The cool nightly air brushed against Kazeki and Itsuki's skin as they were discharged from the infirmary. Aoi stayed behind, to help the Fiends recover along with Kateshi to ensure she wasn't pushing herself too hard.

  Light artifacts hovered over the encampment, illuminating the bustling crowd. Everyone had huddled around several campfires set up by the capital guards.

  The dancing flames scattered throughout the encampment accompanied by chatter and laughter produced a lighthearted atmosphere. Those who placed bets were exchanging coins while others simply continued watching the feed on the big screen.

  As Kazeki and Itsuki navigated to the area reserved for contestants, the guards' gazes followed them, some waving while others simply nodded in respect. The same couldn't be said for the Fiends they passed by who regarded them with bitter expressions.

  "Hey, your Itsuki and Kazeki right?" A green-haired male guard asked with an excited smile. "You guys won me a ton of gold!"

  Itsuki raised a confused brow while Kazeki chuckled nervously. Before either could respond, the guard's coworker grabbed him by the ear.

  "Ouch!"

  "You're embarrassing yourself and the rest of us," a brown-haired female guard scolded before shooting Itsuki and Kazeki an apologetic smile. "Sorry about him. You two were amazing out there."

  "Oh, thanks," Kazeki responded as she practically dragged her friend away by the ear, his cries growing more distant.

  After a few minutes, Kazeki and Itsuki spotted Kenji watching the feed and joined him. Kenji was so focused on the screen that he hadn't noticed them approach until Kazeki sat next to him, startling him.

  "Oh, hey Kazeki," Kenji turned to give a nod to Itsuki. "Hey, Itsuki. How're you two feeling?"

  "Our conditions weren't too serious but we're okay. Besides, we had Aoi looking after us." Itsuki replied, sitting next to Kazeki. "So what's happened so far?"

  "Not much," Kenji rubbed his hands anxiously. "Maya managed to incapacitate Fuyumi for a while until she suddenly...jolted awake. And Yakeru just found Kane but I don't think he'll have any backup."

  "Why's that? If Fuyumi is awake now and she took care of Maya she can just..." Kazeki asked but his question was answered as soon as he looked at the feed to see a dome encasing Yakeru and Kane. "Oh...oh no."

  Kazeki's face hardened in anticipation. As soon as Yakeru launched his assault, he felt a cold sweat. Now that he thought about it, he'd never seen Yakeru fight before. He was curious to see what he could do but the lingering feeling of futility tugged at his mind. His opponent was Kane after all.

  Kane didn't bother to draw his weapon, instead opting to make a fool out of Yakeru, as indicated by the haughty sneer on his face. It was only when his throat strike had missed that he, perhaps, decided to take Yakeru more seriously and unsheathe his rapier, where his true talent began to shine through.

  The guy was a natural. Every movement was deliberate and purposeful, flowing in perfect harmony with every parry and counter. His expert footwork allowed for elusive maneuvers as he danced effortlessly around Yakeru.

  Yakeru was barely able to keep up with him. The cheers from around Kazeki grew even louder as, one by one, the Fiend members began shooting up from their seats with excitement.

  "You got this Kane!"

  "He's got it the bag!"

  "What was that commoner thinking?"

  "If this is the best he can do there's no point. No way he's winning a one-on-one with Kane by himself."

  ["Looks like Kane has him on the ropes. Perhaps this battle will be over very soon."]

  From the feed, Kane's smirk widened as if he could hear his clan members praising him. The further he pushed Yakeru on his back foot, the more anxiety-inducing it was to watch for Kazeki and Kenji. However, even as Yakeru appeared to be fighting a losing battle, the corner of Itsuki's lips lifted in a faint smirk.

  He watched as Yakeru dropped into a stance and took a deep breath. "Let's see it, kid."

  Radiance began to coalesce in Yakeru's lower half, the simple action quieting the once bustling crowd as if commanding silence. Every spectator, initially oblivious to the spectacle unfolding, felt a shift in the air. Suddenly, before Kane's rapier could connect, Yakeru's form had seemingly fazed out of existence and reappeared behind the arrogant royal.

  Gasps of surprise and murmurs of astonishment rippled throughout the encampment. The Fiends stood frozen, items in their hands slipping from their fingers and their jaws went slack in absolute bafflement. Both Kazeki and Kenji went speechless, their words fumbling out of their agape mouths.

  [Incredible! Such astounding speed. Even Kane didn't know what just happened!"]

  "W-Wha...How did..."

  "Did...he just..."

  Itsuki looked on in amusement, unable to hide the pride building on his face watching his pupil shake Kane to his core. Placing a hand on Kazeki's shoulder, he said, "You two are in for a treat."

