Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Zoe's Challenge
Outside Cyber Academy, Zoe was at the front with a group of people, shouting and cursing. This drew a crowd, all curious about who had the guts to cause a commotion in front of Cyber Academy.
Soon, the security personnel stepped out, ready to disperse the gathering. However, they quickly noticed Charles walking over from inside the academy.
Not only did the security staff see him, but Zoe also fixed her gaze on Charles, her muscles taut as if she were on fire.
Yesterday's image of Celestine kissing Charles kept flashing in his mind, humiliating him!
At that moment, Zoe couldn't accept that the goddess he was pursuing was kissing another man right in front of him. He didn't have any courage at that time and fled like a pathetic dog.
When he returned to the dorm, Zoe burst into tears, lamenting to his roommate about how the goddess he had worked so hard to pursue was snatched away by a third party.
Hearing this, his roommate gritted their teeth. As soon as they finished class at noon today, they gathered a group of people, planning to teach that third party a lesson.
However, upon hearing Zoe shout a certain name just now, the anger on the faces of his roommates suddenly dissipated, replaced by worry. They huddled together, looking at Zoe, who was passionately cursing at the door, and whispered among themselves.
"I didn't mishear, did I? Zoe just said Charles?"
"You didn't mishear, it's definitely Charles. What's up? Is this Charles really something?" Someone asked, confused.
"Haven't you been keeping up with the news? This Charles is no joke. Is he really going to interfere with Zoe's pursuit?"
"He shouldn't be, right? A guy like Charles wouldn't lack admirers. Are you saying Zoe isn't telling the truth? That Charles isn't the third party?"
"Damn, then what are we even doing here? What if this blows up? Let's sneak out quietly."
Not only Zoe's roommates felt this way, but quite a few others also slipped away.
Meanwhile, Zoe, who was shouting furiously, completely failed to notice that most of his followers had left, and those who remained were only there to watch the spectacle.
"Who are you? Do I know you?" Charles asked, furrowing his brow as he looked at Zoe outside the academy.
He genuinely couldn't remember who this person was. Upon hearing Charles's words, Zoe was at a loss for words, as if he had swallowed a stone and was choking on it.
His face instantly turned red as he pointed at Charles and said, "You… don't go too far! Saying you don't remember me is intentional, right? How could you possibly forget me?"
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Zoe had completely lost his composure. Facing Charles, he directly pointed behind him and declared, "Today, in front of all these people, I'm challenging you!"
"What people? There's hardly anyone behind you." Charles replied, gesturing for Zoe to look back.
When Zoe finally turned around, he realized that the companions who had been standing behind him had already mostly disappeared.
Only a few people remained to watch the drama, and as soon as they noticed Zoe turning around, they didn't hesitate to turn and leave.
Zoe's upper and lower lips trembled uncontrollably. He knew that Charles was a genius Beast Master, a genius alchemist, and a genius blacksmith, but he still didn't expect the people who came with him to be so afraid.
"Charles, I don't care! You stole my Celestine, and today we must duel!" Zoe's mind was devoid of any rationality at that moment. He kept replaying the scene from yesterday when he had fled, a humiliating moment that would haunt him for life.
Unless he could personally wash away this disgrace by defeating Charles!
"Enough, Zoe! What on earth are you doing? I have no feelings for you whatsoever. What you're doing is no different from being a creep!" Celestine shouted, panting as she saw Charles and Zoe facing off.
She felt like she had hit the worst luck of her life by being at the same school as someone like Zoe.
At first, she thought Zoe was somewhat normal, and that he would back off after she rejected him.
Even if he couldn't let go, she believed he would give up after she stated that Charles was her boyfriend.
But who would have guessed that Zoe seemed to have a screw loose and would come to cause trouble for Charles today!
Celestine felt not only disgust for Zoe but also guilt towards Charles. She walked up to Charles and said, "Charles, I'm sorry. I didn't know he would act like this. I'm really sorry."
Before Charles could respond, Zoe interrupted, saying, "Celestine, you don't need to apologize. After I defeat him…"
"Shut up!" Charles couldn't take it anymore. How could someone be so obsessed, lost in their own world?
Zoe was about to retort but looked up to see the cold glint in Charles's eyes and instantly lost the courage to speak.
After a long pause, he grit his teeth and said, "Charles, if you're a real man, duel me. If I win, Celestine will be mine!"
"Charles, don't pay him any mind, he's just a lunatic!" Celestine felt completely helpless. No one wanted to be liked by a madman. If she could, she would ask Zoe what he liked about her, she would change if necessary.
