The duel began as Miku dashed forward. Her target was Irvin. Of course. Irvin was the most suitable opponent for her.
They swung their swords at each other. But almost no magic was used or, for her, was a little. They preferred to use swordsmanship to attack.
"Are you sure you're not from a sword-wielding village?" asked Irvin in the middle of the match. He found her abilities on par with the swordsman in his village.
"I'm not. But, I have a teacher to teach me." Miku put more force into her hands, forcing Irvin to withstand her attack. Then he channeled his magic into his sword.
Irvin knew the attack wouldn't kill him. But, if he held on to it longer, it slowly eroded his defenses. His step began to shift due to the strength of her attack. So the best option was to fall off.
So, he moved back and created some distance between them.
"Are you going to just watch us?" Miku asked Carl and Darren, who were still in the same place even though a minute had passed.
Carl was taken aback. It made him realize that this was also his duel. The opening moves must have caught his attention. It was the first time he had seen her fight so seriously.
He then returned his focus to his opponent, Darren. He swallowed hard as he prepared to… endure.
Yes, holding on. Carl planned to withstand his attack as best he could.
"Should I attack you first?"
That was a funny question. How could Darren ask that in a duel?
"Please." Carl's answer was funnier because he gave permission.
But, yeah, it wasn't a real duel. So, no rules against it.
And Darren made it happen. He moved forward with his first attack. He swung his sword at Carl, but Carl could withstand it.
Then, he attacked the other side. Fortunately, Carl moved quickly to parry it. He continued to attack while Carl attempted to resist all of his attacks.
"Don't keep to defense. You should try to attack too." Darren said more to teach him. It really was learning by practicing. "Look for opportunities to counterattack."
That wasn't his plan. But Carl would give it a try. After all, he couldn't possibly just hold on throughout the duel.
So, he stole the opportunity. It wasn't easy because the attacks were intense and barely paused. It seemed Darren was bringing out the best in him, even if it was just practice. So, he, too, must do the same.
He tilted his body to the right as Darren drew his sword at him. His eyes shuddered at the sharp, shiny tip of his silver-red blade. Getting stabbed by it must be very painful.
Then, his instincts sensed that was not the end of his attack. So, he jumped away just as Darren moved his sword towards him.
That was very close. If Carl was late, it must have hit him. Indeed, vigilance and quick thinking were required in a fight.
"Why do you think I'm here? I'm watching you practice controlling your powers." Julian shouted from the side. Oh, not only him but the other students also watched the duel.
Carl knew it was aimed at him and Darren because they hadn't used magic in the game. Unlike Miku and Irvin, who had poured magic into their sword.
He and Darren looked at each other. They seemed to ask about it through their gaze. And without a word, they continued the duel. This time, they tried to use magic.
Carl moved back to parry his attack. It felt more robust than before. Using magic and not apparently having an effect. It increased the power by almost two times.
The hardest part about it was focusing. Carl had a little trouble focusing on the flow of the magic on his sword as he kept moving. The control couldn't be maximal. He had a hard time getting it right.
Suddenly, Darren drew his sword to the left side of his body. Luckily, he managed to dodge and parry it. He then used the opportunity to strike back.
He twisted his sword, so Darren lost his attack position. Then he drew his sword and pulled it swiftly to his side. Since this wasn't an actual fight, Carl wasn't aiming for the vitals. Instead, he hoped Darren could parry it so his attacks wouldn't hurt him and the duel could continue.
And when it occurred, he didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed because Darren could fend it off so easily. He jumped back and created some distance to give him time and loosen his nerves.
That was when he heard a sword whirring from Miku and Irvin's duel. They attacked each other with fast movements. It was a gorgeous silver-pink and red battle.
Miku dodged when Irvin drew his sword and jumped behind him so she could counterattack. But apparently, he could read it. He parried her attack and pushed hard, causing her to bounce.
"You really are a formidable opponent," Irvin commented during a quick pause in their duel. An enthusiastic and satisfied look shone in his eyes.
Miku smiled at his compliment. "It's nice to hear compliments from a swordsman." Then she flew swiftly towards him. They again attacked each other with their swords.
"Can we get to their level?" asked Carl, still staring at the duel between the companies. It didn't look like a practice.
"We may never be like them. But we can try to approach them," Darren replied, also seeing the same sight. To be honest, Miku and Irvin's fight was very intense, and it was a shame to miss it. Unfortunately, they belonged to the same duel, so it was impossible to be a spectator. "Are you ready?" he asked, back to focus on the fight.
Carl returned his gaze to his opponent. He focused with the magic on his sword, so it shone a little. Then he showed an enthusiastic smile as he said, "I'm more ready than ever."
A second later, he charged forward to attack him. He swung his sword, which Darren could dodge. He made another attack, aiming at his left flank. Unfortunately, that too could be parried by Darren.
He slightly backed away, preparing for his next attack. However, Darren used the opportunity to attack him. So, he persisted.
Over the next few minutes, Carl and Darren attacked and defended each other. They were not trying to be winners. They only used the fifteen minutes Julian gave to the best to improve their ability.
"Perhaps we need to do this more often," Darren said as they faced each other. He attacked Carl and cast magic to weaken his defenses.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Carl replied without loosening his guard. Instead, he strengthened it by pouring as much magic into his sword as possible. This was all he could do in his position. Magic was his last line of defense.
Then he felt a strong flow in his blade. It was even more convincing that he could turn the situation around.
And so, he gathered as much magic as his sword could. More and more.
"Carl!"
A faint call couldn't break his concentration.
"Carl!"
He needed strength. More and more.
"Carl!"
Finally, on the third call, it managed to take his focus. He was suddenly dazed and didn't know what he was doing.
At that moment, his defenses were broken. He fell hard to the ground.