Match Start
Chapter 33 Match Start
The two proud young warriors stood face to face in the arena, bathed in the gazes of the entire Sommerset Clan main branch. They held their blades at the ready and tension was heavy in the air as their eyes met.
The referee was also an elder, according to Marcus his name was Titus Sommerset and he was the son of Cassius's late brother. He was known for being even tempered and fair, so this job naturally fell to him. Cassius was afraid that if one of the more hot-tempered elders like Ophelia were to take over the role, when disputes arose they would just beat up the contestants. With Titus's reputation and personality, the probability of arguments in the arena dropped very low.
"Match Start!" Titus yelled out strongly, his voice reaching even the top tiers of the arena seating.
Valen swiftly struck out with his sword, seeking to catch Peter off guard. Using the shortsword in his left hand, Peter blocked the blow and tilted it behind seeking to redirect the force past him and then come around with the blade in his right hand to strike at Valen's now undefended chest. As soon as Peter made his move, Valen withdrew his blade revealing that the blow was a feint. Valen pushed off the ground with his toes, shooting to the right side of Peter's body where he had overextended and tried to stab him right under his lowest rib. With lightning fast reflexes, Peter pivoted on his right foot and took a defensive stance, blocking the powerful blow. The two traded blows, trying to find a weak point in the other's defenses. Valen swept his longsword low in an attempt to force Peter off balance, but Peter remained unphased, his stance as stable and unmoving as ever. Valen immediately withdrew two steps after the confrontation, and the two young men faced off silently once more.
"They are just testing each other right now, using only raw blade technique. They are about to start using aura skills," Marcus explained to Aiden quietly.
Aiden's eyes lit up, that was what he wanted to see. Aura skills were special martial techniques that channeled aura into a powerful attack. While these skills were usable at the body tempering realm, their power was limited. Aura skills truly showed their power in the Condensation realm, but only powerful figures like clan elders were able to reach that stage. Though Aiden was more than confident that he and Marcus would reach that stage.
Sure enough, on the stage aura began to circulate around the two warriors. Valen held his sword horizontally across his body as blue energy accumulated around it. Without any warning he rushed towards Peter with a powerful slash, the blue energy leaving behind an after image. Peter hurriedly raised both blades in a cross shape to catch the blow, yellow energy coating his whole body as he used the strength of the earth to stabilize his defense.
"Valen is using a martial skill called Slash of the Rapids, it is a water based skill that calls upon the strength of a rushing river. To block him Peter is using a defensive skill known as Unwavering Mountain, tethering yourself to the earth and bolstering your defenses," Marcus narrated to the enraptured alchemist whose eyes were glued to the arena.
"Which one is stronger?" Aiden asked curiously. "Both techniques have their drawbacks, especially when used in the Body Tempering Realm where you can only use the aura that is available in your environment. The Unwavering Mountain's drawbacks are more obvious, the user is rooted in place so mobility drops to zero, and it takes a lot of aura to run so it gets exhausting quickly. On the other hand, the Slash of the Rapids is very one note and lacks the changeability of most water attribute skills so it is easily defended against," Marcus replied, analyzing the skills.
"Then why would anyone use it?" Aiden asked, now confused.
"The Slash of the Rapids? Because it does not use very much aura and deals quite a bit of damage. So, it happens to be a good choice for wearing down opponents like Peter. When Peter can no longer support his defensive skill, Valen will still have plenty of energy left for a different technique," Marcus answered.
"But wouldn't Peter have guessed that Valen is trying to wear him down?" Aiden inquired.
