Chapter 59: The Unstoppable Force Meets the Invincible Sword (II)

With a lunge, I immediately returned to my feet. Although Sword Sense read the flow of his blades, I was able to parry the first sword, but I was a mere fraction of a moment too late to react to the second. That split second was enough for Leaf to knock me down for the first time in the entire contest.

"The Resonance of Swiftness," I mumbled unwittingly, my eyes narrowing.

"Is that what you call it?" Leaf's voice echoed. The next instant, his figure vanished from his spot, reappearing above me, his blade swinging in a merciless blow.

Mustering all my aura, I could only defend and withdraw a step in Haste, which carried me half a dozen metres backwards, escaping his furious onslaught. There was no respite, however, as my foe bolted to appear behind me, swiping towards my waistline. Sword Sense flared in a red thread, swirling about to move from my waistline to my lower body.

Seeing through his little feint, I swiftly parried. But simply blocking a stroke of his sword wouldn't be enough, as with the Resonances of Swiftness and Sharpness, Leaf was able to curl his sword aura so terrifyingly that it could easily evade my parry to plunge upon me. Along with his speed, which was never to be underestimated, I had an opponent who wouldn't give me even a fraction of a moment of leeway.

With the reddish halo of aura surrounding him, he was swifter than ever before. Even if I managed to block his sword once, his next strike would land far closer to home, and the one after would continue to rise as his Resonance of Swiftness gained momentum.

It was also why I had still failed to pick up the resonance. I could easily increase my pace with a burst of auric force, but to gain momentum with every passing second was another thing altogether.

Mounting the Walking Mountain stance, I evaded his second and third attacks; the fourth landed, but I managed to escape most of the brunt of the blow, withdrawing backwards. The thin rune lines that I had prepared for the duel came to life, surfacing on my arms and limbs one after another. While a part of my focus was there, the greater portion was channelling all my aura resonance into the most powerful sword I was capable of.

The duel had only just begun. It would be unbecoming of me to give him such momentum so early, not to mention Leaf seemed like someone who would just push and prod for any little advantage he could gain once he had gotten an inch.

As our swords clashed, with auric forces flashing in the thin air, cutting through the wind, I only waited, pouring and uniting all three of my Resonances—Sharpness, Weight, and Penetration—to form my strongest sword. It wouldn't be the sharpest or the most sublime, with Weight in the fold, but I didn't require it to be. I only needed it to land, as the destructive force would be greater than anything I could weave.

Maintaining such force while contending with Leaf's furious sabres was more of a hassle than I was capable of enduring for long. Even anticipating his moves with sword sense was barely effective. Whenever my blade met his, Leaf's sword would shift its trajectory, either feinting or curling away at a berserking pace, forcing me to readjust my form yet again. After a dozen or so of his strikes against my unnamed blade, cracks even began to appear on all the aura I united. Not to mention, the longer I wielded it, the more straining it became to my will.

I needed to make a move soon.

Ultimately, the choice was straightforward. I needed to instil a fear in him, so that he'd hesitate, even a subconscious one that would make him dither even for a split second the next time he decided to go on a full spree. And what better way to do it than by sacrificing my body to exchange a blow?

So, as Leaf's twin sabres thrust at me—one towards my neck, the other at my torso—I focused on only one of his swords. My blade twirled above the sabre aimed at my neck, unleashing the strongest sword strike I was capable of. It wasn't only the swordlight I aimed at him, but the unnamed blade plunged upon my foe as his form shifted ever so slightly to evade the maniacal sword force. However, my aura sword imitated the same trick Leaf had used against me. It curved in his path, and although he managed to avoid my blade, he couldn't evade the terrible, terrible plunge of force straight upon him.

While Leaf used his superior aura of Swiftness to bend the sword force, I managed to do it by sheer Will alone. The mechanics of our moves might have been dissimilar, but the results were far more identical. On top of that, the force I had infused into the aura sword was far more robust and ruthless compared to his, capable of flinging him far beyond what his sword had managed.

As half the audience gasped in their seats, Leaf's lanky form shot backwards like a sprung arrow and crashed into the forcefield covering the arena. I was not completely safe either, as I had to take a plunge as well when my opponent's other sabre aura struck my midsection, flinging me off.

I could see it clearly with my sword sense, but I was incapable, too slow, to parry it. At least my fall hadn't been as devastating as his.

We returned to our feet at the same time, our gazes meeting once again. There was no exchange of words. There was nothing left to be said anymore, as both of us had already seen what the other was capable of. Neither of us would concede without a fight.

With hearts overwhelmed with thrill, we sprang forward simultaneously. Leaf, with his gift of furious swiftness, and I, with my rune imprints, levitation boots, and aura swords.

As we met in the middle of the arena, I swiftly manipulated my boots to avoid his initial strike. My form shot into the air, vaulting over him to accelerate downwards, my sword swinging in the robust arc of the Tidal Wave.

While Whispering Gale aimed for precision, Tidal Wave extended my blade over two metres, lashing downwards at my foe at an acute angle, giving him too little room to evade. To his credit, Leaf impressed me once again, slipping under the blow, missing it by only a hair's breadth. Not only that, he seemed to have the nerve to counter. His blades came up in a reverse cross-swing, cutting off my path of retreat.

