Practice Duel

Pov Kylo Stromcrest

"Take care of me," I said a little nervously as I watched Luna in front of me in a basic stance.

In the end, our duel was postponed for a day because of the weather, and the sub commander said that it is always better to fight outdoors, because life and death battles always happen there.

We had both already prepared for the practice duel. Luna stood 5 meters away, dressed in gym clothes and holding a wooden sword.

(Despite being a child, she exudes the energy of an experienced swordsman).

Both her confident stance and her calm way of holding the sword indicated to me that she was very confident in her abilities.

"Are you both ready?" the sub-commander asked from a point midway between us, looking at both of us.

I nodded and Luna did the same.

"Good, begin," she declared in a loud voice, marking the start of combat.

*Steps. *Steps.

I moved slowly, circling her, as I examined her stance for openings. However, her stance was perfect.

(Her gaze is unsettling...)

She, as if she didn't care about my observation or my actions, looked directly into my eyes.

There was no particular movement on her part.

*Foot settling in.

She only adjusted her right foot in the direction of my body, as a precautionary measure against a possible approach on my part.

(There's nothing else to do, then...).

|Acceleration|

As a measure prior to my next move, I activated the aura skill we were taught yesterday.

*Zrrrr *Zrrrr *Zrrrr *Zrrrr

A dark gray aura lightly covered my body. This was the aura of the demon king, though it was not very stable and expended much more stamina than expected. I figured it would be enough to end the fight in one swift move.

The instant she saw my aura, she raised her eyebrows slightly and adjusted her guard.

(Now!)

*Swoosh!

Quickly, I approached her and when I was a meter away, I executed my move in an anticipatory manner to avoid giving her time to react.

*Downward strike

Placing my sword at the height of my head, I took advantage of the momentum provided by the acceleration skill and descended it with a powerful move, seeking to break her guard or disarm her.

But...

Thwack!

*Horizontal block

She blocked my attack by moving a little to the side and adjusting her sword horizontally, resisting my blow.

(Not good...)

With my offensive resulting in failure, I immediately adjusted my stance a bit in preparation for his counterattack.

Thud!

Thud!

Taking advantage of the position of her sword, she performed a cross slash aimed at my chest and waist, something I quickly blocked.

Zoom!

I backed away, having achieved my goal: confirming her strength and speed.

(She is strong, but the power of her attacks is not very great and her reaction speed... is incredible).

Recall that I was using the acceleration skill, which increases the speed at which my body moves, but she responded very quickly and accurately.

(It seems that she still hasn't mastered her aura... or at least I think so).

There is also a technique to hide your aura from opponents, but she is unlikely to know it. It was a high-level technique and, moreover, exclusive to Aerial Chronicles players. I never saw an NPC do it.

(Also, in story mode, at this time they still couldn't use their aura the way I do).

(I must finish this quickly)

My plan was to launch powerful attacks in succession to wear down her resistance and, the moment she let her guard down, execute a precise thrust.

*Zrrrr *Zrrrrrr *Zrrrrrr *Zrrrr *Zrrrr *Zrrrr *Zrrrr *Zrrrr

My dark gray aura became more prominent and chaotic.

"Haa, haaa."

My breathing was also getting faster, too fast, and my stamina was wearing thin.

Fortunately, I had a secret card up my sleeve.

[Imperishable Activated: Physical Stamina +1 (Temporary), Physical Stamina +1 (Temporary)].

My stamina temporarily increased and, taking advantage of this, I set out to implement my plan in full.

*Swoosh!

I approached her and immediately....

Thud!

*Zigzag slash

Thwack!

Thud!

Thwack!

I launched a series of powerful zigzag punches.

"Haaaaaa, Ugh, Haaaa," and as I did so, my breathing became increasingly ragged.

(Almost there, a little more, a little more!)

My anxiety increased, but I was getting results, as her posture gradually weakened.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

Each time he executed more and more powerful attacks, until....

Clatter!

Her sword, which was starting to give way due to my attacks, moved away from her guard due to the force of my last strike.

(Now!)

I saw the opportunity and immediately prepared to launch a thrust aimed at her chest, intending to end the fight.

"HAAAA."

With my battle cry, I changed the position of my sword and aimed for her chest.

Just as I was about to execute a powerful and precise thrust....

(Huh?)

My vision changed.

Crashhhh!

I could contemplate the clear blue sky and even the beautiful sun that gave me its light and warmth.

(What's going on?)

With that beautiful sight, I lost consciousness.

--

Pov Luna Lestia:

(His skill with the sword in this life is exceptional).

That was my thought as I observed how he approached our duel and executed his moves.

(Unfortunately, I possess an experience of at least 40 years and, moreover, I am a prodigy).

If this particular confrontation had occurred in my first life, I would no doubt have been in trouble and might even have been defeated.

