Hard fights

"Now it's my turn, Captain Clifford, to demonstrate my strength to you."

***

Meanwhile, on Atlas's side:

The two adversaries stood facing each other in the middle of the city, surrounded by almost all the soldiers who had been summoned by the council for this operation. The tension was palpable, and as the adversaries locked eyes, the captain said to the soldiers around him:

"Don't do anything, I intend to face him and defeat him alone."

No soldier seemed to oppose this decision. Some even said, "Yeah, captain, crush him," or "the captain is way too strong, she'll reduce this weakling to ashes." All these words show how great their confidence in their captain is. Without even knowing Atlas's strength, they didn't hesitate for a second to all proclaim his victory.

- So you plan to face me in a duel, without knowing my strength. That could be dangerous. Said Atlas, interrupting the excitement in the crowd of guards caused by their excessive confidence.

- Hmmm... only one person is in danger here. The captain replied in a perfectly confident tone.

- ...

Atlas said nothing in response, but many thoughts raced through his mind:

'For once, I think she's right. I believe I fight rather well and I'm fast. But she's on a whole other level. I can already feel it just in her gaze. I'm almost certain I can't defeat her. But anyway, I don't have a choice, I'll have to face her.'

Atlas drew his katana. And despite the captain's words, a certain assurance still showed on his face; he didn't want to show any hint of fear in his expression.

The captain also wielded her weapon. But unlike Atlas, she had summoned it out of nowhere using her magic. It was a sword of light.

Nevertheless, Atlas was not impressed by this, and he attacked the captain to start the duel. But as soon as he took his first step, he didn't even have time to lift his foot for the second before he felt blood running from his cheek. Something had cut him, even though he hadn't seen his opponent move an inch.

'What does this mean? She hasn't moved, I'm sure of it,' thought Atlas, still perplexed by what had just happened.

- Are you beginning to understand the difference in strength between us? Said the captain, looking down on her opponent.

- What are you talking about? You've only scratched me, and that makes you proud?

- You remain confident, even though you didn't even perceive one of my attacks at light speed?

- The fight... has barely begun!!! Atlas replied forcefully, charging at his opponent again.

As he charged, he continued to stare her straight in the eyes. But she still didn't move. Yet more wounds continually appeared on Atlas's skin, and he thought to himself:

'I mustn't hold back if I want to have a chance in this fight.'

He furrowed his brow, and with the sheer force of his mind, a dome formed around him, now protecting him from his enemy's attacks. It was one of the things he could do with his current mastery of telekinesis.

The nearly transparent dome he had created was large and sturdy enough to protect him but also small enough to allow close combat.

He took advantage of this to continue his offensive. He had managed to approach the captain, but she effortlessly parried all his attacks. No matter the angle from which Atlas attacked, she had no difficulty. Then finally, the captain grew tired of Atlas's attacks and stepped back a few meters before starting to send sharp energy charges with her sword again. But this time, they were much more powerful and managed to pierce through her opponent's telekinetic defense.

'There's nothing to be done, she's too powerful. However, I have no intention of dying like this, but how can I defeat her? She's just too strong. Each of her attacks is at light speed, and they're imperceptible to me. With my current strength, I'm sure she could end the fight with a single move. I absolutely must find a way to defeat her; there are no other solutions.'

Atlas continued to try to approach his opponent as best as he could. But as he got closer to her, the light-speed sword strikes became more intense and numerous, so he had to retreat. And while he racked his brains to find a solution, something suddenly came to his mind:

'Now that I think about it, there might be a solution. I discovered during my years of training that I had a good affinity with the law of Space-Time, one of the four laws at the origin of the world and all forms of magic.

So I should be able to master all the magics stemming from this law. Like telekinesis, gravity, and even time magic. Of course, it takes a lot of effort to master each of these magics.

During my training, I had already delved a little into telekinesis, which I master at an average level, and also into time magic, which I was just starting to master. But perhaps if I make an effort, I'll reach the level necessary to stand up to such a strong woman."

Atlas may have found "the" solution that would not only allow him to fend off light-speed attacks but also to try to resist the powerful opponent standing before him.

To the captain's great surprise, Atlas, who was charging with all his might, suddenly stopped. Still brandishing his sword, but this time, he was concentrating.

"What are you doing, a fight is not won by standing, facing each other," she said, shouting slightly so that Atlas could hear her.

