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[Ruby's POV]

After some few exchanges of attacks with Raven, I can't help but smile at his actions.

I was just suppose to be blocking and to counter from time to time.

So I tried to block his kick using the blade of my sword so he can realize that even by blocking, you can deal damages to your opponent.

But Raven quickly responded to that by using a weird artifact, and above that, he managed to counter using the same artifact, and that counter made me took a step back.

I know I'm going easy on him, but that's still impressive.

"You're really awesome."

I said looking at Raven with amusement.

He regained his stance and smiled at me.

"I know."

After his words, he grew a pair of majestic black wings again.

"it's so beautiful no matter how many times I see it."

I mumbled looking at the wings, it's enticing.

Though I can't admire it for long and Raven already rushed at me.

For some, Raven may look like a bubble that disappeared in thin air, but for me, an <S> rank hero, I can follow his movements easily, given that Raven is just an <F+> rank.

I can see him rushing at me, he was now holding his gun to his left hand and a dagger to his right.

Arriving in front of me, Raven slashed his dagger downwards with all of his might.

Raising my sword, I blocked it.

TINGGG!

Like he predicted that his attack will be blocked, Raven immediately placed his left hand with the gun on the top of his right hand.

The gun's muzzle is directly pointed at my head, but I didn't panic. Instead, I created a mana shield in front of the gun.

Raven smiled upon seeing the mana barrier.

It made me frown.

'What's wrong with him?'

"Hm?"

As I was thinking, I felt something grabbed my sword.

Looking at it, Raven's right hand was tightly holding the blade of my sword.

It's like he was trying to break it.

'It's no use, you can't break my sword even though it's normal, it's covered in my mana.'

I scoffed at Raven's action in my mind.

Then I saw Raven opening his mouth.

Everything around us is moving slowly.

But it's actually not, we're just moving fast, I'm faster than Raven so I can see his moves slowly.

"<De...vour>"

Raven muttered, I was confused at what did he said that for, but it didn't take me long to know the answer.

Something black coming from Raven's ring in his right hand engulfed my sword.

I don't know what is it but I know it's not a good thing for me, so I was about to retrieve my sword from Raven's grasp, but a black mana suddenly wrapped both of my arms.

My eyes widened.

It didn't took me long to know it's Raven's mana and he casted a magic on me, it's a simple support magic, <Bind>.

'When?!'

I asked inwardly my head, I didn't notice Raven's magic, I didn't even notice his mana because it's so calm and silent.

The magic actually didn't do anything to me, instead it's the shock from not noticing Raven's magic that halted my movements for a second.

But at that second, the mana that's covering my sword, disappeared.

No, it was swallowed along with the mana shield in front of Raven's gun.

Crack-

Then a crack appeared on my sword.

Crash–

And almost at the same time, the blade of my sword broke.

Bang!

Raven, not wanting me to give time, pulled his trigger in advance and timed it to the time my mana shield and sword broke.

I frowned. While not removing my feet where they're positioned, I violently leaned backwards and did a gymnast move called 'bridge'.

My palms landed on the floor and I'm on my all four.

The bullet passed where my head's former location.

While still on the same position, I kicked upwards toward Raven's chin with my left leg.

Bam!

Upon the contact of my kick to Raven, his body shot up in the air.

I used my kick's momentum and did a back flip to regain my balance quickly.

But strangely I didn't hear anything falling, because of that my brows knitted together again.

Looking up, I saw Raven messaging his chin.

Raven's wings are flapping, keeping him in the air few tens of meter above the ground.

"That hurts as fuck."

Raven complained.

"How?"

I muttered, I put enough strength to make Raven pass out to that kick.

Looking closely at Raven's chin, there's something black covering it, it's like a part of a battle suit.

I unconsciously smiled realizing he blocked my kick too.

"You're really interesting!"

I exclaimed and jumped at Raven in a terrifying speed.

I saw Raven's eyes widened.

I immediately arrived in front of him, then I threw a punch toward Raven's stomach using my left hand.

"<Weaken>!"

Raven shouted and a magic circle appeared on his hand, after that, I felt my strength lessen a little, but I didn't stop.

