Chapter 69
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Five seconds passed. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds had gone by, yet still, we remained unmoving. At least, that's what most of the spectators assumed. But while they waited with bated breath for the inciting action, many were unaware that the officer's duel had already begun.
It started with a contest of wills—the releasing of killing intent aimed at defeating the opponent before the physical stuff even began.
The force of Jimmy Jonas' killing intent was like a giant claw raking across my will, gauging out the strength in my arms and making my legs feel like they'd momentarily turned to jelly. Yet despite this heavy weight pushing down on me, I endured.
I calmed myself through a breathing exercise Luca had taught me. It was the same one he used whenever his anxiety struck. And once my will felt reinforced, I countered with my own fierce will.
My killing intent was small in comparison to Jimmy's as I didn't possess the same breadth of experience he had. But in exchange, I fortified the mental blade I forged with my unceasing desire to save my brother.
I launched this weaponized will straight at Jimmy, and with the wisdom provided by Fool's Insight, I was able to perceive the shadow of doubt pass across his face. Still, he too persevered.
Half a minute passed and neither of us was willing to give in to the other. This meant the next step in the proceedings was about to begin. Weirdly enough, I wasn't the first to make a move.
Jimmy took a step forward.
To anyone besides me, that single step would have been a harmless action. There was a considerable distance between us, after all. But Fool's Insight warned me not to be careless. This bombardment of visual information prepared me for what happened next.
From a single step, Jimmy launched himself forward and covered the distance between us like he was a living bolt of lightning. His glaive came swinging down on my head in the same instant as he landed right in front of me.
I had just enough time to dodge to the side as Fool's Insight told me blocking would have been a bad idea.
Jimmy's glaive—an intricately designed golden polearm with a coiling serpent embossed on its surface rising up to an open dragon maw with a charred blade sprouting out of it—smashed down onto the ground I'd just vacated. It left a deep gash on the grass.
Quick as a flash, he twisted his grip on the polearm and sent the glaive swinging sideward in my direction.
The second slash came too fast and I had no choice but to raise my falchion to block the attack.
A high-pitched scraping resounded while the flat of my falchion's shadowblade endured the charred edge of the glaive sliding along it.
Once the glaive had passed the width of my sword, I pulled back my sword arm and rushed forward. I calculated that the momentary opening created by the passing glaive was enough to create an opportunity to attack.
I was dead wrong.
As if expecting my counter, Jimmy rushed forward himself. His free hand was pulled back in preparation for an unarmed strike at me.
I was beginning to lose count on the number of times Fool's Insight saved my butt. This time was no exception.
The open palm strike zooming right below my face would have left me winded if I didn't have the foresight to slap it away with my free hand. Sadly, I didn't account for a difference in strength. Although I was able to divert its direction away from my throat, Jimmy's palm-strike slammed into my chest. The force of it caused the breath to forcefully leave my lungs.
There was an audible gasp from the crowd of onlookers. And a "Muddamit, Dean! you could have dodged that!" from Qwipps.
Jimmy's hand pulled back, and despite the pain in my chest, I recognized the danger of a second strike.
I pulled my left shoulder back just as his arm stretched forward. At the same time, I swung my falchion upward and inward in an uppercut motion and sent my blade snaking up Jimmy's outstretched right arm.
Sparks flew when my falchion's shadowblade raked across the chains of his armor. My vibro-blade's cutting power had failed to penetrate it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
However, this miscalculation didn't deter me one bit.
I used the momentum of my upward swing combined with the pulling back my left shoulder to pivot with my right foot and complete a three-hundred-sixty-degree rotation. The movement sent my falchion swinging forward from the other side. But, unfortunately, the glaive's polearm was there to block the slash.
There was a loud clangor as my shadowblade collided with the upper part of the golden polearm. This was immediately followed by a high-pitched scraping caused by the locking of our weapons.
While we pressed our weapons against each other, neither of us giving in to the other's pressure, Jimmy leaned forward.
At first, I was alarmed that he was about to fire a headbutt at me, but it seemed all he wanted to do was talk.
You're amazing!" he yelled out loud. "I felt the weight of your killing intent earlier, and now we're fighting on par with each other despite my size advantage."
I could hear the honest praise in his voice and couldn't help grinning myself.
"You're not so bad yourself... for an old man," I said in an almost joking manner.
He pushed down hard on his glaive and forced my shadowblade closer to my chest.
"What's your name, young commander?" he asked.
I gripped my sword hilt tightly with both hands and exerted as much force as I could to push him back but his polearm just wouldn't budge.
