CHAPTER 30: CH 30: A DUEL [2]

"I am not going to lie here, I have been really waiting for a part where I could trash you into a pulp. The humiliation from the last time still burns me to hell whenever I think of it, Henry. But now that your memories aren’t there and don’t lie to me. I know you don’t have any memories..."

Reinhard took a deep sigh. Then he continued in a sober manner, "I only wish I could fight you and defeat you with your memories intact...I really wish of that one day."

"For now, defeating you and breaking your bravado would be enough to satisfy me very deeply."

My face had long gone blank as I felt my emotions numb at this third test.

Like seriously?

A First Order pitched against a Third Order?

Sure, Reinhard had used a massive ton of mana in that last devastating strike of his. But if as a First Order with a capacity of E rank I could hold a lot more mana than the amount of mana he used in that single attack, then I am sure his storage as a Third Order with what probably should be a C rank capacity, would be like an dark oil pit.

And that attack didn’t even faze him in the slightest.

No wonder he was so confident about this fight.

’I wonder what Order was Henry of before he died? Since he can’t be of Zero Order. I mean he had literally mogged the floor with everyone back in the previous examination. It was me who was of Zero Order and even brought it alongwith me to this body as well.’

As we were both getting ready, the dust particles rolled back onto the words and covered them up. Then another series of words marked the terrain.

Make sure you pick up some weapons for this duel.

’As if I wouldn’t have done so otherwise...’ I held off the urge to roll my eyes at such an obvious message.

But still, I crouched down and picked up a long katana from the ground. It was a bit heavy but nothing I couldn’t handle.

With all that done, both of us got into positions as we stood across each other, poised to attack at the briefest signal.

I still had a faint amount of mana left in me...and I knew it would be of no use. I hardly doubt I could even form a small dagger with it.

*Crunch*

With a sickening sound, a lightning fell on a tree branch nearby us. It startled me to no end.

The tree branch fell off in a slow motion as the rest of the tree trunks and barks caught up in fire and produced sizzling sounds in the dry air.

More importantly...

"That’s the signal!" Reinhard shouted as he leapt into the fray, a crooked sabre held in both his hands and his eyes completely focused on my every movement.

With a deep sigh, I gathered all the strength I could muster right between my shoulders. Then I planted my feet firmly on the ground and raised my katana in a vertical level with my chest height.

Reinhard came to a halt as he raised his sabre and with a thunderous power slashed at me diagonally. In response, I lifted my katana slightly and with the still vertical stand, took his strike head on.

Sparks flew as the first clash of metals took place. My hands shook involuntarily and my teeth grashed against each other as I was thrown back from the raw power behind the attack.

He didn’t stop as he moved his foot close to me and crouching, again performed a diagonal slash. But this time it was aimed at my lower torso.

Hurriedly, I brought down the katana to block his strike.

But it never came.

While in mid air, he rotated his wrists and flicked the curved sharpness of the sabre. It dug under my elbows as blood suddenly stained my dirtied clothes.

"Ugh!" I instantly leapt sideways and clutched my injured elbow tightly. Desperately trying to stop the blood flow.

"First blood." Reinhard murmured in satisfaction as he looked at the dark red stain on my shirt.

Then his smile faded into a disdain and he dashed again.

Holding onto my injury, I swung my katana wildly. But it did nothing as Reinhard easily deflected the slash with a defensive repose. He followed that with another cut to my stomach.

At that, I doubled down on the ground as I pressed on my tummy. And then quickly got up on my knees as I blocked am overhead srike from Reinhard.

Even doing that cost me a dangerous amount t of strength as I held my ground through pure will and gritted teeth.

"Oh? Still got the fire left in you? But that’s useless. If willpower alone could have saved you, then today a poor man somewhere in the slums would have gotten rid of their hunger just from their loads of unfulfilled wishes alone."

"Just surrender already..."

So he says.

But I can’t....no way would I surrender and lose my only chance at this academy.

From the beginning of this short fray, I didn’t do a single thing. It was a completely one-sided fight. And he didn’t even use his mana.

Just pure fighting techniques.

But I also knew if I surrender now, I risk creating a 10 point difference between us.

That would be the fatal strike, that could eliminate whatever hope I still had from the other subdivisions and the written test.

So I grinned in return and said, "Fuck you. Don’t talk but make me submit if you can."

His face fell off instantly. His arms poured even more strength as his sabre pushed my katana right up to my nose.

Then before I could even act, he delivered a swift but powerful kick on my chest.

I flew back like a broken ragdoll. Blood sprayed out my mouth and painted the ground around me.

As I lay on my stomach, I could swear I heard few of my ribs crack within me.

My breath suddenly turned shallow and my the corners of my vision were tinted with black spots.

"Look at how weak you are. Was I really supposed to fight you? Disgraceful."

Slowly but surely, I tried rising again. My right palm gave me the energy to holster me up.

But midway of doing so...

"Weak? You dare call me...weak? After all that you went through....you call me WEAK?! How interesting and shameless can a person be! Truly a disgraceful moment."

Words poured out of my lips.

My limbs halted completely and my eyes grew wide with...terror.

Because...

Those weren’t my words...I never uttered them.

Didn’t even think of them.

And yet, they came out of my lips.