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(3rd Person POV)
Edmund was standing in front of his master with his trusty great sword, Valhalla.
Aston Phoenix would not use his personal weapon or his Phoenix Bloodline in this spar. He was using iron gauntlets provided to him by the Agriches. Lant was informed about how Aston was asking for iron gauntlets.
Lant knew that Aston wouldn't be so foolish as to use that weapon to murder people. He can easily use his unknown power.
Aston already knew that the spies of the Agriches were already positioned near the location. This time Lant was cautious, he had placed his men a good 500 m distance away. He was informed of the location by Roxana.
He is betting on the chance of Aston not being able to use his power to kill them from that distance.
That was a good call...
Aston's ability stops him from using it beyond his domain. This domain extends for almost 100 m in radius.
Though, it's quite surprising how Roxana managed to pass the location beforehand. There wasn't a very big time interval between Aston's group asking for a clearing and then Roxana guiding them to the place.
As expected of one of the strongest children of Lant, she possessed skills.
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Both Panem and Roxana are standing on the sidelines to view the spar in front of them.
Panem clenched his fist and hesitatingly shouted, "Y-Your Highness! You h-have to win!!"
Roxana didn't say a word and her face as well didn't show anything as she had her usual seductive smile.
Aston was wearing a white collared shirt with a golden lining and black pants made of Rare-Wormed Silk.
He had a smirk on his face as he banged his gauntlets together and said tauntingly, "So, will one of the most famous monster hunters in the past century fight me? Or is he too old and weak?"
Edmund held his greatsword up in a stance as fire lit up his eyes.
"Your Highness, you should already know that those taunts won't work in the least. An old man in this type of field has heard every type of provocation out there. We should battle fairly."
Aston smugly said with a wide smile, "Yeah, just like Edmund Talos who killed his friends when they trusted him, right? Oh! I remember his brother also among the group who died."
Edmund didn't reply but the air around him made him much more threatening than the usual kind fellow he is.
He clenched his teeth in anger and charged at his master from his place.
Aston's eyes twinkled in joy, "This never fails to rile you up, Edmund. "
Saying that Aston also dashed from his place towards Edmund with a punch aiming for his servant's heart.
And the battle started...
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*Clang*
*Clink*
Aston's iron gauntlets clashed with Edmund's Valhalla. It produced an ear-piercing sound.
Both parties used their utmost power behind the attacks. Edmund used his overpowering years of experience and used the best timing for the first exchange of blows to happen. It led to most of the impact of the exchange on his opponent and he faced minimum impact.
On the other hand, Aston endured the heavy impact due to the inhumane endurance he had been provided by his ancestors.
Both of them backed off for a moment to gather their strengths back and then attack the opposite party again.
One of Edmund's advantages in this battle was the technique that was passed on to him by his ancestors. In the first stage of his technique, he was able to see flaws in his opponent's attack.
After several years, he had refined that ability to the point that instinctively he could see the flaws in his opponent's attack as well as ways to counter them.
Battle experience from monster hunting, wars and several other sources. He has probably the most experience out of all the people in the Phoenix Empire. No other person held a candle to him in that aspect.
Even though his master had overwhelming strength, his techniques still can't be comparable to Edmund's.
Aston's technical capabilities which are his weakness are filled by his gifted body full of talent. His natural prodigal talents and god-gifted body were the main reason why he could battle Edmund.
Aston had been diligently practising combat since he turned four. The child that seemed so cute asking his butler, Edmund to learn how to wield a sword turned into such a... Monster.
Edmund still holds a sliver of regret in his heart that if he could have protected his highness in that incident he could have ever got an inkling of what was happening behind the curtains.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
He would have been different and better than the person he is now.
Still, you can't do anything about the past, the present is the most important.
And Edmund's present had a battle in front of him.
Edmund attacked the side of Aston's torso. This was an aim to befuddle Aston as he usually didn't receive attacks there as any veteran out there would say to not attack the sides of a fairly experienced brawler.
It only leads to a waste of energy and doesn't lead to anything. There is also a chance for a sudden counterattack from the brawler.
Aston easily parried the coming strike and while during the time in which Edmund was coming back in his stance, Aston struck one of Edmund's shoulders.
Heavy impact on a shoulder could be very dangerous in a battle as it is located near the spinal cord. Even if the person's shoulders don't break or get dislodged, the vibrations from the impact can affect the nervous system. It can lead to dizziness and sometimes losing consciousness which is very dangerous in a battle.
Edmund backed up a lot after getting struck. His eyes were still focused in front of his opponent even though he had massive pain in his head.
Aston didn't allow him to recover his steadiness of mind and viciously attacked his servant continuously.
Aston had trained extensively in a furious barrage of attacks. He might be surpassing Edmund maybe in that aspect.
Edmund attempted to block as many attacks as he could but still, a few sneaked in and gave him damage.
He knew he had almost no chance of winning if he continued with these simple attacks.
Edmund stopped the defence and let the blows hit him. He got flung back behind which created some distance.
He exhaled deeply and went into a stance that exuded an enormous pressure around him. The grass withered and the flowers wilted around him.
His icy voice said, "Your Highness, I hope you are ready to battle the Talos Family's, Sword Art."
[Third Stance, Loyal Devourer!]
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(End of the Chapter)
[Valhalla Sword Illustration]
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