A/N:
I'm so so so sorry! I'm still busy, but I will complete all of the chapters by the end of the month so you don't waste your priv.
Talking about the privileged chapter, I also will add a new Tier, and you won't be able to unlock it until 3-4th July (if you are interested in buying it).
Anyway, enjoy!
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When the sword lunged at him, Adrian rolled sideways.
—Whack!
Nathaniel's sword jabbed the earth beneath, sending dust and debris flying.
Wasting no more time, Adrian immediately leaped backward to create some distance.
Right after Adrian landed, he hastily stood on guard stance.
The black-haired boy straightened his posture and pulled his weapon before turning to the white-haired boy behind him.
Adrian's eyebrow arched in surprise as he noticed the stark difference in his brother's demeanor.
Nathaniel's face was alight with a radiant smile, a stark contrast to the gloom that hung over him earlier.
It seemed he grew more comfortable with each passing time of the sparring.
Soon, Nathaniel beamed a proud smile and spoke.
"I never knew that fighting you directly like this would be more fun than watching you fight."
Now that he talked about it, Nathaniel tagged along with Gizel's team back in the Survival Test, so he had more or less watched him fight.
"Is it?"
"Yeah."
After a brief silence, Nathaniel began again.
"Then, shall we continue?"
Nathaniel asked, and Adrian nodded in agreement.
"Sure."
"Hehe."
Nathaniel let out a chuckle before charging towards him, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Here I come!"
As their gap drew close in, both immediately swung their weapon.
—Thwack!
Their blades collided, and they continued to exchange blows.
—Thwack! —Thwack! —Thwack!
Despite Nathaniel's relentless attacks, Adrian still had some of his stamina left.
Nevertheless, continuously clashing with him was not a good idea.
The impact of their clashes had caused Adrian's hands to go numb, and he knew he needed to change his strategy if he wanted to win.
—Thwack!
With a quick flick of his wrist, Nathaniel pushed his little brother's weapon aside and thrust his sword forward.
Adrian deftly tilted his head sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack.
He caught Nathaniel's arm holding the sword and made a swift cut toward his neck.
However, before it could land, Nathaniel skillfully grabbed his hand, abruptly stopping the sword.
As neither was willing to let go, the two were now entwined in a fierce struggle; their muscles straining against each other as they vied for control.
Although his little brother's face appeared calm, Nathaniel couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed the veins on his forehead bulging with exertion.
"Hehe."
"?"
Adrian raised one of his eyebrows in question, but soon his face contorted in pain as Nathaniel twisted his hand.
"Argh!"
Feeling Adrian's grip on his arm loosen, Nathaniel instantly flung the boy's body sideways, sending him tumbling head over heels across the ground.
Stopping his rolling and lying on his back, Adrian quickly lifted his sword when a shadow casted upon him.
—Thwack!
Adrian blocked Nathaniel's sword before it could reach his neck.
The harsh grating of wooden swords colliding filled the air as they strained against each other once again.
He could feel the sweat trickling down his back as he pushed against Nathaniel's strength.
Shortly, Adrian wrapped his legs around Nathaniel's waist and toppled him to the ground.
They grappled each other with their swords still connected.
Adrian found himself on top, but it wasn't long before Nathaniel reversed their positions, pinning Adrian to the ground once again.
As his hand grew increasingly numb, Adrian summoned a surge of adrenaline and kicked Nathaniel's abdomen with all his might, sending his brother rolling across the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Adrian quickly scrambled to his feet and dashed towards Nathaniel.
·?θm When the distance grew in, Adrian thrust his sword forward, but Nathaniel rolled to the side, causing Adrian's sword to jab into the earth.
Without missing a beat, Nathaniel sprang to his feet and slashed his sword at Adrian's left flank.
Adrian pulled his sword up and blocked the attack just in time.
—Thwack!
With their swords retrieved, Adrian and Nathaniel launched into a fierce battle; their blades flashing in the sunlight upon exchanging strike after strike.
—Thwack! —Thwack! —Thwack!
Sweat glistened on their skin and drenched their clothes.
Adrian's heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Haa.. haa…"
All he knew was that his time was nearing.
And the moment Nathaniel's sword came at him, instead of being ready to defend himself, Adrian jumped backward.
Landing on his feet, his cerulean eyes darted downward, and his trembling hands came into view.
"Haa… haa…"
Nathaniel gazed at his brother's worn-out state in the distance, a proud smile spread across his face.
According to the report, his little brother's physical strength was ranked as an average B.
