Chapter 174: Chapter 173 – Winners

Yuki turned a bit, looking left and right as he examined the area around him. The ground was filled with rocks and pebbles as the stream from before flowed by. The stream was larger now, getting closer to that of a river. The trees had receded, leaving the area barren of greenery save for a few stubborn bushes and tufts of grass.

‘This will do,’ he nodded.

“This will be the battleground,” Yuki announced. He faced Caitlyn who stood behind him a few paces away. “Any objections?”

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “I don’t have any.”

“Perfect.” He turned and began to walk away from her, widening the distance between them. “Walk ten paces away from me.”

The sound of rocks crunching as they rubbed against each other told Yuki that Caitlyn was doing just that. When he reached the end of his steps, he turned back and waited for Caitlyn to do the same.

“Let me explain the rules to this duel,” Yuki said once she turned, raising his voice so that she could hear him. “There is only one rule. And that is that outside help is not allowed. If such help does occur, then the person benefiting from it will have to surrender.”

“That’s it?” Caitlyn asked, frowning again.

“Yes. It’s more for me than for you,” he shrugged. “Other than that, anything is fair game. You can do whatever you want during the duel and it will be legal. You could even run from here and I’ll still consider the duel to be in progress and would go after you.”

“I won’t run,” she growled.

“I never said you would. Just that you could if you wanted to.”

She didn’t reply.

“Do you have any objections to the rules that I’ve put into place for this duel?” he asked.

“None,” she said curtly. 

“Great,” he nodded. His knees bent gently as he grabbed a stone from the ground. “When this lands, the battle begins.”

“You’re going to drop it?” she asked, confused.

“No.” Yuki looked up and wound his arm up before tossing the stone up with all his might, the rock zooming out of sight. “You have about ten seconds before that stone lands again.”

He looked back at Caitlyn and saw her eyes narrowed as they focused intently on him. He gazed back, his expression unchanging and unreadable.

‘I’ll need to gauge in the first couple exchanges how much I need to use,’ he thought. ‘And how much I’m willing to reveal.’

The stone approached the ground, accelerating faster and faster. He could feel it as it zoomed back down. Counting the seconds before it hit the ground, he began to circulate his mana throughout his body and relaxed himself.

Thuck

The stone landed and Caitlyn disappeared not even a second after the sound rang out. Yuki bent backwards a moment later, his upper body easily going parallel with the ground beneath him. Air brushed past his face as a blade of wind blew past it.

‘Nice. Let’s see how long you can hold it.’

He spun away, avoiding another strike as it cut through the air around him. As he did, he streamed mana into his eyes, the world brightening and air glimmering. He spotted Caitlyn instantly, a tall oval of shimmering mana. And she was rushing towards him.

Pushing some mana outside of himself, he touched the air around him. He didn’t manipulate it, only connecting his senses with it to make it easier for himself to track Caitlyn’s movements. When she arrived, he was ready.

He flowed, like sand through the cracks of a person’s hands. Every strike Caitlyn threw at him barely missed, just breezing by with less than an inch of space. He created an artful performance of twirls and stops. He danced with Caitlyn as she fought tirelessly, his eyes following her every move as his expression remained unchanged.

She was the one that broke off first. 

‘Is that the time limit of her shroud?’ Yuki thought as she slid backwards, creating space between them. ‘Or is she frustrated.’

The shroud disappeared and Caitlyn was once again visible to the naked eye. Yuki cut off the flow of mana to his eyes and regarded her expression carefully.

‘She doesn’t look frustrated,’ he observed. He tilted his head. ‘She looks impressed.’

“Why did you stop?” he asked.

“The more I watch you, the more I’m convinced that you’re not what you say you are or what you look like,” she replied, her voice low. 

“Oh? But that has nothing to do with this duel right now,” he shrugged. “Come. Let’s not waste time. Come at me with everything you got.”

“Will you do the same?”

“Depends on you,” he said. 

“Hmph.”

She put her palms together, the air around her being drawn towards them. A blade sprouted out from her hands, much more defined and larger than the one she was attacking with before. They surrounded her entire hand, no grip in sight. She separated her hands, the wind blade splitting. 

‘This is interesting. Hand blades.’

Yuki blinked, the world shimmering once again when he opened his eyes. Mana began to surround Caitlyn, a glowing aura. She didn’t disappear this time however.

‘Conserving mana. Or trying to throw me off. I’ll play this safe.’

He slid his right leg back, the sole of his shoe rubbing against the uneven surface of the rocky ground. The mana that was circulating his body trickled out as it fused with his skin, hardening it ever so slightly. 

Caitlyn crouched. Yuki felt the air around him get pulled toward her. Then she launched herself at him, hurtling towards him so fast that he almost couldn’t track her. His hands flattened. The barely perceivable blades of air sliced through the space between him and them. He bent his legs. They were almost at his neck. Then he swiped with the palm of his hand, hitting the smooth side of the blades as he redirected them. 

His other hand shot forward, grabbing Caitlyn’s wrist. She cut down with her other blade, forcing him to let go. He twisted his body to dodge the slice. Then he closed the distance between him and her, their bodies a hair’s width apart. He could hear her breaths, deep and methodical. His knee shot up.