"Dean Dapper," I hissed through clenched teeth.
"Good name. Sounds like a superhero's name." He nodded approvingly like he was having no difficulty keeping me locked in place. "Like Peter Parker or Miles Morales or Scott Summers... Yes, it's a good name. I'm Jimmy Jonas by the way."
He grinned widely at me. Then he loosened the pressure on his polearm, giving me a chance to breathe.
"Um, thanks..?" I said while feeling slightly bewildered. "You know, there usually isn't this much talking in a fight."
No harm in it." Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "It's not like either of us would stop fighting. I'm sure whatever brought you here isn't something so small you'd give in just by learning a guy's name?"
I shook my head. He was right. The weight I carried on my shoulders wasn't that light.
"Alright," he said. "Let's continue!"
Suddenly, with a strength he'd been hiding all along, Jimmy pushed his polearm forward. The power he exerted nearly blasted me away. It certainly left me stumbling backward.
"So, what brings you to the Fayne, Dean Dapper!" he asked at the same time as he swung his glaive forward.
I was barely able to block it with my falchion. Still, his blow nearly threw me sideways.
"Are you really going to keep interrogating me right now?" I asked while I parried the charred edge of his glaive before it could skewer me.
"Sure, why not!" He raised his glaive high with one hand, readying it for another downward strike. "I would love to know your origin story. Learn your motivations."
I dodged left as his blade came crashing down. Then I ducked as he swung his polearm sideward again.
Fool's Insight was beginning to see a pattern in his attacks. However, its constant use was really starting to hurt my eyes now. The stinging sensation doubled, nearly comparable to rubbing chili powder over my eyelids.
I blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then I pulled back to avoid the glaive thrust I'd nearly missed seeing.
"You want to know what motivates me..." I repeated. "Well, you first!"
I pushed forward and sent my falchion slithering down to his legs.
Jimmy smashed his falchion butt-first onto the ground to repel my attack. Then he launched another palm strike aimed at my face.
As I pulled back, he yelled, "Okay. Me first then!"
In my head, I wondered if I wasn't up against someone even crazier than Azuma. But the origin story he gave me as we continued our fight left me imagining that he might have been a really good guy—and that was worse.
"I didn't come to the Fayne for fame or riches!" he admitted while he sent glaive strike after glaive strike at me. All of which I was barely dodging even with the aid of Fool's Insight . "No... I came for the other thing."
"You came for power," I guessed.
Jimmy nodded quickly. Then he pulled back to avoid my falchion snaking up his torso.
In the widening of his eyes, I saw the understanding that he knew I was finally catching up with his technique. In the midst of this battle, I was learning and getting stronger. Only, instead of fear taking hold of him, I saw genuine enthusiasm plastered on his face.
"You're really good, Dean Dapper," he said appreciatively. "And you're also right. I did come here for power. But I promise I didn't want it for some selfish reason."
"What, then?" I asked curiously. I couldn't help it. I was a curious guy.
"I sought power so I could make our world better," he admitted.
I looked skeptically back at him. "Seriously?!"
"Seriously," he answered back.
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Five seconds passed. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds had gone by, yet still, we remained unmoving. At least, that's what most of the spectators assumed. But while they waited with bated breath for the inciting action, many were unaware that the officer's duel had already begun.
It started with a contest of wills—the releasing of killing intent aimed at defeating the opponent before the physical stuff even began.
The force of Jimmy Jonas' killing intent was like a giant claw raking across my will, gauging out the strength in my arms and making my legs feel like they'd momentarily turned to jelly. Yet despite this heavy weight pushing down on me, I endured.
I calmed myself through a breathing exercise Luca had taught me. It was the same one he used whenever his anxiety struck. And once my will felt reinforced, I countered with my own fierce will.
My killing intent was small in comparison to Jimmy's as I didn't possess the same breadth of experience he had. But in exchange, I fortified the mental blade I forged with my unceasing desire to save my brother.
I launched this weaponized will straight at Jimmy, and with the wisdom provided by Fool's Insight, I was able to perceive the shadow of doubt pass across his face. Still, he too persevered.
Half a minute passed and neither of us was willing to give in to the other. This meant the next step in the proceedings was about to begin. Weirdly enough, I wasn't the first to make a move.
Jimmy took a step forward.
To anyone besides me, that single step would have been a harmless action. There was a considerable distance between us, after all. But Fool's Insight warned me not to be careless. This bombardment of visual information prepared me for what happened next.
From a single step, Jimmy launched himself forward and covered the distance between us like he was a living bolt of lightning. His glaive came swinging down on my head in the same instant as he landed right in front of me.
I had just enough time to dodge to the side as Fool's Insight told me blocking would have been a bad idea.
Jimmy's glaive—an intricately designed golden polearm with a coiling serpent embossed on its surface rising up to an open dragon maw with a charred blade sprouting out of it—smashed down onto the ground I'd just vacated. It left a deep gash on the grass.
Quick as a flash, he twisted his grip on the polearm and sent the glaive swinging sideward in my direction.
The second slash came too fast and I had no choice but to raise my falchion to block the attack.
A high-pitched scraping resounded while the flat of my falchion's shadowblade endured the charred edge of the glaive sliding along it.
Once the glaive had passed the width of my sword, I pulled back my sword arm and rushed forward. I calculated that the momentary opening created by the passing glaive was enough to create an opportunity to attack.
I was dead wrong.
As if expecting my counter, Jimmy rushed forward himself. His free hand was pulled back in preparation for an unarmed strike at me.
I was beginning to lose count on the number of times Fool's Insight saved my butt. This time was no exception.
The open palm strike zooming right below my face would have left me winded if I didn't have the foresight to slap it away with my free hand. Sadly, I didn't account for a difference in strength. Although I was able to divert its direction away from my throat, Jimmy's palm-strike slammed into my chest. The force of it caused the breath to forcefully leave my lungs.
There was an audible gasp from the crowd of onlookers. And a "Muddamit, Dean! you could have dodged that!" from Qwipps.
Jimmy's hand pulled back, and despite the pain in my chest, I recognized the danger of a second strike.
I pulled my left shoulder back just as his arm stretched forward. At the same time, I swung my falchion upward and inward in an uppercut motion and sent my blade snaking up Jimmy's outstretched right arm.
Sparks flew when my falchion's shadowblade raked across the chains of his armor. My vibro-blade's cutting power had failed to penetrate it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
However, this miscalculation didn't deter me one bit.
I used the momentum of my upward swing combined with the pulling back my left shoulder to pivot with my right foot and complete a three-hundred-sixty-degree rotation. The movement sent my falchion swinging forward from the other side. But, unfortunately, the glaive's polearm was there to block the slash.
There was a loud clangor as my shadowblade collided with the upper part of the golden polearm. This was immediately followed by a high-pitched scraping caused by the locking of our weapons.
While we pressed our weapons against each other, neither of us giving in to the other's pressure, Jimmy leaned forward.
At first, I was alarmed that he was about to fire a headbutt at me, but it seemed all he wanted to do was talk.
You're amazing!" he yelled out loud. "I felt the weight of your killing intent earlier, and now we're fighting on par with each other despite my size advantage."
I could hear the honest praise in his voice and couldn't help grinning myself.
"You're not so bad yourself... for an old man," I said in an almost joking manner.
He pushed down hard on his glaive and forced my shadowblade closer to my chest.
"What's your name, young commander?" he asked.
I gripped my sword hilt tightly with both hands and exerted as much force as I could to push him back but his polearm just wouldn't budge.
"Dean Dapper," I hissed through clenched teeth.
"Good name. Sounds like a superhero's name." He nodded approvingly like he was having no difficulty keeping me locked in place. "Like Peter Parker or Miles Morales or Scott Summers... Yes, it's a good name. I'm Jimmy Jonas by the way."
He grinned widely at me. Then he loosened the pressure on his polearm, giving me a chance to breathe.
"Um, thanks..?" I said while feeling slightly bewildered. "You know, there usually isn't this much talking in a fight."
No harm in it." Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "It's not like either of us would stop fighting. I'm sure whatever brought you here isn't something so small you'd give in just by learning a guy's name?"
I shook my head. He was right. The weight I carried on my shoulders wasn't that light.
"Alright," he said. "Let's continue!"
Suddenly, with a strength he'd been hiding all along, Jimmy pushed his polearm forward. The power he exerted nearly blasted me away. It certainly left me stumbling backward.
"So, what brings you to the Fayne, Dean Dapper!" he asked at the same time as he swung his glaive forward.
I was barely able to block it with my falchion. Still, his blow nearly threw me sideways.
"Are you really going to keep interrogating me right now?" I asked while I parried the charred edge of his glaive before it could skewer me.
"Sure, why not!" He raised his glaive high with one hand, readying it for another downward strike. "I would love to know your origin story. Learn your motivations."
I dodged left as his blade came crashing down. Then I ducked as he swung his polearm sideward again.