"Most likely. That doesn't necessarily mean that he can do much. Washed Marrow warriors can't call upon a very large amount of aura to begin with, so the number of martial skills they can learn and use are limited. Not to mention that Peter is a very defensive fighter to begin with, often biding his time and seizing opportunities that arise. Now that they have resorted to Aura Skills, the end of the battle is in sight. Peter was at a disadvantage due to the skill he chose. Of course, that is only true in the Body Tempering Realm. If they were both at the Condensation Realm, the Unwavering Mountain skill would allow the user to tap into the natural aura contained within the earth itself. This would mean an almost endless aura supply and a near impenetrable defense. So all in all, for Peter it is the correct choice to learn this skill, but it cannot show its true strength yet. Look," Marcus pointed back to the arena where new changes had occurred.
The yellow aura surrounding Peter had begun to flicker and fade under the fierce assault of Valen's sword. Seeing this, Valen once again held out his sword, this time diagonally across his body. Blue energy surged at a far greater rate than before, almost cloaking the entire blade in their glow. As Valen swung down powerfully at Peter, there was an audible shattering noise, like porcelain hitting the floor. Under the onslaught of the powerful blue energy, the yellow energy completely dissipated and Peter was unable to completely block Valen's sword slash. Blood splashed up as the blade continued down slicing through flesh.
Titus immediately moved over to the two contestants and ended the match, declaring Valen the winner. Peter was given a healing potion on the spot to prevent any serious damage. The two boys shook hands and bowed before departing the stage. Up in the box, all of the elders were discussing the match.
"Faustus, Valen has improved by quite a bit since last year. He is getting ready to break through to Fortifying Organs right?" Horatio asked Faustus after the match ended.
"Yes, he could have broken through beforehand but he didn't want to miss the Trial," Faustus replied.
"What do you think of that kid Peter, Elmira?" Cassius turned and asked his younger sister.
"He has a lot of potential. He is calm and steady, important qualities if you are going to take the defensive route of the earth element. In addition he is gracious and humble. There was no dissatisfaction or anger in his eyes after he lost. Only determination," Elmira commented. Despite her small and frail appearance, Elmira was one of the strongest earth element cultivators in the Sommerset Clan. She wielded a giant maul, and on the battlefield she was a terror to behold.
"Do you want to consider..?" Cassius hesitantly asked.
"He is good. I will take some time to consider. I cannot guarantee anything though," Elmira slowly answered. She had not taken in a disciple in many years, after her last and only disciple who happened to be Marcus' mother, disappeared.
"Marcus, what was that last move?" Aiden turned to Marcus with bright eyes after the battle ended, hungry for knowledge.
"It's called Waterfall Strike. It harnesses the heaviness of water and brings down the full power of a waterfall on the target." Marcus replied.
Soon, the next match was about to start. This match was the finals for the Fortifying Organs Realm. This time it was two young women who stepped up to the stage. One of the young women wore a long black combat dress with a high collar and padded trousers beneath the skirt, she held a thin longsword in one hand, her expression permanently cold. The other wore a soft yellow dress with white flowers embroidered on the skirt, strangely she held a shortbow in one hand and had a quiver of arrows on her waist. Her expression was much happier, and a glint of cunning could be seen flashing in her eyes.
Aiden turned back to Marcus, his amber eyes widened in curiosity. Marcus rubbed Aiden's hair roughly before answering his unspoken question. "The young woman in black is my cousin Mara, Aunt Juliana's daughter. The young woman in yellow is a rising star named Forsythia Sommerset. Her parents are from the main branch but her talent surpasses them both."
At this time, Titus's booming voice echoed in the room as he called for the match to start. Aiden swung his head back around to focus on the Arena stage, afraid to miss anything.
Sure enough, neither of the two contestants had any hesitation and immediately attacked. Mara shot forward with sword in hand, determined to strike at Forsythia. On the other hand, Forsythia began to move backwards while she also fired off two arrows with her bow. The two shots forced Mara to make a decision, dodge or block. Mara made her decision and struck both arrows from the air in one flowing motion, this allowed Forsythia to put space between the two. A crease formed between Mara's icy brows, she didn't want to waste energy playing chase. She raised her sword and prepared herself, she couldn't give Forsythia a chance to breathe otherwise what awaited her was a storm of arrows.