Chapter 107: Defeat

"Why should Amo give up the sports scholarship?"

Angela asked with indignation: "Isn't this too unreasonable? If they didn't want to give it, why offer him the scholarship in the first place?"

"The problem is that Andre obtained the scholarship in a dishonorable way."

Louise glanced sideways at Li Mochen, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Many students think he doesn't deserve it, and the school has been unfair. As far as I know, at least two students are planning to transfer because of this."

"So Amo agreed that if you could withstand one strike from him, he would give up the scholarship?"

Angela's expression turned odd: "Hmm, how should I put it? It feels like Amo isn't very sincere."

"Huh?"

Louise glanced strangely at her good friend, wondering what she was talking about. But then she focused her gaze back on Li Mochen.

"It's not convenient here. Let's go next door. Actually, I think this formality is unnecessary. I know you just want a way out, but it's meaningless—"

Before she could finish, Angela chuckled: "Who says it's unnecessary? Are you so sure he wants to give up the scholarship? Haven't you considered that he might actually be confident enough to defeat you in one strike? Let's go next door. It's been a while since I've seen something so interesting."

As she spoke, she pushed Louise out the door.

Li Mochen shook his head slightly and followed the two girls into an adjacent sparring room.

Soon they stood facing each other. Louise still held her longsword, while Angela watched from behind the white line.

When Li Mochen drew his magic sword 'Divine Power' and was about to say something, he saw Angela making a face at him, which made him smile, unable to suppress his amusement.

But his smile made Louise frown. She thought the guy seemed frivolous, as if he didn't take the match seriously at all—was he giving up?

Li Mochen shook his head, stopped looking at the black-haired girl, and his expression turned slightly serious: "Draw your blade. I never make the first move against women who aren't my enemies."

Louise thought he really wasn't taking the match seriously. If she struck first, the result might be the opposite—he wouldn't even be able to withstand one of her strikes.

Just as she hesitated, Li Mochen raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile: "I suggest you go all out. I heard that your best martial art is the Iaido from Japan, isn't it? It would be a pity not to use your strongest strike."

"Amo is right."

Angela nodded vigorously from behind: "I think you'd better listen to him, Louise."

Louise frowned again. She felt that both people around her were acting strangely.

"Since you insist—"

Louise instantly cleared her mind of distractions and slowly sheathed her blade.

Louise had begun to sense something unusual about her opponent. Although Li Mochen stood casually, he exerted heavy mental pressure on her. It felt as if she were facing a mountain or a vast ocean.

This made Louise feel incredulous, but she also realized she might have underestimated her classmate.

"Be careful, Andre. If I go all out, I might not be able to control it. So this strike, I'll use about eighty percent of my strength and speed."

The moment she said 'go', a dazzling white light flashed in the training room. The fierce wind pressure and force even left a small cut on the wall. But just as the crescent-shaped blade light was halfway out, Louise heard a 'bang'. She felt something hit her hand, and the sword flew out of her grip, spinning a dozen times in the air before falling to the ground.

Louise stood frozen, her eyes blank. By then, Li Mochen's sword tip was already at her throat.

—Heaven knows where his sword came from! She hadn't even seen it clearly before he struck her wrist and had her at his mercy.

One strike! Just one strike! Even though she had struck first, she lost to Andre Lee Wiltonstein, the guy everyone thought was washed up.

"You lost."

Li Mochen withdrew his Divine Power sword and walked out without looking back: "Remember your promise, Anqi—"

"I know. I'll come give you lessons later. Let me comfort my friend first, okay?"

Angela replied while waving her hand in front of Louise's eyes: "Snap out of it, Louise! You're not dreaming."

But Louise Linden remained dazed, motionless for a full three seconds. Helpless, Angela pinched Louise's cheeks and twisted them half a turn.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Wake up. No matter how unbelievable it is, you should have a limit, right?"

She wondered what Louise would do if she told her that Li Mochen was the one who saved her and Lina and killed the assassin prodigy Allen Wood—would she turn into a fossil?

"Sss!"

Louise gasped, finally coming to her senses. She quickly slapped Angela's hand away: "Angie, you little bitch, it's not your face so you can mess with it, huh?"

Angela beamed: "Awake? I was just worried about you. You were so dazed, I thought you couldn't handle the blow."

"What dazed? I was replaying his sword strike. It was fast and clean, the trajectory was incredible. He seemed to predict exactly where my wrist would be. He probably wasn't even going all out—"

Louise explained, then noticed Angela's tone and expression were off. She narrowed her eyes, her voice carrying a hint of danger: "Are you gloating, Angie? You should have told me about Andre earlier. So, you were hoping I'd make a fool of myself, weren't you?"

"Haha! I did want to see you make a fool of yourself a little. But I think if you hadn't experienced it yourself, you wouldn't realize how strong Andre is."

Angela said calmly: "You're just not observant, Louise. Didn't you notice the changes in Andre's gear? New armor, new sword, and a full set of Nathan brand sportswear and shoes. They're ordinary, but the total cost is over ten thousand gold shields. If you'd asked around, you'd know Andre has secured a top sponsorship deal with Nathan Sports Group."

Louise frowned. She had been busy with countless matters lately and indeed hadn't noticed those details.

Thinking about it, she rubbed her forehead: "Fine, I won't hold it against you. But he really scared me, Angela. I didn't expect our club to have such a fighting genius. So, was he serious in that interview when he said he was determined to win the city MOS championship? Damn! Georgia must be very pleased."

This was because she had criticized Georgia about this matter at this morning's school board meeting.

Louise felt conflicted. On one hand, she was thrilled that the club had hidden talents; on the other, she worried about Vice Principal Georgia's growing authority and trust from the board.

—He was nothing but a politician thinking only of his own future!

"City MOS champion? I think no other high schooler in Atlanta can match him."

Angela smiled: "Since you're awake, I'll leave you. I have to go teach him. He has quite a temper. Oh, and when you're ready to apologize publicly, make sure to let me know."

Louise didn't bother to reply; she just raised her slender straight sword. Angela burst out laughing and ran out of the training room.