A sense of anticipation and dark vindication couldn't help but slowly bubble within Nico. He stood up eagerly, itching to get the duel started.
The boy bid Henry and Leon goodbye and calmly made his way over to the central zone. He suppressed his impatience and went about preparing himself mentally for the fight.
Nico did not delude himself. He inwardly knew this was going to be his toughest duel yet.
Lucas had the advantage of being more skilled and experienced than he was. Not to mention that the noble had vastly more resources at his disposal. All this culminated and formed a fearsome opponent that Nico would have to face.
His mind cooled, entering a cold and calculating state. Nico recalled Lucas's previous duel against Leon and how the fiery-haired noble was effectively on top for a large chunk of the clash.
Only the half-blood's grit, determination, and muscular frame had stopped the Stanburg heir from coming out victorious.
'This is going to be tough.'
Nico blew out of his cheeks, deep in thought.
The only advantage he had was that he didn't have to win. If that were to be the case then the difficulty of the duel would have risen tenfold.
No, all he had to do was make sure he did not lose and last until the time limit came into effect.
'I just have to give it my all and hope for the best.' Nico mused to himself as he finally reached his destination.
Standing opposite him with his nose raised in the air, Lucas scoffed and sneered. William stood to the side preparing to oversee the duel and intervene at a moment's notice.
"You have no chance against me, vermin. Might as well just give up…" the fiery-haired noble mocked with a contemptuous sneer on his face. His posture was languid, the grip on his axe half-hearted.
It was as if Lucas found it beneath him to exert any effort at all since victory was all but assured.
'One would think he would have learned his lesson by now…' Nico sighed internally deciding to ignore his opponent.
The sneer on Lucas's face quickly froze. His expression darkened, "You dare ignore me!?"
The brown-haired trainee calmly met the noble's gaze, and uttered slowly, stressing each word, a subtle smirk on his lips, "I don't pay attention to the words of trash."
Lucas flinched, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. Did his opponent actually call him trash?
An insane laugh left the lips of the Stanburg heir as he clutched his stomach tightly. The embers of madness that swirled deep within his crimson eyes flared and shone with startling intensity.
William, who listened to the grating laugh frowned and shook his head. His student shouldn't have provoked that conceited bastard.
Nico felt satisfied seeing he had successfully riled Lucas up. He did not care if that caused him to suffer more in the duel.
After all, to the brown-haired trainee, the haughty heir had it coming for him since the beginning of the Camp.
Besides, what was the point of getting back at Lucas if he couldn't provoke him along the way?
Nico grinned darkly.
It sure felt good to goad his extremely volatile foe.
He got into stance, clutching his spear with an iron grip, and exhaled lightly, his eyes trained on Lucas.
William slowly raised his hand and glanced at the two trainees.
Finding that they had quieted down and wore solemn expressions befitting the occasion of the last duel, the white-haired instructor took a deep breath, before his voice rolled across the square for the last time.
"Begin!"
***
Nico dashed forward instantly, his spear shooting through the air menacingly.
The blunted tip of the weapon provided a sliver glint in the gloom-encased square. A shrill screeching sound resounded as Lucas's blocked his opponent's attack with ease.
The noble transferred the momentum from Nico's strike and used that to fuel his next blow, in addition to utilising the synchronisation method.
'Heavy…'
Nico gritted his teeth as he attempted to deflect the power behind Lucas's attacks. His arms trembled and threatened to give out. But to his relief, the brown-haired boy held on with no major issues.
Taking a step back after another crushing blow, Nico spun on the balls of his feet and swung his spear, the flat of the blade curving forward in an ominous arc. Seeing this, the Stanburg heir remained calm, however.
With cool composure, the redhead brought the side of his axe to meet the swipe.
Clang!
Feeling the vibrations from the weapons colliding travel up his arms, Lucas flashed a dark grin before springing into action. His axe hurtled through the air… its destination, the birth-marked trainee's neck.
Nico's eyes dilated, and with barely a moment's notice narrowly avoided the attack. He spun and unleashed another wide swipe.
He had to utilise the spear's inherent advantage of added range and keep Lucas a safe distance away, where the redhead's devastating attacks had less chance of connecting.
'Blazing Fates!'
