Chapter 3 The Duel

 SD Chapter 3 The Duel

Dark hummed a tune as he walked back and forth near a window that was overlooking the western direction of the sprawling Golden Wheat domain. Verdant hills, forests and a few small rivers could be seen outside this window, but his attention was all only afforded to the baby girl in his arms. His brown eyes were kindly regarding the small bundle, who had her eyes closed in a peaceful sleep. 

'She is perfect.' He didn't know how many times that thought had popped up within his mind, but he couldn't stop it. She was simply that beautiful!

Tomorrow was the day he was going to have one of the most anticipated duels in all history, but in this one moment right here, she was all that mattered to him.

"She has been sleeping for the past 20 minutes. Aren't you going to put her down?" Camilla asked while enjoying the pleasant long couch. She had to admit though, this moment was something she wanted to go on forever. Seeing her husband holding her baby...even now, she didn't know whether to take it as if she was dreaming.

"I can hold her for as long as I want. Isn't she simply adorable!" 

Camilla chuckled at her husband's new side that had only manifested upon laying eyes on the baby.

"Rosaline has stirred up quite the storm." After a few minutes of silence, Dark spoke. The reason for his statement was the piece of circulating news that had started a few minutes ago. Actually, it wasn't simply unverified news as the man himself had posted it on his social media page.

"The Duel Emperor's movement...is he going to derail us? Or observe?" Camilla's brows were furrowed.

"He hasn't fought once in seven years. Seven years ago, he must have already awakened his will technique, using it to subtly win his duels, now, I wonder how far he has managed to refine it." Dark spoke thoughtfully. 

"I just hope he doesn't do anything to jeopardise the duel." She sighed.

"Even if he tries, we will stop him." Dark's words carried an unshakeable confidence.

"It has been some time since I have let loose...over ten months...? I hope some fool tries to challenge me at the Cosmic Pit!" Camilla radiated excitement causing Dark to worry whether she was even qualified to fight when she had just given birth.

"...don't look at me like that! I am not that frail. And remember Antin, she jumped into a duel a mere hour after giving birth, winning the match spectacularly!" 

Dark broke eye contact with her upon seeing that she was starting to look pissed off. It looks like he had been belittling his wife ever since she had given birth.

"I believe you are strong. And if any idiot takes it upon themselves to challenge you, you can pummel them to the ground!"

"That guy must have posted that to curb the negativity and shade the people are throwing towards the old domains, right?"

The question came from a petit woman who had just entered the room. She was wearing a short grey pencil skirt, a white blouse inside a grey blazer and glasses that made her appear as if she were an intellectual. Her short silver hair swayed with every movement of her head.

"Celia! Why are you late?" Camilla asked with narrowed eyes.

"The summons reached me when I was deep in the beast domain." She answered with a cool expression plastered on her pretty features, without the slightest sign of a fluster.

"I know you have always been a bit...crazy about battle, but please! Could you not try to throw away your life! The Beast domain! Don't you know how dangerous it is?" Camilla stood up and chasitised the petit woman, whom she easily towered over.

"I believe the Duel Emperor wouldn't do such a thing. Celia, I believe that was a joke on your part, right?" Dark tried to shift the conversation by answering Celia's question.

"Of course it was a joke. Any duelist worth their salt knows that that man isn't someone who would care about public sentiment. Though, good job on releasing that video! The netizens are going wild, conjuring up many theories of how the old domains have tried to keep the information about Will techniques...secret." Celia moved around Camilla and made a beeline towards Dark. She took the baby from his arms and caressed her cheeks as she slept.

Dark shook his head upon seeing Camilla about to berate Celia. This was the type of person who would never listen to reason. Actually, many of the Dark regiment were just like that.

"At least now, they won't be able to make any moves in the light, right?" Camilla relented, asking Celia.

"According to a little birdy, even the other domain leaders were surprised when the Duel Emperor announced his willingness to watch the duel personally."

"What about the other domains, I mean not just the old ones?" Dark asked. Celia was the intelligence gathering expert of the Dark regiment.

"They have become riled up, like a match has been lit. I must say, Rosaline did one hell of a good job. This world has been stagnant for far too long!" Celia had a genuine smile upon her lips which was directed at the window, probably towards the world.

