Capítulo 20: Chapter 20

Artins' POV

I saw them both look with disbelief at each other. We did this on purpose. I knew what Zeph was capable of, he was exceptional with a sword and most probably with a few other weapons as well. Serene on the other hand was a Fae princess who mostly rely on their magic and long-range weapons. It would be really interesting to see what she can do in close combat. Plus, I wanted to push her to the limit and what better way than pinning her against a Folkel?

Of course, Zeph went and chose a heavy wooden sword. He was calm and his face showed zero emotions. Serene looked hard at the weapons. Her face looked whiter than before and I knew she was frightened but was trying to keep it together. After contemplating for a few seconds she finally chose a long sword and a shield.

Both of them headed to the centre of the hall while everyone else formed a circle around them. Sarim stood in the centre and explained to them the rules:

"It's going to be a duel and the objective is to make your opponent yield without severely injuring each other. Whoever will be forced to yield thrice will lose and their opponent will be declared the winner. Everyone will get 10 minutes each, after the allocated time match will end whatever the results stand as and the winner will be declared accordingly. Let's get started."

Zeph and Serene stood in front of each other with their swords raised circling and glaring. Zeph thrust forward to strike first which Serene evaded with the help of her shield, meanwhile plunging her sword forward from the right side towards his neck. Zeph gracefully dodged and moved to his left Serene lost her balance and stumbled forward landing face front. She gritted her teeth but quickly regained her posture.

Zeph wasted no time in launching his next attack. He was agile and his footwork was exceptional. This time he attacked from her left side, she was clearly taken aback by his speed and reflexive attack, she tried to avoid it but was not completely successful. The tip of his sword grazed her neck and he held the wooden blade on her neck forcing her to yield. There was a triumphant smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes while Serene glared at him with a murderous look. The crowd cheered and Ralph clapped hard and cheered Zeph up.

"That's one yield for Serene. Please take positions and continue with your duel," Sarim shouted.

Both of them took positions in the centre again. This time Serene looked more determined and lunged forward with her shield in a defensive position with the sword raised over her head. She aimed her attack toward his face which Zeph blocked with his weapon and tried to push her back. She headbutted him out of the blue and he lunged back a few steps. His nose began to bleed from the blow. Next, she attacked his legs with her shield before he could steady himself and he fell backwards with a surprised look on his face. She placed her sword on his neck forcing him to yield this time and smiled at him. The crowd was left wide-eyed and everyone began to murmur.

Zeph was furious, he let his guard down around her after victory in the first round. Serene had outsmarted him, making him think in the first round that she couldn't handle a sword but in reality, she was pretty good with it. She must have former sword training.

The third round began and both of them began to circle each other looking for an opening to attack. Zeph made a few attacks but Serene skillfully blocked all of them. Serene advanced with her sword but Zeph was reading her movements and knew she could use her legs or head as a distraction, he successfully evaded her attacks. Zeph thrust forward acting as if he was going to land a hit on her face, she parried with her shield but it was a decoy. He didn't attack her face as she had anticipated instead he went for her unshielded belly. The moment she realised she shouted with frustration, but it was already too late. He poked her belly with his sword and she threw down her shield and sword. They both glared at each other while Sarim announced that the time was up and declared Zeph the winner.

Ralph came running to Zeph and hugged him, he seemed pretty delighted. On the other hand, Serene looked rather glum. She stood there with her head down. It wasn't a bad effort from her, she really could handle a sword considering it wasn't her primary weapon. Ayrden was consoling her.

" Both of you displayed some remarkable crossword-fighting ills Serene, you shouldn't feel so dejected, learn from your mistakes, practice hard and you will be exceptional. Zeph, you have a knack for swordsmanship, the more you will practice the more you will grow. " I told them both. They shook their heads at me. I stood with them to watch the rest of the duels.

Arlo faced Mikasim, while Arlo used a spear Mikasim chose a hammer. They seemed to have polar opposite personalities and physiques. Although Mikasim was huge and brawny, Arlo kicked his ass pretty badly. It was clear that Mikasim solely relied on his physical strength instead of using his brain. Arlo on the other hand seemed super smart. He made Mikasim yield thrice within seven minutes.

Ayrden also won her duel comprehensively against a girl from Skyriders. She choose her signature weapon a whip and wiped the floor with her opponent. Ayrden was my second cousin and from time to time I had overseen her training. Not only was she exceptional with her magic control she also had a knack for weaponry. She was a bright girl with advanced thinking who didn't believe in the old conventional hatred which existed between our realms. That was the thinking we needed moving forward and I was hoping I could instil that in all my students.

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