Duel II

Nezra and Gordan were the next pair to fight, and both entered the arena. Nezra chose twin sickle-blade as his weapon of choice, while Gordan went with a longsword. The blonde boy seemed to have been riled up by the previous fight, as slight bloodlust was being released from his body before the battle even began. Mr Lindt waited until both participants were ready before initiating the fight with a clap of his hands.

Nezra dashed forward and threw the left sickle-blade at Gordan, aiming straight for his heart. Gordan slashed with his sword, intercepting the blade and knocking it aside. Yet Nezra flicked the chain attached to the end of it, causing the blade to slice through the air as it resumed its original trajectory. Gordan was forced to take half a step back to properly wield his longsword, barely managing to deflect the second blow.

By this time, Nezra had gotten into Gordan's striking range. The right sickle-blade shot out with more speed than the first, though this time the target was Gordan's arm. While the weapon was obviously made of wood, the speed at which it flew ensured blood would be spilled upon contact. Gordan grit his teeth and released one hand from his sword. He used it to grab the end of the wooden blade, near the chain part. With a violent tug, he pulled on it and caused Nezra to stumble.

The two boys were now face-to-face, placing Nezra at a disadvantage. A weapon like the sickle-blades were made for medium and long combat, as the user need space to manoeuvre the chains around and build striking momentum. Gordan was also at a slight disadvantage this close, since his sword was a bit too long to the wielded properly, but he was still better off than Nezra. The green-haired boy suddenly headbutted Nezra, causing his nose to let out an unsettling crunch.

Nezra let out a bestial cry of pain and brought his knee up, striking Gordan right in the soft spot. Altair and everyone else winced at the audible impact that followed the knee strike, as Gordan's face turned as green as his hair.

Both children released each other and stumbled back, struggling to stand on their feet. Blood trailed Nezra's face and gifted him a savage visage, as he bared his teeth in a ferocious scowl. Gordan swayed on the spot, his legs slightly bent inwards. Yet despite their wounds, both boys glared at each other with a desire to inflict more damage.

'These children can't be older than 14, yet their pain tolerance and battle intent is simply outstanding. Is this what it means to be an elite amongst the forces of Orvonia? And how terrifying are the upper echelons of the organization's these two belong to?'

This time, Gordan assumed the aggressor. He managed to push back the pain and straighten himself up before lunging Nezra with a murderous glint in his eyes. Nezra met his assault with a roar as he swung both sickle-blade in wide arcs, forming a storm of blades similar to Ophelia's in from of him. If Gordan didn't slow down and adjust his guard, he would be hit and slashed a dozen times over in a near instant.

Yet as the green-haired boy reached the edge of the blade storm, he abruptly stopped and pivoted on his left foot. Under Altair's intense gaze, the ground under his feet cracked before exploding outwards in a flurry of concrete and dirt. The debris instantly put a stop to the blade storm, leaving Nezra wide-open to Gordan.

Gordan stopped pivoting, resuming his burst and enacting an overhead strike. The blade cut through the air with a shrill cry as it threatened to split Nezra's skull open, but the blonde boy merely sneered and open his mouth as wide as he could. From the depths of his throat, a plume of fire burst out, accompanied by an ear shattering roar.

The flames completely melted the sword and pushed Gordan back, who grimaced as the flames licked his hands and arms. Nezra stomped forth and swung his left fist, which had been covered in flames. The blow connected squarely on Gordan's jaw, making it pop and teeth, blood and spittle to fly everywhere. Gordan crumbled to the ground, but as he did, the burnt remains of his longsword vibrated softly. As Nezra prepared another punch, the sword expanded in the blink of an eye, regrowing past its original size.

In the blink of an eye, the enlarged longsword shot off the ground and into Nezra's ribs. The wood was encased in some sort of green light, one closer to lime than Ophelia's turquoise aura. This allowed it to penetrate Nezra's skin and lodge itself in his flesh, making him howl and fall to his knees.

Once both boys hit the ground, Mr Lindt once again appeared before them faster than Altair could see. He pulled the sword from Nezra and clasped his wound, muttering words under his breath. A pure white light gathered in his hand, shining brightly. When Mr Lindt removed his hand, Nezra was fully healed. Mr Lindt then turned to Gordan and clasped what remained of his jawbone, paying no mind to the whimpering protest of his patient.

Altair watched in morbid curiosity as the flesh and bone quickly regrew, and Gordan had a new jaw and perfect pair of teeth in no more than 10 seconds. The sight was quite disgusting, as the regeneration was not seamless. Altair could see the flesh wiggle and split, the muscle and bone intertwining to support the teeth.

'I didn't expect to get a biology lesson in the midst of combat training' Altair joked to himself, finding the healing process a great method for discovering more about the anatomy of others. 'Watching as something regrows and fits itself into the overall design of an organism is quite interesting...'

"The winner of this duel is Gordan. His blow would have resulted in death in the battlefield, while Nezra's was a non-lethal injury in most scenarios. Elizabeth and Zeze, please prepare yourselves and enter the arena."

The blue-haired girl looked mighty uncomfortable, seemingly put off by the ferocity of the previous two duels. Altair gave her a thumbs up ands tried to put his new friend at ease. "Don't worry, I'll be rooting for you. If it gets bad, just surrender. Mr Lindt did say knowing your limits was a factor of battle too."

The instructor looked over at Altair when he said that, before nodding. "That's true. As long as you try at the start, I won't hold it against anyone who surrenders. Just try and test yourself before you decide to throw in the towel."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and flashed Altair a smile as thanks. She walked over to the weapon rack and picked up a stave. She then turned to Mr Lindt and spoke. "Teacher, I use a grimoire in battle. Can I summon it here?" she asked politely.

Mr Lindt nodded as Altair furrowed his brows. He had never heard of a grimoire, though he could guess what it was based on its name and the fact an obviously non-physical fighter like Elizabeth used it. With his permission, Elizabeth held out her hand and muttered a strange language under her breath.

The air above her hand contorted, before a book tumbled out of thin air and into her waiting palm. Elizabeth grasped it gently and turned to face Zeze, who was waiting patiently with her weapon, with a smile. The book flicked open on its own, and the pages slowly started turning with a gentle light emanating from them. Both participants turned towards Mr Lindt, who took notice of their signal and clapped his hands loudly.

"Round three, begin!"