Despite the six-rank difference, he managed to hold his brother for over thirty minutes, which was quite an impressive feat.
"Should we end this, then?"
The white-haired boy shrugged indifferently, and soon both stood on guard, swords at the ready.
In a sudden burst of movement, they shot up, their swords flashing in the sunlight.
"Hiya!!"
With a fierce battle cry, they swung their swords with all their might.
—Thwack!
Their swords clashed, sending shockwaves through the air and stirring up clouds of dust around them.
"Haa… haa…"
Adrian gasped for breath, sweat pouring down his face in rivulets.
For a moment, there was silence as both of them locked in a fierce stare-down.
Suddenly, a sharp crack split the air, causing their eyes to dart to the noise, where they saw Adrian's sword had been cleaved in two.
—Clunk
Half of Adrian's sword clattered to the ground, and his brother's face twisted into a smug grin.
"I won, hehe."
Ignoring his brother's taunts, Adrian flung the broken sword at Nathaniel's face.
Upon seeing the chunk of wood fly at him, Nathaniel lifted his sword and deftly thwarted it sideways.
"What the—!"
However, his golden eyes stretched wide when a fist greeted him.
—Whack!
"Aargh!"
A searing pain shot through his face, and he staggered backward, clutching his jaw.
He glared at his brother, exasperated.
"What the hell, Ian! That's cheating!"
A bruise had formed on Nathaniel's cheek, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth and nose.
Adrian shrugged and let out a wry grin.
Somehow he felt satisfied after landing the punch on his brother's annoying smirk.
"Well, I never agreed to end this sparring, though."
The corner of Nathaniel's lips twitched in annoyance, and soon, he pointed his sword toward his little brother.
"I see. You're looking for a way to die, huh?!"
Without delay, Nathaniel charged at Adrian; his sword held high.
Adrian stood on guard, his fists clenched tightly, ready to defend himself.
.
.
.
—Gulp —Gulp —Gulp
Nathaniel took a long swig from the potion bottle; his body and face were covered in bruises.
Removing the bottle away from his lips, Nathaniel exclaimed.
"Aah!"
Soon, Nathaniel gently pushed Adrian's back with his own, with a smile playing on his face.
"Hey, that was a good fight."
The two brothers sat in the middle of the training room, leaning against each other's backs.
Adrian's bruised face was revealed the moment he lowered the potion bottle, and the boy looked tired as he replied.
"Yeah."
Nathaniel's eyes lit up with excitement as he suggested.
"Should we go for another round?"
But Adrian shook his head, his expression bored.
"No, thanks."
"Huh? Why? It's fun, you know."
Nathaniel protested, feeling disappointed that their sparring session was coming to an end.
Adrian couldn't help but roll his eyes boredly.
They had been sparred for four rounds, and it seemed his very brother had become a sparring maniac, huh?
"It's sunset; we need to head back."
Adrian pointed out, glancing towards the window.
Nathaniel followed his gaze and saw that the sun was indeed setting.
Warm glows filled the room as the sun began to set, casting a golden hue over everything.
"Ah, you're right."
Nathaniel enjoyed their sparring session, but he knew that it was time to call it a day.
With a heavy heart, Nathaniel slowly stood and stretched his sore muscles.
Turning toward his little brother, Nathaniel extended his hand to help Adrian up.
The white-haired boy winced slightly as he stood up, and Nathaniel couldn't help but feel a tinge of concern in his voice.
"Are you okay?"
Nathaniel asked, his golden eyes scanning Adrian's bruised face and body.
"Yeah, the potion still needs time to work. Don't worry about it."
Adrian replied, trying to reassure his older brother.
"Alright, then."
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
They stepped outside, and the cool evening air hit them.
Walking side by side, some of the Knights they passed greeted them with nods and salutes.
Upon reaching the entrance to the training ground, they bid their farewell.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Adrian climbed his carriage, and a moment before Fredinand closed the door, Nathaniel's voice interrupted.
"Thank you."
Adrian arched one of his eyebrows.
"For what?"
Didn't this bastard say too many 'thanks' today?
"...for being alive."
"..."
Adrian shut his mouth, and unpleasant feelings swirled inside him.
Whatever it was, he didn't like it.
After a brief silence, he eventually answered.
"...yeah."
With that, Fredinand closed the door and prompted the carriage.
Peeking outside the window, Nathaniel was seen waving his hand.
"Tsk."
Clucking his tongue in annoyance and leaning against the plush backrest, Adrian mumbled.
"I'm not your real brother."
.
.
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