I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

While they left, Lecturer Fatis' gaze lingered on them, a suspicious glow within them as she stood up.

She turned around and walked down the stairs, her arm folded with purple hair flowing with the wind.

Her dark pupils landed on another lecturer who approached her.

"Were you able to take care of the bodies?"

"Yes….but that's not something we should talk about in the open".

"Well, I just had to confirm….those five left? Without any form of resistance".

"You would think so as well, right? The students have gotten smarter now so we can't be sure what they're thinking".

The dark-toned mana sighed, his gaze flickering as he looked up at the sky.

"Reminds me of that student".

"Raffaelo Jun?"

"Who else? Let's forget about them and do as instructed…the Executives should be around here so we should expand our search".

"Oh, that rumor again. I thought Katherin told you to drop it?". She asked with a sigh.

Lecturer Wisdom's gaze remained fixed on her, unperturbed by her dismissal of his statement.

"Does it matter whether or not it's a rumor? Don't you wish the court would act now?"

Lecturer Fati remained silent for a moment, her thoughts conflicting with his statement.

"Do what you want, Wisdom. Don't just get in our way".

She walked past him, their shoulders bumping into one another, leaving a tense silence between them.

Lecturer Wisdom turned around with a sigh. His dark gazes scan the Portal.

'How do I find them? I need to prove to them that it wasn't just rumors'.

The System Uprisers, despite their deep roots in the academy, were limited in such a way, and that limitation came down to their weakness. But if they received help from outside forces, strong enough to rival the Great families then they could stand a chance.

'...and that's why we need to find them first…'

With steady steps, he closed the distance between himself and the other Lecturers, his thoughts swirling in as a goal was set in mind.

"They better arrive".

****

Raph and Sophie had gotten to the Lecture Hall Of the Third Years and were seated on the fields as people's cheers filled the air.

Their gazes and attention were fixed on the two males, who weren't exactly dressed for public display.

Both males were putting on boxing shorts and their fists were wrapped with white bandages.

Class Three were known for their brutality in facing one another, and this was one of the main reasons why many had grown in strength.

The current warrior's bout was a sort of boxing setting, with a ring in the middle and a middleman acting as the referee.

The match was mostly filled with pained groans, sticky blood and intense heat from the rays of the sun. Yet, despite all this, the class seemed to be having fun.

Raph though, found the whole thing very strange.

He turned towards Sophie, noticing her overjoyed expression as her eyes were fixed on the ongoing match.

She had been enjoying the grotesque scene from the beginning they got there, and it left a particular impression on the boy.

'They're just hurting themselves for real….Physical blows and kicks….'.

Splinters, Bone fractions, bleeding, you name it. Raph had been there for a bit over ten minutes and he had seen it all.

The girls were mostly involved with refreshments and healing while the boys took the part of being the Fighters.

'Damn….and I thought my hand-to-hand combat was good, but how long would I last in a match like this?'.

He wondered, his attention split between the current match and a figure that approached them at a disturbingly silent pace.

He looked up to his left, ignoring the stares of the other visitors as the familiar figure revealed his presence.

"Senior Timothy, it's been a while".

He greeted as the boy with a black, skilled face mask and a bandana tied over his forehead sat next to him.

"You as well, Raph. I see you're here to enjoy the spectacle?"

Raph scoffed. "Not really. I mean, it's interesting how there are so many hand-to-hand combat I haven't seen before but this is just…."

His gaze lingered as one of the males suddenly threw a wicked uppercut on the other.

The sound of bones cracking as blood splurged out of his mouth while his body fell to the ground echoed.

It was followed by the cheers of the crowd and the Referee stating the same words after every match.

"K.O!!"

"...this is a bit too grotesque for me"

There was no particular need to hurt your comrade this much, and so their manner of fighting may have seemed bizarre.

Timothy chuckled, his blue gaze flickering to Sophie, whose excited scream at the end of the match caught his attention.

"How about you, little lady?"

Sophie's ears twitched at his statement. Her gaze slowly drifted towards him as her head tilted.

