THIS FIGHT IS ANYTHING BUT OVER.

***The Upper sector of the Outskirts of 'Eclipse of the Ocean'..

***Chingford's Martial Academy

***Duelinh Arena..

*GONG!*..

*GONG!*..

*GONG!*.

 Massive gongs gets rung loudly, three times with a massive club as the air vibrates as an aftermath of the sound-waves created.

Like most other Martial training grounds in Clingford's Academy, the Martial dueling grounds is basically built like a below ground level football stadium though it's much smaller and instead of greens, the main grounds are covered with plain brown sand.

 Although the dueling grounds are below ground level, these grounds also have their own ground-level. Around the sandy ground of the main duelling grounds is a meter tall concrete wall.

This wall separates the blood-thirsty nature of any ongoing duels from direct contact with the audience. It serves just like the bracings in a stadium but it's taller and the audience seats only begins atop the walls.

On the ring of concrete wall are four heavily fixed doors.

A door stands on the north, south, east and west. Each pair of doors faces each other in silence and the seated disciples have a good amount of their attention on this door.

*SQŪUËÅK!.*

Two doors opens up simultaneously.

One of the pair of doors that are facing each other opens-up while the audience becomes silent as they look into the shadowy space within the heavy doors.

Tension is palable and then someone slowly walks out of the shadows within one of the door's space as another person walks out from the opposite door.

Due to the doors being opposite, the two people walking out of them are literally walking towards each other with the tension rising with each step they take further.

The duelling grounds is rather wide and so despite the people taking several steps forward, they are still far apart.

Soon, both of the main events stops their movements though now, they are both fully within the red duelling circle where only one of them would be able leave alive.

 The Challenger And The Guilty.

 The two death sworn enemies are now separated by only a distance of five meters with nothing but their own willpowers holding them back from begining the bloodshed that's to come.

The martial disciples who have filled-up the over five hundred seats in the arena all become dead silent as everybody focuses their tense attention on the duo in the dueling circle who in turn have their rapid attention on each other.

In silence, a moment of observation occurs.

 The female who has been deemed as the guilty one in this death duel is current wearing a very high class armour. Thus armour has a kind of distinct craftsmanship that suggests that suggests the armour is close to being in the first rank.

Something of this value is obviously something that somebody of her status should not be able to afford.

An arrow quiver hangs on the lady's back while filled-up with arrows that shines with a deathly glow just by their peaking feathery ends.

Her enquipped wooden long bow is sleek, light and deadly and at it's ends are sharp dagger-like blades for tanking a pierce through layers of tissues.

A sword that's just one-and-half feet(1½ft) long remains sheathed on the ladys back and a not-too-hidden dagger rests by her boot.

The guilty lady's helmet is made of a Black metal thats carved to protect everything but her eyes which is protected by a separate netty frame. She has come battle-ready for war and everyone can see very clearly just how much she values her life from the extravegence of her armour.

On the other hand, the challenger is geared-up in a simple brown armour that's weaved from both leather and wood.

With a circular tough wooden shield in his left hand and a common short yet heavy sword in his right hand, he looks prepared and thirsty though not for water.

A cowboy's lasso is by the challenger's waist and a knife is tucked by the side of his boot.

Looking left then right, a lot of disciples subconsciously plays find the difference between the two duellers and they did find a lot of them.

Both person's gears stands out like a sore thumb though one(The lady's) clearly outclasses the other(The Challenger's) in all aspects.

This causes the majority of the crowd who already know the story between the pair to be at the edge of their feet as breaths gets tense with light mummurs echoing.

*GONG!*.. The gong rings out once more while pulling the audience(disciples) attention.

The crowd attention is soon shifted from the tense battle ready duo as a bearded Man in Martial master robes steps out from a third opening ground level door.

With a calm gaze and an imposing bearing, The martial master scans through the crowd.

"GREETINGS MASTER¡!¡.", The crowd of disciples says as they get off their seats and cup their hands in unison.

The greeting of a over five hundred students in a circular below-ground level arena resounds like thunder as they all keep their hands cupped forward in respect.

Most of the disciples present do not know the man's name or rank. They do not know who the master is but they do know much better than to be disrespectful to a Martial master.

With a small nod, the Martial Master signals everyone back on their seats which the disciples immediately take in unison and then, the master begins to talk with a powerful voice that's oddly amplified throughout the Arena.

"Today, we have on our hands a Death duel between Challenger -Tio Nadan- and Defender -Montana Winslet-. The Grand masters have declared the duel official after confirming the story behind the challenge to be true. The story involved goes as forth..

"The defendant had been engaged to to the Challenger's brother who sent her to the Academy with his life savings only for her to break-up with him as soon as she became close to sensing mana. The attempt to understand this truth immediately killed the challenger's brother from heartbreak which in turn kills his already fragile mother from even more heartbreak.

"Being the only one left in the formal family of three, the guilty had wanted to eliminate the defendant in order to sell his family's only small house just so she could afford the next martil tuition fees as she did not breakthrough and sense mana the last term as she had expected. 

"She had almost succeeded with her plans but she suddenly gave up as soon as she had a better option up the ladder!. The Challenger later finds out that his mother died only because of the cruel words the defendant had told her at his dead brother's and the defendant's former fiancé's funeral and so.. The challenger is here. ..

"He is here waiting and willing to bet his life for revenge!.".

Listening to the Martial Master's story, Navi digests the entire story for the first time while fully understanding the reason why other guy is so determined on the death duel despite the slim odds.

Navi considers the guy as brave as he is using his courage when it matters the most.

Bravery is defined as doing something you know is illogical for the right reasons yet guess what,.. foolishness has the exact same definition. This is exactly why it is hard to judge actions.

 If the Challenger wins, then people would smile at him as brave and a little hot-headed though if he loses then the world would also see him as brave though firstly as foolish.

