Chapter 502 – Learning on the Fly

Two extremely sharp greatswords clashed repeatedly against each other in a show of sparks and clanging noise. Every swing Noir threw at Asterios was deflected to the side or blocked completely. Their weapons might appear thoroughly different, but in the end, they had been created by the same pair of hands.

Or two pairs.

As such, the advantage of the most probable winner would boil down to who could use better and smarter techniques against their opponent, not whose gear was of superior quality.

And surely, Noir was not a dull woman.

Flicking Ast’s blade to the side with a powerful horizontal slice, the black-haired Dragon girl twirled her body alongside the swing and retained enough momentum to spin around in a flash. Slamming her foot into the ground, she twisted the greatsword’s path into an overhead swing, which whizzed in front of her foe’s face before crashing into the bricks at his feet with a resounding boom.

“For a human-grown male, you certainly have at least an inkling of an idea on how to handle that massive thing,” Noir commented with a sniff.

Asterios chuckled lightly, resting his own sword atop his shoulder. “I haven’t heard any complaints from the ladies so far.”

She growled back at him and kicked the handguard of her sword away from her, which drove the front even further into the ground, causing it to slide deeper between Ast’s legs. With a ferocious roar, she yanked the handle up with all the force she could muster. The spiky end of the blade barely missed Ast’s crotch as he jumped back just in time, the hungry edge grazing against the material of his pants.

“Whoa. That was dangerous.” Asterios patted his lower garments searchingly. “What would the people say if you exposed their ruler to the public like that?”

“They would finally realize they are being manipulated by a bastard who is nothing but a slave to his draconic urges!” Noir scowled at her failure to skewer his dangly bits.

“Be careful what you say, partner. I’m no longer shielding our conversation.” He raised a brow at the vicious lady. “Wouldn’t want anyone to overhear and misunderstand.”

“I’ll make everything as clear as day, then!” She lunged at him again.

The following assault was considerably stronger than the previous one. His adversary wasn’t holding back, introducing increasingly more powerful blows into her combinations. The fact that the arena resembled punctured cheese more than an actual martial stage by this point didn’t help the defending side.

During one dodge, Ast’s foot didn’t meet solid ground beneath its sole, stumbling on a remnant of the previous fights. He managed to react in time and avoid losing balance, but that wasn’t enough against an experienced fighter. The swing that came at him next made perfect use of that opportunity, directing all of its force towards the unsupported side.

Asterios was thrust into a roll as he went down with the blow. Landing in a crouch, he hastily raised his sword flat above his head, resting the wide blade against his hands. A fraction of a second later, Noir’s weapon descended upon it like a weighty hammer, forcing out a grunt from him. If not for his quick reaction, that attack would have sliced cleanly through his shoulder, separating him from his dominant arm.

Not giving his rival time to make use of the curved fang at the tip of her blade that extended way past his shoulder, he pushed himself forward, dragging his sword alongside hers. His aim was focused on the fingers wrapped around the grip, and thanks to the small distance between them and the point of their contest, he reached them in a blink. She twisted her body desperately, but the merciless razor still scraped against her forearm, unfortunately missing her knuckles.

A vigorous fist smashed into Ast’s stomach afterwards, pushing him backwards. He checked the damage brought forth by his latest attempt and found his opponent mostly unharmed, the sleeve of her leather jacket split up to the elbow. Her skin hadn’t suffered even a scratch due to the dark scales currently covering it with a highly durable layer.

Taking a deep breath, Asterios stood up as Noir eyed him cautiously. “I would love nothing more than to go all out against you, but I’m afraid that would reveal more of our cards than we are willing to share with those gathered today.”

After a few seconds, Noir nodded faintly. “A wise decision. You should always keep a secret technique or two for emergencies.”

“That said, we still need to find a way to select the winner,” he added thoughtfully.

She mulled it over for a moment again, then tilted her head, leveling her sword right at him.

“Let our swordsmanship be the judge, then.” Noir stared into his eyes intently. “But, since I’m much more experienced in wielding greatswords than you are, I’ll admit defeat if you can land a serious hit on me. Pure technique, strength, and finesse. No magic or other abilities.”

“Are you certain?” Asterios stroked his chin.

She snorted to the side. “Try to appear as confident as you want. I could tell this was a new area to you in under a minute of our first battle. You might have overpowered me with the sheer amount of force back then, but I had and have you beat when it comes to sword arts.”

