Duel

Noah received a message from Heathcliff, inviting him to join the Knights of Blood Guild. However, Noah knew that Heathcliff had already realized that he would never join the guild. As an alternative, Heathcliff proposed a duel challenge. If Noah lost, he would have to join the Knights of Blood. However, if he won, he would have the right to ask for anything he wanted.

In Aincrad, these two players were known as the strongest. The battle between Noah, the battle mage, and Heathcliff, known as the Sword Saint, attracted the attention of many players. They wanted to know who was stronger between the two.

"I happen to have something to ask him," Noah said as he agreed to the duel challenge.

The duel was scheduled to take place at the Colosseum, on the 60th floor of Aincrad. Thousands of players gathered in the colosseum to watch the battle between the two legends. In addition to players, many NPCs were also present to watch the duel, creating an even more lively atmosphere. Various races gathered, each with their own hopes and support. The cheers of the audience filled the air, signaling that this fight would be one of the most historic moments in Aincrad.

In the middle of the magnificent Colosseum arena, thousands of eyes were focused on the two figures standing face to face. The cheers of the audience echoed, adding to the tension that was already felt in the air.

Heathcliff's shield shone under the sunlight, creating a sparkling effect that added to his aura of power. With his gray hair and shiny red armor, he was like the embodiment of a knight. On the other hand, Noah wore a simple yet luxurious black robe with divine power surrounding him.

"Who will be the winner?" Discussions were heard among the audience. "This is a duel between two legends! Both are known as the strongest in Aincrad!"

"Yui, quickly support papa" said Asuna who was sitting in the audience seats.

"Yes"

"Papa, fight, defeat him!!" Yui's voice, although small, reached Noah's ears.

Noah who heard his daughter's support, immediately waved at Yui.

The other spectators around Asuna who also heard that immediately started their own discussions and made various weird jokes about how to have children in SAO

Noah watched Heathcliff closely. The two of them immediately pressed the duel button and the countdown immediately began.

5...4...3...2...1...0..start..

Heathcliff took a quick step forward, swinging his sword at Noah. However, Noah nimbly jumped to the side, avoiding the first attack. He responded quickly, raising his spear and launching a magical attack.

"Fireball!" he shouted, directing a blazing fireball towards Heathcliff.

Heathcliff raised his shield, and with a quick movement, he created a barrier that reflected the fireball.

"You have to be better than that, Vermilion," he said with a confident smile.

Without answering, Noah dashed towards Heathcliff and spun his spear around before attacking Heathcliff with a thrust. Although Heathcliff tried to block Noah's attack, his body's reflexes couldn't keep up with Noah's attack. Heathcliff frowned when he couldn't block Noah's attack.

'It seems impossible to defeat him without GM authority, but there's no way I'm going to use it here in front of thousands of players' Heathcliff thought as he backed away from Noah.

With no other choice, Heathcliff used the power given to him by Baalram earlier, dark flames enveloped Heathcliff making his appearance drastically change from a noble knight to that of a demon knight.

Noah was stunned for a moment when he saw the drastic change in Heathcliff. The dark aura that enveloped his body made him look even more terrifying, as if the power of a demon had taken over. The audience around the Colosseum fell silent, feeling this sudden change in atmosphere.

'So, is this the power he got from Baalram?' Noah thought calmly without feeling intimidated by Heathcliff's dark aura.

"Oh, you used that magic power right away, Kayaba?" Noah said immediately revealing Heathcliff's identity.

"What do you mean?" Heathcliff said pretending to be confused.

"No need to hide, just from that magic power I know that you are Kayaba Akihiko" Noah said with certainty.

"So that's it, are you going to tell all the players?" Heathcliff asked curiously because he knew that he couldn't judge an existence like Noah with the judgment used on ordinary humans.

"No, I want to know who Baalram is and what he wants?" Noah asked.