  *****

  Kane looked at his wound then at Yakeru then back, struggling to process the unprecedented turn of events. The commoner had just blinked past him at speeds near-imperceivable to the eye, injuring him in the process. He stared at the crimson on his hand he wiped from his chest.

  'No...that was just a fluke.' Kane convinced himself to keep his inflated ego intact.

  Looking back at Yakeru, who had begun to infuse his legs again, he readied himself for another attack. Yakeru's form flickered and before Kane could properly block, he was already sliced across the arm. By the time he looked behind him to where he thought Yakeru would be, he was already gone.

  A blurred humanoid silhouette flickered in and out of his peripheral vision followed by a brilliant trail of amber. Each time he went to block, a cut had already appeared on the area he was trying to protect.

  The gales of sharp winds whipped his crimson hair, his eyes struggling to keep up.

  'This isn't possible. He should be tearing himself apart!' Kane thought, his body quickly becoming a canvas of cuts, his once pristine uniform stained with red.

  His ego rejected the notion of Yakeru having the potential to best him. He was royal, a prodigy, a genius. He was supposed to be out of his league but Yakeru was proving to be...a challenge.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Where are you looking?" A voice spoke from his left but by the time he darted his gaze, there was no one there.

  Kane began to turn his head to check his blind spot when a fist collided with his cheek, sending him flying. Putting his feet under him, he growled in frustration as the commoner made a joke out of his title. He could practically hear the audience mocking him at the sheer absurdity of this match.

  He had no choice. He needed to use it. After all, his image was now on the line.

  "I'll show you why they call me the royal prodigy." he snarled, his voice drowned out by the howling winds.

  Yakeru dashed around him before coming to a stop, the dust in the air from his blistering speeds concealing him in a smokescreen. Figuring Kane hadn't had enough yet, he lowered his stance and infused his legs once more. Launching himself forward, he parted the smoke, fast approaching Kane with his sword held high.

  Yakeru's eyes widened slightly when he saw Kane infuse his rapier, something he hadn't bothered doing until now. Nonetheless, whatever he was planning, he was confident he could evade. However, instead of attacking him, Kane unexpectedly drove his blade into the ground. Amber split the eroded wooden floor as a brilliant light shot through the web of cracks. Before Yakeru could swing his blade, the air around Kane erupted into a vortex of radiance that hurled Yakeru back, his tumbling form creating a dust trail.

  Recovering, he looked back at Kane who pried his gaudy rapier from the ground. 'What was that?'

  Kane's haughty sneer and confidence returned. "I commend the effort. You should consider it a great honor that I had to resort to my impenetrable vortex. Did you really believe your little trick would make all the difference?"

  Yakeru stared in disbelief. He knew Kane was hiding a trump card behind his talented swordsmanship, but for it to negate Blitz Step? He wasn't sure how many other tricks Kane had in his arsenal and Blitz Step was already starting to take a toll on Yakeru's body. He came to the realization that he was a one-trick pony while his opponent could've still been hiding most of his cards.

  'How can I even compete?' He pondered. He shook his head to compose himself before his mind had the chance to spiral down into a pit of doubt.

  He analyzed Kane, carefully dissecting his tactics. Yakeru knew he could outmatch him in close quarters through sheer speed but the issue was Kane's defensive countermeasure. From what he could tell, the vortex had a radius of around 3 meters. It was the first time he'd used radiance during their battle so he assumed he had more reserves to spare.

  Formulating a new plan, he infused his legs once more, prompting Kane to prepare his vortex. Perhaps if he could feint Kane into unleashing another vortex, he could run his reserves dry. He prayed his body could withstand the backlash of Blitz Step until then as this was now a battle of endurance.

  Dropping down, he fired himself forward as Kane drove his blade into the ground again. As soon as the vortex roared to life, Yakeru veered off and skidded to a stop outside its radius. The vortex was still raging even after Yakeru had extinguished his radiance. He stared with a raised eyebrow as the vortex continued to protect its master from an assailant who wasn't there.

  "Maybe this will be easier than I thou-"

  Without warning, the vortex shot outward and blasted him back into a wall, fracturing the fragile bricks. Although the moss cushioned the impact, he still felt a throbbing pain running down his spine.

  "Tsk tsk. I expected more," Kane taunted as Yakeru struggled to get up. "I'll admit, I was mildly surprised when you self-infused but that'll only take you so far. Especially against me." Kane gloated.

  Although it was necessary, Kane wasn't particularly proud of using one of the techniques that he’d developed himself. It was mainly used as a safety net to ensure remained untouchable but he supposed he couldn't stay that way against speedy opponents.