Dark could relate. He had been stifled ever since the creation of his Will technique, having to hold back all his power during duels, which had ultimately led him to give up dueling for a while. Celia had taken an alternate route though, going to another continent and fighting the beasts. That was the only place where it was forbidden for any humans to bring anything technological.

In order to set foot on the continent, you had to be dropped off onto an island, and then, run on the water. It was a steep condition since the island was a little over 10km from the continent. Only those true powerhouses at the Will technique stage had the necessary strength capable of galvanising their cells to achieve the feat of stepping foot onto that continent.

"Rosaline started the fire, but we might become collateral damage if we don't find a way to navigate these waters." Camilla appeared to have maintained a semblance of calm.

"All the domains are preparing, with some even increasing the amount in their budgets allocated to space exploration and the discovery of new wormholes. The Roseblade domain has caused a space race like no other. The old domains appear to be doing nothing on the surface, but they must have taken measures. There are also rumors of those that have infiltrated the Roseblade domain, to try and steal coordinates." Celia's demeanor changed from playful to business.

"In your opinion, what are the chances of success?" Dark asked while relieving the baby from Celia.

"I can't really tell, but there are rumors that the top Numbers of Astealth have been mobilised."

"Hoh! If that's true, then it means that everything is up in the air." Camilla crossed her arms below her ample chest.

"It looks like we might have a news feed about a terrorist attack in the Roseblade domain soon." Dark sighed as the memory of facing someone in a hood with a number 4 digit etched upon the middle of their mask was conjured. It had been a tough battle, one he was sure would have ended with his death should he have made the slightest mistake. Those people were good at whatever they did, and the fact that the top ten even had Will techniques of their own only made them even more formidable.

"I do believe her top knights will probably be left to defend while she departs for the Cosmic Pit." 

Dark nodded upon that fact. Rosaline's knights weren't that simple.

*****

The next day arrived in the midst of intense excitement and speculation. 

Dark was wearing the signature uniform of the Dark regiment, a pair of black pants and a black blazer, underneath which, was a white shirt. He had meticulously groomed himself before making it out of the house with Camilla, Ben, Alicia and other family members and friends in tow. 

They were on the roof, where Ben had clashed with that prisoner yeaterday. It wasn't just them who were here and flashes of light were constantly lighting them up in these early morning hours as they made their way towards the craft that was about to take them to the Cosmic Pit.

Dark smiled and waved to the crowd even as his wife walked beside him with a bundle in her arms. Congratory cheers for the newborn and words of encouragement constantly entered their ears to no end. But, they didn't show any dissatisfaction since these were their citizens, the people whom they cherished. Before the Golden Wheat family came to power, this domain had been in the hands of one of those secretive old geezers. 

They had oppressed the normal people, favouring those with any relation to themselves, while also engaging in slavery and whatnot. Dark hadn't been there, but Ben had been. He, as the clan leader of the Golden Wheat clan had waged war and came out victorious, with many of the normal people supporting him.

"There is no need to worry, all will be revealed at the end of the duel." Ben rebuffed a reporter who had tried to pry out the information about Will techniques beforehand. Rosaline had made it clear that she was the one who wanted to reveal that particular piece of information. She had already been dissatisfied with the fact that they had released that video of Ben in action.

As the crowd parted before them, a shuttle abruptly manifested, casting a shadow over the crowd and causing some panicked cries and shouts, not to mention pushing and shoving. It had been so silent in its appearance that it appeared to have simply been conjured out of thin air.

It had a sharp nose which enlarged the further from the front towards the back which was the largest. Photon discharge engines beneath its hull lit up the roof through its shadow, pushing out balls of white light that vanished after momentary existence. They were harmless as even though some made contact with people, they simply did nothing except release a warm light. These photonic discharge engines were dangerous when fully activated, and this Void class shuttle only had them partially activated. Full activation could only be initiated in space.

The underside of the hull was black while the top, which couldn't be currently seen was white. 

Dark had activated it and caused it to break orbit and appear here. These ships were very expensive to create and even those old domains had no more than four each. They were built with the express purpose of traversing space. Now that the Roseblade domain had discovered a wormhole into a star system, they were going to be even more useful than ever.

A beam of light illuminated Dark, Camilla, Ben, his wife, and the others who had been allowed to watch the duel personally. The surroundings grew hazy before entirely changing and Dark's eyes momentarily closed and he breathed out slowly to get rid of the urge to vomit that had gripped him. Quantum teleportation was something no human liked.

