- “O-Oh Goddess, what just happened?”
- “The commander just teleport. N-No that can’t be right, he has those cuffs on”
- “Is this a true strength of a Bishop rank?”
- “But to think his grace is able to dodge commander’s sword, it’s incredible”
- “This stage is too difficult. May Goddess watch over his grace”
The whole arena was baffled after seeing the first clash between Val and Edric.
- “He dodged that? Must be a fluke”
Zelos spoke while keeping his gaze on the ground
- ‘No, it was not a fluke. That scoundrel can even dodge with his eyes closed. . . Did he made a pact with demon god? No, if he had done that, father would have killed him. Whatever the case is, I’ll make sure to pay back for the humiliation. Just you wait, scoundrel’
Thought Zion, clenching his fist in rage.
On the other hand, Edric, positioned a few meters away from Val, took pleasure in witnessing fear take hold of Val's expression.
- ‘Yes, succumb to despair. That is the very purpose of this stage, though it matters little to me’
Thought Edric while giggling creepily
- ‘Our power gap is just too big, but he’s trying to kill me. N-No, I can’t afford to die, not again. I refuse to be a slave. I-I need to kill him, I must, I-’
Thought Val, sinking into despair as his vision gradually darkened.
Crack~!
However, a sudden crack emanated from Val's cuff, jolting him out of his thoughts.
- ‘T-That was dangerous’
Startled, Val exhaled heavily and examined the crack on his cuff, regaining his composure.
In short moment of his despair, he subconsciously tried to use mana to confront Edric. Fortunately, his sheer willpower only caused a crack in his cuff, his mana was not activated and the cuffs were still functioning.
But that was not the pressing issue. In actuality, he had just avoided being taken over by his subconscious side.
When his body first got overtaken by his subconscious side, he couldn’t complain. After all, it was for his own safety. However, he realized that he can’t treat it as a last-resort safety measure.
Should he rely on this method every time, there was a genuine possibility that his subconscious side would manifest as a separate and uncontrollable personality within his own body, which’ll become a serious problem for him.
Feeling dizzy, Val touched his forehead, discovering beads of sweat forming.
- ‘Is this fear? Am I actually feeling fear? Have I lost control of my emotions? Me? Pathetic!’
His initial fear changed into disgust. Theo, after his awakening, started despising human emotions. He only sees emotions as hindrances, firmly believing that one should detach themselves from emotions to truly understand the purpose of life.
- ‘Anyways, let’s deal with him’
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, returning to his usual indifferent demeanor.
- "What? His grace has overcome his fear so quickly?"
Edric remarked, a mixture of surprise and sadness evident in his voice upon seeing Val's emotionless face.
- “Well, I just need to show his grace the real difference in strength, again”
A creepy smile erupted on Edric’s face as he raised his sword and took a fighting stance. But this time, The atmosphere in the arena grew tense as the spectators held their breath in anticipation of the next clash.
Watching Edric in a familiar stance, Val felt a surge of adrenaline within him. His focus sharpened, and the gears of his mind turned rapidly.
- ‘He is stronger and faster than me. Prolonging the battle would be unwise. Solution?’
His mind raced like a supercomputer, recalling a statement from his past life.
- ‘Strength is always surpassed by speed, but accuracy triumphs over speed. One blow. One, precise blow is all I need’
Val realized, raising his sword and honing his concentration even further.
Thump~!
His heartbeat echoed in his ears, and time seemed to slow down in the arena, as if frozen in place. His innate ability [Neo Perception] has activated, allowing him to see, smell, feel, and hear everything all at once with precise details.
Stepping into his perceptual world, he can now read every movement of Edric like an open book.
Thump~!
The second heartbeat brought tranquility to his mind. His mind became calm like water, ready to receive everything unbiasedly. His second ability [Accurate Intuition] has activated, hinting at the importance of Kelnar's Sword Art in the distant future.
Thump~!
With the third heartbeat, Val's innate ability, [Super Instincts] activated, allowing his instincts to come out in full potential, making him capable of reacting to everything with an extreme use of his body.
Val possessed a skill known as [Revised Kelnar's Weapon Arts], specifically developed to counter Zion. It stood as an antithesis to all the weapon arts of Kelnar.
Trusting his intuition, Val imprinted his new skill onto his instincts, granting his [Super Instincts] the ability to utilize [Revised Kelnar's Weapon Arts]
Val's eyes snapped open, and instantaneously, time resumed its normal flow. Without hesitation, he tightened his grip around his sword, and spoke coldly
- “Come”
At that very moment, a chilling pressure descended upon Edric.
