41: Elvis Vs Logan (1)

"Do you think the other Zeccammon guy can last a minute against Logan?"

After Elvis and Logan had introduced themselves to each other, the other students surrounding the ring erupted in discussions. Some of them were even betting on how many minutes Elvis would last against Logan. The above question was asked by a first-year guy.

"See, don't you see his confidence? If he can have that confidence in himself facing Logan, then it means he might be able to last long. But, I bet he is definitely going to lose."

"Yeah, you are right. You can't compare a genius who was trained with his family's resources and a personal instructor at a very young age to someone who hasn't been heard of before."

"It's not all about having confidence. He might be putting on that brave face for now. All I know is that he is losing in the next second."

The discussion and betting continued. Some of them were actually doing the real deal, by betting their points on the duel. And, as expected, Logan was being bet on by almost everyone.

In the area where Elvis' comrades were standing, Troy, who seemed to have been excluded from the group, approached Evelyn when the atmosphere in their group grew tense.

Apparently, all of them wished for Elvis to win the duel, but deep down they knew that the probability of that happening was infinitesimal. They even felt their hope of Elvis winning shattered when they heard Logan announce his star rank.

After moving closer to Evelyn, Troy asked, "Do you think your… brother will win?" He emphasizes the word "brother".

Evelyn noticed that she was the one Troy was talking to, as he had asked with a voice above a whisper.

After what he told her, it seemed like discussing with him was somehow awkward. How can she casually talk with someone who is three years older than her and was sent to protect her? It is extremely awkward. However, since he initiated the conversation, it was only right for her to reply.

"Let's watch, though. I can't tell, but he was never this determined before." She simply replied, not bothering to look at the guy speaking to her, as her eyes were glued to the ring.

'That is it. Does she even bother to keep up the conversation? Anyway, she was right. The baby Elvis seemed to have manned up for once. Let's see how the fight progresses.' Troy thought to himself, as he briefly admired Evelyn's beautiful hair.

That was when the Duel Keeper shifted his gaze to the ring from the elevated platform and the duel was declared to commence.

***

"Let the brawl begin."

Hearing the declaration to start the duel, both duelers unsheathed their swords from their scabbards and stood on opposite sides of the ring.

Elvis was standing on the side of the floor that was painted white, while Logan was standing on the side painted black. Remember, the floor of the ring was adorned with a drawing of the yin-yang symbol.

"I advise you to go all out if you want to stand a chance of lasting longer." Logan declared, tightly holding his sword in one hand. His sword was pointing towards the ground, while his other hand was placed behind him, and he stood upright.

Elvis didn't say anything, but assumed a stance, positioning his body in the best possible way to match Logan, based on what he had learned from the scroll of sword training basics. However, none of them was making the next move.

'I need to keep it in mind. Never should I act rashly or let my emotions cloud my judgment to make precise strikes. The most important thing is to remain composed throughout the duel.' He reminded himself of most of the things they were taught in the combat class.

Logan, after waiting for Elvis to make the first move, decided to initiate the duel. He began walking over to Elvis with his right hand, which was wielding his sword, spread sideways and pointing to the ground. Elvis himself slowly advanced towards Logan, who was approaching. Until both of them reached the center of the ring.

With calculated precision, Logan went for an attack, pointing the tip of his sword for a thrust. Elvis deflected the thrusting sword immediately, as it was a simple attack. A "clang" sound was heard as Logan's sword cleaved through the air next to Elvis' shoulder. The onlookers might think it was a simple attack, but it was executed with the precision of a master swordsman.

The crowd of students held their breaths as they watched these two. Silence shrouded the entire dueling unit.

Logan pulled his sword and held it horizontally, just as it was before he attacked Elvis. "You have to take this seriously."

'I only need to strike his sword away from his grip. That's it, it is simple.' Elvis grumbled inwardly.

"Same with you," replied Elvis.

Next, Logan dashed towards him with frightening speed. Compared to the previous speed, this speed was three times faster. He seemed to have taken the duel seriously now. No time to waste.

