Despite the stabbing pain coursing through my body, particularly the throbbing wound on my arm, I gritted my teeth and pushed through it, using my sword for support as I rose to my feet.
"You're still standing? You really don't know when to give up. If possible, I would like to take you back in one piece, so if you just obediently-"
"Shut up, will you?"
I won't surrender. Death would be better than yielding like a coward.
It seems I had provoked him.
With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between us, his blade shimmering with crimson Magical Power, ready to strike.
In that split second, I sensed the imminent danger, knowing a single misstep could mean my death. His sword aimed directly at my chest, threatening to end it all.
Despite the instinctual fear of death, I refused to succumb. Just as his blade was about to make contact, time seemed to slow to a crawl. In that fleeting moment of clarity, I suppressed my fears as I saw a path to victory.
Standing on a mountain, there are numerous paths to reach you.
Sure, I could take the traditional route, climbing my way up. It's the conventional method, but it's just too slow for the urgency of the current moment.
However, who said that's the only logical approach?
What if, instead, I cut the mountain in half, reducing the climb to just half the height? If I continue halving it, that remaining half becomes another half, and so on.
Eventually, you'd find yourself standing right beside me.
This odd idea sparked in my mind, and to execute it...
Well, I'll need to take some risks.
Summoning every ounce of strength and magical power I possessed, I lunged forward with a lightning-fast counterattack, my sword whistling through the air as it sought to meet his blade head on. With a fierce determination burning in my heart, I unleashed a devastating blow, aiming to end the fight once and for all.
The moment our blades collided, it was as if metal faced against butter.
The fabric of my torn and bloodstained clothes clung uncomfortably to my wounded body. Thanks to the multiple cuts and gashes, I had a difficult time even managing to keep my sword aloft, but I couldn't give up now.
My sword didn't hold out for even a full second as it was cut in half, a smile plastered on his face as he thought he had won the fight. The sharp edge of his sword, adorned with remnants of my blood, reflected his enormous advantage.
But, there was something he was missing.
The moment he let his guard down, the severed piece of the sword soaring through the air seemed to have a mind of its own. In an unexpected twist, it plunged into his leg, forcing him to abruptly halt his blade just inches away from my heart.
Sweat streamed down my face and back as I was unconsciously holding my breath, fervently wishing for this outcome. A sigh of relief escaped me when I saw I succeeded.
His expression turned to disdain as he glanced from my weapon to the damaged hilt trembling in my hand, remnants of Magical Power still lingering.
"I admit I was surprised by this move, but do you think a mere stab would be enough to-"
Without warning, he coughed, blood dripping from his mouth and staining the ground beneath him.
"What's... happ-ening...?" he managed to stammer, his voice weak.
But it didn't stop there. Blood began to flow from his eyes, nose, and every other orifice, as if his body had turned against him in an instant.
In a matter of moments, the situation had completely reversed. He dropped his sword, his strength drained, and collapsed to the ground, unable to speak another word.
I stared at all this without an ounce of emotion.
"How does it feel, having your body torn apart from the inside? Maybe thanks to the adrenaline and those pills, you're numb to the pain now. Consider yourself lucky, for you should be enduring a torment worse than death..."
I wiped the blood from my lips and spat on his head.
While I hadn't suffered life-threatening injuries, I had been pitted against someone far stronger. My muscles were numb, fatigue weighed on my body, and all I craved was rest and a meal. But first, I had to put an end to this fool.
"I'm sure you're itching to know how this happened, but I'm sorry. You'll meet your end without a clue as to how you perished. That's what scum like you deserves..."
My hands were trembling ever so slightly.
If I lost control of the sword, it might have been my lifeless body facing him instead.
I hadn't realized how anxious I was about it. The throbbing pain in my arm intensified, and I instinctively clutched it in agony.
Though the adrenaline kept me going this far, the wound was deep, and numerous cuts adorned my body. Lingering here would only lead to bleeding out.
Fray warned me against doing risky things, but it seems I have a knack for defying his words.
After a few more seconds, Zenon Sensei, renowned as the strongest swordsman instructor at the prestigious Royal Academy, met his end, choking on a pool of his own blood. It happened under the blade of one of the weakest students, someone who had always been dismissed as a mere Ordinaire.
"Damn. I need to hurry..."
I kicked away his lifeless body.
'Now it's your turn, Fray.'
With this thought, I hurried to the nearest hospital, a small smile playing on my face. I was now one step closer to him, after all.
---
Author's Note:
That's it for this fight! What do you think? Was it good enough for you, or do you think it's lacking in some way?
As always, I'd like you all to be honest :).
Next chapter we'll go see Akira's side of things.
For convenience, Alexia will shorten Fray Von Garoff to Fray when she thinks about him, but she won't be calling him by anything but his full name or "him" on the outside.