Standing across from each other, Cain was prepared for a tough fight. He knew that winning this match would be challenging, no matter how hard he tried. Leo seemed equally serious, having witnessed Cain's quick evasion of Amy's attack. He was determined to use all his skills to secure a victory.
"3..2...1...Fight!" Kayla screamed as the match began.
Leo wasted no time and immediately dashed towards Cain at full speed. Cain struggled to keep up with his opponent's lightning-fast movements.
'Shit, he's fast! I can't even follow him with my eyes,' Cain thought as he tried to figure out Leo's location.
In a split second, Leo appeared behind Cain, attempting an overhead smash. But Cain, using his [Blink] skill, managed to evade the attack just in time.
'Shit, that was close! I didn't even notice him. If it weren't for [Blink], I'd have been knocked out cold,' Cain realized, as Leo continued his relentless assault, not giving him a chance to escape.
'I can't just keep defending; I'll tire out, and victory is unlikely anyway. I need to make him bleed even a little to win,' Cain strategized.
As Leo dashed towards him again, Cain did something unexpected - he started slashing at the air. Ignoring Cain's strange actions, Leo pressed on until he felt a powerful force hit his back. The hit was unexpected, and though it hurt, it didn't cause him to bleed.
Not wasting any time to recover, Leo sensed mana forming near his arm. He quickly moved his arm to avoid the attack, which slightly missed him. But Cain was relentless and continued his barrage of slashes.
Leo could feel more mana forming near his body, this time aimed at his leg. He anticipated the attack this time and dodged it. He gradually got used to Cain's unpredictable attacks, realizing that Cain could control where the slashes appeared around his body.
'He's getting closer, and I'm running out of mana. If I don't give it everything I've got, I'll definitely lose,' Cain thought as he increased the intensity of his slashes.
Leo, on the other hand, noticed that Cain couldn't move while using the (space slash) skill. He also noticed that Cain seemed to be concentrating hard and using a lot of mana.
'Shit, he's putting his all into this. If he runs out of mana, I'll have a better chance,' Leo thought, determined to endure.
Cain kept slashing at the air, this time launching multiple slashes simultaneously. Leo activated his [Overdrive] skill, enhancing his strength significantly, but it wasn't enough to dodge all the attacks. His objective was to avoid bleeding, and the skill helped him achieve that, but he couldn't see Cain in the chaos.
Unbeknownst to Leo, Cain had used [Blink] once again and was now behind him. With all his remaining strength, Cain landed a shallow cut on Leo's back, and red appeared on the tip of Cain's sword - he had won the fight.
Exhausted from mana consumption, Cain fainted. Leo was surprised that Cain had turned out to be weaker than he expected, especially after witnessing his dodge against Amy's attack.
"He fainted? Huh, I thought he'd be stronger after that dodge. He must have exhausted his mana," Leo said, examining Cain's body.
Leo couldn't help but reflect on the peculiar abilities Cain displayed during the fight - his apparent teleportation and the way he manipulated his slashes. He realized that there was more to Cain than met the eye, and perhaps there was a reason the system recommended them to become friends.
"I guess I have to keep up my end of the deal. This duel was pointless. Even if he just asked to use my training room, I would've agreed," Leo thought as he observed Cain.
While Leo contemplated, Kayla had different thoughts about Cain.
"Cain Stardust... I already ran a background check on him, and he seemed normal. But maybe I should look into him again. He might become a powerful ally... or enemy. If he's a threat, I have to deal with him while he's still weak," Kayla thought, analyzing the situation.