Nico's expression turned grim. Lucas had grasped the initial advantage in the beginning stages of the duel.
If things continued in this fashion, he had a distinct feeling that he would end up the loser.
'I can't let that happen!'
Full of somber resolve, Nico continued to match his opponent's blows as the intensity of the clash rose to greater and greater levels.
Now that most of the trainees had finished their respective fights and the burden of the duels was lifted from their young shoulders, they now focused their attention on the clash occurring in the centre of the Exercise square.
Gasps and cheers filled the air as the youths were thoroughly entertained by what they saw. Nico was less than entertained, however. He quickly separated from his foe and widened the distance between them.
A thin line of perspiration lined his brows which threatened to drip into his eyes and impair his vision. His hands thick with sweat, struggled to grip the spear properly.
The brown-haired trainee gasped for air. Although the stiffness in his left shoulder had decreased somewhat, it now burned with merciless indifference to his current plight.
It seemed Lucas's weighty strikes had aggravated the injury.
Nico gritted his teeth for the umpteenth time.
"Ha, is this all you amount to?" The voice of the haughty heir full of disdain and reproach streamed into his ears. Nico clenched his jaw, a vein throbbing on his temple in response to the arrogant noble's provocation.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. He had to remain composed. Releasing a turbid breath, the boy wiped the sweat on his face with the black of his sleeve.
His face transformed into the epitome of seriousness.
'I can't withhold all my cards any longer. I must go guns blazing, otherwise, I risk losing this duel.' Nico thought to himself.
Lucas clicked his tongue seeing that his attempt to rile up the brown-haired trainee had failed. The redhead smirked after witnessing his opponent pant like the vermin he was.
He had decided not to underestimate others anymore when in a battle.
As such, he used a significant portion of his prowess to put Nico on the defensive. He had no plans to let up.
The lesson and humiliation from his first duel remained vivid in his mind.
The pompous noble's grip on his axe tightened recalling that specific encounter. His knuckles turned white for a moment before he smoothed his expression out.
There was no use thinking of such things when he could just vent his frustration on the worthless trainee in front of him.
A manic light bloomed in Lucas's eyes.
A nefarious chuckle escaped his lips.
William glanced at the stopwatch in his hands. A third of the time limit had passed, and it was not looking good for Nico.
Although he had to be neutral, the white-haired instructor couldn't help but root for his lanky student.
His dislike of nobility aside, William wished for the brown-haired trainee to pass. Something about the gloomy aura that surrounded the kid reminded the older man of his own traumas and difficulties.
'Come on, Nico…'
The boy in question took a large lungful of air and exhaled. He tapped into the quasi-meditative state to soothe his rising inner turmoil.
The pressure on him was getting heavier and heavier. He had to withstand it.
With his agitation cooled, Nico gazed calmly at Lucas. The noble was on the move, his double-headed axe cleaving through the air savagely.
Nico's eyes darted across the space, taking in every detail before a seed of a plan formed in his mind.
The boy waited until his opponent had arrived within a sufficient distance, before muttering under his breath:
'First Form - Horizon's Dash!'
From his standing position, Nico tensed his legs and lunged forward. His spear created an audible whoosh as it sped through the air.
Integrated into the strike to further increase its might was the synchronisation method.
Lucas's gaze narrowed. Within a moment, his opponent's spear clashed with his axe sending consecutive vibrations through his body. The fiery-haired noble smirked. It seemed things were just about to get more interesting.
The haughty heir responded in kind as he instilled his own strikes with more substance and power.
'First Form - Horizon's Dash!'
'First Form - Horizon's Dash!'
To gain the upper hand, Nico executed the first form twice in quick succession. He hoped that with the chained attack, he would be too fast for Lucas and easily sneak past his guard.
Alas, things couldn't be so straightforward.
As his figure bolted ahead and he put his all into each strike, Nico found to his chagrin that the noble remained mostly unfazed. The only sign of his surprise was the slight creasing of his fiery brows.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clangour of blunted steel continued as Lucas donned a somber expression for the first time during the duel.
The surrounding crowd sat at the edge of their seats. The crackling tension within the central duel invaded their bodies and a sense of jittery anticipation couldn't help but bloom inside all the spectators.
Only a minute remained.
Who would come out victorious?