THAAAAANNN!!
THAAAAAAANN!!
"Tch*," Neulon could not help but be a bit hesitant.
"Hahaha... What is it, your strikes decreased." Allan provoked him.
"Shut it, trash!"
As he saw Neulon approaching, Allan lifted his blade up high and smashed it at him.
Though Neulon prevented by cancelling the approach and moving out of the way.
"You dodged again," Amused, Allan said.
Mighty Captain ignored and stared at the damaged ground caused by his opponent's attack, before shifting his gaze back to the grinning adversary.
Even with his high speed, Neulon was troubled as Allan struck harder with every swing.
Neulon approached with a speedy swing from behind. Allan turned around and countered with a heavy swing. As the blade clashed, Neulon was forced to push back.
"The hell... You're made off,"
"Heh,"
Neulon raised his blade, taking his stance, but witnessed his hands trembling.
Clashing a blade head-on resulted in sudden trauma on his body.
He took a deep breath and exhaled, calming himself.
"Seem you are ready..." Said Allan, as he saw Neulon's hands stablize.
This time, it was Allan who took the step towards Mighty Captain.
His stance was open as always. In fact, as he walked towards Neulon, he held and open posture, an exaggerated one.
As he took a step at a time with his head held high, arms a foot away from his waist.
Neulon naught liked this and approached Allan himself.
His blade, piercing through air, stab aimed for Allan's face.
"Don't you... Mock me!" He yelled in fury.
But his blade was stopped dead in track by flat side of blade.
Allan proceeded with a push kick which Neulon guarded with his other, free arm. Though force of kick was enough to push the great Captain a foot back... enough time for Allan to raise his blade, and enough room to hammer his blade on his foe.
"!" Though Neulon was fortunate enough to see it coming, he barely managed to avoid it.
As Allan lifted his body to regain his posture, Neulon struck as he seem to saw an opening, only for Allan to block it with flat side of his blade.
"Those blows... A single one of those is enough to put an end to this duel." Laren said.
"Doesn't that mean Allan is totally at disadvantage. He may be putting all his strength in bashing his sword on Neulon, but recovering after attacking, getting back in position makes him slow, making him vulnerable. Not to mention the stamina consumption." Lucia gave her own analysis.
"That might be true, but can Neulon maintain his speed. It's draining too. Allan have long reload indeed, though Neulon hadn't been able to lay a scratch on him, not until now." Laren replied with a counter argument.
"Neulon's strikes are precise. He struck with high accuracy, still his opponent manage to not only defend but strike back everytime. Allan flows like water. His moments are other-worldly. Like he is dancing... Everytime Neulon striked, Allan predicted and blocked. He is predicting with such accuracy as if he is already familiar with Neulon's sword style, or he can see future... Not to mention,"
Laren glanced at ground as the cracks caused by damage got prominent with every swing.
"His swings are getting stronger, heavier with time... But Neulon does seem to be getting faster and faster."
No matter how many times he swing his blade, the moment it clashed with Allan's blade, Neulon was pushed back. But as the duel went on, Neulon seem to be catching up as he was not the only one to be pushed back.
In a battle, strength is everything. Speed, too, can be considered as strength.
"It seem Neulon's speed finally catched up with the rate of raw strength gains of Allan..."
Laren mumbled, as he stared at two swords clashing.
All this time, Neulon's blade was on fired up providing him stronger blows though Allan with his strength managed to overpowered him. Realising the obvious gap in power, Neulon focused on speed and maximum accuracy in hopes of, if not more, sufficient power.
At first, he made sure not to let his sword get striked by Allan... It might have caused instant defeat, but now things were different.
With his speed, accusation Neulon provided to his blade was equivalent to the sheer power Allan had been putting in his strikes, to hammer him.
BAAAAAAAAMM!
BAAAAAAAAAAMMMM!!
As the blades collided, both were pushed back. But they were enjoying it, so the grin on their faces told.
While Allan needed a moment to charge his strikes, resulting in slow moments, Neulon too required distance to generate speed for his blade.
"Heh," Laren chuckled.
This odd manner made Lucia question him.
"What is it? You discovered something?" Curious, she asked.