"Defeat me first like the agreement before the duel" Heathcliff said with fighting spirit. He wanted to experience a different fight against a supernatural existence like Noah.

With a swift movement, Heathcliff dashed towards Noah, leaving a trail of dark flames behind him. He launched a swift attack, his sword gleaming in a dark light as he swung it towards Noah. However, Noah was ready. He leaped to the side with agility and spun his spear in a graceful motion, pointing the tip of the spear at Heathcliff with full force.

Heathcliff was forced to stop his attack and raise his shield to block Noah's attack. However, Noah used the momentum to close in. His spear shot out at high speed, piercing Heathcliff's defenses.

Heathcliff tried to dodge, but Noah's swift attack managed to hit his arm. Even so, the attack did not deal significant damage thanks to the magic power armor Heathcliff was wearing. Seeing that his attack was ineffective, Noah enveloped the spear in divine power.

Heathcliff sensed the change in Noah's aura, and knew that Noah was serious, so he became more cautious.

With a swift movement, Heathcliff swung his sword, creating a wave of dark energy that shot towards Noah..

"Dark Wave Attack!" he shouted, and Noah immediately created a shield made of Sun fire essence to block Heathcliff's attack. The two forces collided and the impact of the energy wave was strong enough to push them back several steps.

Noah raised his spear to the sky, focusing his divine energy. Golden light began to gather at the tip of the spear, forming a ball of energy that shone brightly. With one swift movement, he pointed his spear at Heathcliff. A beam of energy shot out quickly, hitting the ground in front of Heathcliff as he quickly jumped back.

Swiftly, Heathcliff raised a large shield in his hand, protecting himself from the blast. Dark flames gathered in his palm, burning with terrifying intensity. He pointed his palm at Noah, releasing a burst of blazing dark flames. The flames shot out rapidly, leaving a black trail in the air.

Noah jumped to the side, avoiding the burst, and quickly swung his spear. The spear spun in the air, creating a whirlwind that flowed towards Heathcliff. Divine energy flowed from the spear, forming a sharp wind that tried to penetrate Heathcliff's defense. Heathcliff, quickly raising his shield, deflected the sharp wind back towards Noah.

The two attacks met in the middle, creating an explosion that shook the arena. The audience could not help but gasp at the epic battle.

Noah immediately rushed forward, his spear gleaming as he launched a flurry of attacks. Each thrust of his spear was accompanied by a flash of golden light, signifying the divine power flowing within.

Heathcliff raised his shield and blocked each of Noah's attacks, the dark energy around the shield seeming to absorb each attack.

Noah jumped again, this time higher, and quickly launched an attack from above. He swung his spear, forming a circle of energy that circled around him. Heathcliff stepped forward, raising his shield and preparing a counterattack.

The beam of light and the dark fire collided in mid-air, creating an explosion that shook the entire arena. The ground split apart, and dust covered them. In the chaos, Noah took the opportunity to focus his energy, gathering his divine power for his next attack.

With a swift movement, he aimed his spear at Heathcliff once more, this time with the intention of ending the fight. A dazzling golden light shot out from his spear and formed a large projectile, ready to launch. Heathcliff, sensing the approaching threat, gathered all the energy within himself. Dark flames gathered around him, forming a protective barrier.

Noah's magic projectile shot out at high speed, hitting Heathcliff's dark flame barrier.

With incredible speed, Noah shot towards Heathcliff, taking advantage of the moment when Heathcliff was focused on his dark flame barrier. His spear shone brightly, filled with divine power, in an instant, he was in front of Heathcliff, raising his spear for a final strike.

With full power, Noah swung his spear towards Heathcliff, who was now trapped in a defense that drained his energy.

As Noah's spear struck Heathcliff, Heathcliff's HP immediately dropped to one line before turning yellow because Heathcliff had locked his HP so that it would not fall into yellow.

"Isn't it cheating if you lock your HP?" Noah said unhappily.

"This time it's your win" said Heathcliff.