348: The Outcome of the Duel ⑥ (Allen)

I was naive.

I hadn't known. I hadn't understood. I just didn't see it.

I had no idea that the teacher who was always so kind and reliable was actually such a monster.

"Allen, you're strong. You've got the drive, too," Darius said. "But you don't know what a real battlefield is like. I know your background, and my heart aches for the tragedies you've faced. But on a real battlefield, there isn't any time to be crushed by sorrow. You have no choice but to grit your teeth and just keep living. The reason Milk and I look like we're having fun is because doing that is the secret to strength—it's how we keep our sanity. That’s why Milk told you to enjoy yourself; it came from that experience."

Darius swatted down the attacks Duke unleashed head-on. He smashed through every trap Shari laid with nothing but sheer, brute force.

I used Copy to unleash every single attack in my arsenal.

I truly put everything I had into it.

And yet, he swatted it all aside.

I was almost entirely out of mana. The only reason I was still clinging to life was because those two had protected me.

"…How are we supposed to beat someone like you?" I asked.

"Heh, I don't hate that greed of yours, Allen. Getting strong isn't easy. There’s a limit to how much I can teach you by holding your hand, and there are plenty of things that just can't be put into words. But the one thing they all have in common is never giving up. I’ve tasted defeat more times than I can count. You have, too, right? No one keeps winning forever. It only looks that way from the outside."

I squeezed out every last drop of my remaining strength and charged.

Senior Eva’s power was staggeringly immense. It was thanks to her that I’d managed to defeat even someone like Senior Neil.