  Kane observed Yakeru as he got up. Yakeru could try to hide his exhaustion behind a composed gaze all he wanted but the faint trembling in his legs spoke of how fatigued they were. Unlike Kane, who'd been mindful of how much radiance he'd expended, it was evident that Yakeru was approaching his limit.

  "I suppose it's commonplace for someone of low status to lack the proper education in radiance conservation. Or perhaps you lack proper education, period."

  Tired of hearing his voice, Yakeru ignored his body's protest and infused his legs again. However, this time he'd conjured up a new plan. Glancing over at debris slightly off to his right that was aligned like a ramp, he dashed forward again.

  Kane had already plunged his blade into the ground, caging himself in another vortex of amber. Yakeru veered off course, catapulting himself off the debris as the vortex expanded once again, barely grazing his leg.

  Just as he expected, the vortex had a gaping hole from above. Kane's gaze followed Yakeru as his blade came crashing down on Kane's.

  "Did you really think I was oblivious to the flaw of my own technique?" Kane said, driving his elbow into his midsection, using Yakeru's downward momentum to add more force to it. "I've already implemented countermeasures should anyone or anything try to exploit it."

  Stomach acid blasted out from Yakeru's mouth as he tumbled back. By the time he got to his feet, Kane was already in front of him. With his legs throbbing, he couldn't dodge. Instead, he brought his sword up just in time to deflect Kane's thrust into his shoulder. Blood spilled as a sharp pain radiated from his wound.

  Yakeru gnashed his teeth in frustration as he realized his reaction wasn't as quick as it was before and his legs couldn't take him far if he wished to gain distance.

  "Still have some fight left? Good. I've been dying to use another one of my personal techniques." Kane's smug grin grew wider as infused his blade and went for a low slash.

  Yakeru instinctively brought his sword down to block but as he did, Kane feinted and sliced him across the arm instead. As Yakeru tracked his opponent's blade, he felt another sharp pain slice into his leg. Confused, his gaze flicked to his leg, finding blood trickling from a wound that wasn't there a moment ago.

  Kane feinted another attack to his chest but Yakeru saw through this, managing to block the real strike intended for his right arm. Before he could counter, however, his chest lurched back as a throbbing pain erupted from it.

  'What's happening?' Yakeru wondered, getting struck in the thigh by yet another invisible force.

  Although his armor protected him from taking serious damage, Kane's deadly precision guided his blade to make cuts between the gaps in the plates. Yakeru's body quickly became a canvas of red as he struggled to understand how Kane was injuring him even without his blade having to touch him.

  He studied Kane's movements, his flexible blade whipping to confuse the young swordsman but that wasn't what Yakeru was observing. He carefully watched as his opponent's blade produced miniature arcs of amber through the air. That's when he saw it.

  Those arcs of amber produced from his feints lingered in the air a moment before launching. He was using projectiles disguised as feints, further accentuating their difference in skill.

  Although he figured out how he was doing it, his body could no longer keep up to defend against it. As he brought his sword up, Kane struck downward, slamming into his blade with such force he could hear the blade crack.

  Yakeru wobbled to his feet, his eyes still fixated on Kane as he picked up his sword. However, as he lifted the handle, he stopped as it now felt lighter than usual. Looking down, he was horrified to find that his blade was now in two.

  "What a poor performance," Kane looked on in amusement as Yakeru panted softly. "Do you understand now? Some people are just exceptional while the lesser are dealt pitiful hands at birth. That's what separates me from you."

  "No," Yakeru denied. "What separates you from me is that you were born with a silver spoon in that big mouth of yours. You probably don't know the first thing about working to get anything."

  Kane stifled a laugh. "Don't lump me in with you. Effort doesn't apply to a royal, much less a royal talent."

  Yakeru let out a soft chuckle through a grin. "I take pity on you then. You're missing out."

  Kane's smirk faltered as he lifted a confused eyebrow.

  Yakeru's reserves were still somewhat plentiful but his body was reaching its limit. He so desperately wanted to squeeze out a victory but his options were limited while his opponent could finish him where he stood if he so chose to.

  His mind veered back to his training, digging through his memories for something that could be useful, anything. That's when he arrived at something Itsuki said.

  Although he'd likely be completely drained afterwards, he'd at the very least be granted enhanced strength and durability in addition to his speed.

  Too stubborn to accept defeat at the hands of a brat, he swallowed his aching pain and spaced his feet while closing his eyes.

  "I think this contest is over. You're clearly exhausted and even if you wanted to continue, your sword is in two."

  A grin stretched Yakeru's lips. "Who said I needed a sword?"