The Duel

Natale and Amden stood facing each other on the temporary stage.

Natale drew his sword and chuckled. His voice was laced with mockery, "Get ready, young master Amden."

He was determined to completely humiliate Amden and regain his lost face. Meanwhile, Amden maintained an expressionless look as he retrieved an ordinary sword from his spatial ring.

Haughtily, Natale declared, "Make your move, Amden."

He smirked insultingly, "I will give you a handicap of a few moves to minimize the advantage I have over you."

Despite the provocation and insulting tone, Amden remained motionless. He remained standing at his position and was calmly staring into Natale's eyes.

This continued for few moments and Natale was the first to lose his patience.

He raised his sword and charged toward Amden. Even without using spiritual energy, Natale's speed was astonishing—a testament to his superior physical prowess and the reason he was hailed as a genius of his generation. In a moment, Natale had crossed the distance and was looming over Amden.

Yet, Amden remained standing. He did not move a muscle.

Observers assumed that the Vantistart heir remained still because he could not match Natale's speed.

Seeing Amden unmoving, a smirk played on Natale's lips as he thought about the mockery Amden would go through after his crushing defeat.

Amden was now in his range as he slashed his sword vertically at what appeared to be Amden's right shoulder.

At the last moment—just as Natale's sword was about to strike Amden's shoulder—Amden sidestepped. Amden made no unnecessary movement- a single step and Natale had missed his target.

Caught off balance by the missed attack, Natale's momentum carried him forward as he strode passed Amden.

He was about to regain his footing and turn around when a sudden dread seized him.

A cold, metallic touch grazed his neck; it didn't take a genius to recognize that it was Amden's sword.

Accompanying this, Amden's mocking voice rang out in the entire hall, "Young master Clove, I thought we were here to compare sword moves, not swing our swords at empty air."

He added, "Is this some new move you're trying to show off?"

Amden's mockery elicited a low, suppressed chuckle from the crowd. Although few dared to laugh openly at a Clove, in their minds everyone was silently mocking Natale.

The other reaction from the crowd- experienced and powerful people was one of awe and surprise. They were stunned by what had just occurred- most of them assumed it was mere luck.

Yet the experienced onlookers knew it was no stroke of luck; it was Amden's skill at work. One of the younger generation's most talented duellists had been bested in a single move—even though Amden hadn't even made an aggressive advance.

Natale, on the other hand, felt utterly humiliated—not only had he missed his attack, but he was also mocked by Amden's words and the laughter of the onlookers.

Collecting himself, Natale jumped back to create some distance between them.

Determined to repay the humiliation, he focused all his energy and dashed toward Amden, slashing his sword vertically.

Once again, Amden sidestepped the attack. However, this time Natale was better prepared. In a quick motion, he redirected his sword mid-air, aiming a slash at Amden's neck.

For a moment, Natale was delighted as he saw his sword inch toward Amden's neck—but at the last second, his strike missed its mark by a very fine margin.

Natale was utterly confused. He was sure Amden had been within range when he made his move.

Many in the crowd shared his confusion; some even wondered if Natale had been so reckless that he could not even properly gauge his sword's range.

Only the experienced ones noticed the subtle movement from Amden: Amden had bent his back slightly at the last moment to avoid the nick of the sword on his neck.

While it was simple to describe in words, only someone with a high battle IQ and a keen understanding of an opponent's attack could execute such a brilliant move—a single, small misjudgement in such a duel could be fatal.

With increased fury and a continued momentum, Natale continued his assault. Initially, he had been confident that his relentless attack would badly injure Amden badly.

But none of his strikes could touch Amden. Amden did not even use his sword and relied on small movements to dodge each and every attack.

Many people, especially supporters of the Vantistart family, frowned upon Natale's aggressive behaviour. His actions seemed more like settling a personal grudge than engaging in a simple duel of sword moves. Even though, there had been a confrontation of words, to engage in such a behaviour during the duel was not an impressive thing to do.

As Natale's mind raced to decide his next move, Amden had had enough. Before Natale could react, a fist smashed into his chest, sending him flying towards the other end of the stage.

Amden taunted, "Mr. Natale Clove, you still can't touch my sword. How can we compare sword techniques if you maintain such an attitude?"

It was a complete humiliation for Natale. His face flushed red with rage, and he lost all control—his anger had overtaken his calm, composed thinking.

The crowd, especially those who had attributed Amden's dodges to mere luck, were stunned. Even if luck had helped him escape twice, how could he have sent Natale flying without using spiritual energy?

How could Amden's physical strength possibly surpass Natale's?

Meanwhile, in the room where Dramon and Alex sat, nearly everyone there had surprised smiles on their faces. These top-tier veterans truly understood Amden's talent.

Breaking the silence, one elder chuckled, "Truly talented."

He then looked at Dramon almost in envy and added, "The Vantistart family have another genius."

All the others nodded in approval and agreement.