My Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System-Chapter 160 Guldy Versus Maroon

On the giant screen, two names appeared:

Guldy Heisenberg (Rank 347) vs. Maroon Velsingsky (Rank 346)

Their three-dimensional avatars rotated slowly, showcasing their profiles and combat stats beneath their names.

The crowd erupted into cheers — everyone anticipated a fierce duel between these two close-ranked contenders.

Both youths stepped onto the first battle stage where a senior teacher awaited them.

Guldy Heisenberg was a tall, broad-shouldered youth wielding a brutal-looking baseball bat wrapped in chains of nails.

Maroon Velsingsky, in contrast, had a lean but athletic build. Two curved daggers glinted in his hands — he was clearly of the agility type.

Their referee, James Sweller, raised his hand.

"You know the rules," he said firmly. "Give each other space. Bow and touch fists."

They did as instructed, fists bumping briefly before stepping back.

"Begin!"

At once, both fighters flared their mana. Guldy swung his nail-studded bat with a roar, while Maroon's daggers shimmered with sharp blue aura.

The weapons clashed with a deafening metallic clang. Sparks burst across the stage as the crowd gasped.

On the enormous screens, the audience could see every strike — every grimace, every spark.

The fighters exchanged rapid blows, their movements sharp and precise. Both clearly mastered the fundamentals of their respective martial arts.

Guldy relied on raw strength, using his heavy bat to crush through Maroon's guard.

Maroon countered with speed, twisting and sliding out of reach, his daggers flashing like lightning.

They broke apart after a fierce exchange. Guldy smirked.

"Your footwork's not bad, kid. But let's see how you handle this!"

He swiftly wove a series of hand seals and slammed his bat onto the concrete floor.

"Nail of Truth!"

Dozens of metallic nails burst upward from the ground beneath Maroon's feet.

The crowd gasped.

Maroon's instincts screamed danger — he flipped backward just in time, the nails barely grazing the soles of his boots.

"Nice reflex," Guldy said with a grin. "But I'm not done yet! Nail of Truth—Second Strike!"

He swung his bat through the air, and this time, glowing green nails materialized above, raining down like deadly arrows.

Maroon dodged frantically, his movements blurring — but two nails tore across his arm and back.

Slash!

Blood sprayed across the white arena floor.

The audience roared in excitement as the first blood of the tournament was drawn.

Guldy threw back his head and laughed, his voice booming.

"Yeah! How's that taste, Maroon? That's my Nail of Truth! Feels honest enough, doesn't it?"

But his taunt didn't land.

Maroon sneered. "You think that's impressive? That's barely a warm-up."

He clasped his hands together, fingers weaving into a blur of seals as he muttered a mantra.

"Shadow Clones!"

A surge of mana burst from his body. In a blink, ten identical copies materialized, surrounding the bulky Guldy from every direction.

The crowd gasped and began counting — ten clones!

Guldy's grin faded. He knew only one of them was real, but their agility and perfect synchronization made it impossible to tell which.

"Since you've shown me your magic," Maroon's voices echoed in unison, "now taste mine!"

All eleven figures dashed toward Guldy at once.

"Nail of Truth – Second Strike!" Guldy bellowed, slamming his bat into the ground.

A rain of glowing nails erupted upward, shredding through four clones and scattering them into puffs of white smoke.

But the real Maroon slipped through the chaos and appeared beside him — twin daggers flashing.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Three clean cuts opened across Guldy's chest, arms, and legs. Blood splattered on the stone tiles.

The crowd roared in exhilaration.

"Nail of Truth – Second Strike!" Guldy shouted again, swinging his bat overhead. Another storm of nails descended, blasting away two more clones.

The remaining Maroons gathered, hands flashing in unison.

"Shadow Clones!"

Ten more copies appeared, filling the stage with swirling afterimages.

Guldy's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me…"

He charged forward, swinging his nail-studded bat wildly. Each swing sent another barrage of nails darting through the air, bursting more clones into white smoke.

But Maroon was relentless. He and his shadows darted in and out like phantoms, blades slicing with precision.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

More wounds tore across Guldy's flesh. The crowd winced at every hit.

If this had been an assassination instead of an open duel, Guldy would have died several times over. Maroon's movements were ruthless — his clones served as distractions while his true self struck from the blind spots.

Guldy's strength meant little now. His brute force couldn't keep up with Maroon's speed. Blood trickled down his thigh, arms, and cheek.

Then — slash! — a deep cut tore across his thigh.

Guldy collapsed to one knee, groaning in pain.

Maroon appeared behind him, pressing a dagger against his neck. His voice dripped with mockery.

"Isn't it time to admit defeat?"

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

Referee James Sweller stepped forward, raising his hand.

"The winner of this match—Maroon Velsingsky!"

The stadium shook with cheers.

The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, cutting through the roar of the spectators.

"What an exciting match! No doubt, this year's freshers are truly exceptional seedlings!"

The audience cheered even louder in agreement.

The announcer lifted a hand to quiet them.

"Now, listen up! As you can see, there are five stages here. From the second round onward, we'll be shuffling ten participants per stage."

He paused as holographic screens flickered to life above the arena.

"Oh, and one more thing — the shuffling won't be random! The six hundred participants are divided into thirty groups of twenty, based on their ranks, to keep things fair and balanced."

The virtual display updated, revealing the new brackets:

Group 1: Rank 1–20

Group 2: Rank 21–40

…

Group 30: Rank 581–600

"Alright then!" the announcer thundered. "Let's begin the shuffle!"

Five massive virtual screens appeared above the stages. The first round of group shuffling began — the names spinning rapidly before slowing one by one.

When the screens froze, the results flashed before everyone's eyes:

Stage One – Group 25

Stage Two – Group 13

Stage Three – Group 1

Stage Four – Group 10

Stage Five – Group 2

Another round of shuffling began within each group, and soon, the ten chosen participants for the next battles were displayed in bright letters for all to see.