Charles shook his head and stepped in front of Celestine, his expression serious as he said, "First of all, Celestine is an independent person. No one has the right to decide her fate but herself!"
"Furthermore, I accept your challenge just to teach you how to respect a lady."
"Lastly, I hope everyone witnesses that any accidents during the duel are voluntary on both sides!"
When Charles said that last sentence, there was a chilling intent in his tone. He felt no sympathy for someone like Zoe, instead, he was immensely annoyed!
Zoe was about to feel happy when he heard Charles agree, but then he caught the last part of Charles's statement and felt a wave of fear wash over him. It was as if agreeing would lead to his own demise!
"So cool, so handsome! No wonder you're my idol, Charles, you're the best!"
"That was such a badass line! Seriously, what's wrong with this Zoe? Does he have a warped sense of values?"
"I heard this Zoe is a Level Four Beast Master. Could Charles...?"
"Absolutely not! Our idol has defeated Level Four Beast Masters before. Don't worry, Charles is the strongest!"
"Not so fast. This Zoe does have some real power. After all, Charles is only a Level Three Beast Master, he might not be a match."
Zoe listened to the discussions around him, his tightly clenched fists oozing blood. He had gripped them so hard that his fingernails pierced the flesh of his palms.
He spoke up directly, "I agree to everything you said, Charles! You'll regret this later!" Charles didn't waste any words.
Three hexagram arrays lit up, and the figures of Max, Mousie, and Mia appeared before everyone.
In the next moment, he activated [Beast Mastery] while pulling out a [black gold long knife] from his [jet ring].
In the blink of an eye, Charles was fully prepared.
Zoe was not to be outdone, he summoned four mystical beasts through four hexagram arrays.
Charles glanced over and noted one Silver quality, two Gold qualities, and one Platinum quality beast—seemed like decent strength.
Without a storage ring, Zoe drew two short knives from his waist, gripping them in reverse.
[Green Wolf Short Knife [Blue Quality]: Made primarily from Green Wolf teeth and crafted with mystic iron, it is both hard and sharp.]
"Charles, don't blame me for bullying you! My weapon is a top-notch Blue Quality piece! Since you've brought out a weapon, I can't fight barehanded!" Zoe was full of pride, believing his [Green Wolf Short Knife] was among the best in Blue Quality weapons.
Charles's weapon in hand probably wasn't any better than his, after all, a purple-quality weapon was not so easily obtained.
Charles remained indifferent, showing no reaction as he unsheathed his long knife and stood confidently with it.
Zoe was the first to attack, wielding his two short knives as he swiftly charged at Charles.
His mystical beast was of the wind attribute, and combined with the skills of the mystical beast, his speed was incredible!
Among the crowd of onlookers, someone gasped, "That speed is top-tier even among Level Four Beast Masters! Charles is done for!"
"Yeah, can Charles even react in time?"
"To be honest, Zoe has some psychological issues, but his strength is undeniable!"
Hearing the discussions around him, Zoe's lips curled into a smug smile, filled with pride.
He was confident that even if Charles was the strongest newcomer at Cyber Academy, he wouldn't be able to dodge his attack at such speed!
In the next moment,
"Clang!" The sound of metal striking metal echoed.
Zoe's short knife aimed at Charles was directly blocked by the [black gold long knife].
"What?! How did he block that?" Zoe was too surprised to care, quickly changing his tactics while activating his wind attribute mystical beast skill [Compressed Wind Blade], aiming for Charles's neck!
Charles moved with ease, as if strolling through a forest, effortlessly dodging Zoe's skill.
At the same time, Charles's right foot pushed off the ground, and his body shot forward like a bullet, moving so fast it was nearly invisible to the naked eye as he slashed at Zoe!
Zoe desperately reacted, unleashing all his potential just in time to use the [Green Wolf Short Knife] to block Charles's attack.
"Clacksqueak!"
The sound of the [Green Wolf Short Knife] shattering echoed, and in the next instant, it broke into pieces, scattering across the ground!
"What?!" Zoe's pupils dilated to their maximum, his blue-quality weapon was shattered by Charles in one stroke?
This scene shocked not only Zoe but also the spectators nearby, who were equally astonished.
"What did Zoe just say? His weapon is blue quality? It looks more like white quality to me!"
"It did seem like it was blue quality. But looking at it now, could Charles's long knife possibly be a purple-quality weapon?"
"Are you kidding? Do you even know how precious purple-quality weapons are?"