Chapter 129 Ch. 129: Graduation Exam [3]
The harsh grating noise of metal was heard as their weapons bound.
While they strained against each other, Nathaniel chuckled and voiced his mind.
"Shall we get serious then?"
"Certainly."
With a mischievous smirk, Nathaniel twisted his wrist, changing the blade's surface to the flat, and shoved Simone's spear away.
Seizing the opportunity, Nathaniel thrust his sword, but Simone's spearhead returned at a rapid speed and parried it.
—Bang!
Pulling his spear, Simone thrust for Nathaniel's left body, yet he effortlessly blocked it.
—Bang!
Simon rotated his spear, using its rear point to attack Nathaniel's right flank but failed.
—Bang!
Nataniel diverted it and this time, Simone waved his spear horizontally, aiming at his feet, forcing Nathaniel to jump to evade.
Stabbing his spearhead on the floor as a pedestal, Simone propelled himself into the air to deliver some kick, but before it connected to his body, Nathaniel hopped backward.
While suspended in mid-air, Simone tugged his spear from the floor and slashed it downward as he descended.
Nevertheless, Nathaniel bounced back once again, causing his strike to land on an empty ground.
—Boom!
The floor shattered, dispatching dust and debris hurtling into the air.
Landing perfectly on the ground, Nathaniel immediately chanted and unleashed a volley of wind bullets.
Quickly standing straight, Simone hastily spun his spear in front of him, thwarting every projectile that strived for him.
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
A series of powerful explosions reverberated through the air, sending shockwaves that erupted clouds of dirt and rubbles into the surrounding area.
As the dust obscured the arena, a giant fireball suddenly emerged and flew towards him.
Nathaniel swung his sword upward, sending a vertical crescent of white light.
—Slash!
The fireball cleaved in half uprightly, however, Nathaniel's golden eyes widened when a streak of lightning abruptly rushed at him behind the severed fireball.
Reacting quickly, Nathaniel hastily did a backflip forward above it, but to his surprise, Simone had been waiting for him in the air with his spear poised to attack.
—Bang!
Fiery sparks burst like dazzling fireworks amidst the collided blades, followed by thunderous roars of explosions as the fireballs and bolts struck the ground.
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
A ferocious gust of wind was released, stirring up debris and acrid black smoke billowing behind Nathaniel.
Pushing their blades against each other, they bounced away and landed on the floor.
Wasting no more time, they dash forward.
Nathaniel cast out a barrage of wind bullets, while Simone conjured a volley of fireballs.
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
They deftly zig-zagged, skillfully dodging every projectile that came their way, all while maintaining a relentless firing.
When the distance between them diminished, they lunged forward and brandished their weapons.
—Bang!
Sparks of metal flew from their clashing blades and the moment their weapon recoiled, they swung them once more.
—Bang!
Retrieving his sword, Nathaniel slashed it, yet Simone effortlessly blocked it.
—Bang!
Simone pulled his weapon's back and thrust it forward, aiming at Nathaniel's face.
However, he ducked down and immediately waved his sword toward Simone's feet, forcing him to jump back to evade.
Immediately standing upright, Nathaniel sprang forward with his weapon ready to attack.
In response, Simone instinctively raised his spear, using it as a makeshift shield for protection.
—Bang!
Specks of fire burst as they strained their weapon and the metallic screech reverberated throughout the space.
Putting more power into the shaft, Simone shoved Nathaniel's sword away and speedily thrust his spearhead at his right wing.
—Bang!
Nevertheless, the black-haired young man before him deftly diverted it and Simone quickly twirled his spear, bringing forth his rear point to strike the other side of his body.
—Bang!
Nathaniel blocked it and before Simone could tug his weapon, he grabbed the spear shaft and swung his sword toward Simone's throat.
Unexpectedly, Simone's other hand caught Nathaniel's wrist, abruptly halting his attack and twisting it, eliciting a grunt of pain from Nathaniel.
"Ugh!"
As Nathaniel's sword slipped from his grasp, Simone swiftly released his grip on the shaft and deftly caught Nathaniel's weapon in mid-air before delivering a powerful kick to Nathaniel's abdomen.
