Miren Vs James [2]

Walking out in the arena was so incredibly awkward. I had heard the crowd going crazy as James entered it, but when my name was shouted out, it was deadly silent. So silent I almost thought they could hear my steps all the way up the bleachers.

Keeping my eyes forwards, I saw the shining knight in front of me, in the middle of the stage. We were wearing similar kinds of armor, hardened leather that was sturdy but light, although I was pretty sure that mine weighed a lot less than his.

I couldn't stop myself from getting excited, and I think a smile appeared on my face. At the same time, my mind had already gotten to work, numbing any unnecessary emotions like hesitation or fear.

In a matter of seconds, we stood face to face with each other, him looking down at me and me looking up at him. His face hardened, and his eyes seemed to focus, while I could feel myself getting more and more relaxed. It was a mysterious feeling. Almost as if the audience didn't exist anymore, as if me and James stood by ourselves, isolated from the outside world.

There was nothing for me to worry about, I just had to defeat the enemy in front of me. There were no complicated emotions left, there was only kill or be killed.

*Now, take hands and we will start the countdown!*

I was the first to raise my arm toward my opponent, fulfilling the traditions of the duel, but James hesitated for some reason. His hardened face didn't feel like it held the same power it did a second ago, but in the end, he also held out his hand.

As our hands met, his mouth opened as well, and he spat out some stupid words, "I'm sorry, Miren, but you will be defeated today."

My smile widened at his foolish speech, and I could feel my heart beat a little bit faster. This was what I had been waiting for, getting the chance to destroy the golden boy, to show him just how ignorant his view of the world was. I didn't feel a need to return any words to him, I had already decided to show him through my actions.

We both stepped back from each other and withdrew our weapons as the countdown started. Me, taking out a pair of practice daggers with similar features as Khanda and Nandaka, a bigger one in my right hand and a smaller one in my left.

James also took out his weapon, the same kind of greatsword that I had practiced against with Mike. Long, sturdy but still elegant, suited for flexible but still powerful attacks.

*3!*

We both kept our gazes on each other and got into our signature stances. I crouched a bit and switched my heavier dagger into a reverse grip, making it so the blade pointed downward and the handle was on top.

*2!*

James took his sword in both hands, pointing it at me as his right foot slid backward.

*1!*

A moment of complete silence enveloped the stadium, no one even daring to blink as they didn't want to miss a single second of the imminent battle.

*Go!*

Surprisingly, neither of us moved, still gauging each other at a distance as we looked for openings. Then, James slowly started to inch closer and I followed suit, also approaching the center of the stage. Time slowed down and seconds started to feel like minutes as we both knew that it was meaningless to stall anymore.

*Crrzt!*

As soon as we got into a suitable range, I activated my [Lightning Step] diagonally while simultaneously charging up my right dagger with lightning. When my momentum stopped on his side, I could see his eyes meeting mine, showing that at least his mind was reacting to my movement.

Deciding to commit to the attack, despite knowing he might be able to predict what was coming, I used a consecutive step to get to his back, slashing with my charged-up dagger against his neck.

*CLANG!* *BAM!*

I got pushed back by the recoil of my own attack, sliding a few meters back. As I looked up at my prey, he had somehow managed to not only react to my attack but also defend by using the guard of his sword.

'Guess it can't be that easy, now could it?'

Not letting me catch my breath, his sword started to shine with a golden hue. "HUPP!" Swinging it downwards, a huge arc of light flew from his weapon toward me.

'Fast!'

The projectile was incredibly fast, but somehow I managed to sidestep it while I felt its power as it passed me. James took his chance to approach, dashing toward me with his sword at his side. I readied my daggers again, bracing myself to meet him head-on.

When he was about two meters away, he swung his sword, not wanting to let me in any closer as this was the optimal range for him. I couldn't dodge it by ducking as it was aimed at my torso, so instead, I had to take a step back. Just as his sword had completed about half of its trajectory, I dashed in.

Unfortunately, this had been a mistake. "Hepp!" The trajectory of his sword changed, opposing the laws of physics, now once again threatening to separate my lower half from my upper body. *Crrzzzt*

*[Lightning Step]!*

I used my step to retreat, having been left with no other choice. I had been too reckless, having been too used to my teacher not using any skills to anticipate James's attack.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Weirdly enough, I was already a bit tired. Our fight couldn't have lasted for more than a couple of minutes at most, but my breath was already a bit restrained. 'This must be the difference between a spar and a real fight...'

Even though my stamina was solid, and my mentality to keep going was incredibly strong, I wasn't used to the atmosphere of fighting. It was as if every movement consumed more than double the normal amount of energy.

He still didn't let up, having already closed the distance once again. I could feel him gathering mana into his hands, clearly indicating that he was about to execute another skill. As my movement skill was still on its cooldown, I just focused my eyes and prepared to dodge the incoming attack.

It started with an overhead strike, and although it was fast, I was a lot faster. Just a small step to the side rendered it useless, but this time I wasn't careless, anticipating another strike coming. And just as expected, before his sword struck the ground, it came flowing at me diagonally upwards.

Quickly analyzing the trajectory of his slice, I just ducked under it. Assuming it was the same skill he had used the first time, most likely a [Double Strike], I wanted to dash in and go on the offensive. However, a slightly cold feeling in my spine stopped me.

Instead of his skill being over, his sword started to descend, this time aiming at my neck. He had somehow managed to launch a combo of attacks that consisted of down, up, down, without minding the laws of physics at all. This time it felt like it had to be the end of his skill. Even if he was strong, there was no way he could continue his offensive after this as it would put such an incredible strain on his body.

So instead of dodging backward, I channeled my [Discharge] as quickly as possible and dashed into the blonde man.

*CRRZZT* Jumping forward, I sliced the neck of James before his arms could come down to defend, "ARGH!" As I landed on the ground a small distance away because of my jump forward I turned back to my enemy, disappointed that he didn't fall.

Although his neck was bleeding and torched from my lightning, it hadn't been a fatal strike. He still held his sword in both hands, and he looked at me intensely. Not wanting him to gather himself, I was just about to use my [Lightning Step] to try and end it, but then something outlandish started to happen.

"I didn't want to have to use this, Miren, I really didn't. But it seems like I have no choice."

Still holding onto his sword tightly, his whole body started to shine, making him look more like a golden demi-god than the immature young kid he was. The veins on his body started protruding more than ever, and his eyes started to glow with a red hue.

If I had a bit more experience in the art of combat, I would have instantly blinked to his location to try and stop the phenomena that were happening, but unfortunately, I was not. I could only learn by experience, and this was something I had no understanding of, therefore I foolishly observed instead.

The shine simmered down, escaping into his body to empower it and without hesitation, he closed the distance, this time much faster than before. Because I got lost in the sights before me I was caught off guard. Just as James was about to sever my head, I was brought back to reality and managed to retreat with a [Lightning Step].

*Schwing!*, *Splatter!*

Unfortunately, I was a microsecond too slow. His sword had managed to graze me, creating a similar gash on my neck as he had on his. The only difference was that I was bleeding profusely as he hadn't used anything that could cauterize the wound.

The young man in front of me lowered his sword and spoke loudly to make sure everyone could hear him, "Surrender Miren! You have no chance of winning!"

I felt myself falling, getting even colder because of his words. In the middle of our fight, I had somehow come to enjoy myself a lot. It had been fun fighting James, no matter what the stakes were. However, as soon as he said those words, showing that this was all still just some kind of performance, my attitude changed.

"Fuck off, you stupid brat..."

*[Overclock]!*