(Atmospheric phasing successfu!)

That notification greeted them upon materialising on the bridge of the vessel. It was wide and spacious easily capable of accommodating a little over 20 people. 

Dark nodded in satisfaction at the notification. Atmospheric phasing made the ship almost intangible, as if everything within it existed in an entirely different dimension. It was the reason there had been no sonic booms or wild winds upon its appearance.

Multiple holograms floated around, showing various pieces of information, like graphs, a map of the planet, and many other things. 

"It has been a long time since I last boarded this craft." Ben spoke nostalgically as a chair materialised just below him and he plopped down onto it.

"Citizens of the Golden Wheat domain! Everything will be revealed at the end of the duel, so we implore you to watch the live stream and wait!" Dark spoke softly, though his words reached every corner of the domain through speakers in the cities.

"Ascend!"

(Yes, Captain!)

With an acknowledgement from the AI, the shuttle started ascending towards the upper atmosphere, where its nose rose up and the photon discharge engines at the tail pushed it.

Their destination was Meru, the only other planet in their four planet star system that could be habitable to humans, with just a little modification. The other two were comprised of a gas giant in the outer reaches and a small rock planet too close to the star for any kind of activity to be carried out on its surface.

The destination was the Cosmic Pit, a crater on planet Meru.

Dark sat down, with a chair forming right beneath him. While seating, he looked out the glass at the rapidly approaching dark void above, managing to make out multiple objects because the AI was actively enlarging whatever his eyes were focused on, from satellites, to space stations, space cities and other void class craft. 

The other shuttles of the same class were much smaller and they were of a different designation even though they had also been built for space. They lacked the costly photon discharge engines that his craft had installed. Not every organisation or family clan could afford them, not to mention the fuel they needed, photons at the white wavelength (white light).

His heart hammered within his chest at the many other craft that were escaping the planet's gravity. There was absolutely no doubt that they too, were heading towards the Cosmic Pit. Personally watching the duel that was about to probably start a new era had excited many parties.

What made his heart race was the fact that he was at the center of the storm, this change. No matter what the outcome might be, he was going to give it his all. He couldn't wait! After all, it had been a very long time since he had last fought at full power.

The shuttle slowed down the moment it broke through the planet's atmosphere, giving him a view of the myriad crafts that were making their way towards Meru, which was currently on the other side of the star.

(Increasing photon ejection to 50%)

The AI notified him. The others were all in seats behind him and he was sure that the entire reason that they weren't speaking was because they were being considerate of him.

'I should meditate now.'

Dark reminded himself before closing his eyes and directing his consciousness inwardly, into his mind space where his weapon, the black longsword was floating. The mind space was white, with the black sword being the only thing existing within.

Many renowned scientists had tried to figure out why every human on this planet awakened a weapon when they turned one year old, yet, every single one of them had failed! 

His long sword was connected to him on an intimate level, and could sense his excitement, his nervousness and the fighting will he was trying to keep hidden. The moment his will brushed upon it, it trembled, acknowledging his presence.

He let out a breath and cleared his mind. He cut off every sense, from touch, to smell, to taste...and everything else, closing himself off from everying. With an intention, the previously clear mind space became charged with electric sparks that danced around the black longsword with an intention to merge only to be rebuffed time and time again. But he wasn't one to give up, he tried as many times as he could.

*****

Rosaline felt comfortable in the captains chair. The fact that this void ship, the only one her domain possessed was hers, gave her a feeling of immense happiness. The duel wasn't as important to her as what was to come after it. She had fought plenty of times to the point that the initial excitement had worn off some time back. She was instead focussing on the important task of composing a speech. 

Thinking up words to explain a Will technique without sounding too boring was the huddle she was trying to cross right now.

A giddiness overtook her as she thought about how those old geezers were now wrapped around her fingers. If they displeased her, she could prevent them from earning a quota for exploring the newly discovered star system. A smile caused her crimson lips to widen imperceptibly. She was happy.

It had been stifling... The way she had been forced to stay in her domain, twidling her thumbs, hoping for someone out there to break the status quo, yet now, she was the herald of a new era. That was really exciting! And this time, she was going to make sure that those old geezers never tied her hands ever again.

