"Name Worth Remembering"

Both of them had placed in the top three during the previous exam. This match was bound to be exciting—everyone could feel it. Recruits whispered to each other, buzzing with anticipation.

"I should go now," Kairoz said to Touka and Samaira.

"Yup, alright. Bye then," Samaira replied casually.

Then, without warning, Samaira grabbed Touka's hand. "Let's go cheer for our friend, Touka!"

"Huh? Sure…" Touka replied, slightly flustered.

Together, they made their way to Duke.

"All the besttt!" Samaira shouted cheerfully. "Beat the crap out of him! Actually, he tried hitting on Touka, so I totally hate him."

"Hey, stop talking nonsense," Touka muttered, embarrassed.

"A-All the best," she added quickly from behind Duke, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Ahh, thank you so much!" Duke beamed. "I'll give it my best!"

Jack gave him a strong pat on the back. "You better not lose."

"Yup," Duke replied with a nod and started walking toward the stage. Tension and pressure clung to the air—this fight was going to be intense.

On the other side, Darius approached Kairoz. "Hey Kai, you probably don't need this, but… all the best."

Kairoz responded with a confident look—the kind that said *I've already won*.

Darius smirked, understanding his body language perfectly, then stepped back.

Both Duke and Kairoz walked onto the stage. They took their positions, wooden swords in hand. The crowd fell silent. The match was about to begin.

Kairoz stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders and warming up, his movements calm yet confident. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Hey, you better not disappoint me, village boy," Kairoz said, his tone cocky and relaxed.

Duke stepped forward, eyes sharp with determination. "I should be the one saying that to you, Kairoz. You were behind me in the previous test, remember?"

Kairoz narrowed his eyes slightly, amused. Duke clenched his fists.

"I have a name. It's Duke. Remember it—because if you don't, I'll make sure you never forget it."

"You seem unusually confident today," Kairoz replied, his smirk widening into a grin. "I'll enjoy shattering that confidence. After this, you won't even dare call yourself equal to anyone."

Duke scowled. "I thought you were decent at first. But turns out you're just another prideful jerk."

"Hey! Save it for the battlefield!" a soldier shouted from the side, trying to keep order.

"Fine by me," Duke said, eyes never leaving Kairoz. "Let's start this already."

Kairoz twirled his wooden sword once with practiced ease. "Big words. Let's see if you're more than just talk."

The tension was electric. The crowd watched in silence as the two fighters squared off—grit versus arrogance, fire versus ice. This wasn't just a match. It was personal.

My, my… Kai seems unusually indifferent today," Darius remarked, arms crossed as he observed the stage.

"I knew it. That bastard," Samaira muttered, clearly annoyed.

Touka stood quietly behind her, arms folded, eyes fixed on the arena.

I don't care about either of them, she thought to herself coldly. I want both of them to lose.

The crowd murmured with excitement.

"They already hate each other… this will be an even more intense battle," someone said.

Duke and Kairoz stared each other down, wooden swords in hand. Both stood in a low, cautious stance—waiting.

"Begin!" the soldier shouted.

Neither moved.

They kept their eyes locked, slowly circling, measuring each other's movements.

"What's wrong?" Kairoz taunted. "You're not going to attack? You talked big earlier."

"Shut up," Duke snapped, his grip tightening. He's mocking me. He wants me to make the first move… Just like Stain did. We already lost stamina in the earlier test…

"So you're not going to move? Too bad," Kairoz said, smirking.

"Then I will."

He charged straight at Duke.

Duke was caught off guard.

He raised his sword just in time to block the strike—barely.

"Crap…" he muttered, his arms shaking from the impact.

Duke tried to push Kairoz back with all his strength.

"You've got power," Kairoz said with a grin.

Suddenly, Kairoz loosened his grip and stepped to the side.

Duke, caught off balance, stumbled forward—his own strength throwing him off.

"Shit," Duke muttered.

Kairoz quickly took the chance to counterattack.

Duke barely blocked it—Kairoz's wooden sword brushed against his side, but not enough to count.

Without wasting a second, Kairoz charged again, this time with a wide swing.

Duke raised his sword just in time and blocked it, feet sliding back from the force.

"Stain taught me how to be patient… but how much patience do I need?" Duke thought, struggling to keep up.

Kairoz wasn't showing any weakness—he wasn't even giving Duke a single chance to attack.

Duke kept stepping back, cornered by Kairoz's nonstop strikes.

The crowd murmured, "Man, this fight is so one-sided…"

"I'm getting annoyed," said Samaira. "Tell your friend to attack already!"

"Duke, do something, idiot!" Jack shouted from the sidelines.

"You're right—he is an idiot," Samaira added, crossing her arms.

Touka stood behind them, quiet and uninterested. She didn't even seem to care about the match.

Kairoz landed a strong strike, pushing Duke back.

He's not even getting tired… what a monster, Duke thought, breathing heavily. I have no choice. I have to attack.

Duke took his stance.

"So, you've finally decided to fight back?" Kairoz smirked. "You should've kept blocking—you might've lasted longer."

Without replying, Duke charged forward and swung his sword. Kairoz blocked it.

"Hey, I was still talking—" Kairoz began, but Duke didn't stop. He struck again, faster and stronger.

Power and speed? Kairoz thought, surprised as he blocked. He's gotten stronger.

Duke's swordsmanship had clearly improved. His strikes were sharper, more precise—thanks to his training with Stain.

Now, it was Kairoz who was being pushed back.

"Hey, look!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Kairoz is getting pushed!"

"They're equally matched now!" another voice added, excitement rising in the arena.

"That's right—hit that jerk!" Samaira shouted from the sidelines, throwing a fist into the air. "Beat him up, Duke!"

Jack leaned forward, eyes wide with excitement. "Finally! Kairoz is getting pushed back!"

The crowd roared louder now. But amidst the noise, Touka stood still, arms crossed, her cold eyes watching without a hint of emotion.

On the stage, Duke pressed forward, attacking Kairoz with everything he had. His swings were heavy, fueled by raw determination.

But Kairoz didn't flinch. He blocked each strike with precise timing. "Your moves are getting sloppy," he said with a smirk, parrying Duke's next attack.

Then, in a flash, Kairoz shifted his stance. He saw an opening—and took it.

His wooden sword came down hard, landing a clean hit on Duke's side.

But Duke didn't fall back.

Instead, he clenched his jaw, pushed through the pain, and struck at the exact same time.

Thwack!

The crowd gasped in shock.

"Did he really just do that?" someone shouted.

"Yeah! They both landed hits!" Jack yelled, eyes wide. "They're evenly matched—true rivals!"

"Let's go, Duke!" Samaira screamed from the sidelines, practically jumping with excitement.

Everyone had seen it—right when Duke was about to get struck, instead of blocking, he chose to attack.

He got hit first, but gritted his teeth and bore the pain, pushing through to land a clean strike of his own.

Touka's cold gaze flickered, a faint glimmer of surprise in her eyes.

He really did that... she thought.

Both swords hit their mark. The crowd gasped as Duke and Kairoz stumbled apart, each breathing heavily, bruised but standing.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Duke smirked. "You didn't see that coming, did you?"

Kairoz's expression darkened, the cockiness in his eyes flickering.

The real fight had just begun.