OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 331: A ’Demonstration’ II

His words announced an addition to the environment, as the arenas experienced a miniature sandstorm, causing their surroundings to mirror that of a world ravaged by turmoil.

Max showed a confident smile and rushed to the front of the class, his body pushing through the crowd of students around him, causing them to stare daggers into him.

"You'll regret this."

Emir chuckled at his words and gestured for the kid to join him at the platform.

Max complied and charged in, not waiting a second longer to attack.

"First thing that you can do in a fight is make your opponent emotional, forsaking their rationality."

Emir shifted his body back slightly, dodging a wide kick that was aimed at his midsection. "Say whatever you think is necessary to rile them up, curse their mother if you have to...." He then stepped to the side, while talking nonchalantly, maneuvering out of Max's lunge. "What do you think Max? How would you feel if I called your mother a whore?"

"Fuck you!"

Max's face contorted into visible fury as he rushed at his professor once again, throwing punches that no longer held precision.

"Now, thankfully your strategy worked," he said, not even grazed once by Max's hands.

"But it doesn't matter if it didn't. You'll need to move on, you don't have time to think in a fight."

'How ironic that I say that.'

Emir inwardly mused and then held one of Max's wild punches, throwing the teen's body over his shoulder.

"Keep yourself controlled and look out for weaknesses."

"I'll kill you!!"

"If you can't find any...."

Emir paused as he sidestepped Max and tripped him over.

Thud!

"Then you need to look harder. Everyone has one, even me."

Patting fake rumble off his clothes, Max took a deep breath and stood in a fighting stance.

"As you can see, your opponent can be an idiot, but they still have a brain, so never underestimate them."

"STOP FUCKING—" fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Max's scream was stopped midway as he received a punch straight in his guts, knocking the wind out of him.

"Words child, please show your manners in front of your professor."

"Ughh...."

Max huffed out, his breathing uncontrolled as he took a few steps back to adjust himself.

Emir waited, his right hand massaging his neck as he watched Max fish out a few old-world medicines from his pocket and swallow them.

"Now regarding the fight itself, you can first...."

He paused momentarily, anticipating Max's charge, which came soon, as he surged forward, Aether congregating towards his fists.

"Distract the target."

Just as Emir said that he kicked hard at the ground, causing clouds of rumble and dust to land on Max's face.

Yet he didn't relent and punched out at Emir, screaming his chant:

"Iron fist!"

"Then block or deflect their blind attack."

Emir said while angling his right arm to easily deflect Max's fist with his force shield, avoiding any direct impact and letting the burst of Aether attack the space behind him. "Counter with your own."

He then raised his left hand and slapped Max across the face.

"Ahg!"

Max stepped back in pain as he grabbed his swollen cheek.

"Discombobulate."

And just those registered in Max's mind, he could hear no more.

Emir had ruptured his ears by smashing them both with his hands, obliterating them from the inside out in one swift, bloody clap.

"Dazed, they'll attempt a wild attack, in the case of a Brawler, likely rapid strikes, or at least an imitation of it."

As if following a script, Max did exactly as Emir said and wildly attacked with fists coated in a fire as red as his hair.

"Now that you're expecting it, you'll be able to easily defend, disarm, and attack your opponent at the same time."

Emir dodged what neared him and then simply raised his elbow while closing in on Max before he could swing another fist, hitting the inside of his arm, almost breaking it.

"АНННН!"

Angered even further, Max stumbled back in pain while almost falling, and a pair of knuckle dusters fell out of his uniform's pocket. They clanged on the ground but as he tried to pick them up, Emir was there to kick them away.

His boiling point had been crossed. With eyes that saw red, he looked up at Emir and punched

out.

"IRON FIST!"

"Block the attack like before."

Emir swiftly moved his elbow and angled it towards Max's left hand that was aimed at his liver, stopping the attack in its tracks while snuffing out the Aether behind it completely. That got a gasp from all the students watching. While they expected Max to lose, never did they imagine that even his abilities would be extinguished.

"Weaken any of their vital points."

Moving the same elbow he continued its motion and hit Max square in the jaw with it.

"AGH!"

"Traumatize solar plexus."

Pivoting on his left foot, Emir stepped back, raised his right, and kicked Max straight in his

midsection.

"AGGGGHHHHHHHH!! STOP! I SAID STOP!"

