Wind rider

Once Ares saw the opportunity to finally counterattack, he didn't hesitate for even a second. He swung his battle-axe with all his might and without restrictions. It was a full swing with lots of strength behind. After staying several minutes just dodging and saving his energy for later, he didn't think that it was necessary to economize.

Amelia, though, wasn't a naive duelist. She knew that one time or another, she would feel tired for just attacking several times with no rest. She could easily read through Ares' strategy. She just kept playing his game because the real reason for that duel was to test Ares, nothing more. She wanted to know if his body would keep up with the bold plan that his mind made.

'It seems that his mind and body are in synchrony. He knows exactly how to make plans measured in his physical capabilities. He is also confident enough to hold himself on his ground and keep up applying his strategies perfectly. His concentration is a level beyond any other trainee that I ever saw. There are even some adults that can't compare to him in regards to thought process speed.'

Amelia was really having fun with that duel, although she wasn't a fan of duels at all. She wasn't always seeking battles with trainees or novices just to prove herself to others. On the contrary, she preferred to avoid those kinds of events, so she would be able to hide her powers and capabilities.

Nonetheless, her previous fight against Ares hurt her pride deeply and she didn't want to let things unfinished. It would be unbecoming for her name as a noble.

Once Ares tried to hurt her with his very first blow of the day, she bent her body in an unnatural way backward, avoiding the attack by inches. A second attack came, coming on the opposite side that the axe went before. Ares spun his body completely to the side and delivered a rebound, a second chance to hit her.

This time, Amelia needed to defend with both her rapiers. She never could imagine that Ares would have enough technique and strength to attack twice with a battle-axe as heavy as that one.

Their blades clashed with each other as she crossed hers to make an X and apply more strength to her defenses.

Her body was launched backward due to the absurd strength exerted by Ares. She felt all the joints of her arms and hands snapping at the same time. For a moment, the blades of the rapiers seemed to be going to break, but she deflected the attack to the side before something happened with her weapons.

'Damn it... he is physically more capable than I thought... How can he achieve this much strength without using any mana? I fought with other boys before that were clearly taller and heavier than him, but none of them hit so hard as him without using a little bit of mana on their attacks,' she made an unpleased face once she realized that Ares' strength came from good genetics and lots of hard work.

'This boy is getting more and more interesting. For some reason it is pissing me off...', she couldn't understand her feelings at all, but she was sure that it was the start of a rivalry inside her heart.

Amelia skidded on the ground while thinking so, trying to stop herself from going any further behind. She didn't want to break anything there with her body.

'Another blow like this will probably break my arms. I can't defend at all, but if he still has enough energy to give a combo of strong attacks like that, then I won't be able to dodge all the time either. It means that I will need to increase my power level as well!'

"Mystical art, wind element: Wind rider," she uttered before Ares could charge in to attack her again.

'Shit! That's bad!' The boy thought, aware that magic was clearly his weak point in any battle.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind began to punish the environment. They seemed to come out of nowhere. Also, together with them, Amelia was also circling through that room from all sides at a crazy fast pace. She seemed to be literally riding the wind, using it to boost her body.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew Ares' auburn hair and his clothes. Afterward, the boy felt pain in his belly. An average cut appeared there, a strain of blood was coming out of it.

'I can't follow her speed at all! She is just too fast for me to see from where she will come. This spell might increase her speed by leaps and bounds, at least two times more... The gusts of wind around also make it harder to see properly...'

Ares decided to relax his body and narrow his eyes. He knew that overthinking things and getting desperate wouldn't solve anything.

'Just calm down, man. You have got this. You don't need to look directly at thoughts to predict what your enemy is thinking. So you don't need to see her body to know from where she is coming. Just concentrate.'

Amelia kept circling Ares and using the gusts of wind to increase her speed. Meanwhile, she delivered attacks here and there.

As seconds went by, Ares' body began to get filled with scratches and medium cuts. Amelia was trying to go easy on him for the time being, or so it looked like.

She wasn't taking the opportunity to inflict any serious wound.

"You can give up if you want, you know?" One of her friends said to Ares in a mocking tone.

Ares just ignored her and kept concentrating with his eyes nearly closed.

Once he found the right timing, finally, his eyes got wide open and he spun his body with all his might to the side, drawing a bow with his battle-axe.

At first, it seemed like he was hitting the air. However, for more attentive eyes, it was clear that Amelia was running in his blade's direction.