During all this time, Hayden had activated the Lens' full combat analysis, which projected the exact trajectory of the attack.
With all his strength, he sidestepped from the strike and used the momentum of the Paladin to his advantage. Then, he aimed his sword for the gap in the Paladin's armor at their knee joint.
His sword connected, and the Paladin staggered from that unexpected attack. Thankfully, it wasn't life-threatening so the Paladin was able to endure it!
Also, because the Paladin missed his attack, his balance was off!
Unfortunately, the Paladin was still able to use his shield!
Bam!
He slammed it into Hayden and sent him flying!
Hayden hit the ground hard but his sword was missing…
"You did it…" The Paladin muttered as he looked at the sword on his chest.
Just like that the Paladin started dissolving, confirming Hayden's win.
'That was dangerous…' Hayden thought as he felt his body recovering from the injury. Apparently, any injury would be healed at the start of the trial stage.
'I almost failed on that one… This body is really too terrible… Three years… That should be enough to at least make this body a lot more usable.' Hayden thought as he watched the battlefield be replaced once again.
This time he entered a ruined coliseum and the weather didn't seem good.
It seemed as if a storm was about to come.
Bang!
A deafening thunder roared as if it was telling him that his next opponent was a powerful one. It may even be the last opponent of this Trial Stage, he wasn't sure.
'Just what kind of opponent this time…'
Standing at the center of the arena was a tall, armored figure wielding a sword that was definitely made of expensive material...
To be exact, it even seemed like a ceremonial sword.
Lastly, the person himself seemed to have an overwhelming presence. Hayden immediately recognized the presence it was exuding—Aura.
Nonetheless, Hayden confirmed with his Ocularis Lens that this Aura was only present within the body of his opponent and it didn't spread to his sword and equipment.
'A Knight Candidate,' Hayden thought as he scanned the opponent.
After all, a true Aura Knight should already be capable of controlling their Aura to infuse them into their weapons or equipment.
However, Hayden still knew for a fact that this would really be difficult. After all, the physical enhancement of the Knight Candidates was already approaching the level of an Aura Knight.
'This definitely beyond my current level… But I wonder how am I going to be defeated here. In any case, I should've satisfied the Headmaster at this moment' Hayden smirked.
The Knight Candidate, on the other hand, didn't rush. He stood calmly, while the sword rested on his shoulder.
"You're just a child," the Knight Candidate said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Hayden understood the person's surprise since he knew that there was no way for a normal seven-year-old to reach this stage.
"I didn't expect that someone as young as you can reach this level… Unfortunately, you will need at least two more decades before becoming a threat to me. So even if I defeat you now, don't feel disappointed and just keep on practicing." The man advised kindly.
Hayden tightened his grip on his sword and nodded. "You're right… I'm here to prove myself. That's all that matters."
The Knight Candidate chuckled. "Then show me what you got."
Without warning, the Knight Candidate vanished, reappearing in front of Hayden.
His sword came down almost in a blink of an eye, and Hayden barely managed to raise his own blade to block. The impact sent him flying backward and his arms were already trembling from the force.
Actually, Hayden had seen the attack but his body couldn't react quickly and could only raise his sword.
'That speed… that power…' Hayden thought, his Ocularis Lens already analyzed the attack.
'He's not even using their full strength. This is going to be impossible.'
The Knight Candidate didn't stop.
He closed the distance again and moved swiftly. It was as if he wanted to show the gap in their speed and strength.
Each strike was faster and stronger than the last, forcing Hayden to rely entirely on his Ocularis Lens to predict and evade.
Furthermore, he used a special technique that diverted the force of the strike to the ground, which barely allowed him to deflect the attack of the Knight Candidate!
Unfortunately, even with that trick, it was still too much!
'Left… right… duck… roll!'
Hayden relied on his Lens projected trajectories and attack patterns.
He dodged most of the strikes, but the Knight Candidate's Aura-enhanced strikes were just too much for a seven-year-old to keep up!
It was already impressive that he was able to last this long!
Even a grazing blow sent shockwaves through Hayden's small frame and almost incapacitated him!
'Tsk… Even if I lose, I'll show you what I'm made of!'
Hayden's Ocularis Lens worked overtime, feeding him real-time data on the Knight Candidate's movements.
It highlighted weaknesses in their stance, predicted their next attacks, and even suggested counter-strategies.
But Hayden's body couldn't execute them fast enough.
'If I were in my old body, I could keep up,' Hayden thought bitterly. 'But this… this is too much.'