The two people locked in this death duel look straight at each other during the Master's speech and one could feel the anger rising in the breaths of the Challenger during the grand speech.

"Do you both have any last words to say to yourselves?.", The Martial Master calmly ask to the Challenger and the guilty as per routine before he can officially kick off the duel.

A tense few seconds goes in silence between both challenger and defender and then, she speaks.

"Reconsider this duel Nadan. I consider this warning to you nothing but mercy.", The lady defender boldly speaks much to the obvious anger of the rowdy crowd who flares up at her loud words.

To them, she is the villain in this episode yet a few smart one knows very well that if she's the one that comes out of the duel alive then she would not be the villain anymore but rather just the winner.

Navi calmly watches all of this with full calm as he is completely aware of this reality. He wants the wronged guy to win though only because in his opinion,.. the other guy has not even a single reason to lose.

His family's honour is on the line.. his mother's honour!. He would have no face to show to her even in the afterlife if he falls at the hands of his mother's killer and so the only option is winning.. and taking her life as a trophy!.

Anything else in Navi's opinion is just bullshit!.

"Please ring the bell master, my blade thirsts for her blood.", Nadan says with anger, grit and a very necessary calm in every word as he gets into a paced fighting posture.

Hearing Nadan's response to her words, Montana Winslet nods in acceptance as she holds her bow right and tight before taking out an arrow from her quiver.

Wacthing the exchange between the duo, no more words are further needed. The Martial Master gives a calm and mature nod of his head and then he speaks.

"Under the supervision of myself as a martial master, I now declare this death duel between Challenger Tio Nadan and Defender Montana Winslet to begin.".

*GONG¡!¡¡*..

A deep gong sound shakes through the air after the master's words with a sudden rise in tension driving the rowdy crowd to the edges of their seats. Ev yone tunes in their attention to the two main characters in the Arena.

As soon as the Gong rings, Montana Winslet tugs against the tough string of her bow with the feathers of a arrow between her finger. She does not fire nor does she set aim at the other party but she seems ready to do so at a moments notice!.

Nathan has his wooden shied placed defensively in front of his body as he holds up his short sword defensively by his side.

Nadan does not at all let anger cloud his judgement as he keeps his battle stance while only making small movements left and right with his sight set on his one and only enemy.

The intensity of Nadan's focus on Montana's every movement makes him to look like a gladiator who's prepared for the battle of a lifetime.

Tension balloons through the atmosphere and almost everybody spectating feels like they are somehow part of this distressing battle.

The stakes cannot be higher for the two main people involved as it is their lives on the line. Since the moment that the gong has rung out, every odds of withdraw from this death game has been made impossible.

Who is going to make the first move?!.

 *PUî!*_Question answered.

Like lightning, an arrow tears through the air towards Nathan who immediately rolls to the side to dodge before pushing himself back up as he charges wildly at Montana before she gets the chance to fully re-string another arrow.

The battle has finally truly begun with breaths held and silent reactions boiling through the crowd as they wacth on.

Nathan comes charging at Motana with his shield in one hand, his sword raised in the other and nothing but Montana's blood on his calm yet bloodlust filled mind.

Despite Nadan's quick charge after Montana's sudden arrow release, she is anything but a sitting duck.

She has finally sensed mana two days ago and so although not to full effects, her senses has become sharpe. Her mind is clearer, her instinct ars better and finally,.. her body is lighter.

Montana could already guess even before she had shot her arrow that Nadan would come charging at her and so, she does not fluster her movements by trying to re-string another arrow.

She's a martial disciple after all.

Montana takes another arrow out from her sheath though instead of trying to restring it into her bow, she does something completely unexpected.

She runs!.

Though not to widen the distance from Nathan like most archers would do, instead.. Montana suddenly runs explosive towards the charging Nathan when he is just about six feet away from her.

Nathan gets caught off guard by Montana's actions and this causes a moment of hesitation that slows down his movements. Despite the moment of hesitation, Nadan shows that he is also a martial disciple as he gives out a almost simultaneous second reaction as he leans to the side while changing the direction of his momentum.

With this small shift, Nadan swings his blade towards the charging Montana bow with an slant C-curve.

Also reacting on moments notice, Montana leans and rolls past Nadan's side then underneath his blade.

Coming to a halt, Nathan's blood is somehow on the tip of Montana's arrow after the roll.

Without stopping for a breath, Montana pushes her body around with superior human speed and co-ordination as she restrings her now bloody arrow while getting a firm grasp on her bow.

Fast as a pulse, she pulls back on her string with Nathan's bare back now facing her and then, she shoots!.

 *PUI!¡*..

She feels as her arrow trembles in her grasp before flying straight at Nathan's back while escaping the trembling strings of her bow.

Accpaningvtye Blasing arrow are Montana's wishes that it hits home though not all wishes are granted as Nathan turns them reacts on time.

Halting his momentum,Nadan makes sharp turn around while slapping the arrow away with his wooden shield.

He stumbles a bit backwards from the push force of the arrow as well as the sharp shift in his posture. In that exchange, Nadan almost does though at the end of it all, he still remains standing with Montana's now distant figure being the only thing in his eyes.

The spectators wacthes on with held breaths and then they see it. On Nadan's thigh lies a thin cut wound with trails of blood pouring out.

Nadan can feel the harsh sting from his new wound as rage clouds his mind for a second. Montana has been the one to shed the first blood!. With this thought, Nadan he grips his swords handle tighter as he tries to even his breaths.

Like Nathan, Montana also has her eyes on her opponent as her fingers slowly grab the feathery end of another arrow in her quiver. With her head held up, she slowly brings an arrow out with Nathan's figure also the only thing in her cold eyes.

This fight is anything but over.

..

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