“I agree to your challenge.” He entered a battle-ready stance. “Win and I’ll keep my word.”

A shadow of something akin to surprise or uncertainty passed over Noir’s face before she schooled her expression, her gorgeous visage morphing into the usual, fierce frown.

“Let’s not use those glowing shields that mark a lethal strike, then. They could get in the way and cause misjudgment. It would be a shame for this to end too soon.” Noir assumed her position too, which was clearly superior at first glance.

They glared at each other as tension hung in the air between them. Even the audience could feel the serious mood between the two contenders. There was more at stake than just what the lord had promised to the winner of the national competition.

Realizing that she was yielding the first attack to him, Asterios strained his legs and pushed himself forward. They might have agreed not to use magic and similar abilities, but both of them were still True Dragons in and out. Thus, he shot ahead like an arrow through just his physical strength, slightly reinforced by draconic energies.

Noir didn’t move an inch, receiving his blow head-on. The bricks beneath her boots cracked from the pressure behind the swing, but she remained locked in place. Her skilful parry directed Ast’s sword away from her body, so he tried to use the leftover momentum to bring the blade back. With only a tiny adjustment, she deflected it towards the sky this time, which exposed his torso to a counterattack.

Stepping back in anticipation of one, Asterios was puzzled that none came. Meeting Noir’s gaze, he found the Dragon girl smirking at him knowingly. That provocative grin told him the whole story. She was silently announcing that she didn’t need to take advantage of such big openings to defeat him. And that this much was nowhere near enough to make her lift a toe.

“So, she’s playing with me, huh?” He snickered to himself. “Though that look doesn’t look half bad on her.”

Noir clearly heard his muttering as the corner of her lips twitched and that prideful smirk wavered a tad. Whatever response she was forming when her mouth opened didn’t matter, as that was when Asterios threw another attempt at her, causing his adversary to clench her teeth as her pupils narrowed instinctively.

She might not need to make use of all the provided opportunities, but he hadn’t vowed anything like that.

The upwards slash that he started with met her downwards swing in a contest of brawn. Due to his treachery, his blade ended up in a better position against hers and leveraged an upper hand in this clash. He headbutted the fierce female, which only bumped her vision away for a moment, but long enough for him to slam the pommel into her belly while avoiding being cut by her released weapon.

It was Noir who was sent backwards this time, her feet skidding along the ground. Asterios wasn’t sure if she would consider that lifting a toe or even moving, but the scowl she shot at him resolved his doubts right away. He might not have caused his opponent much pain, but he succeeded in pissing her off.

Therefore, he wasn’t shocked to suddenly be the one on the receiving end.

Noir’s freshly crafted greatsword flew at him from multiple angles without mercy. The edge sang with a hungry howl that craved his flesh and blood. And it wasn’t an exaggeration. Being this close to the ominous weapon, he could feel its feral cries vibrating through his muscles. With how the whole thing had been designed to resemble a True Dragon through the decorative skull, curved fang, serrated edge, and scaly texture, he could believe their Spellsong friends had intentionally included this acoustic feature to strike fear in the hearts of the wielder’s enemies.

He would like to say that he fended off the assault well enough, but the little cuts and grazes that appeared on his skin after each swing told another story.

“Stop being so passive!” Noir unexpectedly shouted at him even as she continued her barrage. “You are wielding a sword, not a shield, so act like it!”

Blinking at her a few times, Asterios shifted his grip and tried a different approach. Instead of hiding behind the surface of his blade, he sharpened his eyes and followed Noir’s movements more closely. Deciding to take a risk, he leaned into the next attack and hurled his sword into the oncoming path.

Their blows connected with the strongest shockwave so far, causing his pants and her attire to flutter in the wind. Ast’s sword bounced back further than Noir’s due to her higher level of confidence, but he had succeeded in repelling her blade into a much more awkward position. He saw her brows rise a little before a new swing was on the way.

What followed was another storm of lightning-fast exchanges, inducing lots of bright sparks, but the scales of the battle shifted to a more equal position. Asterios wasn’t being pushed back all the time, finding better angles and weak points to blow Noir away in return. The battlefield became close to an even struggle from both sides meeting in the middle.

Naturally, Noir’s experience still shone through the cracks of Ast’s emboldened approach.

“That’s better!” She laughed savagely. “Now, thrust your ass the opposite way to the motion of your sword! Get those hips moving!”

He bit down the urge to point out her phrasing, as tempting as it was to fish for another little reaction in his favor.

