The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family

Chapter 93 - 93

**Faris**

The sight of Klaus standing before me was like a thorn in my pride. Just yesterday, he was barely worth noticing—small, unassuming, easy to overshadow. But today, everything had changed. He towered over me, his body more muscular, his face more striking. The very presence of him irritated me to the core. The thought of Helene, the object of my desire, even glancing at him sent waves of fury through me.

Klaus was nothing. He could be nothing. And I would prove it to everyone, especially Helene. I was the only one worthy of her, the only one who could protect her, lead her, and share in her esteemed lineage. No one would ever take that away from me—least of all this newly transformed pretty boy who dared to think he could stand in my way.

I needed to beat him down, to crush him under my heel so thoroughly that he would never rise to challenge me again. And I would do it here, in front of everyone.

***

"Hey! Do you want to spar?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. They were meant to sound casual, but the venom in my voice betrayed my true intent. I wanted to humiliate him. To make him regret ever thinking he could be anything more than the shadow he was born to be.

Klaus turned to me, and for a brief moment, something dark flickered in his eyes. It was a look I hadn’t seen before, a look that sent a shiver down my spine. But he quickly masked it with a composed expression.

"Sure," he replied calmly, though I could tell he was holding something back. He gestured for us to follow him, leading us inside the annex mansion, down to the basement training room—a place off-limits apparently, yet he seemed to know it well.

The training room was impressive. It was vast, with walls lined with weapons and training equipment, the perfect setting for a duel. In the center, a well-kept sparring ground awaited us.

"Perfect," I muttered under my breath, eager to put this upstart in his place. We both stepped into the ring, our eyes locked on each other. Briana, who had apparently been chosen as the referee, hesitated slightly before approaching. She seemed to sense the tension crackling in the air, the unspoken animosity between us.

"Fight!" Briana called out, dropping her hand to signal the start.

I didn’t waste a second. Immediately, I began chanting a spell, confident in my ability to overwhelm Klaus with my superior magic. But before I could even finish the incantation, Klaus was gone—a blur of motion—and then, he was right in front of me.

Panic gripped me. "Shit!" I gasped, barely managing to rip a teleportation parchment from my belt. The magic activated just in time, and I reappeared behind him, my heart racing in my chest. How had he moved so fast?

"Pathetic," Klaus’s voice came from behind me, dripping with contempt. I whirled around to face him, my hands trembling as I tried to conjure another spell. "You can’t even cast silently. You’re weaker than I thought."

"Sorry?" Klaus mumbled, his voice uncertain, almost sheepish. He stepped back, letting me crumple to the floor in a heap. I could feel the cold stone beneath me, the blood pooling around my head. My vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges.

Briana rushed forward, kneeling beside me, her hands shaking as she tried to assess the damage. I could barely hear her over the pounding in my head, but I caught the words "healer" and "urgent."

Helene was there too, her eyes wide with shock, her face pale. She looked at Klaus, and for a moment, I saw something in her expression—fear, maybe? Or was it concern? But not for me. Never for me.

Klaus stood there, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, his earlier ferocity gone. He looked almost boyish, unsure of what to do next. But I could see it in his eyes—he was holding back. He had held back. Even after everything, he hadn’t given his all. And that realization, more than the pain, more than the humiliation, filled me with a sense of dread.

Klaus wasn’t just strong. He was terrifying.

***

The aftermath of the fight was a blur. I was barely conscious as they hauled me to the healers, my body broken and battered. The pain was excruciating, but it was nothing compared to the humiliation. I had been beaten—no, destroyed—by Klaus, the boy I had looked down on, the boy I had thought was beneath me.

And now, as I lay in the healer’s bed, bandaged and bruised, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About him. How had he gotten so strong? What had changed? And most importantly, how could I ever face him again?

Helene’s face flashed in my mind, her worried expression, the way she had looked at Klaus after the fight. It wasn’t fear. It was something else. Something I couldn’t bear to think about.

But I had to. Because Klaus wasn’t done. And neither was I.

I would train harder. I would get stronger. And the next time we fought, I would be the one standing victorious. No matter what it took.

But deep down, a part of me knew the truth.

Klaus had become something more. And I was no longer sure I could catch up.

As I drifted into a restless sleep, the image of Klaus standing over me, his fist raised, burned into my mind.

He had shown me mercy today.

But I had a feeling that next time, there wouldn’t be any.