My Scumbag System Chapter 478: This Wasn’t a F*cking Exhibition

Reyna and I collided in a final, fierce clash.

The residual sparks from my counter-attack still crackled in the air, the static electricity raising the hairs on my arms. Her fist slammed into my jaw while my bat scraped across her shoulder. We both reeled back, off-balance but stubbornly refusing to fall.

Crimson dripped from my chin. My ribs ached with agony. Every inhale felt like swallowing shards of glass.

Yet, a smile stretched across my face.

She was smiling too.

"Had enough?" Reyna's eyes, like emeralds, blazed with defiant challenge.

"I could keep this up all day."

"A lie. You can barely remain upright."

She wasn't mistaken. My legs trembled uncontrollably, my muscles quivering from sheer exhaustion. The temporary boosts from Kinetic Absorption were rapidly waning, leaving only throbbing pain and the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

"Still going to beat you," I managed to spit out.

Reyna let out a laugh, a pure expression of amusement. "I like you, Stray Dog. You're certifiably insane."

She lifted her hand, and arcs of lightning danced between her fingers. It wasn't a full-power assault – she was as depleted as I was – but it would certainly sting. I tightened my grip on my bat, bracing for one last furious exchange.

That was the moment Professor Takamura intervened, appearing right between us.

One instant, the space was empty; the next, he stood there as if he had always occupied it. A six-foot monolith of muscle and lethal intent, his hand effortlessly clasped Reyna's wrist with casual, formidable strength.

"That's sufficient," his voice boomed, like thunder rolling in the distance.

Simultaneously, Professor Petrova materialized beside me. I hadn't even perceived her movement. A moment prior, she was observing from the faculty stands; the next, she stood at my side, the tip of her crystalline stiletto pressing against my chest. Just enough pressure to create a minor indentation in my already battered combat suit.

"Agreed," her voice sliced through the arena's atmosphere like a blade of ice. "This match has reached its conclusion."

A match? This felt more like all-out war.

"With all due respect, Professor," Reyna said, her tone devoid of any genuine deference, "we haven't concluded our bout."

"You most certainly have," Petrova's blue eyes were as cold as glaciers. Her stiletto dug slightly deeper into my sternum. "Unless you both desire disqualification from the entire tournament."

Wait, what was happening?

"That would be most regrettable," Takamura added, releasing Reyna's wrist but maintaining his imposing presence between us. "Particularly as you two are the leading candidates to head your respective guilds."

A low murmur rippled through the crowd, their disappointment evident at the interruption. They had clearly reveled in the brutal spectacle, these spectators.

"But Professor—" I began.

"Enough, Mr. Nakano," Petrova commanded. Her stiletto tapped against my chest with each clipped word. "Your performance today was impressive. Even surprising. However, the tournament requires our top students to remain in peak condition, not broken from settling petty grievances."

Top student? Me?

What on earth was she talking about?

Petrova's gaze sharpened slightly, detecting my bewilderment. "Did you believe this was a personal engagement? This was a test, Mr. Nakano. One you have successfully navigated, despite your... unconventional approach."

I glanced over her shoulder towards Reyna, who appeared just as perplexed as I was.

"Both of you will proceed directly to the medical bay," Takamura instructed. "Then, once you are stabilized, President Vance has requested an audience."

The President? Celeste's sister? Oh, this was serious.

"This duel is now officially declared a draw," the referee announced, her voice amplified to reach every corner of the arena.

The crowd roared in protest. Wagers had been placed, fortunes swung on the outcome. A draw pleased absolutely no one.

Petrova's stiletto finally withdrew from my chest. "Walk, Mr. Nakano. With some semblance of dignity. You have already provided more than enough of a spectacle for one day."

I managed to take three steps before my legs gave out entirely. It was only Petrova's incredibly swift reflexes that prevented me from crashing face-first onto the ground, her slender arm suddenly there to take my weight.

"Pitiful," she murmured, though without any real sting in her voice. "You pushed yourself far beyond your capabilities."

"Worth it," I grunted in response.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. Almost.

Across the arena, Takamura was practically supporting Reyna, who looked considerably worse off than I felt. Her combat suit was soaked with blood where my bat had slammed into her ribs.

Our eyes met as the professors guided us toward separate exits.

Reyna mouthed some words in my direction.

I gave a brief nod.

The medical bay was a disorienting whirl of soft blue lights and the sharp scent of antiseptic. Emi was already there, her healing Aspect activated and prepared. The instant the door sealed behind me, she hurried forward.

"You absolute fool! Look at yourself! Your ribs are fractured, you're suffering internal bleeding, and your left arm has a hairline fracture!"

Her hands began to glow with a gentle blue luminescence as she placed them on my chest. A wave of warmth flowed into me, mending bone and repairing torn muscle fibers.

"Good to see you too, sunshine," I rasped, attempting a weak cough.

"Don't you 'sunshine' me! What were you thinking?"

"That I had to win."

"It was declared a draw!"

"A mere technicality."

Emi’s gaze sharpened. The healing luminescence grew, intensely hot. "Stay still."

"Yes, ma’am."

Her touch on my ribs grew firmer. A cerulean glow permeated my damaged combat attire, highlighting the contusions and lacerations underneath. Her proximity made my head spin—or perhaps it was the exsanguination. Regardless, her fragrance overwhelmed my senses: the aroma of strawberry shampoo with a subtle undertone of vanilla.

"You really worried me," she murmured, avoiding my eyes. "When she struck you with that lightning... I thought..."

"I’m alright." I lifted a hand, gently parting a lock of her azure hair from her face. "Lightning Rod, remember? She couldn't harm me with electricity."

"So you deliberately let her pummel you into a pulp with her bare hands instead? Brilliant."

A chuckle escaped me, followed by a wince as something within my chest shifted audibly back into alignment. "It's called strategy."

Emi’s restorative radiance delved deeper, addressing the most critical injuries. The hemorrhage within my lung abated. The fractures encircling my ribs began their mending process. The torn musculature of my shoulder knitted itself anew.

"Some strategy. Natalia almost flash-froze the entire sector when you collapsed."

Speaking of Natalia... I extended my senses via Sovereign’s Mandate, seeking her presence. She was near. Extremely near. And radiating palpable fury.

The door burst open with a resounding slam.

"You. Absolute. Idiot."

Natalia stormed in, her pupils like blazing amethysts, trailing frigid mist like a celestial body’s wake. The ambient temperature within the chamber plunged by twenty degrees in mere moments.

"A pleasant greeting to you as well, Nat," I managed weakly. "How did I perform out there?"

"Like a fool flirting with oblivion." She halted beside the examination dais, arms crossed defiantly, frost advancing up the metal supports. "You allowed her to strike you. Repeatedly."

"It’s known as Kinetic Absorption. The more force she exerted upon me, the greater my amplification—"

"I'm fully aware of your ridiculous ability!" Crystalline ice began to adorn her eyelashes. "That hardly excuses letting an A-Rank combatant utilize you as a practice dummy!"

Emi’s healing aura wavered. "Natalia, I must ask you to refrain. I require absolute focus."

"Heal him so I can personally administer his demise."

Despite the throbbing pain, a laugh rumbled from my chest. "Missed you too."