For some reason, this was starting to feel more like a lesson than a duel.

Surely, Noir then went and actually demonstrated what she had explained a moment ago. Thrusting her pelvis forward as she brought her greatsword above her head, she grinned wickedly and swung it downwards, sticking her butt out during the blade’s arc south.

Asterios made the mistake of trying to block it the same way as at the beginning of the fight and was brought to a knee with a labored grunt. A webbing of cracks sprouted from beneath him, making the floor extremely unstable. The jagged pieces stabbed into his leg painfully as Noir kept him pinned underneath her blade.

Taking a page out of her book, he tilted his weapon enough to escape the pressure and slip to the side. Getting up, he spun around while jutting his behind as far back as physically possible. The whirlwind of a slash came at Noir like a force of nature, and the clash blew her away with a quiet but still audible yelp. He watched her roll and bounce over the ground before coming to a stop by stabbing the protruding tip of her sword into the flooring.

She raised her wildly excited face at him. “You aren’t a lost cause yet! Good! You’ll still learn how our kind fights!”

A dangerous gleam appearing in her dark eyes, Noir charged forward strongly enough for the bricks underneath her to explode into pieces. Their next blows made all those loose stones and debris shake and flutter, releasing deafening bursts of air into the surrounding. Such a fighting style relied on strength, even though it did not lack technique. At the same time, it definitely wasn’t suitable for group battles. Anyone by their sides would just end up thrown off their feet.

Now and then, cuts began appearing in Noir’s clothes too, not just on Ast’s exposed skin. Unfortunately, none of them would count as a serious blow. For all the teaching the mighty Dragon lady dispensed, she wasn’t going to throw the match by holding back. It was also obvious she enjoyed the thrill of battle. Especially against an opponent capable of improving during the fight.

“Still sloppy and too much pointless thinking, but you are getting somewhere,” she commented joyfully, reminding Asterios of Venuz’s words about following instincts. “Can you figure this one out on your own, though?”

Finishing her sentence, Noir swung at Asterios horizontally while following her own guidance of moving one’s hips. He parried a few incoming blows by doing the same, trying his best to analyze her actions. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then, during another similar attack, Noir’s blade froze on its path shortly before meeting his sword. Asterios swung into it, losing his footing slightly. The bumped greatsword of his rival flew back into another arc that curved fully around its wielder’s back in a spin and came with double force from the other side. With a switch this fast, it almost struck true, but Ast’s enhanced reflexes saved his skin.

Even as he was pushed back, she didn’t give him any space to gather his wits. More slicing and cutting rained upon him, with the reverse attack weaved in between those at irregular intervals. Trying to expect or predict it was not enough. It seemed like a fairly common technique of stopping one’s sword before the hit, but it was implemented so perfectly that there had to be a trick to it. The delay was simply non-existent. When he tried it, her enhanced senses had ages to pick up on it, even if almost no other person would be capable of such.

Choosing to go for a more defensive approach, Asterios thoroughly studied the dazzling warrior beauty in front of him. She didn’t look happy to see him return to his previous tactics and intensified her assault. However, he had to bear with it or else he wouldn’t be able to concentrate hard enough. It might be silly, but he wanted to figure her out during this spar, even if it wasn’t that important to the overall contest.

And, after three more of those misleading blows, he caught something.

An easily missable crack during the swing, around the moment the sword stopped in mid-motion.

Like that of a whip.

When the next strike came, Ast’s eyes flicked down and behind Noir’s hips. That was when he saw it, not just heard. She flicked her tail during the circling of her butt after the opposite thrust, countering the centrifugal force again.

She was taking advantage of her draconic ancestry.

No wonder it had felt so different from the technique used by common humanoids.

Becoming aggressive again, Asterios let his tail appear too, matching Noir’s state. She raised a curious brow at him, not yet noticing the arrival of an additional appendage. Then, after a few powerful clashes, he tried to fake it once more, involving his just materialized accessory.

Noir saw the switch coming like she always had, but didn’t expect it to be different this time. When her ears caught the faint crack in the air, it was already past the time to fix things. Asterios grinned to himself at the sight of her startled expression as she overextended. He followed her teachings to the letter and swung his blade around into her flank.

Even taken aback, she still managed to protect herself with a quick reposition. Ast’s edge sliced into her shoulder much deeper than it ever had during this fight, but her relocated weapon prevented it from digging any further in. Then, the power behind his spin launched her away in a cloud of dust.

