"Co at ."
Korvan's sneer faltered for a mont, his eyes narrowing. He saw the shift in my stance, the way I held my ground, no longer retreating. His eyes flicked to my glowing blade, recognition dawning in his expression.
"Playing the tough guy, are we?" he growled, his grip tightening on the spear. "Let's see how long that lasts."
And then he charged, flas erupting from his spear as he closed the distance between us in a heartbeat. His movents were fast, blindingly so, the tip of the spear a blur as it cut through the air toward .
But I was ready.
With a sharp breath, I stepped forward to et him, my estoc raised. The starlight mana pulsed through my body, giving the speed and strength I needed to parry his strike.
CLANG!
The sound of our weapons clashing echoed through the clearing, sparks flying as fire t starlight. Korvan's eyes widened slightly as I held my ground, refusing to be pushed back this ti.
I twisted my blade, redirecting the force of his strike to the side. For a brief mont, there was an opening—small, but there.
I seized it, lunging forward with a quick, precise thrust aid at his side.
But Korvan wasn't done yet. He spun his spear with a flick of his wrist, flas roaring to life around him. A wall of fire rose up between us, forcing to retreat before I could land my blow. The heat was suffocating, but I managed to dodge the blast of fire just in ti.
Korvan ca at with a ferocity that felt like a hurricane of fla and steel. His spear, wreathed in fire, cut through the air in rapid, vicious arcs, each strike coming faster and heavier than the last. I parried, deflecting the blows as best as I could, but the force behind his attacks was monstrous.
CLANG! CLANG!
Each strike rattled through my bones, my estoc barely managing to keep up with his relentless assault. My muscles burned, but I matched his pace, refusing to fall back again. I twisted my body, deflecting another slash and countering with a thrust aid at his midsection.
Korvan batted my blade aside, the flas on his spear flaring as he swung at my shoulder. I ducked just in ti, the heat from the weapon grazing my skin. A bead of sweat rolled down my temple, but I pressed forward, turning my dodge into a strike. My estoc lashed out, aiming for his exposed leg.
SWOOSH!
But Korvan was faster. His spear blocked my attack, and before I could fully withdraw, his next blow ca crashing down.
"Argh!" I hissed, feeling the sharp bite of his spear's edge as it cut across my arm. Blood trickled down, warm and wet, against my skin, but I didn't retreat. The pain was real, but there was sothing else now—sothing unexpected.
Thrill.
A spark flickered inside , sothing raw and primal. It started small, a faint pulse deep in my chest, but with each clash, each cut, it grew. The sharp sting of the wound on my arm only fueled it.
CLANG!
I blocked another strike, feeling the pressure of Korvan's strength pushing against . The thrill bubbled up, a strange exhilaration that pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat. This wasn't just a fight anymore—it was a test, a challenge, a battle where my life hung in the balance.
And sothing inside welcod it.
'That's right…..This feeling…'
I gritted my teeth as another swing of Korvan's spear sliced across my shoulder, tearing through my cloak and leaving a trail of fire in its wake. My body scread in pain, but my mind was clear, sharper than ever.
'Is this what I've been missing?' I thought as I dodged another of Korvan's strikes, the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
The thrill was growing stronger, a feeling of excitent that coursed through with every move I made, every blow I deflected.
For the first ti in a long while, I felt alive.
I spun around Korvan's next attack, the starlight mana around my estoc flaring brighter as I drove it forward, aiming for his chest. Korvan deflected the strike with ease, but I didn't stop. My movents flowed, one after the other, pushing him back even as my body scread in protest from the cuts and bruises forming across my arms and torso.
His spear ca crashing down, and I t it head-on, feeling the force of his blow rattle my weapon. My feet skidded across the dirt, but I stood firm, a grin slowly creeping onto my face despite the pain coursing through .
"You're smiling, boy?" Korvan growled, his eyes narrowing as he swung his spear again. "You're starting to enjoy this?"
I didn't answer. I didn't need to.
I could feel the heat of the battle in every fiber of my being now. The thrill of putting my life on the line, of fighting an opponent stronger than , faster than —it was intoxicating. Each cut, each close call, only fueled the fire inside . The more dangerous the fight beca, the more alive I felt.
CLANG!
I blocked another strike, the starlight mana in my blade pulsing stronger, brighter. The thrill was overwhelming now, a raw, electric excitent that surged through with every breath.
"Co on, Korvan," I muttered under my breath, feeling the adrenaline spike again. "Let's see how far we can take this."
Korvan's eyes narrowed, and for the first ti, there was sothing other than smugness in his gaze—wariness. He could sense the change in . He wasn't just fighting a skilled swordsman anymore—he was fighting soone who was embracing the chaos, the danger, the risk.
I dashed forward, my estoc glowing with starlight as I launched into a flurry of attacks, faster and more aggressive than before. Each strike carried the full weight of my energy, my focus laser-sharp.
CLANK! SWOOSH!
Our weapons clashed, the air between us crackling with mana and heat. I didn't care about the pain anymore. I didn't care about the blood trickling down my arms or the burn of his flas. All that mattered was the fight, the thrill of it, the challenge of pushing myself to the limit.
For the first ti, Korvan looked rattled.
"You're insane!" he shouted, blocking another of my strikes. His spear flared with fire, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. The thrill had taken hold of now, and I wasn't about to let go.
With a grin, I lunged forward, the starlight mana in my estoc blazing brighter than ever. This was it—the mont I'd been waiting for.
Life or death.
Victory or defeat.
And I welcod it.
Kill or get killed.
That is the essence of the battle.
Either you cut down your enemy, or you get cut down.
Why does one learn the way of a sword?
To display their lives?
To display their nobility?
For what reason did we create the term 'weapon'?
Isn't the answer clear?
'To kill the enemy.'
That is what a weapon is for.
The world around blurred as I gave in to the feeling surging inside . My body moved on its own, my instincts taking over. My estoc flashed with starlight mana, each strike more vicious than the last. I heard the clash of tal, the searing hiss of flas, the sharp crackle of mana, but it was all distant, like the sounds were coming from another world.
All that existed was the blood.
It splattered across my vision, red against the glow of starlight, mixing with the orange and yellow of Korvan's flas. Every slash, every parry, every movent was instinctual now, primal. My blade sang with each swing, my muscles burning but alive with a sensation beyond pain, beyond exhaustion.
I could feel it coursing through —a need, a hunger to end this fight with my enemy cut down at my feet.
I could hear Korvan's grunt with every deflected strike, his frustration building as I pressed on. His fire mana surged again, flaring hot and dangerous, but I didn't care. The heat, the blood, the pain—it all fed the growing thrill inside , blurring the lines between who I was and the blade I wielded.
Kill or get killed.
That was the essence of battle. I could see it so clearly now. The reason a weapon exists—to kill the enemy, to cut them down, to survive at their expense. Every clash of my estoc against his spear, every spark of mana and fla, every strike that found flesh—all of it blurred into a dance of death.
But then, just as suddenly as it began, sothing changed. The blur shattered.
I felt a sharp, burning force crash into my body, my chest exploding with pain. Korvan's fire-embedded spear struck true, slamming into with enough force to send flying back.
"Gah!" The air was knocked from my lungs, the sharp impact driving into the ground. I hit the dirt hard, rolling several tis before coming to a stop. The world around spun, the flas and starlight flickering wildly in my vision.
My head pounded, my body screaming in pain as I tried to force myself upright. Everything felt sluggish, the adrenaline that had fueled monts before now ebbing away, leaving only raw agony in its wake.
Korvan stood over , his spear still glowing with embers, his eyes dark with fury. "You fought well, but this is where it ends, boy."
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