But Atlas paid no attention to his opponent, he couldn't even hear her because his concentration was so great. He knew that the only path to victory was to improve, even if only slightly, his mastery of time magic.

'If I want to master time magic at a higher level, I must first improve my perception of the temporal flow. Some may say it's easier said than done. But I say it's not even easy to say,' he thought, disturbed by the difficulty of his task.

On her side, the captain still didn't understand what was happening. And since she was starting to get impatient, she decided to continue attacking Atlas as before, to wake him from his thoughts. She then pointed her sword of light towards Atlas and without anyone expecting it, she had already started to damage her opponent's skin with wounds again. But Atlas still didn't react.

'Hmm... I don't have enough time to meditate and visualize time as a whole, it would be too difficult. So, let's just try to feel its speed. It would also be useful if I could sense the surrounding mana,' he thought.

The captain, on the other hand, continued to press Atlas with her attacks, becoming more powerful with each passing second.

But finally, after long seconds of intense concentration, Atlas felt as if he saw a thread with a knot in the middle. The knot he saw seemed to move at a reasonable speed without ever stopping. In that instant, Atlas understood that he had unlocked the secrets of speed and the progression of time.

At that moment, the captain had had enough of just standing there watching his immobilized enemy.

So she charged at him, using her ability: light speed. It seemed as if she had simply teleported, and only a few centimeters separated her sword from Atlas' neck.

But after a strange smile, the latter suddenly disappeared from the captain's field of vision because he was now under his sword, katana in hand. And in a split second Atlas uttered these words:

{MURAMASA WITH DEADLY EDGE:

transcend the one who touches your blade.}

Suddenly, an aura burst from his sword. It was so powerful that anyone could clearly see it with the naked eye. Atlas, preparing to slice his enemy with his sword.

But with his speed which became much more exceptional, the captain parried Atlas' best attack since the beginning of their fight with her sword.

Nevertheless, she had a large drop of sweat running down her forehead, due to the surprise effect caused by her opponent's unexpected technique.

- This is... insane! How could you increase your speed so much?

- That's not the right question. Ask instead how I managed to slow you down so much.

- No! Don't tell me... time magic!?" She gasped.

'So he mastered time despite his age? He's truly talented. If we had someone like him in our ranks, it would certainly be easier to please the deities we worship. But there's no point in offering him, I'm sure he would refuse. And yet, it would be a shame if he were to die now."

- What's the matter? You seem lost in your thoughts. Atlas asked as the power struggle between him and the captain continued.

- Don't worry about that. She replied, pushing him away.

Then, she added: "It seems our fight can finally truly begin."

As she said those words, the captain stared at Atlas, smiling. An overwhelming aura filled the atmosphere. Some soldiers trembled because of it, while the weaker ones began to bleed from their noses or mouths. Atlas, on the other hand, was obviously impressed by this power, but resisted it without much difficulty.

- Before we begin, would you do me the honor of telling me your name? Atlas asked.

- What good would it do you? She retorted.

- Let's just say I'd like to know the name of my adversary.

- Alright! If that's your dying wish, so be it. My name is Iris, captain of the great Valley Army.

Atlas smiled and resumed his attacks, while the captain immediately counterattacked. Both of them were moving at an extraordinary speed, and all that could be heard were the sounds of their weapons colliding. Each managed to reach their opponent, leaving cuts all over their skin.

But suddenly, to everyone's surprise, the fight came to a sudden stop. A sword of light... plunged into Atlas' chest. Yet he didn't seem very shocked by the scene, as if he had expected it. Following that, Iris placed her left hand on Atlas' chest, leaning in closer to whisper to him:

"I would have preferred to meet you in better circumstances."

She then removed the sword with her other hand, letting her adversary fall to the ground. Then she left with her troops.

One of the soldiers had asked Captain Iris if it would be preferable to take the body as proof, to which she simply replied that it was not necessary.

***

After the army troops departed, about fifteen minutes later, only a few people began to come out of their homes. They all looked at Atlas on the ground, as the pool of blood he was lying in slowly expanded. But no one dared to approach him, except for a man in his forties who appeared to be a doctor. He carefully examined Atlas' body before exclaiming:

"He's still alive!"

Atlas faintly heard those words before finally losing consciousness.

****