121. Benkó's secret

As expected, the second round of duels did not cause much trouble for most of the Athamanas. Although Citar lost to his opponent on the second day of the round competitions, the entire arena watched with open mouths as he summoned his soul creature. It is not every day that you see a divine bird in the West.

"I'm sorry, Bolacsuk, but how did he beat you up so much?" Suk scratched his head when Citar returned to the team after the duel. The said boy just folded his arms in front of him and started to grimace.

"How on earth do you fight a bird the size of your palm? Because the shape of a lynx I'm already used to it, I could have done something with even that firebird, but this?" He turned his gaze away from the team. "That only managed to make about eight students stop me, asking if I wanted to transfer to their school." He shook his head. "I'll be better next time." He finally shrugged and flopped down next to Wandi.

"It's okay, I was just asking. There's no need to get offended like that." Suk rolled his eyes, then returned to watching the duels.

Two days later, it was the turn of two members of the Athamanas to enter the ring, and against each other, too. Thanks to the draw, Benkó didn't get to fight the Westerner he wanted, he got Achilleus instead.

"Hey, I think they're just trying to pit the team against each other." Achilleus patted the Bokló boy on the shoulder.

"Well, starting from the fact that this is the second one like this. It could happen." Benkó agreed, before the pair parted ways to enter the arena from two different directions. At first, everything went smoothly, like in every duel, but when the announcer introduced the pair, Benkó raised his hand high.

"Yes, young sir?, The question came from the announcer.

"Did you really thought this through?" The Bokló boy asked out loud and pointed at himself and Achilleus.

"You don't want to fight?* He got a worried question instead of an answer.

"It's not like that, I'd be happy to fight him anytime, just like he's with me, right, Achilleus?" He looked at his friend, who just nodded with a grin. "I just thought I'd say that if we fight, it always ends in a draw. And the emphasis here was on always." He shrugged his shoulders and then took the offensive stance. "So, as for me we can start." He grinned.

Of course, the teachers' curiosity was not dampened by such a small statement, so the pair could calmly begin their duel. True to their custom, they gave everything they had into the fight. Stones flew, ice shards, clay figures appeared out of nowhere, the entire competition area froze, the ground opened up, it started to rain and other similar things that usually happen during a Motumisz-Bokló duel.

Finally, after about an hour or an hour and a half, the two Athamana members lay completely exhausted on the floor of the arena and looked at each other, breathing deeply, but smiling. The audience was completely silent, no one knew how to react, when a soft, slightly forced chuckle was heard.

"A draw again, Motumisz." Benkó muttered.

"You were just lucky, Bokló." Achilleus countered.

"Well, I think this duel is a draw to our inexperienced eyes. So it will be best to ask our dueling expert's opinion on the matter." The announcer's voice filled the arena, making everyone look towards the grandstand, even the competing pair. "Guild leader Biaskoncy, who do you think won?" The announcer turned to the teacher who was sitting in front of him with a serious look and folded arms.

"Bokló Benkó." He announced, causing the aforementioned to sit up in surprise and grimace.

"And would you tell us the reason, guild leader? Let us learn from you." The announcer asked, to which Biaskoncy just sighed.

"He would have won, but in the end he held himself back. I want to see what it's like when he gives it his all." He gave the explanation, after which the pair was led off the stage.

"Hey, why did you hold yourself back, ice cream?" Achilleus grabbed Benkó's arm as they headed back to the team.

"I didn't hold myself back, gravel. I have no idea what Professor Biaskoncy was talking about. Believe me, if I had another trump card, I would use it to pound you in the mud." Benkó grinned, which made his friend chuckle.

"For now, it's enough if you pound your next opponent in the mud for me." He patted his friend on the shoulder, and they returned to the other Athamanas.

The second round of duels then proceeded calmly, and five of the team advanced to the final ten group duel rounds. Suk and Teveli defeated their opponents on the first day, although not easily. They proudly left the arena. Razvan and Rahul were scheduled for the last day, so they still had to wait for their own duels, and today Benkó stepped onto the stage again.

The duel was just as tough as the previous round's duel and he started sweating halfway through, but he persevered and got his opponent moving properly. However, his opponent still managed to defeat him.

"Okay, I have had enough!" Biaskoncy slammed into the railing of the grandstand and stood up. "Again!" He growled and without a word jumped over the railing to land in the arena. "I told you I wanted to see what it was like when you gave it your all!"

"I gave it my all!" Benkó declared, standing panting in the middle of the arena. The teacher, on the other hand, just started to grimace and clench his hands into fists.

"Like shit you give your all. At the last blow, you moved your left hand to the side again, but your movement stopped halfway." As the guild leader spoke, Benkó looked down at the aforementioned hand, then back at the teacher.

"I have no idea what..." He started, but the older man didn't let him continue for long, instead he did something that no one expected. He attacked the boy.

"Do you have any idea how many people I had to threaten to get you this opponent?! I wanted to see what you were capable of, but you weren't willing to show me!" The man growled. "So I have no choice, I have to beat it out of you." He announced, before another attack.

Benkó, of course, instinctively switched to defensive mode and tried to dodge the attacks, but he still got a few more punches. Then, thanks to one of the teacher's kicks, he was sprawled on the ground and had to crawl back like a crab from the next punches, until he received a punch that he was unable to defend. The movement came from instinct, the ground rose in front of him and wrapped around his attacker's hand, stopping it. But the man, instead of trying to free himself, just smiled broadly.

"See, it wasn't that difficult." Biaskoncy chuckled, and Benkó gritted his teeth and stopped the earth summoning.

"You fucked up ten years, ten years of my work! Are you happy now? My trump card is gone, now everyone knows what I'm capable of, how am I going to protect the team like this?" The Bokló boy's hands clenched into fists, but the teacher only looked at him with raised eyebrows at his words.

"Nobody knows anything." He finally remarked. "Didn't you notice that we are in a defensive field? I wanted to see what you knew. I thought there was a reason you didn't show it." The teacher folded his arms in front of him.

"In a defensive field? But since when?" Benkó blinked around.

"Since I entered the arena. I thought you noticed. Suk knew immediately when I did it with him." The man shrugged.

"But this is, how, the duel..." Benkó began.

"You are officially out, and I am relieved that my observation skills are still good. Good luck with your practice, young master." The guild leader waved before turning his back and calmly leaving the arena.

"Go to the Fene." Benkó grumbled, looking after the teacher with narrowed eyes under his nose, but in the end he just blew a breath, got up and left the arena himself.