She sighed and stood up, walking towards the glass, and looked into space. Coming up with an acceptable speech had proved to be hard, and right now, she had decided that she needed a break.

"Maybe, among the many people in these ships, there is a person who might pave the road to the realm above Will techniques..." She said to herself. She was alone, having opted to leave her flower knights back in the domain. There was most certainly going to be someone who was going to make an attempt at getting the coordinates of the wormhole. She would have loved to be there personally, but this took precedence. Besides, those plotting wouldn't have moved if she had been there.

Rosaline didn't doubt for one single moment that her flower knights would win. All those who attacked would be in for a brutal surprise! 

'Dark...'

Her decision to duel that genius hadn't been one without thought. Among all the people she wanted to have a bout with, he had occupied the number one spot. One of the reasons for that was the fact that they used the same type of weapon, the sword! And the other most important one was the fact that he had the same origins as her, an orphan.

He and her were people who had that spark, the will to rise up. Very very few could achieve the heights they had reached from such humble beginnings. At a certain point, she had even fantasized marriage to him only for reality to smack her in the face with his proposal to Camilla.

But now, that was behind her. What she wanted from this duel with him was a serious battle without any holding back. Despite the fact that she had given up the marriage delusion, she had still studied the man thoroughly and knew that he was one of the few who would give it his all in a duel with her. Many others would either be intimidated by the old domains, or lack the resolve to give it their whole.

As such thoughts swarm within her mind, a seed of anticipation bloomed. She was starting to get excited about the actual duel.

*****

Less than an hour after exiting Planet Kyaku's atmosphere, the void shuttle had Planet Meru within its sights. It was roughly equal in diameter with the home planet of Kyaku, but where Kyaku teemed with life, Meru was barren, with its nonexistent atmosphere and fluctuating gravity. 

Dark's eyes became attracted to the shimmering reflections, which the AI dutifully enlarged, exposing them to be large glass domes that littered its surface, with people going about their daily lives within. Right now, there were about a billion permanent residents on Meru.

Each dome was a city, and right now, holographic projections of their names were being projected onto the glass, coupled with many other advertisements to try and attract the many people who were now about to touch down onto the planet. The duel was going to take place at 2:00pm and the people who arrived earlier could take the time to enjoy the various sites of the planet.

"Take us to Golden Ear." Ben spoke from behind, with his sentence breaking the silence that had been permeating the bridge.

"I wonder how its changed. It has been such a long time since I last visited." Alicia spoke even as the ship made for a glass dome that had the hologram of an ear of wheat, colored golden.

"Nothing much has truly changed. Though looking at the volume of void ships entering the city, it seems that the duel as attracted a lot of business for us." Camilla arrived beside him, cradling the baby in her arms.

Dark nodded as he looked at the streams of void ships that were continuously descending towards the port outside the glass dome.

*****

After the welcome entourage had been dispersed, the others scattered to enjoy the sights. Dark also opted to take a relaxing tour of the city. 

Golden Ear was a city that had been established shortly after the creation of the Golden Wheat domain. There was this tacit understanding that only domains could build cities on planet Meru. Organisations and conglomerates couldn't, since most of them were backed by the domains themselves, and any of the independent ones didn't have enough power to fight against the domains, though this tacit understanding was mostly perpetuated by those old domains.

"Are you...perhaps, Mr. Dark?" A woman, who had a child on her left hand, a pedestrian, asked him, attracting the attention of the few others on this particular street. 

"Yes." There was no need for him to act all mysterious, like he didn't love the attention, besides most of these people were also citizens of the Golden Wheat domain by proxy.

"Wow! Mr. Dark! My son is your fan! He has watched almost all your duel videos since your debut! Can I have your autograph?"

Dark took the pen and signed on the screen of a tablet device that the woman took from her handbag. This situation had happened many times before and he had already gotten used to it. But it still made him happy when he looked at the faces of these people who genuinely liked and adored him. 

Maybe the woman had another older son, as the child tugging along with her appeared to be a bit too young to recognise him.

The woman was the first to approach him before many others rushed him, causing him to firmly reject them, giving the reason that he wanted to explore the city alone, causing them to back off. Though, they still wished him well and gave him some encouragement.

