章 25: Stunning Blow
When permission for the duel to begin was granted, the Ardann knight, who until then had been assessing his opponent with intense stares, was the first to move, advancing with surprising speed for someone in heavy armor. His sword glided through the air with violence, and this aggressiveness surprised even his men.
"Ardann is advancing first?!"
"He's usually more cautious, but he certainly wants to show how powerful the duke's guards are!"
However, the hunter was prepared. With remarkable dexterity, he dodged Ardann's first attack and blocked the blow that followed, showing good control of the unusual blade he wielded.
Victor retreated with his footwork, but Ardann seemed determined not to give him any space and advanced again. The hunter then turned the sword in his right hand and began to hold it like a dagger, parallel to his wrist. This gave him much greater freedom of movement and also made it easier to block the sequence of attacks that followed.
As Victor blocked Ardann's attacks with this style of sword-wielding, the spectators were confused. They had never seen a knight hold a sword in this way, it was a skill more common among assassins and perhaps saber users, but never in knights.
"I knew it, he uses barbarian fencing." Lafbert said as he watched the fight carefully.
"Barbarian fencing?" Louis asked.
"Oh, boy, are you still here?" Lafbert was surprised for a moment, but took a deep breath and replied. "Yes, the barbarians' fighting style looks a bit clumsy, but it's a sword art like any other and that's a fact that few know here in the north, but it's very characteristic in the far south, near the islands, where the barbarians are most active. Not only do they fight differently, but they also see all fencing as something more crude. They don't care about standards or politeness like we do in the north," explained the experienced soldier.
Ardann was also amazed to realize that he was partly right about the unusual fighting style that Victor employed. He needed to change his strategy and try to be calmer to find a breach in the hunter's defenses.
"You're skillful, hunter." Ardann complimented as he adjusted his grip. "But there's still a lot to learn about facing a knight. Things are different here in the north."
Victor, concentrating, responded to the compliment with a slight smile.
The spectators watched in fascination, some murmuring about the different skills of the two combatants. However, despite what Ardann's words and expression indicated, inside his mind a mixture of thoughts was taking hold, for his initial analysis of Victor's fighting style was correct and yet his strategy to counter it was not effective.
Victor noticed this slight hesitation in Ardann, and it was enough for him to completely change the mood of the battle. This time, it was Victor who advanced, but when he got close, instead of simply hitting, he raised his sword high.
Everyone was stunned, confused and amazed by Victor's unexpected move. He looked like a good fighter, but to advance and open his guard like that was a beginner's mistake.
Duke Olyno, who was watching everything from his throne, leaned forward slightly, as if to get a closer look at what was going to happen.
Ardann, also surprised, didn't think twice and immediately decided to take advantage of this great opening in Victor's guard. It was a fleeting moment with a great chance of determining his victory.
However, the moment Ardann decided to attack, he fell into Victor's trap.
Just as the guard was about to make a huge tear in Victor's chest, a punch, seemingly out of nowhere, hit his jaw and shook his entire skull. The impact of the surprise blow was so powerful that Ardann staggered backwards with his world spinning around him. His vision blurred for a moment, and he struggled to regain his balance. His ears began to ring, but he couldn't waste any time. Instinctively, he raised his sword to defend himself against any imminent attack from Victor, but at the same time, this gesture also seemed like a plea for mercy.
The spectators put their hands over their mouths to stifle their gasps of surprise and shock.
However, Victor didn't move forward immediately. Instead, he looked at Olyno, who had risen from his throne for the first time during the duel.
"Ardann, can you continue?" asked the duke.
"O-of course, sir!" Ardann said, still a little groggy.
Ardann then removed the iron helmet from his head and, as he dropped it to the ground, everyone could see that the right side of the helmet was completely dented, as if it were made of brass and not steel.
"Good. You may continue then." Olyno sat down again.
Victor knew he had the upper hand now, but instead of moving forward he watched Ardann pull himself together. His eyes were fixed on the knight, assessing every movement, every breath.
Ardann slowly regained his composure, tightening his grip on his sword. "That was a dirty trick," said Ardann, with one hand on his chin, checking that nothing had moved.
"I'm a hunter, not a little soldier who hides behind the thick walls of a castle. Against monsters there is no dirty or clean game, only the difference between the dead and the living, sometimes not even that."
The murmuring voices and laughter of the soldiers were replaced by silence after Victor's powerful punch.
Ardann looked around and recognized the mistake of having let himself get carried away by the apparent opportunity, but now he was determined not to make any more mistakes so as not to embarrass himself in front of all those soldiers.
"If hunters were so good, my men wouldn't have captured your daughter so easily, raider." Ardann declared and stepped forward.
Upon hearing these words, the look on Victor's face changed completely, as did the atmosphere in the place. Shadows seemed to cover his face, and Ardann felt as if he was slowing down a little as he ran.
However, nothing had actually physically changed in the throne room, it was just a normal effect for someone who had just become the main target of Victor's bloodlust.
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