Chapter 37 - Spar(2)

The first few moments were chaos. River swung her staff at me with surprising speed, the tip of it whistling through the air as I ducked under it.

At the same time, Marcus lunged at her, his gauntlet sparkling with electricity. River twisted out of the way, her movements fluid, and retaliated by slamming the butt of her staff into Marcus's side.

He grunted but didn't falter, instead grabbing the staff and yanking her closer, his other hand crackling with electricity.

I took the opportunity to strike, my katana slicing towards Marcus's exposed back.

But River was quick—she planted her foot on Marcus's chest and pushed off, using the momentum to flip backward and out of reach of Marcus's hand as my blade missed him by inches.

He spun around, his gauntlet crackling as he threw a punch at me. I blocked it with my katana, the force of the impact sending a jolt up my arm.

'Damn it', I thought, gritting my teeth in frustration. These two were good—better than I expected especially River. I kinda already expected this much from Marcus but River, nah.

She was surprisingly strong. How is a background character this strong.

Hmm?

River didn't give me a moment to breathe let alone think as she reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a small sack of dirt, tossing it into the air.

With a flick of her wrist, the dirt solidified into a sharp, earthen spearhead at the tip of her staff.

She swung it at me, and I barely managed to dodge, the spearhead grazing my shoulder.

Marcus, meanwhile, was channeling electricity into his gauntlet, forming a crackling blade of pure lightning.

He slashed at me and I blocked with my katana, the clash of metal and lightning sending sparks flying.

But before I could counter, River was on me again, her staff whirling in a deadly arc. I unfurled my wings, the feathers catching the light as I used them to propel myself backward, out of range.

'This is getting ridiculous', I thought, my frustration mounting. They were both relentless,and they weren't holding back.

Not that I particularly expected them to—this was a spar after all and the bracelets would save us if things got too dangerous.

But still, the way they were coming at me, was like they'd forgotten that this was supposed to be a three-way fight.

I need to change my tactics.

One of the perks of getting 'my' memories was that I understood how to use these wings.

And I knew that these wings weren't just for show—they were weapons as well.

I then sharpened the edge of my feathers m, turning them into blades, and launched myself at Marcus.

He blocked my katana with his lightning blade, but he wasn't expecting my wings.

I slashed at him, forcing him to retreat, but River was already on me again, her staff slamming into my side.

I grunted, the impact knocking me off-balance, but I recovered quickly, using my wings to steady myself.

Marcus, now pissed, formed a spear of lightning and hurled it at me. I dodged, but River was already moving, spreading the remaining dirt from her sack across the floor.

With a flick of her wrist, the dirt turned into spikes, jutting up from the ground and forcing me to leap into the air.

I unfurled my wings fully, hovering for a moment, as I assessed the situation.

'This is getting out of hand,' I thought, my frustration boiling over. They were both so damn annoying.

Marcus and River, each with their own strengths, were honestly a nightmare to fight together.

I landed lightly on the ground, my wings folding slightly as I prepared to strike.

But before I could even move, I noticed something from the corner of my eye. Lucas.

He wasn't leaning on the wall anymore. He was now fully clad in his nano-tech suit, his mechanical longsword in hand in a slashing stance.

His expression was calm, almost bored, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that made my stomach drop.

"King's Swordstyle: Form 1", he muttered, his voice low but carrying across the room.

And then he moved.

It was like he teleported. One second, he was standing there, and the next, he was between Marcus and River, his blade flashing.

He slashed at their throats with such speed that neither of them could react.

The bracelets on their wrists reacted immediately forming 3D hexagonal barriers that stopped the blade just before it could make contact, though the damage was done.

Marcus and River were eliminated from the spar, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and shock.

But Lucas didn't stop there. He turned to me, his blade already mid-swing.

I barely had time to react, raising my katana and wings to block the strike, the force of it sent me skidding backwards, arms trembling from the impact.

"You managed to block that," Lucas said, his tone almost impressed. "I guess your being of the ruling families isn't just for show."

I glared at him, my heart still racing. 'And here comes our protagonist joining at last.' I thought bitterly.

Of course he'd only wait until the last moment to step in. Of course he'd make a dramatic entrance, after all who loves drama more than anything, the protagonist.

That was just how he operated, our protagonist. The man I've come to despise the most since coming to this world.

The man whose destiny is to climb to the apex of this world. Our protagonist, Lucas Draken, my destined archenemy.