In the midst of his walk, Dark saw many different sights, from parks, to skyscrapers...he even visited a few restaurants to enjoy the local delicacies. 

Camilla had given him this time all to himself, even though he knew that she had really wanted to be with him.

"I have always wanted to meet you." 

Someone plopped down onto the seat opposite him as he enjoyed the scenery out the window while in a restaurant. It was a woman with hair as red as a rose's, long and curly. Her ruby red eyes were gazing at him with curiousity, desire and a hint of something else. 

Her bosom was threatening to spill out of her long sleeved blouse and she appeared to not give a damn about whether anyone gazed at the valley of her chest.

"Rosaline...and I thought we were going to have to meet in the arena. Why did you come all the way here instead of preparing for the duel?" Dark leaned back, his gaze leaving the outside scenery to focus on her.

"There were things I wanted to confirm. Like whether you would go all out when fighting me." She ordered a drink from a passing robot.

"And why does that matter?" 

"Because I plan to use my full strength. If you hold back, there is a chance that you might die."

The serious expression on her face as she regarded him, caused Dark to develop some interest in the woman.

"I too, am an orphan like you. Actually, I have admired you ever since you started your rise as a duelist."

Dark's eyes widened imperceptibly before narrowing. He was one who never tried to investigate his opponents before a duel, as surprises and the unknown were the most effective ways to hone himself.

"...I don't know what to say." For the first time in a long while, he lacked a response. He had clashed with many people, with even some professing these exact words to him, yet he was surprised that someone who had risen earlier than him had...feelings of admiration towards him. She chuckled at his loss of words, with her smile lighting up the entire space. He had a feeling that it was genuine.

"...at first, I had only asked for the duel on a whim, but after meeting you here, I believe I am going to have fun...lots of fun." She leaned back in her seat and took a sip of her beverage, her gaze moving from him to the scenery outside of the busy city.

"What are your plans, really? Chaos?" Dark felt a growing curiosity towards the woman. She appeared to be carefree, yet her red eyes spoke of a wildness that was buried beneath.

"Are you really sure you wanna know?" She leaned forward, mischievously bringing her face closer to his, probably trying to elicit a reaction.

"...okay okay. I have very many plans. But, we don't know each other that well..." She teased.

"...but, if you defeat me in the Cosmic Pit, I might divulge a few of them." She sat back down and smiled carefreely like she was genuinely enjoying his company. 

'Does she have an ulterior motive?' He wondered even as he found her company refreshing.

"So, this is Golden Ear. Its doing as well as my Lily. This vibrancy is what I want the rest of humanity to experience. If those old geezers didn't keep Will techniques a secret... many of the top 500 duelists have wills that have been tempered enough to develop their own Will techniques. Wouldn't duels have been more interesting with more Will technique users?"

A desire to see such a world almost overtook him, but he curbed it. This woman had a way with words that could resonate with people. Now he understood why Ben had agreed to her proposal without first thinking it through.

"It was nice meeting you, but now I really have to go. I really wanted to spend this time with you as I have found you to be interesting as a person, but too bad, I have to prepare for our duel, and handle the various people who want to try and cozy up to me." She blew him a kiss before sauntering out the restaurant like a proud peacock.

*****

Dark held his sword in his right hand, with its tip pointed towards the ground. His heart was pounding within his chest in excitement. 

The time had arrived and now, millions of gazes were directing their eyes on him and his combatant as they faced each other within the depths of the Cosmic pit. 

The deepest reaches of the crater formed this flat 50m arena that they were standing on. And the gradient slopes had been repurposed into audience seats that were now teeming with humans, most of which were duelists. Small cameras were floating around transmitting the duel live, to the over 11 billion people of both Meru and Kyaku.

Dark calmed his racing heart before directing his gaze towards his opponent, Rosaline, who was dressed in a grey body suit that shimmered as if it had been woven out of metal, which in truth, it had been. He too, was in the same type of suit, which could harden with just the slightest infusion of a person's will, providing a modicum of defence. But it could only be as strong as your will, not stronger.

A sword, which was regularly mistaken to be a rapier by the lay man, was in Rosaline's right hand. An artificially generated breeze caused her hair, which had been bundled up into a ponytail, to sway, temporary attracting his gaze from her sword.

When their eyes met, she smiled and he looked away hurriedly like a kid who had just been caught peeking.

