The crowd watched in awe as Ryu entered skirmish after skirmish. He always seemed to escape by the skin of teeth, constantly dancing across the blade of death. If one looked closely, you could see a small smile on his cold face, one even he had lost the ability to hide.
After a while, it became clear that Ryu was treating this like a game. He had many opportunities to leave the city and enter the forest, a place that would be far harder if not impossible to pinpoint his location in, even while cheating – but, he never did. Aside from brief five-minute breaks he had every so often, he kept pushing his body toward its upper limit. By the time the two-hour time limit had approached and been passed, a sort of undefeatable legend had been created. Even Yaana who had finally awoken from her unconscious state watched with a clear glitter in her eye, happiness swelling within her young maiden heart.
In the end, a loud chime ended the round. Clearing his throat, Headmaster Leopold spoke.
