Showdown: Knight Bloodline vs Regressor

Aizen stood by, putting his left side forward slightly, while the wooden stick was held in his right hand behind his back in an upright position from the bottom up. Unexpectedly, he also raised his left hand forward, signaling Abigail to step forward without hesitation.

A simple and too blatant provocation.

And yet, almost all teenagers couldn't contain their frustration at such an obvious trap.

Adolescence was a time full of energy, but also a time when emotions get out of control easily.

Abigail's face turned ugly. Aizen's behavior annoyed her. "You little brat! You're just lucky because your previous opponent lowered his guard so he could go down with such a quick casual attack."

"Sure. Whatever." Aizen answered while shrugging his left shoulder.

The short, ignorant answer made Abigail ignite with emotion. "I'll show you what the real world of knights is all about. You'll regret that act of yours!"

Abigail didn't wait long and immediately used her family's inherited technique, The Lenheart Path.

The Rapier in her right hand was pointed forward along with her right side as well. The aura around her immediately changed, and the intensity of the air also felt thin.

But Aizen just smiled. And didn't prepare any stance. He stayed where he was and waited for Abigail to strike.

On the other hand, Landon had the same expression as Aria. He believed that Aizen didn't stand a chance whatsoever.

"Sir Ainkrad, that child may look talented. But, in front of the talent and bloodline of a prestigious knight family, he is just an ordinary child. It was your loss this time. Although it's a pity, it's not bad to be in the round of sixteen."

"That's right, Sir Ainkrad. It is an unlucky thing to have to meet Student Lenheart in this round." Aria chimed in with Landon's words.

The two instructors had already decided that Aizen would be the loser in this match.

"Tsk, Abigail should be a student in Class 1. But because of your poison and trickery, she chose Class 2 instead." Landon taunted Aria about how she could get Abigail into Class 2. In fact, if Abigail and one more student entered Class 1, then his class would be complete with all the talented children from prestigious knight families in the First Year.

"Hehe! That's not my problem. After all, I didn't do anything against school rules by coaxing her to study under me." Aria answered, chuckling. Even though she was outnumbered by the number of children descended from the knight families from Class 1, the two students in his class, including Abigail, were the best among several famous families.

Meanwhile, Ainkrad was still focused on staring at Aizen in the arena without even blinking. He wanted to know if Aizen would use his technique or if he would take the weight off.

Those two things alone were enough to make him think that a student like Abigail, who was a descendant of the Genesis Knight, was no match for Aizen.

Not that he was belittling, but Abigail was still too young and only had talent without enough experience.

While Aizen, apart from being talented and quick-witted in battle, also had strength and agility in balance.

Moreover, the Lenheart family's innate techniques weren't easy to master. Ainkrad, as the instructor, was sure that he could win easily with Abigail without using Mana Aura. However, it was different from Aizen without weight.

He was sure it would be a tough fight, though he still believed he was still above Aizen. However, such a state would not last long. Because sooner or later, Aizen would surpass him with such rapid development. Thus, he disagreed with Landon and Aria.

"As instructors, you two are too quick to make decisions. In battle, technique and heredity, as well as aptitude, are essential. However, of all that, what matters the most is hard work and experience.

"Besides, the one with the soul of a knight is that kid in my class. Meanwhile, others give up easily with just a difference in treatment or a bit of pressure.

"That kid. I think he still has the chance."

Ainkrad's speech, which was not overshadowed by the noise of the audience, suddenly made Landon and Aria dumbfounded.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Aria immediately exclaimed.

"Sir Ainkrad, do you realize what you just said? This is Abigail Lenheart we were talking about. Only a few students from my class can match the combat skills of that prodigy girl who uses the inherited techniques of the Genesis Knights family." Landon added, disagreeing vehemently with what Ainkrad had said. For him, Aizen's fate had been sealed.

"I say that doesn't mean I'm declaring that my student will win. I'm just saying that the possibility of a winner in this match hasn't been determined yet." Ainkrad replied to the two instructors while leaning his back against the chair.

No matter how prestigious Lenheart's name was, he had the feeling that a victor was still uncertain. He didn't know why he thought like that, even though he clearly knew the Lenheart family's prestige under Iroh Lenheart.

"Tsk! It seems that Sir Ainkrad doesn't accept that his students aren't on par with the others. Alright. Indeed, the final result would be the best for waking either of us from a prolonged dream." Aria said sarcastically.

In the arena, the more time passed, the more intense the aura around Abigail became. She deliberately didn't attack because she was gathering strength and intending to win with one move, just like Aizen did in the first round.

She wanted Aizen to taste his own medicine because it was perfect for an ignorant and shameless person like Aizen.

And when the time came, all the spectators immediately became silent when Abigail disappeared from her spot and was suddenly in front of Aizen.

"Lenheart Path, Eight Slashes!"

Abigail immediately launched rapid slashes with her Rapier. The swing made the thin blade cut through the air, slashing from all directions.

Aizen didn't panic or flinch and responded with almost the same rhythm and speed. All of Abigail's slashes were wasted because he easily dodged them and also parried them with a wooden stick.

The Rapier had a weakness no matter how it was covered up by flashy techniques or adept speed.

Aizen took advantage of that since the Rapier's main issue was the thin blade's tip. As long as he could read the tip of the blade, then dodging would be easy. In addition, even if he was within range of the Rapier's attack, the wooden stick would be easily parried. Since the top part of the Rapier didn't have enough force to press.

Rapier was a weapon, whose emphasis was on speed, not slashes like ordinary swords or glaives.

Meanwhile, the spear was a weapon with a perfect balance between power pressure and speed. In addition, it was also good for defense. The weapon's range could also be adjusted according to the way the user held it. So, melee and mid-range combat could still be accomplished with the spear.

"You! How can you dodge that!?" Abigail asked, confused. The agility she used was full speed ahead. And the attack just now was a technique that could make the opponent fall to his knees in eight slashes, even though the attack wasn't lethal.

"I'll be generous and tell you. The speed of the Rapier is good. However, your opponent is a spear user, even though what's in front of you right now is just a wooden weapon.

"In terms of speed, we might even be equal unless you can increase your agility again from what you are now. But, I can keep our distance the same, even if you try to get into my circle."

"Impossible!"

Abigail gritted her teeth and charged forward again, attacking Aizen without a second thought. This time, she still used the Lenheart Path technique and cornered Aizen easily with a wide and large swing of the Rapier.

The slashes were stronger than before, to the point where they could leave marks on the hard arena floor with her Rapier.

But Aizen also had no problem dodging. Moreover, such a big and wide attack. And even when he was cornered, he was able to push Abigail back by doing two thrusts to Abigail's right and left shoulder.

Abigail was undeterred and took off at full speed to the front. But when she was right in front of Aizen, she turned backward by sliding from the side while using her left hand as a grip. She immediately stabbed her Rapier from behind, right into Aizen's back.

But Aizen didn't remain silent. He counterattacked without turning his body. He simply rotated the wooden stick, held one end with both hands, and thrust from the right to the back.

Abigail, who was aware of the sudden attack, clicked her tongue and immediately withdrew her Rapier stab. She didn't stop and jumped low to Aizen's right, swinging her Rapier and continuing her attacks.

Abigail was pushing her limits with those moves that happened in split seconds. That proved that her agility was indeed suitable for that thin and light weapon.

Even so, Aizen was still able to respond. And once again, without turning his body to the side. He just changed the position of his two hands to be the opposite of each other. The right hand then pushed the wooden stick to swing forward while the left hand pulled it to the right chest.