Clap! Clap!

I turned my head to see who was clapping for me.

"That was an outstanding fight, Luna," the sub-commander came up to me and praised me.

"You fooled your opponent and used his mental state to your advantage," she perfectly analyzed our duel and could sense my intentions, to a certain extent.

(I just wanted to assess his skill with the sword).

From the first exchange, I knew that I could win this match, as he assumed that I was still not very experienced with the sword, due to the fact that I had "let my guard down".

"Still... that he learned to use his aura only a day after learning to manifest it is impressive, but what surprises me the most is you," the sub-commander continued speaking, this time looking at me admiringly.

(I suppose you think I defeated Kylo without using my aura, but I didn't).

Yes, I used my aura too. In fact, I had it activated from the first second of the duel. However, unlike him, my aura was completely controlled, which made it almost impossible for him to detect it.

I only had to wait for him to attempt a final attack, neglecting his defense, to launch an accurate attack.

To his misfortune, that was my chance, as I had already activated the acceleration and was able to deliver a direct lunge to his neck, ending the fight.

(The techniques of Kylo's daughters in my second life were very interesting).

One of them included the method of hiding the aura in a way that even someone as experienced as the sub-commander could not detect. Therefore, Kylo had no chance to perceive it; otherwise, he would not have attempted that attack.

"You are truly a millennial genius," the subcommander concluded with these words of praise.

(No matter what life I'm in, that phrase always sticks with me...).

"Kylo! Are you okay, Kylo!", my thought was interrupted when Elara approached Kylo and picked him up in her arms to try to wake him up.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I turned my head towards Frederick, but instead of being annoyed, he was simply laughing as he discreetly put his arm on the shoulder of that girl, Adelina.

Looking closely at Elara's expression, I could notice a greater concern than usual.

(It's almost, it's almost time...)

I headed towards the locker room while a dark feeling grew in my heart.

--

Pov Kylo Stromcrest:

(I confided).

That was my first thought when I woke up.

(I knew she was powerful, but still, I let my guard down).

Now, sitting in my room, I carefully analyzed our duel and came to that conclusion.

(Still, it's frustrating).

It had been a long time since I had experienced the taste of defeat, especially when I was about to win.

"Haaaa," I sighed.

*knock *knock

"Come in," I replied when someone knocked on the door.

The visitor was none other than Adelina.

"That was a good fight," she said as she walked over matter-of-factly and sat on my bed.

(This annoyed me).

I was not in the best state, as the frustration of my defeat was still weighing on my heart, but I tried to hide it.

"Luna turned out to be much stronger than I thought," I replied.

"Did you think you could beat her?" she asked with a smirk.

I looked away, feeling my face redden, but not exactly with embarrassment.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha, Kylo, my dear Master, you know very well you can't beat her, especially considering you're Kylo Stromcrest, a third-rate villain," she continued, I guess trying to comfort me?

(But I guess she's right; her stats must be far superior.... but how much superior?)

To beat me without using her aura, she's certainly a monstrosity.

"Changing the subject, I'm doing really well with Frederick, and he even gave me a sneaky kiss on my cheek," she said as she gently caressed his right cheek.

Honestly, I didn't feel anything when I heard that, as I knew very well that sooner or later she would do it.

(But it bothers me that you say that now that I'm frustrated; besides, I'm sure he did make fun of me, the bastard.)

"Hmmm?"

When she saw that I was staring at her, she walked over to me and, with a seductive look, said:

"Do you want a kiss too... master?"

(You said so).

Without waiting for her to react, I held her head, which was already close to mine, and....

I kissed her.

"Mmmm, smooch, smack."

Initially, she resisted, trying to push me away, but....

"Juru ♡ Chu ♡ Nmu ♡ Jupu ♡ Nn... Hah..." after a few seconds, she started to give in.

(Just as I thought, the trait also affects her).

I mean the trait that drove the sub-commander crazy. I assumed that it only affected some people, but taking advantage of my frustration and with an excellent test subject like Adelina, I decided to let off steam and confirm that it also works on her.

A few minutes passed and, on this occasion, I wasn't holding her in any way.

"Chu ♡ Nn ♡ Chu Chupu Chu Chu ♡ ♡ ♡" However, she would not stop kissing me, and each time her kisses became more intense.

I wasn't going to let her take control of the situation, so I pushed her wildly onto the bed and began kissing her more intensely.

"Nmmmmu ♡ Rero ♡ Chu.... Rero ♡ Juru ♡ Jaa," her unfocused eyes and rapid breathing were stoking my darkest thoughts.

(Frederick kissed you on the cheek, right? Well, then I'll have your first kiss, and more...)

That night, channeling my frustration, I kissed Adelina passionately, going so far as to leave hickeys on her collarbone and a little below.