"I thought you have fought in hundreds of these duels. How come you appear flustered?" She asked teasingly.

(In one minute! The most anticipated duel is about to start! Ladies and gentlemen! Hold on to your seats because this one is promising to be both convention and limit breaking!)

"Don't worry, all will be okay the moment it starts." Dark shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

He closed his eyes and released his will as he waited for the countdown to end. His will scanned his entire body to make sure that all his muscle fibres were in optimal condition. His will was so strong that he could even transmit an order for his body to regenerate should any of his appendages be severed from him, so just using it to scan his body was a minor task in comparison , not to mention the fact that it could allow his body to surpass the limits of a normal human being.

(ZERO!)

The moment that word was uttered, his eyes opened with a brilliance like no other as he willed his body to move, transforming into a beam of light which met Rosaline's halfway, as she had also moved at that same instance.

Dark's gaze captured the blurring of her arm that was holding the sword before his eyes saw red rose petals drifting towards him at a fast speed yet also appearing as if they were being blown in his direction by a gentle breeze.

He cursed inwardly at the fact that the woman had chosen to start with her full power instead of ramping it up slowly by slowly. But that trail of thought didn't slow him down at all as his mind space became covered in electric arcs akin to lightning. He was going to have to use his intent as a counter. The reason for that was because pure will would only lead to his loss...and it would be miserable! 

He had sparred with Ben and Alicia multiple times since creating his own Will technique, allowing him to figure out everything there was to know.

He pulled back his hand that was holding the sword with its tip facing the coming petals before he took a deep breath and activated it.

Zzzzt!

Electricity flashed upon the black sword and he strained his will to control it to make contact with every petal, which in reality were Rosaline's sword's tips.

The clash created a wind that pushed away from them in a circular ring, impacting the energy shield around the edges of their 50m wide stage.

After defending against each attack, Dark pushed through, stopping his will technique and instantly letting his right hand let go of the sword's hilt before the left hand took over. It had been so fast that the sword hadn't even managed to be claimed by gravity before his left hand had made contact, and this time, it was a reverse grip.

He swung backwards, only for a clash of metal to resound within his ears. She had take advantage of the fact that he had still been defending against her earlier attack to sneak up on him, but as an experienced duelist, how could he fail to see through such a minor trick?

Dark placed some strength into his right foot and with a twist, his body spun around so fast that it basically kicked up a gust of wind with its centrifugal force. During the spin, he held out his sword horizontally after moving it back to his right hand. The move served to give him some breathing room and also allow him to determine her current position.

The moment he did, he applied force in his feet, lunging towards her while still spinning. She didn't deign to entertain him though, simply tapping onto the ground and leaping above him, where, she thrust out, and a single petal appeared where her sword tip had been, plunging straight for his head.

Dark had enough experience to not become alarmed, besides, there was no way he would lose this easily and early on.

This was going to be hard to pull off since his body was spinning but he still had to do it anyway. He brought his other hand and added it to his hilt. 

If his instincts were right, then there was no way that single petalled attack was simple! And judging by the speed of his rotation and petal attack's speed, he would be killed with his back to her.

So, he pushed his body with his will and increased his rotational speed by applying force onto the air itself like it was solid ground.

The sound of two swords colliding caused the very air to twist as Dark forcefully shifted her attack, causing it to miss and a hole, whose depths were unknown, to appear within the arena.

Dark was pushed back to the ground, with his spinning momentum having been halted. He skidded for a few meters before stopping himself. 

He looked down onto his hands that were holding onto the sword and found them to be trembling. The power behind that blow had been terrifying! It had taken all his strength to forcefully shift it away from himself. His swordsmanship was based mostly in speed and not strength. It was the entire reason he didn't clash head on with strength oriented types.

With a pulse of will, he scattered the remnant forces that were causing the shaking of his hands before removing the left hand from his sword. Before he could even catch his breath, he was forced to parry an attack to his left, a thrust. And this time, she hadn't activated her Will technique.

For a moment, he let go of the hilt, before his left hand replaced his right, before he vertically slashed at the woman. If she didn't evade in time, her body was going to be bisected into two parts. 

She forcefully shifted to the left, causing his swing to miss, yet this time, she opted to not push with an attack.

"You are good!" She praised.

