Battle

Zane's eyes sprung open, only to be greeted by the sight of branches moving back and forth. An icy breeze fell upon his skin, forcing him to sober up immediately. He looked around more intently, noticing the scraped tree in the distance and a dagger placed just beside him.

"So, I am back just like that?" Zane thought, caressing his forehead. As soon as he received the knowledge of dual-dagger mastery, he lost his consciousness and appeared to her. That place seemed nothing more than a dream right now, but he could still feel that knowledge pouring into his mind, coupled with an intense headache.

[Multiverse Tower] was an actual place, and it was an opportunity to become stronger. There were still thousands of questions, but just this feeling of power was more than enough. He could have his revenge. Eventually.

"Screen? Tower?" Zane murmured, yet nothing appeared in sight. Perhaps that translucent screen appeared only during missions, whatever that meant. Zane didn't have any use for it, anyway.

Blinking a few times, stabilizing his breathing, recollecting his thoughts, Zane grabbed the dagger on the ground and executed a beautiful move of multiple strikes. His hand moved on its own, causing this to feel extremely unnatural.

'I achieved such proficiency in just a few hours? Even those with soul powers wouldn't be able to do such a thing.' Zane stopped in his tracks, loosening the grip over the dagger. 'That Tower is truly an incredible place. I learned so much just from an introduction. What about the actual missions?'

As he pondered over the Tower's possibilities, he noticed the surroundings were unnaturally dark. The moon was already radiating its brilliance in the forest, causing Zane to frown deeply. Andrew mentioned that the battalion commander was going to be present today, giving him an opportunity to spar with him.

It was an opportunity he couldn't miss, even if he had become a participant in the Tower. Zane promptly collected his belongings and rushed towards the camp.

The distance wasn't so long and before long, Zane already noticed light beaming in the distance. Hundreds, if not thousands, of tents were dispersed over the horizon, filled with the laughter of people.

The soldiers in the camp didn't seem prepared for the battle at all as they were playing cards and simply enjoying themselves, for most of them were simple civilians with no actual training.

This carefree sensation on the base disgusted Zane. Most of them wouldn't survive the next battle, and they understood that, yet still didn't even try to prepare for it at all. Not even mentally.

'That is partly the fault of our commanders, for they don't induct harder restrictions on the soldiers.' Zane thought as he passed another quarter, eventually reaching his own.

The situation there was much different, with hundreds of soldiers circling around a commotion unfolding in the center. With a corner of an eye, Zane saw a woman sitting on a horse there, looking over at the soldiers.

Her dynamic dark armor covered her body all around, not revealing any weak spots. Her short white hair looked elegant and soft, yet didn't make it any harder to fight.

She looked like an ardent soldier, unlike the thousands of others in this camp who barely had enough cloth to keep them warm at night, and they were expected to go into the battle against fully armored madmen.

"Zane." Andrew rushed out of the crowd, the delight clear on his face. "I almost thought you wouldn't come."

Zane glanced at Andrew, then nodded. "What is exactly happening here? Is she the battalion commander?"

"Yep." Andrew glanced at the woman as well, pointing towards the soldiers beside her. They were coated in armor as well. "Initially, we were informed that we could have a fight against a battalion commander, but it is far from the truth. We can have a chance against her Knights."

'Knights.' Zane thought, noting the three men. The Knights were soldiers specifically selected by the commander to follow her through the battles, and they also held considerable strength. It was still an opportunity to understand the gap between their strength, so Zane would naturally take it.

"Do you actually want to do this? I mean, they look pretty scary." Andrew placed his hand on Zane's shoulder, yet he shrugged it off and made his way through the crowd.

Before long, he already stood in the middle of the circle as all the eyes fell on him. The commander nodded her head subtly, inspecting Zane from the top of her horse.

"There are still brave warriors in this bunch." She said, jumping from the horse. She whispered something into the Knight's ear as he nodded, stepping forth with a resolute expression. Wrinkles spread across his forehead, a blade unleashed in his hand.

"No injuries, Carl. Be gentle." She added, jumping back on the horse as whispers resounded through the camp. Zane didn't answer, didn't move, instead simply preparing for the battle and taking a proper stance. If he could beat the man in front of him, then he would naturally shine in better light within the commander's eyes. It was a splendid chance.

"This battle doesn't seem fair! Zane doesn't even have any armor or proper weapon!" Andrew shouted from the crowd.

"The battlefield isn't fair." She answered loudly, forcing the whispering to stop. It was the truth, however hard it was to accept it.

"Good luck," Carl said before putting on a helmet, which completely hid his face. Zane heaved a long sigh, rushing through the memories. He could do it, it was possible.

Zane rushed forward at an inexplicable speed, causing everyone to open their mouths in surprise. No one runs at an enemy like a madman, especially when one was at a tremendous disadvantage. Crazy man.

Zane saw Carl descending a blade from above as he dodged at an unnatural angle, crouching onto the ground. Taking this moment, Zane kicked Carl in his knee, catching him by surprise.

His balance shifted, and he tried to propel a punch towards Zane, who finally used his dagger. He descended attacks on him from all around, striking in the most vulnerable spots. Unfortunately, the dagger couldn't break through the armor at all.

Carl eventually steeled his nerves, concentration clear in his eyes. The enemy wasn't so simple after all. The blades collided with each other, forcing Zane to get pushed back because of the difference in power. The technique was one, but physical prowess also held importance.

'This is bad. At this rate, I am going to lose.' Zane cursed internally, paring another attack. Something was missing. He couldn't unleash his fullest potential without a second dagger. He needed it!

With a glimpse, Zane noticed another dagger hanging on the enemy's belt. As another strike descended upon him, Zane didn't par it, dodging to the side. Carl was quick to react, but he didn't expect Zane to suddenly grab onto his belt.

'Great.' Zane grasped the second dagger, feeling its hilt, smelling the metal. It was definitely in better condition than the other one. Concentration excluding from his body, Zane took an unnatural stance with his back bent deeply down. Now, the actual battle would begin.

"Enough!" the commander shouted, causing Zane to frown deeply. Why?