With no other option, I clenched my jaw and flared my aura to defend. The force of his blades flung me backwards, though I managed an almost graceful landing. Almost.

The speedster lunged forward. He didn't come straight towards me, as that would be too simple. With the entire arena to himself, he circled, and even bolted onto the forcefield to charge down at me. Whereas my opponent was wild and active, I resolved to stand still in my stance, preparing to employ the same simple strategy again. Of course, with a different sword form, one he hadn't yet experienced.

Perhaps he would dodge it this time, or even see through my move and exploit a counter. However, the fact remained the same: while I couldn't match him blow for blow, he couldn't block my attack.

I simply had to ensure he couldn't avoid it.

And thus, I positioned myself to prepare for Sunbreak.

****

Leaf saw it a moment, a fraction of a moment, too late, and the curving sword light showed him no mercy, flinging him once again to crash onto the ward surrounding the arena.

He thought he read Arilyn's body language well. With him holding the blade parallel to his eyelines, Arilyn already eliminated half of the areas he could target. Then, coupling with the heavy left foot half a step forward, with the right preparing for a lunge, Leaf believed he could read the sword form like a book. But the most significant part of the stance was the sword, after all. And he failed to prepare for that.

Arilyn's sword glowed in full radiance, almost blinding Leaf as its form carved into a colossal half-moon. More than the power, the unpredictability of the swordlight caught him off guard, as he was seeing the sword form for the first time in the duel.

When Leaf thought he had successfully evaded the strike, the tail end of the swordlight crashed into his armour and protective gear, almost breaking through. But his ward held, and he was only trashed against the barrier of the arena disgracefully.

His opponent made no move to assault him while he picked himself up. Arilyn was in no hurry to make his move. He was eyeing his blade, his lips pursed in mild disappointment—not at his opponent, but at his own sword.

Many of Leaf's bones cried in protest as he did so. Despite all his defences, the force had battered him well, and seeing the disappointment in his foe only added to his frustration.

Resolving not to fall for this trick again, Leaf stood in a stubborn stance. Yet, as they clashed, Arilyn went for the same blow again. For someone who took immense pride in his swordsmanship, he had no qualms taking a blow if he could land one on Leaf.

This time, Leaf was more prepared and almost managed to avoid it, vaulting over the attack. But despite the swordlight coming in a similar arc, it was far stronger on this occasion, extending further, tossing him into the air like a sack of potatoes.

He swiftly adjusted his resonance of Swiftness. The name still felt foreign on his tongue, but it didn't stop the power of awesomeness from adjusting his footing as he sprinted down the barrier.

Leaf had to admit that without the empowerment from winning the race the other day and his aura resonance, his near breakneck pace wouldn't have been enough against Arilyn's swords.

Arilyn resumed his stance, attempting to refine the moves he had displayed earlier. Leaf would have been a fool to let him have the opportunity. The two engaged in close quarters, Leaf always ready to evade, though never without dealing a blow or two. If his foe was letting him, he'd gladly welcome it with open arms.

The moment Arilyn's sword shifted, crying in a searing sword aura, however, Leaf already retreated ten metres, only to find Arilyn had feinted without releasing his sword aura. With the potent force concentrating on his blade, Arilyn shot after him, ready to unleash his formidable sword light once more.

Leaf retreated. No matter where Arilyn chased, Leaf was always a step ahead. But that was not enough; he had to ensure he was swifter than the sword light. Considering the amount of aura concentrated on the blade, Leaf was certain it would shatter his defences if he were to take it head-on.

Unable to strike him, Arilyn decided to change his stance, altering his sword form mid-air. Transitioning from the stubborn force, his hands moved in a sublime form, swinging the blade in a forward and reverse arc, dividing the concentrated sword aura into two.

Two sword lights shot forth, one after another, ensuring that even if Leaf managed to evade the first, he would be forced to confront the second.

Faced with a choice which was no choice at all, Leaf sprang and spun over the first sword light. His blade shifted into one of the sword forms he had recently observed, dispersing the other attack. The light he released was straighter, and he did his utmost to defend against the terrible wave of aura surging towards him. He couldn't disperse the force completely, but he managed to create a narrow gap, allowing him to wiggle away with his damnable acceleration.

Finding himself out of immediate danger, Leaf didn't retreat again but pressed his foe. Allowing Arilyn to make his move unchecked would likely lead to a recipe for disaster.

With his gaze completely glued to the red-haired boy, his stances shifted to become identical to Arilyn's. He still wielded his two sabres, but the one in his right hand became more prominent, concentrating more of his aura there as he proceeded. Leaf had always been someone who fell into a flow without much consideration.

Obviously, whatever sword arts his opponent had practised weren't so easily absorbed in a fight, but copying the movements was far simpler. For anyone else, it might have been troublesome, but Leaf had practised enough to mirror Arilyn's stances practically one-to-one, perhaps even at a higher pace.

The difficulty lay in managing the sword flow. Leaf wasn't delusional enough to believe he could unleash invincible strikes just by copying a few stances. He didn't hope to. As long as this gave him a better read on his opponent, that would be empowering enough.