"I'll end this in a flash! I'm going to show your brothers just how pathetic you really are!"
Lunging forward the moment the signal was given, Isaac closed the distance to Yugo with the speed of a gale. He swung the sword in his right hand in a savage horizontal arc, a strike meant to cleave his opponent's torso in two. Yugo clicked his tongue, his heart hammering against his ribs in surprise.
(He's fast! Faster than I ever imagined!)
Barely a heartbeat had passed between Isaac stepping forward and catching Yugo within his reach. Caught off guard by Isaac’s terrifying agility, Yugo threw himself backward in a desperate leap, narrowly avoiding the opening blow.
A flicker of surprise crossed Isaac's face—he clearly hadn't expected Yugo to dodge—but his smug composure didn't waver for long. He pressed the advantage, chasing after the retreating Yugo to close the gap once more, unleashing a relentless flurry of strikes with his twin swords.
"Twin-sword Tempest! Let's see how long you can keep dancing! There! And there! Right there!!"
"Tch...!"
Isaac swung his blades at a speed that defied the naked eye, showering Yugo in a literal storm of steel. Yugo managed to stay alive by repeatedly leaping back just as he had before, but he was pinned firmly on the defensive. He had no room to breathe, let alone mount a counterattack.
As Fee and the others watched the lopsided battle with bated breath, Isaac let out a manic, high-pitched laugh.
"He... hihihi...! You know, this is the perfect chance to take Melt and Ann off your hands. If an 'unfortunate accident' leaves you crippled during this duel, they'll be free agents. After that, they'll be mine to play with. Honestly, Claire is such a sweetheart for bringing me even more harem members on top of herself!"
"I've been listening to you ramble about 'harem members' this whole time... but those girls aren't objects! Do you even realize what you're saying!?"
"You're the one who doesn't get it. Getting all worked up over a bunch of NPCs... Whatever. It's Game Over for you anyway. Look! Your time is up!"
"Wait—!?"
A heavy, dull thud vibrated through Yugo’s back. He gasped as he looked behind him, realizing he had been driven right up against the arena wall.
He saw the trap for what it was—Isaac had intentionally backed him into a corner where he could no longer dodge by retreating. Isaac broke his continuous flurry and crossed his arms, his blades gleaming.
"Now, it’s over! X-Slash!!"
"W-Whoa!?"
Using his explosive speed, Isaac unleashed a god-speed lunge with his blades crossed. He closed in on Yugo faster than the wind, his twin swords tracing a lethal 'X' through the air. A sharp, grating sound of metal on stone rang out as Isaac felt the resistance of something hard against his blades.
However, sensing that the texture wasn't the armor Yugo wore, Isaac gave a small snort. He spun around to face his opponent.
"Close, so close. I was just a step away from tearing that antique armor of yours to shreds!"
"Th-That was way too close... If I'd taken that head-on, 'pain' would be the least of my worries."
The moment the attack was unleashed, Yugo had instinctively vaulted high over Isaac’s head. He muttered to himself as he stared at the deep X-shaped gouge carved into the stone wall where his body had been a second ago. Even with the Blaster's defense and magic barriers, he wouldn't have escaped such a concentrated strike unscathed.
Fee and the others watched the exchange with their hearts in their throats.
"Isn't that guy way too strong!? Yugo's completely on the ropes!"
"His rapid-fire attacks are one thing, but the sheer power behind his finishers is insane. One clean hit and it's over."
"And that's the scary part. Isaac has been ending every duel with his very first strike. It’s a miracle Yugo even reacted to that last move, but does Isaac have even more speed and power in reserve...!?"
Though Yugo was being forced to defend, he was putting up a much better fight than any of Isaac's previous opponents. Isaac was a high-speed attacker who specialized in one-hit kills; dozens of students had been defeated at the start of their matches before they even realized the fight had begun.
Even so, the momentum was entirely in Isaac's favor. Unable to bear the sight of Yugo merely enduring the assault, Fee shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Brother! Use the Purple Armor! That should be able to withstand his twin swords!"
"No, that won't work. The Purple Armor is sturdy, sure, but it's way too heavy. I might be able to cut the damage, but I'd lose all my mobility. I'd never be able to counter, and he'd eventually just wear me down until I broke."
"No way...! Then what are we supposed to do!?"
Fee let out a groan of despair. At this rate, his brother was going to lose. But just as the weight of anxiety began to crush him, Yugo’s voice cut through the air.
"Don't worry, Fee. I told you before, didn't I? As long as you believe in me, I'll never lose. So just stay back and watch."
"But, Brother—!"
"It's fine. I've already figured out this guy's weakness. I'm going to prove it right now."
"...Huh?"
Not just Fee, but Melt and everyone else watching were stunned. Because Yugo had said it so casually, it took a moment for the claim to sink in.
What could he have possibly seen while being pushed to the brink? Was it just a bluff to stop Fee from worrying, or had he truly found a flaw in that god-like speed?
"Heeh? You found my weakness? Well, if that's true, I'd love to hear it. You know, for future reference."
"Sure, why not? If I had to name one for starters—"
Yugo remained entirely unfazed by Isaac's mocking, arrogant tone. He paused for a heartbeat as if considering the question, then pointed a finger straight at Isaac.
"—You have a zero-point-one-second opening!"