Her eyes glowed malevolent lilac as she glared at him.

"What did you call me?" she asked, her tone dark and intense.

Raph and Timothy raised a brow as they glanced at each other. A smirk formed on Raph's face as he placed his hand on her head and pulled his face closer to hers.

"So what? Aren't you a little lady?"

He teased, though the next reaction she exuded wasn't in the book of reactions he expected.

Sophie growled, her hands grabbing Raph's as she sank her teeth into his hand.

A brief pause ensued after, the surprise on Raph and Timothy's expression palpable.

"Um, Sophie…?" Raph muttered as he attempted to pull away while Timothy broke out into a fit of laughter.

Raoh turned towards him, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. His hand was still stuck in her mouth but he found it bothersome to drag it out.

'Shell let go on her own'. The pain that came with it didn't bother him either.

"What's this form of fighting though? They aren't wearing clothes nor using battle arts…"

Timothy adjusted himself after hearing the question, stroking his wavy blue hair for a moment as they turned towards the ring.

"It was something one of our classmates discovered on their trip Beyond the North".

"Oh?" Raph muttered, his gaze widening in shock at the statement. At the same time, Sophie suddenly let go of his hand while she turned towards Timothy.

"Beyond the north? For real? Such fighting skills exist there?"

Her sudden question caught the boys by surprise, but they brushed it off as Timothy continued with his explanation.

"Yes, and apparently there are more. The world is vast, and the techniques are endless….it makes one wonder what it truly means to reach transcendence". He explained. "Though, this one is called Wrestling….and reaching transcendence through wrestling should be farfetched".@@novelbin@@

"Wrestling?" Sophie repeated, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"Yeah, we did tone down the brutality and the barbaric nature a bit to make it suitable for the Visitors".

Raph raised a brow as he stared at Timothy.

There was a particular reason why he liked the Ninja, and that would be his intriguing questions and conversations.

Each time he had a personal conversation with Timothy Ronin, he would leave full. And somehow find a breakthrough in his fighting comprehension.

"Regarding transcendence, do you mean how it could perhaps be learning everything to reach the top or repeating one thing to reach the top?" Sophie asked with an intrigued tone.

"Yes, just as you've said. Transcendence, in a way, separates you from humanity and the laws that bind us…..so how do you achieve it? By learning just one thing? Or by becoming a doer of all but a master of none?".

He paused, his gaze wavering as he noticed one of his classmates calling out for him.

"Oh, it seems like my turn has come".

Raph flinched in surprise. "You won't kill anyone, right?"

Timothy chuckled. "That's hard to reply to, Raph, but do not fret; I've been forbidden from killing my classmates".

He walked away with the same subtle presence, something they wouldn't have noticed if their gazes weren't fixed on him. "Also, I believe True Transcendence is the incorporation of the basics and the Mastery of all….you can't become transcendent by learning one thing. It's too limiting".

"Too limiting huh?"

Raph muttered as his thoughts reeled in.

'Perhaps there is a way for me to reach the Grand Saint Swordsman after all'.

While he contemplated his possibilities, Sophie's thoughts reeled in and at that moment, her question popped out of her mouth before she could even process it.

"The La Teuer wouldn't lose to the Ronins".

Raph turned towards her, causing her to shift on the grass, clasping her mouth shut in surprise.

His gaze pierced into hers, and a moment of silence ensued between them. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

"....you're…you make me curious with each passing second".

He muttered before a sigh escaped his lips, and he stood up from the ground.

"But, I think I've spent enough time with you for the day. Enjoy your…..Wrestling?"

He could have decided to sit around and watch the rest of the fight with his seniors, but that didn't benefit him at the moment.

'I've observed what I needed from Sophie anyway'.

His thoughts were muddled together as he walked down the field, ignoring the visitors who called out to him.

With a sudden thud, his shoulder struck that of another figure, and a sudden shiver spread down his spine in the process.

His gaze whipped behind him, his eyes locking on two unfamiliar figures with a similar expression to his. A man and a woman.

'Who the fuck are they?'.