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The final of the tournament started with the second-best fights, surely to generate more expectations in the spectators about the last fight in the queen's tournament.
The battles of the second best were more exciting than yesterday's, which is to be expected given that this is the tournament's final. But most of the audience doesn't seem to be the least bit interested in them.
Me and the queen watch the bouts from the edges of the arena in opposite positions, every now and then glancing impatiently at each other.
In the stands, I can see Deirdre, Azur, Joaquin, and Charity sitting together and chatting, oblivious to this stage of the tournament.
...
When the last bout of the second-best stage has concluded, the queen and I finally get into the arena, and the murmur of the audience quickly rises in intensity.
"It seems that the vast majority were as impatient as we were for this last bout, your excellency," I say, looking at the queen meaningfully.
"No need to use titles on me, kiddo. Call me Hilda. That's enough." she says this with a dry voice and a serious expression. However, suddenly a smile emerges on her face, and she adds, "But yes, I think you're right."
Now that I have her closer, using my inspection skill, I can see that, unlike my last opponent, who was simply an Adventurer, the queen has a singularity as a class.
'Barbarian Master of Arms'.
I don't know what tricks she'll have up her sleeve, but I'd better be cautious.... I already saw that her strength and speed are something to be feared. And, even though based on what I have seen so far of her she doesn't seem to know how to use magic, I'm not going to take anything for granted.
When we are given the signal to start, the queen unsheathes her sword from the sheath on her back. And I do the same with my sword.
It looks like she still won't use the spear. But I'm not sure if it's a good thing...
On her back, she carries a spear crossed in the opposite direction from the position of her sword, generating a strange cross when she has both weapons on her back.
One would think that it is uncomfortable for a combatant to carry such large and heavy weapons on her back. But I have seen her fight brutally and skillfully with both the spear and her sword, without worrying in the least about the weight of the weapon on her back.
This is going to be a tough fight....
...
"Not bad, kid. But I expected more from Lilian's friend. Considering everything she and Sofia talk about you, and what I saw in your previous fights, I expected a... challenge," she says while she doesn't stop attacking in a frenzy, smiling like a madwoman, as if her sword weighed the same as a feather.
Attacks that I block with difficulty due to the incompatibility of our weapons, which makes it impossible for me to concentrate in order to use magic.
"If only I could fight freely..." I grumble under my breath, while through the link I feel Azur's pent-up desire to participate in our fight.
Even though it seems like our skills are about the same, her weapon gives her the edge.
The difference in reach between her greatsword and my sword allows her to keep me at a distance, which makes it impossible for me to take the initiative, leaving me simply with the option of defending myself from her attacks until I find a gap to counter-attack her moves.
But, although normally my short sword is much better for me, since my fighting style is to move freely in combat, coordinating with Azur to use our magic. Now it's a limitation, as I can't reach the queen no matter how many opportunities I see....
The only good thing I could take advantage of so far is that, unlike my previous opponent, the queen seems to rely purely on her speed and strength.
So it is relatively simple to predict how to block or deflect her attacks. But simple isn't always synonymous with easy.
"So what's stopping you?" the queen asks, frowning, as she seems to have heard me mumbling despite the non-stop sound of our weapons clashing. And suddenly she seems to increase the speed of her attacks even more, swinging her sword at blinding speed, and forcing me to concentrate as hard as I can to block or deflect her lunges.
"The rules... My-" I say, but I'm interrupted by the effort I have to put in to block a blow "The draco over there, at the edge of the arena..." I leap backwards to get some space so I can point to Azur, who during the fight jumped out of the stands and flew over to get a better look at our fight "He's a part of my strength. If he could participate, you and I would no longer be so evenly matched." I finish speaking while I use my sword with both hands to block, with difficulty, a downward slash of the queen's sword.
As I do so, I sense that Azur agrees with my words. He is very irritated at not being able to participate.
The range difference is only a problem because we are relatively equal in capabilities, but if I could use spiritual fusion, that balance would be broken and we could weather the range difference.
"Ahh..." she says, pausing her attack for a moment to sink into her thoughts. After a second, she smiles again and continues speaking decisively, "I'm the queen, kiddo, I make the rules. I ordered you to fight with everything you've got; forget the tournament rules!"
"At your command, your majesty!" I say, bowing and smiling for the first time since the fight began, and at the same time Azur dissolves into particles of bluish light coming towards me, activating the spiritual fusion.
"If you're going to get serious, then I'll do the same. GRAA!!!" shouts the queen.
And, for some strange reason, when she shouts her muscles seem to swell and gain consistency.
As that happens, she pulls out with her left hand the spear she carries on her back, while holding the greatsword with the other.
It looks like I wasn't the only one holding back in this fight....
"Let's see who's the one attacking now, and who's the one forced to defend himself.... Queen" I say in the raspy, roar-like voice I have when we are merged.
The last word comes out with a dismissive tone that the Xelean part of me doesn't take well.
I dash towards the queen, running at full speed. She tries to attack me with a side slash of her greatsword, but I duck a few millimeters before the blade touches my face and, turning on myself to avoid the spearhead coming dangerously close to my back, I position myself on her right side, from where I attack her with a lunge aimed at her abdomen.
But she moves her sword in a smooth way that stops my attack, showing me a skill and technique she hadn't demonstrated until now.
And even before I can think about my next movement, I feel a huge pressure under my jaw that sends me flying several meters backward. Looking at the queen, I see that she has her left knee raised. So I can assume that what I felt a moment ago was a simple kneeing....
A single blow with her knee, which took away almost half of my health....
Crap. So far, neither of us had managed to connect a blow to the other's body, but I can see that I can't let this situation repeat itself even once if I intend to win this match.
I fall on my back, and I start to measure the impact. My jaw is bruised, but luckily it doesn't seem to be broken.... It's a good thing we're fused together.
Hmm. Considering how the exchange just ended, I don't think it's good to take the initiative again.
However, it seems that the queen isn't going to wait around for me to make up my mind either, as I see how she prepares to throw her spear in my direction by swinging her left arm back when I am getting up.
I only have a few milliseconds to dodge to the left, while I watch as the spear passes by me and sticks in the arena where I was a few moments ago, leaving a crater in the impact zone. How hard does that spear have to be to make that crater without breaking?
But I don't have much time to ponder such trivial questions as, looking to where my opponent was a moment ago, I see that she is no longer there.
Almost at the same time, I perceive out of the corner of my eye a shadow coming at my head at full speed from the left.
I duck merely by instinct, and an instant later, the queen's sword cuts the air where seconds before my head was....
That could have killed me... Isn't this just a stupid tournament? But then I remember the queen's words that invited me to go with my all, and now I interpret them with another, more sinister meaning.
This realization leads me to take this fight much more seriously, and suddenly my senses begin to sharpen, knowing that my life is really in danger.