Chapter 10: Son of Hades (3)
'Such an amateur move.'
As I scrutinized her advance, I could see many openings in her attack, like fissures in a fortress wall awaiting exploitation. Although demigods were natural fighters, that didn't necessarily mean they were perfect at fighting. I calmly waited, biding my time, allowing her momentum to carry her towards me.
Midway through her assault, Eleanor vaulted into the air, a decision that only exacerbated her vulnerability, leaving her suspended in the air like a puppet on invisible strings. As her blade descended in a vertical arc toward me, I effortlessly sidestepped, evading the lethal edge.
In the fleeting moment of evasion, my gaze caught a shimmering hue, a delicate fusion of verdant green and tranquil blue, emanating from her sword.
'Quite remarkable that she was able to learn how to coat her blade with divine energy in such a short amount of time... though it is only half-coated.'
After regaining her balance, Eleanor surged forward once more, her movements now more hurried, making them predictable to my eyes, which had witnessed and examined many different opponents' moves in the past. As her blade sliced toward my right shoulder in a flurry of motion, I swiftly drew forth one of my daggers, its edge intercepting and pairing her strike.
As the force her sword carried met with the blade of my dagger, the sound of two metals colliding with each other rang in the air, reverberating through the arena like applause. The jolt of impact sent a numbing shock coursing up my arm, forcing me to back away. Yet, as I locked eyes with Eleanor, a peculiar sight of exhilaration dancing within her gaze caught my eyes. I could see she was really enjoying this.
'Such raw power. Although the difference between our ranks seemed trivial in letters, it is completely different when it comes to reality.'
"What happened? Was I too hard on you?"
Despite the numbing sensation pulsating through my hand, Eleanor's attempt at taunting failed to unsettle my calmness. Eleanor wasted no time in launching another assault. I awaited her approach, ready to meet her onslaught.
'A sword strike coming from the right'
I swiftly stepped back, carrying myself out of harm's way. I learned my lesson not to directly confront her formidable strikes.
'A diagonal slash from the left'
I executed a nimble roll to the right, evading the impending danger. Each successive assault, unleashed found me always one step ahead.
With each evaded strike, Eleanor's patience waned, her once precise movements now faltering into sluggish, aimless swings born of mounting frustration. The realization that her blows failed to find their mark gnawed at her resolve, transforming her once fluid motions into clumsy attempts to breach my defenses.
"Stop running away and fight me like a man!"
I stayed silent as I immersed myself in the rhythm of our duel, my senses attuned to every subtle shift in Eleanor's stance, every nuance of her movements foretelling the trajectory of her strikes. With a tranquil concentration, I avoided each assault with the fluidity of a leaf dancing on the wind.
Without realizing it, an imperceptible smile graced my lips. The adrenaline coursing through my veins, the pounding of my heartbeat, all reminiscent of the beginning of my journey in martial arts—my first match. The thought of fighting again excited me. A newfound resolve ignited inside me as I persevered through her strikes.
I now knew for sure that I wanted to get stronger no matter what. The sensation of being in a battle felt addicting. I felt the same intoxicating allure of battle surging through my veins, a potent elixir that had fueled my hunger for martial arts in my previous life.
As the rhythm of Eleanor's breaths grew ragged, punctuated by the relentless swing of her sword, I looked for a major opening in her defense.
She stepped forward, thrusting her sword with lightning speed, a desperate gambit to regain control of the fray. Yet, I anticipated her move, leaning forward as the razor edge of her blade grazed past my cheek in a whisper of steel. In her haste, she had overextended, leaving herself vulnerable to my counterattack.
With swift decisiveness, I struck out, targeting her sword-wielding wrist. The impact jarred her grip, sending the weapon clattering to the ground. Without hesitation, I seized her now defenseless limb, pulling it towards me with great force.
Caught off balance by the sudden reversal, Eleanor stumbled forward, her momentum carrying her inevitably towards me. With a deft maneuver, I guided her descent, leveraging her own weight against her until she toppled forward.
"Kyaa!"
I swiftly reached out and seized Eleanor's other hand, ensnaring it in a firm grip. I pushed her downward, pinning her body to the ground, while applying pressure with my knee, securing her captive beneath my weight. As the battle settled in, I remained poised atop her, restricting her from moving.
"Aaah! Let go of me!"
Seeing Eleanor was surpassed, Chiron announced the winner of the mock duel.
"Blake, you won. You can let her go now."