Bam-!

When I punched Raven's stomach, I felt something hard protecting it.

Raven grabbed my left arm immediately with both of his arms.

Then his fingernails that is covered in mana bacame longer and sharper, it didn't dug in to my skin but Raven is clutching on me pretty tightly.

As we started to fall to the ground, Raven's wings transformed!

One of the wing reformed into a chain and wrapped my right hand.

And the other wing split into 5 and formed into blades.

It's all connected on Raven's back.

Bang!

Then both of us fell on the surface, neither of us took damage from it.

Glaring at me, the blades on Raven's back slashed toward me

Ting!

Then it collided to the mana shields I created.

But the blades are continuously attacking me.

Clang!

Again.

Clash!

And again.

It was nonstop.

The blades stabs and slashes one after another.

I tried brushing off Raven that is clutching on my left hand, but he's holding tightly.

Strangely enough, my right hand was restrained by the chain, I can break free by sending it mana, but because of Raven's barrage of attacks, I couldn't.

I can't kick Raven as he's is too close to me.

Raven's expression was intense like he does not plan to give me time at all.

With how this is going, I'm confident that I'll still win. I know that Raven is continuously spending mana to use his weird artifact of his.

So his attacks will soon stop.

'But I want to play with him a little.'

With that in mind, I smiled mischievously.

"It's a good strategy."

I said.

"But, how will you stop this?"

Following my words, the mana around us trembled, and a magic circle appeared below me.

I was casting a 4th tier magic.

'I may not be able to use magics actively, but I can cast up to 5th tier of water and ice magics.'

Raven's expression crumbled, then he started thinking with a deep frown.

I smiled at this sight and started to chant.

4th tier magics and above requires chants, mages can shorten chants, but I'm a swordwoman.

Soon the mana surrounding me turned into a water.

"<Water that is needed by everyone, form into a spear and break through anything>"

I was in the last phase of the chant when Raven looked at me straight in the face seriously.

"<Hydro–hmp!"

As I was about to say the last word of the chant, I stopped, no, I was stopped, I was unable to finish the chant.

To stop me from finishing my chant, Raven sealed my lips.

Using his lips.

My eyes widened, then my face grew red and hot.

'My first.'

I thought.

My body moved on it's own, forgetting that I was supposed to be holding back, my mana suddenly burst, I freed my right hand to the chain restricting it.

And immediately grabbed Raven's right hand and thew him to the wall.

Boom!

"Argh!"

Debris scattered around as Raven slammed on the wall.

"Ah..."

Realizing what I did, a small surprised voice escaped from my mouth, then I immediately ran toward Raven.

---[Raven's POV]---

"Argh, shit."

I cursed as I stand up, after being slammed on the wall, my whole body aches.

I only recieved 3 attacks but I'm already dizzy.

Luckily I blocked the first and second attack, by using [Celestria].

Once I regained my balance, holding on my head, I saw Ruby walking my way, it didn't take long for her to arrive in front of me.

"Are you okay?"

She asked worriedly.

"No, I just got slammed on the fucking wall."

I said while frowning and pointing at the wall I slammed into, several cracks can be seen indicating how strong I was slammed on it.

"Well, it's because of you! That..."

Ruby exclaimed and didn't finish his sentence.

I adverted my gaze away from her and scratched the back of my head.

"Well, who the hell was supposed to be just defending but started to attack aggressively, and even tried to use a 4th tier magic on a student that was not admitted not long ago."

I sarcastically said.

Ruby frowned.

"But that was my first kiss."

She muttered. When I heard that I frowned too.

"What? You're not believing me?"

Ruby asked me in an angry tone.

"No, I believe you."

Even though a lot of beaus are trying to court Ruby, she never had a lover, so even though she acts and looks experienced about relationships, she's not, she's a pure maiden inside that believes in fateful encounters.

That's how I remember her character in my novel.

"Then why are you frowning?"

Ruby asked.

"Because, I'm annoyed at myself for doing that, sorry."

I apologized.

Ruby calmed down and looked away.

'Is she pouting?'

Well she's cute.

"Yeah, why did you do that, you should've just recieve the magic."

Ruby said.

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

I replied.

Ruby opened her mouth to rebut, but before her voice come out, I talked again.

"I need to go to classes today, what do you think will happen if I receive a 4th tier magic?"

I said while shrugging my shoulders. Worst case, I'll be hospitalize for a week.

"And, there's somewhere I need to go."

I added.

"Where are you going?"

Ruby asked.

"It's a secret, so can you get me a permission to leave?"

Today is Wednesday, and It'll take for about 4 days where I'm going, so I need to be on my tiptop shape.

Also this is my only chance to go to that place.

There's no second time.

"I can get you one but I'll say it's for training."

Ruby said.

"It's fine, I'll do it anyway to get stronger."

Ruby nodded after hearing my words.

"I'll get it for you after classes. Anyway, today is the first day I'm gonna teach your class, so let's go."

I nodded. I don't think I can afford to fight her now as my body still hurts a little even after using a potion.

"Yeah, let's go."

But as we were walking, I stopped and looked at Ruby.

"What? Is there something you want to say?"

I looked at her for a while then made up my mind.

"When I return, teach me how to use a sword."

I said with a serious face.

I don't have infinite bullet so I need to learn close quarter combat style, using a dagger is nice and all but it have shorter range than a sword, and I can't really think that I can one-hand a spear and use the other hand for the [Nyx].

It will also make it harder for me to use magic.

And self learning is a bad idea as all you can find in books and internet about using a sword are just the basics, that's why I asked for Ruby as we are already acquaintance with each other and she's ridiculously strong.

At my words Ruby's eyes widened and she remained motionless for a while. Then she smiled like she found a new toy.

She didn't reply but I know she will teach me.

With that, we went to the classroom.

***

[Alec's POV]

It's 10:28 A.M, but Raven is still not in the classroom.

He was taken yesterday by Miss Ruby when we were all studying in the library.

But I didn't see Raven this morning, normally he would go to the training grounds drenched in sweats, but today he didn't.

Blake who's dorm is just beside Raven said that Raven didn't come back to his dorm, Raven also didn't run all over the academy today.

'Maybe he took a break from training.'

Just as I thought of that. 2 people came in the classroom.

It was Raven along with Miss Ruby.

"Oh, he's with Miss Ruby huh."

Blake who was sitting one seat away from me said. He was reserving Raven's seat in the middle of us.

"Does that bastard have all the luck with girls?"

Curtis, who is sitting behind our seats with his goons muttered, he was showing his frustrations and annoyance to Raven openly.

It's not just Curtis, almost all boys are showing this kind of emotions toward Raven.

I scratched the back of my head.

"He's not popular in boys huh."

I said in a low voice. I'm lying if I said that I'm not jelous even the slightest to Raven.

Who wouldn't? He have 2 beauties all by himself.

But Raven is my friend so I didn't harbor any bad feelings.

He may not consider me as a friend, but I consider him as my friend.

"The boys are like that because Raven is popular with girls."

Snapping me from my thoughts was Adelle's words.

Looking at her.

"He's popular with girls?"

I asked, at my question, Blake and Curtis also looked at Adelle with a slight surprised expression.

Actually, even Aoi and Eve who are talking to each other, shifted their attention to Adelle.

"Duh, look around the classroom."

At Adelle's words, we looked around.

We can see some of the girls looking at Raven while blushing.

"This is bullshit."

Curtis said, he's shocked and annoyed, now his hatred toward Raven grew.

The boys who heard Adelle and also took a look around were intensely glaring at Raven.

Raven who is in the front of the classroom felt the gazes, he looked at the whole class, and smirked and then shrugged his shoulders.

This boosted the hatred of the boys.

While the girls blushed harder.

"I really like that side of him."

Adelle said looking at Raven.

"What happened to you?"

Aoi asked Adelle with a worried voice. Adelle ignored her.

"Really? No matter how I look at him, he looks stupid."

Eve said without changing her expression.

"He's unexpectedly popular huh."

I said with an awkward smile.