Clang! Clang! Clang!
Reflected in Nico's widened eyes, a Great sword shot forward, desiring nothing more than to wrench the blunted spear free from his grip. The boy immediately inhaled, imbuing his weapon with the synchronisation method.
With his coordination and harmony having suddenly increased, Nico hastily blocked Favian's heavy strikes. The problem, however, was that he kept getting pushed back, the time between each of his burly opponent's attacks not enough for him to strengthen his stance.
And so the duel continued in this manner.
Favian doing his best to press his advantage, whilst Nico was hanging on for dear life. Their bodies dashed across the space inside the groove boundary, kicking up small divots of dust along the way.
'Blazing fates! Why did things suddenly go so wrong?'
Nico gritted his teeth. His eyes narrowed, as a sheen of sweat matted his forehead.
'I didn't want to use this but looks like I have no other choice. I have to reverse the tide.'
Although losing in the first duel wasn't the end of the world, it did, however, make the next two fights significantly harder. He would have to ensure that he won and drew at least once with no room for failure, otherwise, he would not pass.
Nico continued matching Favian blow to blow, if only just barely. An intense heat suffused the muscles in his shoulders and legs. His lungs greedily gulped in all the air they could from the surroundings.
The non-stop clangour of blunted metal continued unabated inside the Exercise Square. Most of the trainees who were spectating to the side, idly chatted to their friends only monitoring a certain duel, if they found it interesting.
Henry and Leon gazed at Nico's challenge with a slight frown. Worry swirled in the depths of their pupils. By now, there was less than a minute that remained until the duel ended. It was not looking good for the brown-haired youth.
Nico released a frustrated shout. He had had enough. He couldn't delay any longer. The groove boundary was just a few metres behind him.
The boy steadied his feet and tensed his legs. He clenched his teeth together. Flames of determination danced wildly in his maroon eyes.
'Come!'
Nico gripped his spear tightly, Favian's sword whooshing through the air once again.
Time slowed to a crawl, as he ignored how reckless his next move could prove to be. Solidifying his stance, Nico inhaled and exhaled.
He tapped into the quasi-meditative state (which he had inadvertently exited after his slip in concentration), with his senses transmitting his environment in greater detail.
The brown-haired trainee saw a vein throb on his bulky opponent's forehead. He witnessed the muscles in Favian's body bulge and ripple, preparing to end this duel here and now.
Nico also perceived a hint of disdain flicker through Favian's eyes, the first hint of emotion he had shown throughout the entire fight.
'Damn this! And damn all of you who treat me with disdain!'
Something snapped inside Nico, his resolve to carry out what he had in mind strengthened markedly.
Bam!
The two trainees clashed together for what might have been the final time. Dust swirled in the air as a result of their colliding, preventing the other trainees from getting a view of what had happened.
Phantom, who was standing to the side, straightened. The dust failed to impair his vision. His one good eye narrowed, the sharp aura around his figure flared, cutting even the wind in two.
'This kid…' Phantom thought with morbid fascination.
Reflected within in his icy pupil, the figure of his student and Favian clashing appeared. Yet, what alarmed the dark-haired instructor the most was Nico's actions.
He wasn't blocking…
Instead, with a deft movement of his wrist, Nico had altered the trajectory of the blow aimed at his chest, toward his shoulder. The weapon slammed into his clavicle.
Phantom suppressed the urge to end the duel and continued to watch with dark interest.
Favian's eyes widened. What was his opponent doing? Why would he tank the blow instead of blocking it?
Gazing at the brown-haired boy's emotionless eyes, alarm bells rang loudly in his mind.
Nico, under the quasi-meditative state and with a singular goal in his mind shrugged off the pain of the sword slamming into his clavicle. He gripped his spear which threatened to fall loose, tightly with his right hand.
With his senses heightened, Nico perceived Favian's surprise, unease, and fear. Not letting that distract him, he let a curtain of calm blanket his mind. He knew what to do.
Nico closed his eyes and gathered his spirit, his breath flowing uniformly across his body.
The synchronisation method. A way to make his strikes have more power and substance. Using such a technique, Nico's grip tightened further. He strained his mind to the limit as he roared to himself:
'First Form - Horizon's Dash!'
He had only practiced this strike a handful of times. His execution was far from perfect. Yet, it didn't need to be.
Its underlying principle was more than enough to help him escape the quagmire he was in, even if executed incorrectly.
As Nico got into a stance, Phantom's eyes widened in surprise. 'No way…'
The tension in Nico's legs built up and up, coupled with the force of the strike he had just tanked, and a large well of power became available to the brown-haired boy. Enough to propel his attack from a stationary position.
His eyes snapped open, sending a chill down Favian's spine.
Nico thrust forward, a burst of strength from his legs augmented his strike. The blunted blade whistled through the air, toward his frozen opponent.
A dark smile appeared on Nico's face.
Within a second, Nico had the tip of his spear placed against Favian's throat. The great sword in the burly trainee's grasp clattered noisily to the ground.
'How do you like me now? You tough bastard…' A wave of relief washed over Nico's figure, contrary to his thoughts.
Phantom's lips curled up into a hint of a smile…
…His little hen had won.