As I released my hold and rose to my feet, I observed Eleanor's struggles to regain her footing. Almost instinctively, my hand extended towards her, a reflex honed through countless duels I had in my past.
With a mix of reluctance and resignation, Eleanor tentatively accepted my hand, using it as a crutch to steady herself as she rose from the ground. I could see her annoyance evident in the subtle pout upon her lips.
'For someone like her, losing a battle must feel annoying.'
Without saying any other words, we approached the rest of the group.
"Congratulations to both of you. That was a great duel, especially for your first time!"
Chiron began listing the areas Eleanor should focus on and try to improve. He mentioned how she was too reckless, her footwork, and many other things.
"And Blake, you need to..."
***
As Chiron observed the mock duel between Blake and Eleanor, he initially anticipated gaining insight into their respective skill levels. However, as the clash unfolded before him, he found himself increasingly astounded by the prowess displayed by the black-haired boy.
His crimson eyes gleamed with a keen awareness and experience that belied his youthful visage, effortlessly tracking every nuance of his opponent's movements with a precision that spoke volumes of his sharp battle instincts. His evasion techniques were executed with a fluidity that could only be honed through years of rigorous combat training, each motion a testament to his sharpened reflexes and fight experience.
Yet, it was not solely his battle senses that left Chiron in awe. As the duel neared its climax, he unleashed his first and last attack. With seamless precision, his execution was perfect, swiftly neutralizing Eleanor with an efficiency that left no doubt as to his mastery over martial arts and technique.
'For him to possess this level of battle sense and technique... He must have been training since his very childhood.'
Thinking back to the night Blake had reached the camp, he had 5 little holes in his chest. It was obvious he was ambushed while he was coming here. The fact that he was still alive could only mean one thing: he had killed the monsters that chased him.
The growing uneasiness Chiron felt made him paw the ground with his horse hoof unconsciously.
'A son of Hades and he has unusually extensive battle knowledge...'
He remembered the betrayal of the daughter of Hades 100 years ago as if it had happened yesterday. Many lives were lost because of her betrayal.
'Now there appears another child of Hades who seems to have been trained since his childhood... It is impossible not to be wary of him. Hades may have sent him specially to sabotage the camp... The camp cannot put up with the same disaster twice.'
As Chiron watched the duo approach him, he put on a welcoming smile and praised them for their duel. He began listing some areas of improvement for Eleanor. When it was Blake's turn, however, he was having a hard time finding any major flaws in his fighting.
"And Blake, you need to..."
***
"And Blake, you need to work on your weapon mastery as well as divine energy."
I slightly nodded at Chiron's remark and quietly settled beside Eleanor. I couldn't ignore the weight of her glare upon me. Despite her outward composure, I sensed an unrest of emotions roiling beneath the surface.
As Adriel and Amelia squared off against each other, the tension in the arena thickened, a palpable sense of apprehension hanging heavy in the air. Each step they took towards each other seemed weighed down by the burden of their inner turmoil, their shared reluctance casting a shadow over the impending clash.
Amelia was afraid of close combat, let alone mustering up the courage to bring herself to fight against Adriel.
On the other hand, Adriel grappled with a different dilemma, Adriel was scared to hurt Amelia. He knew Amelia was disturbed by the idea of fighting, blood, and death. That's why his heart didn't allow him to swing his sword against such a vulnerable opponent. His heroic ideal prevented him from doing that.
Adriel's path had intersected with that of Amelia's in a moment of fateful convergence while they were both trying to find their way to the camp. They coincidentally started hearing voices in their heads around the same time and ran across each other in the backstreets of New York City's eastern districts.
When Adriel stumbled across Amelia, she was being chased by a monster in the back streets of New York. It was the first time he saw her, and till then, a resolute determination to protect this vulnerable girl from harm was etched upon his heart, an instinctual response born of his inherent heroic desire to safeguard the weak and defenseless.
After helping her get rid of the monster and ensuring Amelia's safety, they continued on their journey together, navigating toward the camp. Along the way, the bond between them only deepened with each passing trial and adversity, reinforced by shared experiences and mutual trust.
"3!"
"2!"
"1"
"Beg-"
Just as Chiron opened his mouth to declare the start of the duel, Adriel lifted up his hand to display his unwillingness to fight against Amelia.
"I don't want to do this duel. I don't think it is fair for Amelia. Can we just proceed without this duel?"
"Yeah... I don't want to fight with Adreil either..."
She added in with a quiet, soft voice.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone