Chapter 11: 11. Dishonorable

Az nodded in contentment, his calloused hand wrapped tightly around the smooth wooden shaft of his scythe, the weight familiar and comforting in his grip.

Luke calmly strode towards the other side, his long sword leaning against his shoulder. “Alright, lad,” he remarked, his voice deep and menacing. 

“Wanna see how far you can reach?” He asked, slowly changing his posture, ready to attack.

Az nodded, and without any warning, Luke sprinted toward the lad, who, like before, swung his scythe in a wide arc horizontally. The whooshing sound of the blade slicing through the air filled the clearing.

“Do you think the same trick would work again?” Luke taunted in amusement while dancing nimbly out of the scythe’s reach like a leaf caught in a gust of wind.

Taken aback by such sudden moves, Az’s eyes shrank in shock as he saw Luke lunging for an attack.

‘Shit. I don’t have enough time to swing my scythe,’ Az thought desperately, placing his hand on his dagger’s handle before unsheathing it in an upward swing while also using the momentum to block the attack.

Not wanting to end the fight yet, Luke slowed his momentum, allowing Az to not only block his attack but also throw him back. 

“You’re holding back,” Az panted before attacking with his dagger, only for Luke to casually block all of his strikes. As Luke’s sword flashed faster and faster, Az’s grip on his scythe crept higher up the shaft, his strikes becoming short, quicker, and more desperate. His hands were slick with sweat, making it hard to grip his scythe tightly.

The truth was Az’s scythe, and dagger were both a liability right now. The dagger’s range of attack was too short, while the scythe’s attack range was too far and too slow.

“It would be quite unfortunate to end the fight yet,” Luke commented in amusement, lunging forwards as Az blocked one swing after the other. Each block was followed by a loud metallic clang as the swords rattled against each other.

Az's muscles were burning with effort, the scythe feeling heavy in his hands. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his breath coming in ragged gasps. 

“I want to see how capable you are, after all,” Luke continued, swinging his sword faster and faster, forcing Az to use either his dagger or scythe to block, depending on his angle of attack. 

That was until he swung his weapon vertically. “Shit,” Az cursed, his eyes narrowed, forcing him to use both weapons to block the attack. A loud metallic clear followed as their weapon locked, rattling against each other.

“So what are you gonna do now?” Luke commented in amusement as he slowly exerted more and more strength, pushing the kid back. Az’s arms were already trembling from the strain, while his body was sweating profoundly.

Az’s breath was uneven, he tried pushing the latter back with all his strength, but the latter didn’t even bulge. It didn’t take a genius to realize that a 12-year-old lad has problems pushing back a veteran hunter. ‘If strength isn’t enough, then dirty tricks and tactics are my only solution,” shot through Az’s head as he frantically searched for a plan.

Before Luke could even react, Az shifted his body posture, changing Luke’s attack angle while hitting the latter with his scythe’s handle against the head.

A strong thud followed, and Luke stumbled to the side, opening his back for an attack.

But Az did not take the chance, and for that, Luke calmly moved to the end of the circle, allowing Az to recuperate once more.

Az sighed in relief, forcing his body to breathe rhythmically while also relaxing his strained, tittering muscles. His salty sweat was already stinging his eyes beneath the helmet.

“That was an interesting attack,” Luke calmly stated as he stood tall and confident on the other side of the ring. “You are quite a promising youth, I must say that,” he continued, casually swinging his weapon in the air. “It’s just…the scythe isn’t really that beginner friendly and has a big flaw when it comes to close combat. A user should rather focus on keeping the enemy at bay.” 

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“I know,” Az groaned, sheathing his dagger. “But that’s not gonna stop me from using it,” he continued with closed eyes, trying to recover as much stamina as possible for one last attack.

"That’s exactly what I wanted to hear from you. Alright, lad," Luke said, enthusiastic, walking slowly towards Az. "Let's see what you've got."

The kid, on the other hand, watched Luke quietly, racking his brain for a new strategy while gripping his scythe tightly, the determination clear on his face. ‘My stamina is at the end. Also, if he evades another swing of mine, the match is over… What if I, hehehehe….’ Az finally had an idea, and the worry on his face turned into an evil grin.

With renewed energy, Az waited calmly, slowly lifting his scythe as he watched Luke sprinting towards him.

The kid had one last trick in his sleeve, and he was prepared to use it. The moment Luke was close enough, Az swung his scythe in a wide arc while muttering, “Rot.” 

This forced Luke to get closer if he wanted to avoid the deadly blade getting closer from behind.

Luke narrowed his eyes and lifted his sword to block the attack coming from behind, only for a dark, sinister shroud to form out of nowhere around Az’s hand as the latter tried placing it on Luke’s chest.

His facial expression changed abruptly upon seeing Az’s goal, and a mana shell exploded out of his body moments before Az's hand landed on his armor. 

A sizzling sound echoed through the air as Luke’s mana shell slowly evaporated, absorbing Az’s dark touch.

“Eh?” Az stated in surprise, having not expected the fight to end like that. By now, fear immediately began overwhelming him as he realized what he had just done. He felt guilty for using such a dishonorable tactic, knowing that it went against the moral code, and the shame of cheating was starting to set in.

Thankfully, Luke only broke into laughter, ruffling through Az’s hair. “Young lad, I must tell you that I almost shit my pants a moment ago," he answered loudly before slowly removing his hand. “Never would I have thought that a lad would even dare to use a spell of darkness against me,” He continued, his voice getting serious.

But Az remained quiet, looking to the side out of embarrassment. In the heat of the moment, he forgot about morals, as he wanted to pass, or rather prove himself. However, now that the adrenaline had worn off his strength was slowly leaving his body and tiredness overcame it.

“Well, at least you have some remorse and shame for using such an attack,” Luke continued as Ogron materialized behind Az, pinching his cheeks. 

“Dishonorable,” Ogron stated as Az whimpered in pain. “How many times have I told you not to use magic!!” He continued berating the lad.

Luke, embarrassed as well, immediately tried to calm the situation down. “Well, it’s understandable. You know, the kid just got carried away, hehehe. I mean using such an attack in a real life scenario would guarantee his win.”

“I’m sorry that you had to witness it,” Ogron immediately apologized, feeling shame that his student even tried to use such an underhand attack. He felt guilty as he was supposed to be his guardian and trainer to teach him the right path.

Meanwhile, Az quietly whined, “Did I pass,” as Ogron did not let go of his cheeks, which were already swollen. He felt guilty and ashamed but also wanted to prove himself and show that he could be a good hunter.

Luke only chuckled. "Of course, you passed. Well, actually, you are now hunter rank F since you forced me to use my mana. Hunter rank F is around the strength of a trained mage apprentice. Of course, you can become hunter rank F without being a mage apprentice. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how trained you really are." the man told him, and Az smiled at Ogron. 

Ogron just gave a thumbs-up as a sign of approval. “We gotta work on your ethics, young lad,” he hushed as the two slowly left the underground fighting place.