Asterios waited for her to get up and dust herself off, smiling victoriously. Noir scoffed, but a smile of her own was fighting hard to taint her thinly pressed lips. The edges were quirking up rebelliously before being suppressed.

“That was a close one. I almost lost.” She glanced at her bleeding arm. “Let’s see how much of all that you can master before I take you down.”

But Asterios knew he didn’t have much time to play around. He had already been tired at the start of their match, and after pushing himself to actively learn and practice new techniques, he was nowhere near as energetic as the fresh and excited Noir. In the long run, she would ultimately become the victor. Through a simple war of attrition.

As long as he didn’t cheat and draw on the strength of his mates.

But, out of respect towards his opponent, who had already given him quite the leeway, he decided not to.

At least not as blatantly.

Thus, he had one chance.

Not giving Noir time to come up with another lesson, he surged forward, hardening his expression. She welcomed his direct rush with a wide grin, preparing to intercept his approach. Holding his sword close at his side, he let himself be open. Reading his invitation to strike first perfectly, she utilized her earlier teachings and swung madly from the opposite flank.

Their eyes met, his set in cold purpose, hers blazing with feral excitement.

Bit by bit, Asterios moved into the range of her arc until he finally entered the lethal zone, time seemingly moving slowly between the two True Dragons.

Noir’s blade inched towards Ast’s exposed side, humming famishedly with the desire to sink its teeth into his flesh.

Then, Asterios brought his weapon higher, but no further than the level of his waist.

His action caused Noir’s vicious visage to falter as she inherently knew that it was not enough to put his greatsword into the path of her blade.

And soon, they passed the point where moving it anywhere other than its current position became impossible.

Her eyes widened to the brim at the grin dawning on his lips, realization surging through her entire being.

But it was too late.

The edge of Noir’s blade sank into Ast’s side almost effortlessly, tearing through his flesh in a blink to the accompaniment of gasps from the surrounding audience. It only stopped at the bone of his spine, the impact making Asterios wince in resounding pain. He coughed up a mouthful of blood while staring back at her stricken face like nothing happened.

“It’s my win…” He chuckled awkwardly, then coughed some more.

“Wha—” She attempted to respond, but choked on something that cut her words off.

Bringing her free hand to her mouth, she saw a steady stream of blood flow onto her palm too. As her gaze focused past her arm, the blurry image of her front became clear.

She had been skewered by Ast’s sword right through the middle of her stomach.

Too stunned to notice a hand on her shoulder, Noir didn’t react until the blade was yanked back out of her body, releasing a quiet whimper along the motion. She flopped onto her back, still processing everything that had happened. Asterios walked into her sight with her sword still stuck in his side and pushed it out with a groan, letting it drop alongside his own. Then, he plopped on the floor next to her, his injury beginning to slowly mend together.

“You bastard…” Noir cursed him, tilting her head to catch his eyes.

“Sorry.” Asterios smiled apologetically as Bryn joined them from the sky and aided the Dragon girl’s recovery. “I was running empty and had to bet on your mind still hanging on my recent near-death experience.”

“Why apologize? That was a good gambit, stirring up my emotions to delay my reaction.” She huffed and covered her forehead with her arm. “Though, after observing you for the last few days, I never expected you to actually stab right through me so openly.”

“You are right. If it were anyone else, like one of my mates or allies, I would have definitely stopped short, satisfied with them simply knowing that the incoming blow would have punched a hole in their torso.” He nodded gently.

“So, if I were one of your mates, that would have made you flinch away too?” Noir snarled and threw her fist his way.

“No.” Asterios caught her wrist, surprising her greatly, and peered down deep into her eyes. “I would have still nailed you like a piece of roasted chicken without a shred of hesitation. Anything less would be disrespectful to who you are. A proud True Dragon of incredible power and grit. Plus, you can take a little roughing up, can’t you?”

She stared back at him blankly for a good while before wrenching her arm free with a sneer and slapping it over her eyes again. Taking that as a sign of their short conversation coming to an end, he shared a nod with Bryn and got up, his wound already closed. Stepping away, he still caught the almost silently mouthed idiot behind his back, making him smile fondly.

Making use of that smile, Asterios faced the crowd.

It was time to wrap this show up and get down to solving the burning issues of infiltration, assassination, and certain long-lost elven techniques.

Before he finally ran out of energy and fell asleep where he stood.