"It's amazing how two individuals with similar size, similar blade can have different approaches in battle."
Both Neulon and Allan were almost the same in height. The difference in the mass they were carrying seemed non existing, Allan being slightly taller and slimmer when compared to other. Contradicting...
Yet one had super speed while other relied on brute strength.
While Laren was engaged in the duel in his own way, Lucia's excitement reached it's peak.
The performance two present made her heart at ease and mind in turmoil.
To her, Allan proved to be a valuable assist, considering his oath to protect her under any circumstances.
This would be more than enough... This should be more than enough!
With the feats Allan had displayed, no one could stop her from achieving great. Not to mention the feeling of attachment she sensed form him for her... She considered it a possible great weapon in her arsenal.
"It is my honour to have Commander Neulon as my opponent." Allan told Neulon.
"Hah, what's with such speech? Do you admit defeat?"
"Strength is either repeated or feared. Truth to be told, I was not expecting to have such an amazing competition. I am impressed," Following those words, Allan gave a light bow of respect to the fellow competitor.
Of course, that gesture pissed off Neulon.
"You know what... The day you die, I pray for you, for I to be the cause."
"And I wish, it's not other way around,"
Neulon launched himself at Allan, with an intention of swing. Blade of his opponent, with a backlift, made it's way to him. A blade, making contact with the ground, followed by sparks, leaving deep scars on the path... His chin was the aim.
Before Allan's blade could make contact, Neulon jumped over him. Expected a swing from above, Allan used the momentum of his blade to block an attack from sky.
The clash was so strong that it pressed Allan against the ground as he seemed to bend his knees to minimize the impact and absorb it, while Neulon landed a metre way from him.
The moment his foot touched the land, Neulon launched himself again at Allan in greater speed as his opponent recovered only to be greeted by blade an inch away from his face.
Out of reflex, Allan bend back to avoid a strike that seemed impossible to counter.
As blade was about to make contact, his mouth opened, Allan stick his tongue.
The muscular organ that was meant to be used for tasting food, stopped Neulon's blade dead in track.
He then proceed to push away the blade with his tongue.
In that brief moment, before Neulon could process anything... His sword made contact with Allan, and in the next moment made contact with ground.
TINNNNKKKKK!!!
Neulon's blade followed the same path by which it reached Allan and then went further beyond. The blade hit the ground with such force, it shattered in a hundredth the moment it made contact with floor.
Neulon, who was frozen, finally coming back to his senses, tried to find his arm in front of him only to feel it below his waist, clenching on the hilt tightly.
He looked down, lifted his right hand in front of him and saw a piece of metal with no blade on it, held firmly in his hand.
"... What the?" As his brain processed the information and he finally started to understand what happened in that very moment, he heard sound of clap to which his head instinctively turned.
"*Clap* *Clap* The duel is over!" Lucia announced the end of duel as Allan stood straight.
Many spectators at awe, stared at both great men, at Allan in particular. Laren told them to get back at there positions as he signalled Lucia.
Princess made her way to both warriors with an amused smile on her face. Laren following after her.
"Both of you, that was a great feat!" She praised.
"I am deeply moved by such performance. That was sensational!"
"It was an honour," Allan said as he gave a light bow to her and the Prince.
Neulon to followed the suit.
"Both of you, it was a humbling duel. Never did I saw two greats fight in such dignified manner. You have my respect,"
""Thank you!"" Both accepted Laren's words as they straightened their posture.
"Though it seem there shall be no comments for Allan to be crown victor of this duel." Lucia looked at Neulon.
"Allan beat me fair and square, Prince Laren and Princess Lucia are the witness."
Neulon humbly accept it.
Though Allan had something else in mind.
"I do believe it is too early for us to jump on conclusion," Said Allan.
"Why so?" Laren asked.
To that, Allan just looked down at his hand in which he had been holding the sword entire time, before letting go of it.
The sword fell on the ground and the blade to dust the moment it collided with land, leaving nothing but hilt behind.
"I guess a draw then,"
"That is more acceptable,"
Agreeing on that, Lucia announced the duel to be a draw.
Allan extended his hand in respect, which Neulon took for handshake.
As both men acknowledged each other's strength.
. . . . .