In the blink of an eye, he was already by Elvis' side, and he struck, aiming for his sword.

Elvis, who quickly observed the unfolding events, swiftly stepped back and tilted his body while raising his sword. The strike missed. But having seen the serious look on Logan's face, he had to act fast.

So he brought his sword and positioned it vertically in front of him, anticipating Logan's next strike. The sound of metal clanging against each other filled the entire dueling arena.

However, a certain person seemed to have the upper hand as the other person was panting already, trying to steady the rhythm of his breath.

Due to the force of Logan's strike this time, Elvis was pushed a few steps backward. After that, Logan displayed fluidity and next-to-perfect mastery over his sword as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, swings, slashes, and thrusts at Elvis. Elvis himself, drawing on the defensive techniques he learned from the scroll, was struggling to parry and deflect most of Logan's attacks.

"Goddamn it, if only I could already infuse elemental power into my swords to perform the Lightning Sword Slash. And damn that rule that only allowed us to have elemental abilities on the sword." Elvis whispered a curse as sweat dripped from his face. However, Logan has not yet broken a sweat.

Suddenly, Elvis spotted an opening on Logan's side and decided to launch his first offensive attack. He dove downward, sword pointing up, and struck Logan.

But, as if Logan had baited him, Logan dodged the upward thrust and kicked Elvis' leg, causing the latter to fall to the ground. Swiftly, Logan pointed his sword at him.

However, that wasn't the end of the duel, because in order to win, one of these two had to disarm their opponent by knocking out their sword.

***

"As expected, he won't stand a chance, even though Logan was going easy on him." The Grey Swordsgod muttered on the elevated platform where he was seated with other teachers and prominent spectators.

"That should be Evelyn's brother. He really improved a lot after practicing for just three days. It's a pity Ronald was ruthless enough to pair him with the genius of the Brown family as an opponent." This time, it was Leonard who commented on the fight. However, he didn't mutter or whisper it. It was so that Ronald could hear him clearly and loudly.

Ronald's facial expression shifted from worry to surprise when he heard what the fire elemental teacher, Mr. Leonard said, "Do you know Evelyn? And are they both siblings?" The Grey Swordsgod shifted his gaze to Mr. Leonard, eagerly awaiting his response to the question.

"Yeah. She is one of my students, after all. Someone with great potential. Why are you surprised? You didn't know those two were twins." Leo replied, not even taking his gaze away from the ring. He was engrossed in observing the two students, one dominantly striking while the other focused on parrying the attacks.

'Wow, another surprise. So, the girl who happened to wield the dragon whip was also Nate's daughter.' Ronald thought as he shifted his gaze back to the duel.

"Anyway, I didn't mean to be ruthless. This is the best way to analyze his abilities. I can't just take any disciple out there. I need to at least experience his potential and talent first." Ronald defended himself against Leo's accusation.

"Tsk!" Leo clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and remained silent as he watched Logan aim his sword at Elvis, who had been thrown to the ground.

However, Werney wasn't saying anything at all. He was busy scanning the sea of students who were watching the duel down below. And his eyes would, at intervals, glance at Derek, who appeared to be slowly circling the dueling unit as if he were searching for something…

***

Elvis sprang to his feet and dusted himself off. If this duel was based on rounds, then he had lost the first round just like that.

'I think I should start using my lightning ability now. He is not the only one who can be so fast. Perhaps infusing my sword with it can even make my swings lighter and faster.' Elvis paused, contemplating his next move, as he raised his sword towards Logan. Eventually, white lightning sparks began to sizzle around his sword.

Logan smiled as though he was thoroughly enjoying every of this moment. He then pointed his sword at Elvis, this time. However, on the blade of his sword, light blue energy was swirling around it. It was a spiritual energy infusion. Unlike Elvis, he wasn't infusing his sword with elemental energy, but with his spiritual energy.

"It's time I stopped messing around with you and got serious with this duel," Logan announced loudly as he walked over towards Elvis with calculated steps.

The main showdown is about to be witnessed by the spectators.