With a blur of his hands, his right, was once again the one holding the sword. They didn't dub him the 'Quick Change' for nothing!

Dark took a step to the side, scrutinizing her, not as a woman, but an opponent.

She took a step to the right too, initiating a small break from the battle, where they circled each other.

"Its amazing how, no one has ever been capable of causing your sword to slip away from you during a moment where you are swapping hands, or changing your grip." 

The surprise was genuine in her eyes and for some reason, Dark had the illusion that she was really having fun and giving it her all.

Instantaneously, he changed his wielding of the sword to a reverse grip and kicked off, lunging towards her. He appeared right in front of her and turned, with his right side facing her before stabbing towards her with his sword, only for it to be shifted from its trajectory with a burst of sparks created from the friction of the two, but, he had come prepared!

Once again, he activated his Will technique and his sword-wielding arm vibrated, with an image of his sword being coated in electricity appearing.

Like two same pole magnets being brought together, the edges of the swords that were previously together were each repelled explosively, causing both to be hurled in opposite directions.

"Now! That's an interesting use of your Will technique!"

She didn't waste even a moment before once again attacking, with a grin on her face. 

Dark dodged the thrusts even though this time she wasn't activating her Will technique. She was a great swordswoman, no doubt having trained rigorously to reach this level. Every single person in the top 500 duelists was a master of their soul weapon, making most battles come down to who had the strongest will, or the best luck.

Though, the other reason why he wasn't actively engaging her was the fact that so far, she hadn't made any slashing motions with her sword. Why was she only thrusting?

But as he continued to dodge, or parry her attacks, her patience wore thin and her Will technique was manifested once again, causing her attacks to be faster and also have more power, even creating bullets of air that served to lengthen her range. 

This time, Dark even had to block some of the air bullets with the broad side of his sword. They contained dissipating intent from the Will technique, making it so that he couldn't allow any to make contact with his body. Healing from normal attacks was easy, but damage caused by Will techniques would be troublesome to deal with in a short period of time.

He leaped to the side during the latest thrust before lunging towards her, with electric arcs once again manifesting along the length of his black sword. With his left hand now holding the sword, he made a vertical slash that she dodged, yet he pushed his muscles harder, causing him to appear where she had just dodged towards and slashing horizontally, causing some minor shock to appear within her eyes. It seemed that she hadn't expected him to almost push his body past its physical limits.

She placed her sword in the way of his slash, only for the electric arcs to jump onto her blade. And when the blades made contact, both were pushed away from each other so strongly that both combatants became separated.

Dark looked down at his trembling hand. Magnetic repulsion was a derivative of his Will technique. It was a great technique since most of his opponents had weapons composed of metal, but it strained his muscles heavily. The repulsion was strenuous to his sword wielding arm.

All this happened in a fraction of a second before once again, he jumped back into the fray...blades colliding and then separating due to repulsion, before once again colliding and separating.

"Magnetic repulsion." She spoke those words as if she was testing them on her lips. Yet even with the power of repulsion almost contorting her sword wielding arm into positions it wasn't supposed to be in, she came back to collide with his blade, relentlessly attacking with her petal Will technique. 

Dark clashed repeatedly with her, not retreating to take a breather because he had to keep up with her. Was she trying to wear him out? He wondered as they battled on. 

'But, my body is taking the strain. Soon enough, I might not have enough energy to heal myself or even continue fighting.'

His gaze changed as this time, he evaded her attacks, deactivating his will technique and causing the electric arcs to vanish.

"If I am not mistaken, your Will technique is based on electrical energy." She also leaped back, speaking while straightening out the muscles in her arm.

Dark didn't make any reaponse, instead opting to tighten his grip on the sword. He had just thought things through and understood that he needed to finish this battle right now.

Dark breathed out, and a cluster of vapor was all that came out. His body had heated up too much and even though he appeared to be not doing much, he was ordering his body into cooling. Even his pores were releasing tiny amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere.

"It looks like we have reached the finale." Rosaline spoke. He had thought that she would be unsettled by his silence to his words, but she appeared nonplussed. In fact, she appeared to be having fun.

His sword, that had been held to the side of his body was raised and held horizontally with the tip facing her. This sword, his sword...was one that absorbed almost a light, something he had loved about it from the moment he had first laid eyes upon it.