They resumed their dance, their bodies twirling about in a flurry of arms, legs, and blades. Caitlyn’s strikes were powerful and precise, wasting no time to reach the location she wanted them to land. Yuki was graceful, yet unyielding, contorting his body and redirecting strikes rather than blocking them directly. His attacks were never engagements—only retaliations. 

‘Show me more,’ he thought, his eyes locking onto Caitlyn’s every move. ‘I know you have more.’

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Her eyes met his and gave their reply.

‘Watch me,’ they said.

She kicked, her body flying back, creating space. Her blades crossed each other. Then with a forceful swing, they separated, a blast of energy radiating out from them as it barreled towards Yuki.

His eyes narrowed. The mana within him quickened their flow. His body grew lighter as it began to enhance his every move. He dodged sideways, the blades of energy flying past him, and swung his arm as he immediately knocked away Caitlyn’s blades.

She began a new attack pattern, constantly engaging and disengaging as she created space to launched blades of wind towards him. He threw away counters in preference for complete defense, dodging and blocking.

‘Oh. What’s this.’

His hands hit the arms of Caitlyn, but now they didn’t quite touch her arm. They seemed to stop just a few centimeters away. With a few quick jabs, he verified that this barrier seemed to encompass her entire body. 

‘Armor of sorts. Impressive.’

The fight dragged on, Yuki’s focus unwavering and Caitlyn’s attacks unrelenting. He knew that if he was anywhere near the strength that one would expect someone like him to be, he would have tired long ago and been defeated easily. Caitlyn’s mana capacity was massive. Her control was impressive. And her decisions were near perfect.

‘I’m a person of my word,’ he thought. ‘I’ve seen what I needed to see. Now let me give her what she wanted to see.’

He flipped backwards, his hand slamming against the ground as he erected a wall between him and Caitlyn. When his feet landed, he crumbled the wall. Caitlyn was standing still, watching him with narrow eyes.

“Time for me to get serious,” he said, his expression plain. 

His hand shot out to the side. From the ground, black particles began to rise, gather into the shape of a pole. More and more gathered until he clenched his hand. Then where the mass of particles were was a smooth black staff. 

He grabbed it, the surface warm to the touch. Twirling it around, he tested the balance before assuming a stance.

“Come. Let’s finish this duel,” he said, mana radiating out from him as his senses were connected to the world around him. “Come.”

Caitlyn obliged, speeding towards him as her wind magic amplified her limbs. But now Yuki rushed to meet her. His black staff began a dark blur as he swung and twirled it about, blocking and retaliating every attack she made. And now he pushed forward.

Pouring mana into his staff and his limbs, he began a dance he had practiced so many times. Every strike, every swing, every spin was ingrained in his mind and body. With every attack Caitlyn managed to defend, two more followed it that hammered against the wind armor she had built around herself. 

The two stared at each other, their gazes boring into each other but their expressions complete opposites. One was intense with laser focus. The other calm and inexpressive. Their bodies blurred as they clashed, the wind whipping violently around them and the ground shaking beneath them.

At last, Yuki was the first to break through. With deft strike, the tip of his staff smashed into the stomach of Caitlyn. It was stopped briefly by her armor, but that soon shattered, unable to withstand the strike from the constant beating it received before. He pulled back his staff and brought it down, stopping right before striking her neck.

“It’s my win,” he said quietly.

“It seems so,” Caitlyn sighed. “I didn’t stand a chance, did I.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Hmph,” she frowned. “I don’t know why you’re hiding, but I’ll let it go for now. Later, though, I’m going to find you.”

“I don’t think you’ll need to find me,” he replied. “Many things might be cleared up before the end of the week.”

“Maybe. So what do you think?”

“Hmm?”

“The fight, what do you think about it?” she asked quietly. 

“You mean, about your performance?” Yuki clarified. “Impressive, to say the least. I didn’t expect you to be that strong. But you did manage to rise from the normal class to the advanced class.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I pay attention to those that interest me,” he replied. “I’ll talk to you later. That is, if you don’t contact me first.”

“What?”

Yuki didn’t say anything and swung, smashing the staff into her neck. The golden barrier flared up around her, protecting her from the attack. Her eyes widened briefly, before a faint smile appeared on her lips that brightened her complexion.

“See you later,” Yuki waved.

Caitlyn waved back, her lips moving but her words inaudible. Then she disappeared into the air.

“We’re done, Yuna,” he said. He glanced over at the edge of the treeline. 

“I could tell,” she replied, walking out of her hiding place. “A duel to decide the winners of the tournament?”

“Yes. I did say that I wanted to fight her before, didn’t I?”

“You did. You do know that you might have revealed a lot, right?” Yuna asked. 

“Of course,” he replied. He dropped the black staff, the metal rod hitting the ground with a solid thunk. “But don’t worry. The headmaster will deal with all of this.”

“She will?”

“Mhm. Believe me. She will.”

With that, a golden hue surrounded him much like the ones that surrounded those that were eliminated. Yuna glowed as well. 

“They’re taking us back,” Yuki said. “Time to receive our prize.”

 

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