Carl and Miku's Turn

"A fighter must maintain his composure." Julian started speaking after the duel with Thomas and Dex ended. "Don't act rashly, let alone get controlled by your emotions. It'll cause more trouble than you think. It may cost you an enormous loss. Remember this!" He sharply ended it to show how serious this was.

It seemed Thomas wanted to hide right away. He had expected but couldn't prevent the duel from happening. Don't ask about the results. It was such a shame, as he said.

Dex was sure to challenge the teacher to a regular duel as long as he could join in. After the fight started, he was so eager to attack first. However, neither Julian nor Vega were amateurs. They had absolutely no trouble parrying all of his attacks. Even though Thomas tried to help and balance him at the back, it seemed to have no effect as he continued forward without heeding him.

So, Thomas was not surprised if, in four minutes, his team was defeated. It was the worst collaboration. Maybe.

He wanted to blame Dex, but he also got involved in a duel. So, it was their fault.

"You're doing well. But, you must teach your companion to restrain his emotions." Vega said as she ushered him aside. "Don't take hard. It was the first, and we'll fix it," she continued with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, ma'am."

The second duel was over. The students looked enthusiastic, looking forward to the next game.

"For the next duel-"

Before Julian finished his sentence, several students raised their hands. It looked like they couldn't wait to show off their ability.

"I'll choose who fights me in the third round," he continued. He felt that all the students were ready to do it. So henceforth, he decided to appoint who it was.

The students lowered their hands. Even though they were a little disappointed, they were still enthusiastic about waiting their turn.

"I want Carl and Miku."

Julian clearly had a list of students in his class. But he didn't randomly choose it. Julian had heard rumors of high-level companions pairing with new students, which made him curious. So, he was looking forward to this duel to see what they were capable of.

"Relax, Carl. We'll do as we practice." Miku calmed her partner down. She knew Carl was nervous even though he didn't express it. This was his first fight against anyone other than her. Anyone would be anxious at first.

Carl and Miku came forward to face Julian and Vega. At that moment, a whisper was heard. Carl guessed that they discussed Miku's level and probably compared her to his still low-level one. But he had already made progress. His level had increased by ten to 50 since regular training with his companion.

"What duel do you want?" asked Julian.

Carl thought for a moment. The skill he mastered the most, something he learned first with Miku, was...

"Fencing." Of course.

"Hmm, interesting." The enthusiasm was evident on Julian's face. "I haven't played that in quite a while. But, of course, it's not going to be regular fencing. We'll be fencing as a team. Two against two. How about that?" Apparently, he loved to make things more difficult.

Carl gave a nod of approval.

Julian smiled broadly, satisfied with his approval. This was sure to be an exciting duel.

After some time, they prepared themselves. They all agreed not to use complete equipment. Only swords in their hands.

Vega snapped his fingers, and a scoreboard appeared. It would automatically calculate the respective point.

"So, let's start-"Vega paused "-now."

And the fencing duel began.

Carl was not the active type. So it wasn't him who made the first attack, but Julian came forward to attack him. It was a simple one because he could dodge it. One more move and he parried with his sword.

But, it turned out to be just the beginning. Vega moved quickly to attack Carl, who was immediately pushed away by Miku. She tried the other side. As Carl was getting used to training with the fast-movement Miku, he could predict her attacks. Carl brushed it off as Julian attacked him. Then it was Miku's turn to block his attack.

Both teams paused for a moment after the attack failed.

"Nice, Carl." Instead of being annoyed, Julian actually gave him praise. He even showed a smile.

Then Vega attacked again. She purposely targeted Miku and kept her busy to distract her a bit from Carl.

However, Miku was just like her, not an amateur one. She could still protect Carl with her fast movements and tried to attack Vega simultaneously.

It was a fierce duel. Even two minutes had passed, and no one had produced any points.

"Shall we change the rules a little?" offered Julian when they took the third break in the middle of the duel. "Whoever gets the points first, he is the winner. This duel will not end if we use a normal round," he continued.

"Agreed," Carl replied a little breathlessly. He still wasn't used to moving that fast.

The duel continued. This time Miku attacked first, while Carl still chose to defend. But at one time, he dared to come forward and put up a fight. He swung his sword at several sides of Julian's body.

However, luck was not on his side. Julian parried his attack while Vega helped him hold it. Now that his opponent had changed to Vega, he looked for an opportunity to hit his sword onto Vega's body. Assisted by Julian, Vega fended him off. They attacked him back. Fortunately, there was Miku who filled the gap.

Five minutes had passed, and there was no winner yet. They attacked, dodged, and parried relentlessly.

Finally, at ten minutes, the alarm went off. That was the time limit they agreed on in another rule change in the middle of the duel.

"Time is up, and there's no winner," Julian announced the results.

Suddenly, all the students cheered. It looked like they were happy because, at least, their team didn't lose.

Carl was still catching his breath when Julian walked up to him. "You really did a great job. You know your level is far below ours, but still don't give up and do your best. Your cooperation is also very good. Congratulations," he praised him.

"Thank you, sir," Carl replied in between his breaths.

"And you, Miku, you deserve your level. Not only do you have impressive skills, but you know how to keep up with him." Julian shifted to praise Miku, who was standing next to Carl. "And you train him well," he added.

Miku gave a smile. "Thanks, sir."

Then Julian turned away and looked at his students. "Did you see? Levels may matter in a duel. But not giving up can change the outcome. So, keep fighting until the end. Give it your all."

His words were greeted with cheers from them. The duel definitely motivated them.

"So, next are Daphne and Grus."