Fool's Insight was beginning to see a pattern in his attacks. However, its constant use was really starting to hurt my eyes now. The stinging sensation doubled, nearly comparable to rubbing chili powder over my eyelids.
I blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then I pulled back to avoid the glaive thrust I'd nearly missed seeing.
"You want to know what motivates me..." I repeated. "Well, you first!"
I pushed forward and sent my falchion slithering down to his legs.
Jimmy smashed his falchion butt-first onto the ground to repel my attack. Then he launched another palm strike aimed at my face.
As I pulled back, he yelled, "Okay. Me first then!"
In my head, I wondered if I wasn't up against someone even crazier than Azuma. But the origin story he gave me as we continued our fight left me imagining that he might have been a really good guy—and that was worse.
"I didn't come to the Fayne for fame or riches!" he admitted while he sent glaive strike after glaive strike at me. All of which I was barely dodging even with the aid of Fool's Insight . "No... I came for the other thing."
"You came for power," I guessed.
Jimmy nodded quickly. Then he pulled back to avoid my falchion snaking up his torso.
In the widening of his eyes, I saw the understanding that he knew I was finally catching up with his technique. In the midst of this battle, I was learning and getting stronger. Only, instead of fear taking hold of him, I saw genuine enthusiasm plastered on his face.
"You're really good, Dean Dapper," he said appreciatively. "And you're also right. I did come here for power. But I promise I didn't want it for some selfish reason."
"What, then?" I asked curiously. I couldn't help it. I was a curious guy.
"I sought power so I could make our world better," he admitted.
I looked skeptically back at him. "Seriously?!"
"Seriously," he answered back.
Five seconds passed. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds had gone by, yet still, we remained unmoving. At least, that's what most of the spectators assumed. But while they waited with bated breath for the inciting action, many were unaware that the officer's duel had already begun. It started with a contest of willsthe releasing of killing intent aimed at defeating the opponent before the physical stuff even began. The force of Jimmy Jonas' killing intent was like a giant claw raking across my will, gauging out the strength in my arms and making my legs feel like they'd momentarily turned to jelly. Yet despite this heavy weight pushing down on me, I endured. I calmed myself through a breathing exercise Luca had taught me. It was the same one he used whenever his anxiety struck. And once my will felt reinforced, I countered with my own fierce will. My killing intent was small in comparison to Jimmy's as I didn't possess the same breadth of experience he had. But in exchange, I fortified the mental blade I forged with my unceasing desire to save my brother. I launched this weaponized will straight at Jimmy, and with the wisdom provided by Fool's Insight, I was able to perceive the shadow of doubt pass across his face. Still, he too persevered. Half a minute passed and neither of us was willing to give in to the other. This meant the next step in the proceedings was about to begin. Weirdly enough, I wasn't the first to make a move. Jimmy took a step forward. To anyone besides me, that single step would have been a harmless action. There was a considerable distance between us, after all. But Fool's Insight warned me not to be careless. This bombardment of visual information prepared me for what happened next. From a single step, Jimmy launched himself forward and covered the distance between us like he was a living bolt of lightning. His glaive came swinging down on my head in the same instant as he landed right in front of me. I had just enough time to dodge to the side as Fool's Insight told me blocking would have been a bad idea. Jimmy's glaivean intricately designed golden polearm with a coiling serpent embossed on its surface rising up to an open dragon maw with a charred blade sprouting out of itsmashed down onto the ground I'd just vacated. It left a deep gash on the grass. Quick as a flash, he twisted his grip on the polearm and sent the glaive swinging sideward in my direction. The second slash came too fast and I had no choice but to raise my falchion to block the attack. A high-pitched scraping resounded while the flat of my falchion's shadowblade endured the charred edge of the glaive sliding along it. Once the glaive had passed the width of my sword, I pulled back my sword arm and rushed forward. I calculated that the momentary opening created by the passing glaive was enough to create an opportunity to attack. I was dead wrong. As if expecting my counter, Jimmy rushed forward himself. His free hand was pulled back in preparation for an unarmed strike at me. I was beginning to lose count on the number of times Fool's Insight saved my butt. This time was no exception. The open palm strike zooming right below my face would have left me winded if I didn't have the foresight to slap it away with my free hand. Sadly, I didn't account for a difference in strength. Although I was able to divert its direction away from my throat, Jimmy's palm-strike slammed into my chest. The force of it caused the breath to forcefully leave my lungs. There was an audible gasp from the crowd of onlookers. And a "Muddamit, Dean! you could have dodged that!" from Qwipps. Jimmy's hand pulled back, and despite the pain in my chest, I recognized the danger of a second strike. I pulled my left shoulder back just as his arm stretched forward. At the same time, I swung my falchion upward and inward in an uppercut motion and sent my blade snaking up Jimmy's outstretched right arm. Sparks flew when my falchion's shadowblade raked across the chains of his armor. My vibro-blade's cutting power had failed to penetrate it. Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. However, this miscalculation didn't deter me one bit. I used the momentum of my upward swing combined with the pulling back my left shoulder to pivot with my right foot and complete a three-hundred-sixty-degree rotation. The movement sent my falchion swinging forward from the other side. But, unfortunately, the glaive's polearm was there to block the slash. There was a loud clangor as my shadowblade collided with the upper part of the golden polearm. This was immediately followed by a high-pitched scraping caused by the locking of our weapons. While we pressed our weapons against each other, neither of us giving in to the other's pressure, Jimmy leaned forward. At first, I was alarmed that he was about to fire a headbutt at me, but it seemed all he wanted to do was talk. You're amazing!" he yelled out loud. "I felt the weight of your killing intent earlier, and now we're fighting on par with each other despite my size advantage." I could hear the honest praise in his voice and couldn't help grinning myself. "You're not so bad yourself... for an old man," I said in an almost joking manner. He pushed down hard on his glaive and forced my shadowblade closer to my chest. "What's your name, young commander?" he asked. I gripped my sword hilt tightly with both hands and exerted as much force as I could to push him back but his polearm just wouldn't budge. "Dean Dapper," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Good name. Sounds like a superhero's name." He nodded approvingly like he was having no difficulty keeping me locked in place. "Like Peter Parker or Miles Morales or Scott Summers... Yes, it's a good name. I'm Jimmy Jonas by the way." He grinned widely at me. Then he loosened the pressure on his polearm, giving me a chance to breathe. "Um, thanks..?" I said while feeling slightly bewildered. "You know, there usually isn't this much talking in a fight." No harm in it." Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "It's not like either of us would stop fighting. I'm sure whatever brought you here isn't something so small you'd give in just by learning a guy's name?" I shook my head. He was right. The weight I carried on my shoulders wasn't that light. "Alright," he said. "Let's continue!" Suddenly, with a strength he'd been hiding all along, Jimmy pushed his polearm forward. The power he exerted nearly blasted me away. It certainly left me stumbling backward. "So, what brings you to the Fayne, Dean Dapper!" he asked at the same time as he swung his glaive forward. I was barely able to block it with my falchion. Still, his blow nearly threw me sideways. "Are you really going to keep interrogating me right now?" I asked while I parried the charred edge of his glaive before it could skewer me. "Sure, why not!" He raised his glaive high with one hand, readying it for another downward strike. "I would love to know your origin story. Learn your motivations." I dodged left as his blade came crashing down. Then I ducked as he swung his polearm sideward again. Fool's Insight was beginning to see a pattern in his attacks. However, its constant use was really starting to hurt my eyes now. The stinging sensation doubled, nearly comparable to rubbing chili powder over my eyelids. I blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then I pulled back to avoid the glaive thrust I'd nearly missed seeing. "You want to know what motivates me..." I repeated. "Well, you first!" I pushed forward and sent my falchion slithering down to his legs. Jimmy smashed his falchion butt-first onto the ground to repel my attack. Then he launched another palm strike aimed at my face. As I pulled back, he yelled, "Okay. Me first then!" In my head, I wondered if I wasn't up against someone even crazier than Azuma. But the origin story he gave me as we continued our fight left me imagining that he might have been a really good guyand that was worse. "I didn't come to the Fayne for fame or riches!" he admitted while he sent glaive strike after glaive strike at me. All of which I was barely dodging even with the aid of Fool's Insight . "No... I came for the other thing." "You came for power," I guessed. Jimmy nodded quickly. Then he pulled back to avoid my falchion snaking up his torso. In the widening of his eyes, I saw the understanding that he knew I was finally catching up with his technique. In the midst of this battle, I was learning and getting stronger. Only, instead of fear taking hold of him, I saw genuine enthusiasm plastered on his face. "You're really good, Dean Dapper," he said appreciatively. "And you're also right. I did come here for power. But I promise I didn't want it for some selfish reason." "What, then?" I asked curiously. I couldn't help it. I was a curious guy. "I sought power so I could make our world better," he admitted. I looked skeptically back at him. "Seriously?!" "Seriously," he answered back.
