A tense standoff ensued between two parties. On one side, six figures completely outnumbered the other group, having twice as many combatants. The other party, composed of a trio of black-clad trainees, held their ground, refusing to let fear and intimidation cloud their senses.
Sure, the White Cobras were strong… probably way stronger than them, but that did not matter. At least not right now. If they cowered before the battle had even started, then they might as well have already lost the fight.
Gritting his teeth, Nico stared at his opponents. The bandit's postures were laid back as if this was just a simple outing for them.
Meanwhile, he, Henry, and Leon were tense, muscles taut in a mixture of nerves and anxiety.
Just then, the crazed laughter of Lucas died down. The fiery-haired noble immediately switched up, his former manic demeanour rapidly fading. Instead, a solemn expression manifested on his face, before he lifted his axe and pointed toward Nico, "This one's mine. Don't interfere."
Making sure the Boss got the message, Lucas immediately dashed towards the person he loathed the most in the Training Camp aside from the half-blood. A cruel grin split his face.
Nico, only partially surprised at the haughty heir's actions, wasted no more time, and rushed up to Lucas. A soft breeze blew through the clearing, ruffling his chest-nut brown hair.
Nico narrowed his eyes in concentration. He could not afford to lose here. His mind registered the presence of the White Cobras out of the corner of his eye.
'What if they use the mirror again?'
Nico couldn't help but be pensive. However, a moment later he shook his head.
He would deal with things one at a time. Right now, he did not have an effective counter against the looking glass. There was no point in worrying about something outwith his span of control.
Just then, the two trainees - one a redhead, the other brown-haired - neared within a metre of each other. Silence took hold of the forested area, broken only by the rapid footsteps of approaching conflict.
To Henry and Leon - people who had witnessed Nico and Lucas duel before - this showdown was akin to a second round of the duels. One which would decide the victor, once and for all.
Nico sped forward, doing his best to increase his speed. In a split-second, he decided not to hold anything back.
'First Form - Horizon's Dash!'
Nico's spear shot forward as the muscles in his legs tensed, propelling him forward. Lucas, who had been intently surveying his foe, matched his opponent's speed and sent his axe cleaving onwards in response.
Clang!
The two trainees collided in a shower of sparks.
This time their weapons were not blunted. The stakes were also higher. And for that reason, the impact was much harder, as well.
Nico grunted, taking an involuntary step back. He shifted his body and used the remaining momentum to fuel his next strike. He utilised the first form repeatedly.
Lucas, meanwhile, continued to be consumed by a sense of dark glee. The manic grin on his face never leaving. His crimson eyes teetered on the edge of madness.
This was a good method of releasing all his pent-up frustration. The past week and a half after the duels had ended were some of the hardest in his life. The shame he felt after drawing to a half-blood haunted him constantly. It was as if he received a sudden slap in the face.
So, the fiery-haired noble kept his head down and plotted in the shadows. Although the death of one of his peers was outside his expectations, he didn't really care all that much. To Lucas, she was just among the plethora of commoner trash that plagued the world.
It was her fault for being so weak.
Clutching his axe tighter, Lucas stuck close to Nico, nullifying the threat posed by the spear. He sent his axe chopping down once more. This time, however, it was different.
Just as the axehead curved downwards, the noble paused and forcefully changed the direction of the attack towards Nico's midsection.
The brown-haired trainee's pupils constricted to the size of a needle before he hastily erected a feeble defence. Nico slid back many metres, his feet leaving deep grooves through the verdant grass.
He gritted his teeth and dashed toward Lucas, who he was sure would not let the sudden opening go.
Just as Nico thought, the haughty heir charged towards him, his steps full of a menacing desire to end him.
The Boss watched the fight between Master Lucas and the dreg idly, boredom swirling in depth of his eyes. "Shifty, Skinny. Go deal with the half-blood and that raven-haired kid protecting him," the bald man muttered under his breath to his subordinates.
A greedy glint appeared in the Boss's wicked eyes.
He wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. The faster they completed their mission, the faster he would get paid.
Shifty and Skinny grumbled to themselves at the unfairness of being chosen, but begrudgingly stepped forward to execute their leader's commands. As much as they felt those young pups were not worth their time, they reluctantly did as they were told.
The duo had seen what had happened to those who had disobeyed the Boss first-hand…
…they had no desire to join those pitiful fools.
Henry, who saw two of the bandits break off and head in his direction, tensed. His mind threatened to plunge in a pit of panic.
A steady hand gripped his shoulder.
Looking back, the farmer gazed into Leon's eyes that were filled with encouragement and boundless resolve.
A wry chuckle escaped his mouth. He saw the half-blood's expression morph into an inscrutable one once his eyes paused on their approaching enemies.
Leon stepped forward and stood beside Henry. "I'll take care of that Shifty guy. You focus on the extremely skinny one."
Henry nodded and gripped his sword, before he and the half-blood dashed toward the two bandits, ready to give it their all.
As the duo clashed with the two bandits, some metres away, Nico roared in his mind:
'First Form - Horizon's Dash!'
Once he saw Lucas shift his body, anticipating the strike, Nico tightened the grip on his spear.
'Second Form - Mercy of the Soothing Zephyr!'
Nico's rapid steps suddenly slowed for a fraction of a second. Recalling Phantom's usage of tempo and control in their spars, he imitated his instructor's actions.
That pause… that miniscule movement only served to better the effectiveness of the second form… a flash of enlightenment took over Nico.
The haughty heir's pupils dilated seeing the change in Nico's stance. His face turned grim. Roaring his mind, Lucas did his best to stop his axe. Alas, his momentum was just too large.
Nico's spear flashed…
… and a trickle of blood was left in its wake.
Stunned, Lucas raised a hand to his face and found a few droplets of blood oozing out of a thin wound on his cheek.
Nico had wounded him.