some countermeasure against him.
After all, the Headmaster was pitting him against a 15-year-old. Although he was mentally older, his physique was not.
At this time, the five students perked up as they heard Rygar Stormcrest's name.
They finally realized why Hayden was training hard, he was actually about to face an older squire, and seemed to be an important event.
"Oh… That kid…" Mensa said as he rubbed his growing beard while thinking of an answer.
"His squire was called Laxus if I'm not mistaken. He's pretty good but as long as you train hard you can beat him." Mensa said.
However, Hayden was not satisfied.
"That's all?"
"Well… He's fast. I heard that whenever he drew his sword, a head would roll. It was called the Quick Draw Sword Technique. Something the Stormcrest House was good at."
After saying this, Mensa then turned to leave.
"Tomorrow, we do it with real swords. Clean the room before you leave…"
Just like that, Hayden's grin vanished.
The training had only just begun.