Max pleaded as his body fell to the ground, and Emir, who showed a smile of pure happiness,

looked down at the teary eyes of his begging student.

'Fucker always talking shit, huh... Young master troupes man, stick to your boring ass novels

and stop ruining my good time.'

"Now go for the kill."

His left foot shot out to Max's face...

"DON'T! PLEASE-"

And paused an inch away from it.

"Good match."

Flabbergasted, bewildered, and utterly confused, Max blankly looked at Emir for many

seconds, as did most of the students, not understanding how they reached this point, this

conclusion.

Only when Emir turned his back on him, did he regain his wits, or at least whatever of that he

had left.

"You.... You! Y-you-"

His professor ignored him while letting out a sigh, his ears no longer registering Max's incoherent screams as he returned to the students, who still showed surprised faces. "You and you, get him to the infirmary, his ears are ringing so take it easy on him, his jaw, right arm, and some of his ribs are cracked, so be careful with that... Let's hope he isn't 'traumatized' after this."

The 'unnamed' students who were picked looked around in silence, thinking that it might've been those next to them that were called but when the ones they looked at began to push them up, they immediately rushed towards Max, terrified to be in his shoes.

Now those who pushed them remained huddled together, similarly afraid, and whispered to

each other.

"...Did he seriously do that to an Elite?"

"I know right... Isn't he scared of what his dad will do?"

"Right? I heard Lord Ignatius deals with the big 3 on the regular."

"You mean those underworld factions?"

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"Nah, it doesn't look like it... it's more like he did it on purpose, showing us that not even

they, the Elite, will escape pain."

"So a class that doesn't discriminate? Count me in. We're all dying together!"

"Fuck that shit!"

Only the 'unnamed' had such words flow between them, the 'named' weren't so talkative.

Sofia was excited, however, she hid that excitement with her cold demeanor, simply staring at

her professor.

Elijah didn't hide his own excitement, however, and neither did Aria, wanting to show off in front of her little, weird, and extremely twisted, puppy love.

Ava was looking at Max with pity as they dragged him off to the Hub, not bothering much with what was going on, while Quinn glared at her self-admitted enemy like usual. With a clap not so bloody as before, Emir quietened down the murmurs that plagued the

classroom.

"Some of you might copy the exact same thing I did today, or at least attempt to, but I don't recommend that. What I do recommend is that you follow those smart next to you who've already learned something from my 'demonstration' and have begun planning out how to use that something in their own fighting style. All paths are different after all. And don't forget, it's not about mastering all trades, but about becoming proficient enough to use them when needed and to surprise your opponents. You will learn to be versatile, to adapt, and to turn the strengths of these old forms into your own. The key is to never become predictable. So by learning a variety of techniques, you can create a personalized style that suits your strengths and compensates for your weaknesses."

After seeing them nod in a collective, he Flash Stepped to his throne and announced: "Now then... You've already picked a weapon in that mandatory combat class of yours so

there's no need for any delays, pick out your opponent, it could be anyone, and announce it to

me."

Sofia noticed that he wanted her to go first, courtesy of his stare, so she stepped up, reaching

the platform that housed Max's blood, and said:

"Elijah."

The Reaper, who showed no hesitation, walked towards her and stopped to stand opposite

her.

"I'll win."

As the two of them eyed each other, the next one commanded to go was Aria.

She reached another free platform and stated:

"I wouldn't mind fighting Ava."

Giggling, Ava brightened up and skipped towards her.

"And I wouldn't mind fighting you~."

Xavier was called up next and surprisingly, he chose:

"Arthur. Please come up."

Flinching, Arthur looked up in surprise and walked towards Xavier with nervous steps.

Meanwhile, Emir, who was watching a scene he knew not off unfold, picked up on what the kid was trying to do, calling out Arthur like that.

It seemed that his justice didn't stop at talk, he acted as well. Though, in his opinion, this action of his won't change a thing, it might even make the

bullying worse. Arthur wasn't strong enough to scare off his bullies with equipment now, in fact, that would happen much later than 'written.' Quinn, the last 'named,' was chosen next, as he finally matched her gaze.

She went to a free platform with quick steps and turned around, looking at her professor once

more.

'Don't tell me this dumbass will-'

"You said anyone didn't you professor? Then I choose you!"

'.......of course-.'