While watching the fight, it was clear there was one that was better than the other, and that was Tod. He had more refined skills and swiftness in his two swords that were unmatched, and it was true here as well.
The fight was slowly turning one-sided as the faster opponent pushed the other back. All that Zain could do was awkwardly block each incoming attack, and it looked like, at times, he would get hit but barely manage to just deflect the sword away at the last moment.
"Will Zain be alright?" Kun asked. "I thought he was good with a sword, but this guy is on a whole other level."
"That's what you're worried about, whether he will win or lose this match?" Pink replied. "If Zain gets hit, then won't his body do that extreme healing thing? If that happens, then everyone will find out who he is. I think that's the main reason why he's blocking each of those strikes, as if his life depended on it.
"Because I don't think even Zain could get us out of place with over a hundred people holding weapons."
When agreeing to engage in the challenge, Kun had failed to realise that point. Perhaps just like him, Zain had forgotten as well. They had gotten out of plenty of tough situations due to his skill, and even Kun thought it would be the same this time, but that didn't seem to be the case at all.
"Is this how you managed to take out the large Zombie, by just blocking the entire time?'' Tod swung the sword below, aiming for Zain's leg.
Zain had just blocked a strike from hitting his chest from the top, and due to that, he was lightly stepped inward. Since his sword was busy, he now had nothing to block the attack from below.
Rather than retreat or attempt to block though, Zain shifted his weight forward and pushed with his strength on the sword, causing Toe to lose balance and fall back slightly. His swung sword had ripped through Zain's trousers and made a surface mark on his skin.
Blood trickled while Todd managed to regain his balance.
'This guy, once in a while, he will show a strange surge in strength, but for some reason, when he attacks, there isn't the same strength in those attacks.' Tod thought. He was trying to figure out his opponent because, despite the barrage of sword attacks, there was still confidence on the person's face.
It was why Tod had avoided doing anything risky during his attacks. There was a fear of something telling him in the back of his mind that if he went for a large attack, it would be he who would be the one suffering and not the other.
Seeing the cut, Pink was concerned and had brought both of her hands toward her chest. Kun was looking at all of the exits trying to make some sort of escape plan in his head, but the cut continued to bleed like it would have any other cut.
'Those two worry too much.' Zain thought of catching them out of the corner of his eye. 'Do they really think that I would join a fight that had so much risk on my end?'
In the first place, the super healing was something that Zain had to activate, using up his energy points. Keeping a wound would only make it, so his body deteriorates quicker, and in this case, such a small attack wouldn't do anything. Besides, he was getting a lot more from this fight than the others realised.
"Come on, keep going," Zain said as he held his hands firmly.
After sending consistent strikes, Tod felt that his hands were getting a little numb. The constant pressure of Zain's sword clashing against his sword was taking a toll on him, and yet the person in front of him wasn't suffering from the same thing, and they didn't even look tired.
Tod didn't give up though, as he charged in again. He would just have to wait for his opponent to tire out, or if that didn't work, then he would have to take risks before he himself got too tired.
A block from above, to a block from below, and finally, Zain had blocked the third one to his rib and jumped back soon after. It was the first time he had jumped back rather than just blocking.
'`1….2…3, that's all I needed now let's see!' Zain jumped in and kept his sword down by his side.
This was the opportunity that Tod had been waiting for. The time that people left themselves the most vulnerable was when they attacked. During the fight, Tod was able to block a couple of attacks with ease which was why he decided to go on the offensive, but Zain was still able to block them.
'Now, where will he strike?'
The swords continued to stay by Zain's side, and just as they got within range, it was a strike directly from below at a diagonal angle. Leaning back, it had just skimmed Tod's face and to top it off. The sword strike wasn't done yet.
While it was in the air, Zain was able to control the momentum, and with the strength in his hand, he was able to strike down again. At the last second, Tod rolled to the ground, and the strike had missed him completely, but his heart was racing, and his body was sweating.
'What happened, the strikes were so clean, and they weren't telegraphed at all. I had no idea where they were coming from. Was he hiding his true ability this whole time?'
The attacks that Zain had just made, he was pleased with them himself. Never did he expect his skills to improve this much. Not for a single moment other than his strength was Zain holding back during this fight. He just had levelled up.
[Sword mastery is now at level 3]
Based on how much his sword experience was rising, Zain could guess how many more blocks he needed to level it up further. Tod, being so skilful in using the sword, had to send only a few more hits until Zain would eventually level up, and with three more blocks, Zain had become a level three swordsman.
'As much as I would like to continue this fight for a bit longer and continue to level up off this guy, I think that the others might get suspicious when I'm not getting tired, and I don't trust my acting skills enough to take such a risk.' Zain thought as he ran forward towards Tod once more.
He then quickly pulled out a dagger from his belt and threw them right toward Tod. He did this twice, and Tod was once again surprised at how accurate and fast the throws were, but he was still able to deflect them.
He was ready for a counterattack. That was until a large sword came swinging at him and slammed into both of the swords, thrusting his hands off to the side. For the first time in the fight, Zain had used his strength to the max to end this, yet the swords were still in Tod's grasp.
Still, it was enough for Zain to do what he needed to do next, and with his free hand, he grabbed onto the scruff of Tod's neck.
"The fight is over!" Brandon shouted. "You have proven your skill enough already. There is no need for either one of you to get hurt. We are all on the same side in the end, and neither of us is the enemy. I hope these people have proven their skills to you all, and you won't second guess them again."
Zain, at that moment, let go of Tod. It was time for them to see the person they had been waiting for and to get their answers, but before that, he wanted to tell Tod something.
"Your skills are better than mine, but you fight too clean. You fight only using your swords and nothing else. The only reason why I got the advantage was that I was prepared to do anything and everything to win. You need to get into that mindset, and then I think you will find it pretty hard to lose to anyone."
Hearing these words, Tod smiled. For someone he hated at first, there was now a degree of respect for him. Putting out his hand, he shook hands with his opponent and just then, the familiar system prompt alert reverberated in Zain's mind.
[Quest complete]
[Reward: A silver card has been obtained.]
"Alright, Stu, Max, Tod, all of you follow me. Let's meet him." Brandon ordered.
Although Tod was satisfied, the same couldn't be sad for Stu and Max, who were staring daggers into the back of Pink and Kun.
'That Kun was the least impressive out of the lot…let's see how long he will last here.'
*****
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