Woong~!
- ‘W-what’s with this intense killing intent. It feels like I’m surrounded by thousand eyes and thousand swords’
Edric still smiling, couldn’t able to fathom the abrupt changes in Val as there was no time dilation for him.
- “Hehehe. . As Your Grace desires”
Edric chuckled with amusement, before swiftly appearing right in front of Val.
Cling~!
To his surprise, Val deflected his katana and use that momentum to deliver a swift kick to his face.
- “Whoa!”
Edric exclaimed, skillfully evading the attack by bending backwards. Returning back to their position, both of them clashed again.
Cling! Clang!
Their swords clashed numerous time in rapid succession, leaving the entire arena in awe-struck silence. Val swiftly matched Edric’s speed and attack using all his abilities combined.
They were keep on vanishing and appearing all across the arena ground, exchanging blows in a dizzying display of skill. Edric being a commander, used Kelnar’s Sword Art against Val.
However, Val, with the antithesis of those techniques ingrained in his instincts, deflected each strike while launching counterattacks with remarkable agility. Yet, Edric effortlessly dodged every attack, granting Val no rest.
Clang~!
As their swords clashed, Edric noticed that Val's breathing had become rough, a sign of exhaustion.
- ‘Not good, need to stabilize my breathing’
Val thought, deciding to retreat with a jump. Surprisingly, Edric didn't pursue him and came to a halt.
Excitement surged through the spectators as they watched the duel in awe. The entire arena erupted into loud cheers. Val's astonishing movements, skills, and strength betrayed everyone’s expectation. They praised him, and questioned the source of his strength.
- “I'm even more surprised! His grace has mastered Kelnar's Sword Art to the point of countering each stroke so precisely. Hahaha... ASTONISHING!”
Said Edric excitedly, ignoring the loud arena. Meanwhile, Val, exhausted, fell to one knee, he took a moment rest and stabilized his breathing.
- ‘He's not even using his full strength, and yet, just keeping up with him has taken a toll on my body. As I thought, our power gap is just too big’
Despite his evolved physique, Val was nearing his limits. He ignored Edric's ramblings, but the next turn of events confused him.
Suddenly, Edric sheathed his katana, bowed his head to Val, and in a dignified voice befitting a commander, unlike his previous demeanor, he spoke.
- “And so, I offer my deepest gratitude to Your Grace. His grace’s unique sword art enlightened me, and with the grace of Goddess, I’ve achieved a new height in swordsmanship”
Val remained indifferent as Edric continued.
- “So, from now on, it’ll be true despair”
Edric declared in a serious tone as he unsheathed his katana. Val also stood up, taking a deep breath.
After staring each other in their fighting stance, Edric made his move first. In an instant, he appeared before Val, his katana surging straight towards Val's face.
Predicting Edric’s move, Val sidestepped to dodge his katana. However, to his surprise, Edric's sword curved like a striking snake, closing in on his face.
Eyes widened seeing Katana inches away his face, Val saw his impending doom. But, his armor's mana shield intercepted the attack, and shattered upon impact.
BOOM~!
The impact sent Val flying across the ground, he came to stop after rolling. It took two mana shield to block Edric’s attack, thus two mana marble in Val’s armor crumbled to dust, leaving only eight remaining.
- ‘I see, that’s how it is’
Thought Val as he struggled to stand. In his perceptual world, he saw Edric changing the trajectory of his katana by swiftly swinging his elbow. That was why his katana appeared curved.
Edric had evolved Kelnar's sword art, making it more dynamic and unpredictable. Val lacked a suitable countermeasure.
BOOM~!
Edric lunged at Val with an explosive jump, making a cavity in ground. They clashed again, but over time, Edric's strikes became even more polished, making it difficult for Val to evade them.
Edric relentlessly targeted Val's head, leaving him unable to dodge any of the blows. However, thanks to his armor's mana shield, Val managed to avoid serious injuries, albeit being sent flying with each impact.
BOOM~!
With the shattering of final two mana shields, Val was flung away by Edric's attack. After rolling over the ground, Val came to stop and struggled to stand up, his body exhausted and in pain. His stamina had been pushed beyond its limits, his limbs trembling.
- ‘I’m getting close, I-I just need one more try to learn his pattern’
Thought Val, wobbling and falling to his knees once again. He stabbed the Sky-Piercer in the ground and used it as a support to stand up. But before he forced himself to stand, Edric placed his katana over his neck.
Val lifted his bruised face, his gaze meeting Edric’s.
