Wilson struck at her face again and again and again. He punched so much she began to wonder if he had a problem with her face. All she could do was block. Dodging his fists as she realized was near impossible. There was no room for a counter-attack. It was either she continued blocking or she traded a blow for a blow. She was not sure how much of it she could handle. He definitely knew how to pack a punch. A successful strike to her face was sure to disfigure her beautiful facial features. She became even more hesitant about it.
Wilson noticed her hesitation. He knew a simple slash from her would mean the end for him. But he also knew that females in general, especially beautiful ones always paid attention to their looks. It was kinda an instinct. So he focused most of his attacks to her face, giving her no choice but to block and continuously retreat. He remembered what his boxing teacher told him back at the village, about swordsmen requiring some space to brandish their swords properly, so he kept himself at close proximity to her. So close that she could barely move her sword properly, making her blocks very sloppy. He struck relentlessly. Right hook, left hook, uppercut, knees to the gut, even a few fake grapple attempts to allow openings.
She blocked again and again, still hesitating to trade. Her mind spun with ideas from the openings she could see but he was too close for comfort. The other contestants were reducing in number rapidly. She retreated towards the other fighters with Wilson following closely. Such a pain. As she got closer, she noticed the other remaining contestants clearing the way for them like a plague.
'It seems nobody wants to have anything to do with us. Not like I can blame them. This guy looks like a maniac, with all the blood on him and his maniacal scowl' She thought to herself, looking into her opponent's eyes.
Wilson looked back into her eyes but did not stop striking. She saw the undying resolve in his eyes and made her decision. She wanted to win and show her family that she wasn't weak. So, what if it was her face? There was no unnatural facial blemish a high-grade healing pill couldn't solve any way.
*Bang* *Slash*
She received a straight jab to the face, breaking her nose and cutting her lip. She was pushed backwards by the force and utilized the push to cut him deeply in his chest. Blood gushed from the cut. Wilson gasped for air. She jumped at him, slashing his right arm very deeply, almost touching his bone. Wilson cried out in pain. The viewers at the inn and outside the arena winced. They could feel his pain. Wilson went down on one knee. Maxi immediately rushed out of the inn, dragging a healer friend he had met at the inn, with him. Wilson would soon die without professional medical attention.
Wilson's opponent went on slashing and slashing, not minding that he was sprawled on the arena floor. Nobody was going to interfere till he was unconscious. So, she slashed continuously, expecting him to black out from all the blood loss, but he was proving stubborn. He remained awake and even tried to block and stand every now and then.
*Slash* *Slash* *Slash* *Slash**Slash* *Slash* *Slash*
The lady with pink and purple braids slashed on, refusing to give up. He would pass out with time. It was inevitable. Suddenly, Wilson blocked with a hand and grabbed the sword blade with the other. He pulled her forward using her sword and kicked her in the guts. He used her momentum against her and pushed her towards another contestant who grabbed her and threw her out of the arena like a ragdoll.
The contestant moved quickly towards Wilson, grabbed his leg and threw him outside the arena. Coincidentally, Maxi and his healer friend had just arrived at the front when Wilson landed in front of them, unconscious and bleeding profusely. A small low-grade pill was put in his mouth to stop the bleeding, before he was carried back to the inn by some hefty mercenaries, Maxi had hired on the way.
*************
Somewhere inside the Academy.
"What do you think about the boy? You said his name was Wilson right?" A wizened old man spoke up.
"He is alright!" His bald assistant said. The other viewers watching the tournament along with them both also began to speak up. They were the prominent people of Forest City. They controlled and ruled over Forest City.
"He is strong and resilient! Did not give up till the end."
"He got this far even though he started handicapped. Several thousand able wrestlers were disqualified before him."
"Not to mention that he disqualified quite the number of them himself!"
"I wonder what he would be capable of when he is fully recovered." All of them murmured in agreement.
"Such a pity he has no powers to complement his strength" An old white haired woman spoke up. The others nodded.
"Ruthless, what do you think?" The wizened old man asked a middle-aged man who sat quietly at a corner. He had an angry scowl on his face. His forehead wrinkled in deep thought as his right hand man whispered into his ears.
"I think he's trouble!" Ruthless said in a deep angry voice. People did not seem flustered by his tone. They were long used to it.
"Of course! He would be trouble for his opponents." The old man's assistant said.
"No, that's not what I mean!" Ruthless said and paused for all their attention before he continued.
"Three days ago, he slapped my son so hard, he flew into a restaurant through the window. My son's men beat him. They all thought he had died, so they left him on the street. Two days ago, he nearly killed your son, Principal Cobain, for killing his uncle. Luckily, my right hand man was around to save his ass. Even then, he still had some trouble because the boy attempted to kill your son again. My point is, he is sure to become a national sensation if he is admitted into the academy. Then, it is only a matter of time before he finds out the killer of his uncle and he will definitely recognize my swordsman. He will try to get revenge again, and based on his personality as I view him, he won't stop. By then, it will be too late to attempt to kill him and he might even start a revolution against us. By that time, we will be unable to do anything about it. Things will get out of control and....."
"And we will lose everything we have struggled so hard to gain!" The wizened old man, Principal Cobain said with a sad shake of his head.
"Such a pity! There is a gifted kid right in our grasp and we can't even use him." The old woman said.
"We are gonna have to kill Wilson." The swordsman spoke up. They all looked at him.
"Why?" A beautiful, middle-aged, white-haired woman asked. Before the swordsman could answer though, the old woman who could be assumed to be her mother answered.
"Is it not obvious? The boy will still be trouble if he is left alone. He would get stronger and stronger and come looking for revenge. He might even go to our enemies in other cities for help. I'm pretty sure they will assist him. And we definitely saw what he's like when he is angry. Stubborn, annoying and resilient. People like that tend to be too much trouble as they get older."
"Ruthless, do you want to take care of him yourself?" Principal Cobain asked, turning to look at him again. Ruthless simply nodded and left the room, accompanied by his right hand man and some other able-bodied guards awaiting him outside the academy. He looked at his right hand man as soon as he entered his hovercar.
"Kill him. He has attracted a lot of attention to himself, so make sure there are no evidences or else people will begin to ask questions."
"Yes, my Lord!" The swordsman answered as the hovercar sped off into the city.