Chapter 23: Sports Festival (Part 3)
"Whew," Leo sighed as he sat on a bench and removed his helmet. His face was drenched in perspiration. Although the armour wasn't heavy, the multiple layers of impenetrable material made it incredibly stuffy. Besides that, the last match was also too close of a shave as expected of someone who managed to advance to the semi-finals.
He laid down on the bench to rest. The sores on his arms and shoulders were getting worse too. He somewhat regretted not training regularly and now his body is paying the price. The accumulation of fatigue from the last four matches had also started catching up to him after the adrenaline wore off. Despite that, he was still in high spirits after watching Luna's second place finish.
"Congratulations on your victory! Here's a drink for your hard work!" One of the volunteers came and handed him a bottle of isotonic drink. Things had been quite hectic for the volunteers but they still worked with a smile.
"Thanks," Leo accepted it with gratitude and chugged it down. The cool drink quickly quenched his thirst and he felt his fatigue washed away.
He felt like he could have another go now. But first, it's time to rest and watch Damian's turn.
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One of the volunteers was helping Damian to put on the padded gambeson. He was feeling nervous as the spectators had proliferated into a large crowd when the finals loomed near. Most of them rooted for his opponent due to his prior terrible reputation in the school. It usually didn't matter much to him but for some reason now, it mattered to him.
"Greetings everyone! We will be starting the semi-finals soon. Grab your seats as you do not want to miss the much anticipated fight between Damian, our seasoned veteran and Aros, the dark horse and new exchange student from the Southern Isles," the announcer broadcasted through the sound system.
Damian put on his mask and tightened it. He made a few checks on his longsword and his blue armband before marching into the square field.
The referee standing at the centre was holding a wooden pole approximately two meters long. Nobody wanted to stand in between two people with swords without something that could bring them out of their reach. Three other judges watched from outside the field with a set of blue and red flags each.
"You know the rules, gents," the referee looked into both of the contestants and both of them nodded in unison.
"Alright then, good luck and have fun. Fence!" He bellowed and removed the pole dividing them.
Both of them played the cautious card, swiping and poking to gauge each other's reactions. The semis were now the real deal. Anyone standing at this stage would have enough experience and skill not to be taken lightly.
Aros attacked first after a few feigns, surprising Damian who reacted quickly enough to parry it but Aros pressed on the attack with an unconventional swing and managed to slice at his mask.
"Hit! Hold! 4 points for blue!" The referee announced.and the electronic scoreboard updated. The crowd roared in cheers.
"What was that?! A fantastic clash into a head strike by Aros!" The commentator casted with vigour, fueling the cries from the spectators even more.
'What just happened?' Damian reflected on the earlier exchange. He had never seen someone do such maneuvers. 'Southern Isles fighting arts?'
It's time for another bout and the referee called, "Ready? Let's fence!"
Aros was more confident now and charged first with an overhead strike. Damian ducked, blocked the blow and quickly turned his blade around and struck his opponent's leg. That bout ended in a flash. Damian decided to be more conservative and aim for arms or legs. Despite earning lesser points than the head or torso, strikes to the limbs had lesser risks.
"Hit! Hold!"
"A careful swipe by Damian. A wary counterattack managed to net him two points. He's showing that he is not a pushover!" The caster continued to describe the match. The crowd's reaction was lukewarm.
"2 points for red!" The referee announced again and he called the fight to be continued. The timer on the scoreboard continued to tick to 40 seconds left.
Again, Aros charged in a fashion similar as before, raising his sword up.
"Is Aros going for the same strike as before? It was foiled earlier by a quick swipe. Will he manage to achieve what he wanted to do this time?"
'What is he thinking? Is he going to fall for the same trick twice?' Damian thought as Aros charged in. He parried the strike and decided to aim for his leg again but this time Aros was prepared. He closed in further catching Damian off guard again and seized his hands, locking his sword before landing a blow on his mask again.
"Hit! Break! 4 points for blue!" The referee used the pole to separate them.
"Phenomenal exchange from each of them. The high strike was a bait and he took it! The counterattack was nullified by closing the gap, making it difficult to attack before holding down the hand and it is a match point!"
At this time, the crowd were chanting Aros's name in unison with horns interjecting once in a while.
Damian closed his eyes for a moment. 'It's just one more point for him. Can't let him win.'
"Ready? Fence!"
This time Damian took on the offensive and traded blows aggressively. For every assault, Aros replied with a counterattack but was narrowly dodged by him. Although the engagement looked reckless, Damian was looking for cracks in Aros's defense.
"Hit! Hold! 4 points for…" The referee called out but was interrupted by Damian.
"It's a hit off," Damian raised his hand up and admitted.
"The referee called out for a head strike in favour of Damian and did not have any objections from our judges. However, he called a hit off! Insufficient force of the blow to be counted. What sportsmanship!"
Sounds of murmurs became spreading throughout the crowd trying to understand what happened. The source of their confusion wasn't the hit off but Damian's admittance of it.
'Since when was he that nice?' A thought grew in their minds.
Another round started and Damian once again went to become the aggressor. It had almost worked then if he had managed to hit directly. Growing more impatient in making any headway, Damian became increasingly reckless and his defence slackened. Sensing the irritation, Aros found an opening and exploited it.
"Hit!" One of the judges called out the point. Damian managed to strike Aros's right arm. Before the round was called, Aros swiftly landed a cut on Damian's right rib.
"Afterblow! Break!" The referee roared. "3 points minus one for blue! Match end!"
The match was over. Aros had managed to clinch the points he needed to reach more than 9 points. The crowds exploded in cheers just as the referee concluded the match.
Aros removed his headgear and bowed at the spectator stands, especially to his family members in the front row. Although the large majority of the people still cheered for Aros, some people had started to applaud for Damian too. Some of them appreciated his honesty and believed he deserved some recognition.
Damian went back to the preparation room in frustration. He lost this round which means he had to challenge the lower bracket winner.
"So I have to fight Leo next huh?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
JcPancakes
JcPancakes Ok, the sports festival will be the last fight scene for a very long time.
Bear with me lol. I just can't help it.
The earlier horseriding event, I was referring mainly on mounted orienteering and this time in looking more towards HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts). So much to study on them.
After this arc, there will be more drama and relationship stuff.
Peace out!
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