He moved his left hand and also placed it upon the hilt of the sword. The move he was about to use was something that would sap his energy, rendering him useless after. But this was a duel, so he wanted to at least bring out his strongest.

'Can she survive?'

He looked across, into his opponent, Rosaline's eyes. She nodded, having understood his inner dilemma. She wanted him to unleash it, his strongest move.

Like fading clouds, all his worries vanished. He raised his sword over his right shoulder, with his two hands holding it towards the sky, before he activated his Will technique to its limits, visualising a huge amount of electricity along the length of his sword. The image manifested in reality with the lightning striking at the air with tendrils that looked like they were seeking something.

Dark didn't even look at his sword, only staring into Rosaline's eyes, searching for any trace of fear that would allow him to withdraw his attack, but all he saw was resolve and excitement!

She placed her left foot in front and took a stance. Then her right hand, the one that was holding her Rose sword had its elbow pull back as if she was preparing to stab out.

Dark's heart jumped as something manifested around her sword, a flower bud, that appeared to have enclosed the blade within. 

Everything went still and quiet, and an invisible pressure started to permeate the entire stage. It was like the entire world had held its breath, waiting for him and Rosaline to make a move.

Dark willed every muscle, every cell within his body and commanded them to move. The moment he took a step, his body appeared close to hers, as if he had teleported instantly, and his raised sword was brought down at such speed, a trail of light was left in the air with its movement.

The flower that had been a bud previously had also bloomed with the vibrant red staring straight at him in the face. 

His sword collided with the stigma of the flower and for a single small instance of time, everything appeared to have frozen, only for him to feel the ground sink before him and a shock wave to blow him away and into the energy shield at the edge of the arena, where his consciousness left him.

*****

Camilla sat by the edge of the bed, looking out into the city from the window of the room. 

She breathed in deeply, with the scent of the various plants in the room creeping into her nose, making her feel as if she was lighter.

But, that feeling didn't last long before a gloomy feeling overtook her.

Dark had lost, and according to what she had seen, a small misstep might have taken him from her. This was the first time she had felt this feeling, one where she had the thought of asking herself whether she and Dark could continue with the duelling career.

Before her daughter had come into this world, she had been fearless, yet now, she was worried about leaving her an orphan.

"What should I do?" She asked Dark, who was covered in a sheet, his face pale, and a gas mask over his nose and mouth. 

Camilla felt the fear. She had never felt so terrified in her life. The duel had been a wakeup call that had hit home. Her little girl...was it okay to be this reckless with their lives when she hadn't even grown up?

The moment the storm from the attack had subsided, she had raced into the arena only to almost lose consciousness because of the gruesome image that she had beheld.

Dark...his upper half being the only remaining part of him. From his waist down to his legs...those parts had disappeared! Her hands had clenched and she had contemplated turning around and running away, yet she had steeled her heart and lay her hand over his heart to find that it was still beating, even though it was fading.

Relief had washed over her before everything else blurred...and clarity had only returned to her here.

His lower body had just been 3D printed and he was back to good health with the only remaining thing being to wake up, yet, that image refused to leave her mind. It had become something like a curse that was eating away at her rationality. She was wishing with all her heart that he would wake up. Maybe talking to him might make her feel better...?

With another frustrated sigh, she stood up and walked towards the end of the room, where the window was situated, and looked down below, where massive holograms were advertising or playing captured videos and imagery. Many of the images had something to do with the duel, with some replaying the battle, while others were focusing upon the speech Rosaline had delivered at the end, one where she had explained Will techniques and the steps one might take to acquire theirs.

Camilla focused on Rosaline's holographic image. Those red curls were a match with the woman's beautiful face. In this era where a person could live for a 1000 years, coupled with the perfect control all duelists had of their metabolism, many women could be mistaken for being very young when in reality, they were very very old. But that didn't matter to most people as a person only deteriorated in appearance when they were about 50 years away from their end.

Camilla admired her beauty, but she wasn't one to feel envious. With the control she had over her body, beauty could be acquired. But being in one's natural born form was one thing that she loved. She didn't hate or feel dissatisfied that the woman had almost killed Dark.

In fact, she was very happy that Rosaline hadn't held back in the slightest as that would have made the both of them unhappy.

"When you wake up, I bet you are going to be happy because of the duel...but what do I do with this fear?" She muttered to herself softly.