"Urk!"
A mouthful of saliva mixed with blood jumped out of his mouth as Nathaniel stumbled backward along with Simone's spear in his hand.
Regaining his balance, he glanced at the brown-haired young man who was grinning foolishly at him.
He then spat to the side, disregarding the metallic taste that filled his mouth.
Upon examining the new weapon in his hand, Nathaniel started twirling it with great speed to familiarize himself with its feel.
After a few seconds, he assumed a defensive stance, and Simone mirrored his actions.
It was true that they could freely choose their main weapon, but learning the basics of every weapon was a must; especially heirs to the throne like them.
On the battlefield, many kinds of weapons were scattered on the ground and if one somehow broke their weapon, they could pick the nearest weapon to them regardless of its type.
Well, because, wouldn't it be ridiculously funny if one died because they couldn't wield their weapon properly when confronting an enemy?
What a way to die.
As the time ticked by, without further delay, they charged toward each other, and once the distance drew closer, they brandished them for their last fight.
Nathaniel thrust at Simone's right flank but he parried it.
—Bang!
He spun the spear, prompting its rear point to strike Simone's left side but the result remained the same, Simone effortlessly deflected it.
—Bang!
Slightly rotated to change the weapon position from horizontal to vertical, Nathaniel drove his spearhead at Simone's head, yet it was fruitless.
—Bang!
Undeterred, Nathaniel thrust his rear spear towards Simone's left foot.
However, Simone quickly lifted his leg and stepped on the spear, preventing Nathaniel from retracting it.
Taking in the advantage, Simone immediately swung his sword, but Nathaniel deftly grabbed Simone's wrist with his other hand, halting his attack midway.
Locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to back down,
Nathaniel exerted strength and pushed his spear, forcing it to bend.
In a swift motion, he then kicked the shaft upwards, causing it to abruptly release from Simone's feet and the spearhead grazed Simone's left cheek.
"Ugh!"
Simone staggered backward, clutching his cheek as blood spurted out from the gash.
Seeing an opening, Nathaniel dashed at him and waved his spear.
Regaining his footing, Simone stood on guard, ready to deflect Nathaniel's attack.
However, a few centimeters away before their weapon clashed, Nathaniel suddenly retracted his spear and swiftly kicked the ground, sending a cloud of dust billowing toward Simone.
Simone instinctively shut his eyes, but it was too late.
The dust particles invaded his eyes, causing intense pain and temporary blindness.
Wasting no more time, Nathaniel planted his spearhead into the floor as a pedestal, propelling himself into the air and launching a powerful kick on Simone's abdomen.
"Unf!"
Saliva mixed with blood jumped out Simone's mouth and his body was flung backward before striking the floor and rolling several times on the ground.
Without delay, Nathaniel ran forward and jabbed his spear toward Simone who had just stopped rolling on the floor.
However, Simone swiftly rolled his body to the side, causing Nathaniel's spearhead to stab the floor instead.
Quickly recovering from his roll, Simone scrambled to his feet, only to be struck by Nathaniel's wind bullet which sent him tumbling head over heels once again.
Pushing his elbows onto the ground in an attempt to get up, Simone froze when the spearhead was placed in front of his throat.
Lifting his head, he found Nathaniel looking at him with a triumphant smile playing on his lips.
He chuckled and spoke with satisfaction.
"You lost."
Simone rolled his eyes in boredom at Nathaniel's declaration before eventually responding.
"Why can't you just let me win, President?"
Yet, Nathaniel playfully stuck out his tongue.
"No way!"
Throughout their three years at the academy, Nathaniel had proven himself to be an unbeatable force—which stood on his title as gifted in physical strength.
Because, in countless practice sessions, Simone had never managed to defeat him, nor had any of their classmates.
—Pii.
The piercing sound of a whistle reverberated through the room, marking the end of their duel session.
"C'mon, get up, let's treat your wound."
Nathaniel extended his hand and Simone took it.
With that, the fight came to an end.
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