- “There is no mana shield left to protect His Grace... Yield”
Edric spoke in a voice full of dominance
Realizing no way out, Val made his last attempt.
- “Never”
He declared apathetically before tossing sand toward Edric’s eyes that he had sneakily collected in his right hand. Edric closed his eyes, seemingly unaffected. Utilizing his hand momentum, Val retrieved his sword from the ground and swung it upward, aiming for Edric.
But even with his eyes closed, Edric skillfully deflected Val's sword, and sent it flying above in air.
Failed in his last attempt, Val fell to his knees, empty handed.
- “Such petty tricks are beneath of his grace”
Remarked Edric while opening his eyes and looking down at Val.
- “Losing a weapon is equal to a death sentence for warriors, Your Grace. This is my last warning, Yield”
Said Edric in a cold voice while releasing his sharp killing intent.
Gah~! Gasp~!
Val felt a suffocating weight bearing down on him as Edric's killing intent grew stronger. The spectators on the lower floors of the arena also felt the impact of Edric's fierce killing intent.
- “Ne..r”
Val gasped, still on his knees, his head lowered.
- “What?”
Edric asked in a cold voice. But suddenly, Val stretched his hand to the right.
- “I said, Never”
Val replied, looking up at Edric.
Realizing Val's intention, Edric raised his gaze and saw Val's sword falling back toward him. He belatedly realize that Val purposely let go his sword at a very precise angle, all for this moment.
Seeing Edric distracted, Val took that opportunity to swing his fist at the side of Edric’s knee, taking a step further.
- ‘Let's see how fast you are with a broken leg’
Thought Val, as his killing intent intensified, his fist just inches away from Edric’s leg.
Sensing the impending danger, Edric looked down utilizing his speed, and saw Val’s fist reaching toward his knee, threaten to break his leg.
Edric realized his second mistake—his attention had been lured away by Val's sword. The moment he raised his gaze, his killing intent subsided and gave an opening for Val to attack.
Thud~!
However, before the punch landed, Val lost his strength, and collapsed to the ground on his side. He gasped for breath as he lay there, but his cold gaze remained fixed on Edric.
- “Refusing to give up until the end? Very well”
Edric conceded, looking down at Val. Impressed by Val's unwavering determination, Edric sheathed his katana and helped Val rise to his feet.
- “I, Edric Orsla, Commander of the Darkfrost Knight Order, acknowledge the courage displayed by His Grace The Third. Thus, I conclude the second stage with His Grace’s victory”
Edric proclaimed to the entire arena, his voice resonating with authority. He then nodded at Val, wearing a smile.
The whole arena erupted in loud cheers once again.
- “His grace really tried to break my leg, it saddens me”
Edric said, mimicking sad expressions while handing Sky-Piercer to Val
- “What a shame, I failed. Although, I know Sir Edric would’ve dodge it”
Val replied, taking his sword back.
Several deacons and artisans came out on the ground to assist Val. One quickly used earth magic to construct a chair, while others put a cloth upon it and helped Val to take a seat. Val then drank a health potion provided by a deacon to replenish his stamina and heal his bruises.
- ‘It tastes like cucumber’
Thought Val, drinking the health potion. Edric refused to drink it since he was uninjured. The artisans, wearing same robe as deacons came in front and removed the mana-restricted cuffs from Val and Edric.
- ‘If only we could fight with at full strength, the ending would be different. But now, experiencing the struggle in front of an overwhelming enemy, I feel the need of a safety measure even more’
Thought Val, staring at his wrists. Lost in his thoughts, Val remained seated while the artisans replenished his armor’s mana shield by replacing new mana marbles.
Seeing Val lost in his thoughts, Edric assumed Val felt disappointed with his defeat.
- “Please look around, Your Grace. The entire Kelnar is astonished by the skills and strength His Grace displayed here”
Edric spoke while spreading his arms and looking around the bustling arena, trying to cheer up Val. The deacons and artisans nodded in agreement, but Val ignored his ramblings.
- “But the spectators only know what they saw. As someone who exchanged blows with Your Grace, I witnessed the true talent you possess. I firmly believe that His Grace will achieve greatness in the future”
Edric spoke, kneeling and bowing before Val. Having their task complete, the artisans and deacons also knelt and bowed with Edric. Val gazed upon them indifferently.
- “We, as servants of the divine family, pray for the success and well being of His Grace”
Said Edric, all deacons and artisans repeated after him.
Val simply gave a nod, and once everyone left the arena ground, he found himself alone. With anticipation building up, he stood up and directed his attention towards the magic screen.
- 'Now then, the final stage is all that remains. Lets get on with this.'
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