Leo did not care if his opponent was a Grand Master or Master.
To him, it made little difference as to whom he was smashing. However, the fact that Sam had hidden his breakthrough until the last moment... Exposed just how flawed and poor Rodova's scouting system really was.
Their entire B-team had fallen, one after the other, simply because their opponents did not match what they expected or prepared for, and now the opponent even had an unexpected Grandmaster in their ranks which could make things difficult for Leo.
'Lesson learned. Never trust these idiots. Only believe what your eyes see,' Leo thought,assuming his fighting stance once more, as he locked eyes with his opponent.
*CHEERS–*
The Rodova fans cheered for him louder once they found out that his opponent was a Grandmaster, as if the cheers would somehow make the fight easier for him to win.
However, Leo blocked all the noises and chants out, as he became absolutely focused once again.
Facing him, the Button captain stood with perfect posture, spear resting across his shoulders.
The polished obsidian shaft gleamed under the dual suns, while the arena's flat grasslands shimmered with wind.
Sam's aura was calm and focused.
He did not flinch when Leo looked into his eyes, nor did his body radiate malice or bloodlust—as he projected just sharp, unwavering intent.
"Begin!" the referee declared at that moment, as Sam surged forward, his body a blur as he launched a precise opening thrust, his spear tip aiming for Leo's ribs.
'I can see it coming—' Leo thought, as he did not dodge prematurely.
He stepped to the side by an inch—just enough—and countered with a flick of his wrist.
*Clang!*
Sparks flew as Leo's dagger kissed the side of the spear and knocked it off-course.
'His speed is a lot slower than mine. He's refined as a spearmaster, but not faster,' Leo noted, as that single exchange was enough for him to gauge his opponents speed.
Sam didn't hesitate. After Leo parried his first thrust, with a fluid spin, he brought the spear around in a sweeping arc and leapt into the air.
[Gale Spiral]
The spear twisted with wind mana, generating a whirlwind as it descended toward Leo's position.
However, Leo simply disappeared under the attack using—
[Vanish]
*WHOOSH!*
The spear slammed into the earth, tearing a chunk of grass and dirt into the sky, but missing its intended target.
"Where?" Sam wondered, as Leo understood that his opponent did not have a perception technique that could see through vanish, which made this fight heavily skewed in his favor, as he easily circled to Sam's back.
*Swoosh*
Leo attacked, however, much to his surprise, Sam, who pretended like he could not see him, twisted—just in time to deflect the attack mid-air with a reverse grip on his spear.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!*
[Gale Spiral]
Sam tried to counter with a Gale Spiral, but Leo dodged with a backflip, as he created distance between himself and Sam, just to make sure that he did not walk into some elaborate trap and so that he could reset the fight tempo on his terms.
*OOOOHHHH—-*
The audience gasped at the fast exchange, the Rodova fans wiping their sweat as they saw Leo dodging narrowly.
However, the more observant fans knew that he had this under control and was never under real threat.
*Clash*
*Clash*
The duo clashed again, as Sam pushed forward yet again.
However, this time instead of using skills, Leo moved with surgical precision, staying just outside Sam's full reach, forcing the spearman to chase shadows.
For a few seconds, Sam tried his best to chase Leo, but soon he realized that he did not have the pace to keep up with Leo, as he adjusted and backed off, channeling mana into his legs instead as he prepared another special move.
"[Sundering Thrust]" He declared, as the ground cracked beneath his feet as he shot forward with an explosive burst.
*Whistle*
The spear in his hand tore through the air with a whistling sound as it aimed to pierce through Leo's chest.
But Leo was faster.
He dropped his weight and twisted his torso, letting the spear graze just above his shoulder.
As Leo countered with
[Mirror World]
Surrounding Sam with countless clones in the blink of an eye.
*Cheer—*
The crowd roared, as this was the exact type of flashy move that got their blood pumping.
Even Sam looked confused for a second.
"What is this?! Some kind of illusion technique?!" Sam muttered out-loud, as he seemed to be unable to spot the real one amongst the fakes, giving Leo the chance he needed to take the upper hand in this fight.
*Slash*
*Slash*
Two clones slashed wildly at Sam, blocking and covering his whole vision, as Sam quickly dismantled them using [Gale Spiral].
However, while he was busy with the clones, the real Leo darted in from the other side and delivered a deep slash across Sam's thigh.
*THUD!*
Sam stumbled, blood trickling down his leg, as the commentators went wild.
"Skyshard draws first blood!" Derek screamed
"He's taking the offensive lead!." He added, as Sam gritted his teeth and shifted tactics.
Realising that him limping in the fight from now on would make dodging Leo's attacks very difficult, he decided to throw a Hail Mary to hopefully even the odds.
"[Heaven-Piercer Form]" He declared, as once activated, mana covered his entire body, like a blazing fire.
Sam then shifted into a wider stance that looked like the start of a chain move that could dominate the entire space around him, as his plan seemed to be to hold his ground with minimal movement.
'It's a bold move, but nothing I've never seen before. He's trying to corner me into range and then box me with the spear's orbit.
Unfortunately, I've trained against opponents that did it much better than him,' Leo thought as he smirked.
He tossed a dagger forward—intentionally slow as Sam blocked it with ease, but didn't notice the shadow that moved with the blade.
[Shadow Bind]
Leo used Shadow Bind to lock Sam's foot in place, as by the time Sam noticed, it was already too late.
"What the—?" he muttered as Leo closed the distance, but before he could break free, Leo broke past his guard, dismantling his technique, as with cold efficiency, he feinted a slash to the arm, before actually targeting the legs, as he took the other leg as well.
*Slash*
Sam crashed to the ground, as with both his leg nerves severed, he couldn't support his own weight anymore.
And making the most of this opening, Leo planted his dagger at the base of Sam's neck, but did not pierce it all the way as he waited for the referee to call the match.
For a second there was only frozen silence.
The crowd and referee looked stunned.
Then, the referee quickly pushed Leo off Sam's back, calling the victory for Rodova, as only then did the breath return to the audience.
*CHEERS*
The crowd went mental over Leo's win.
From 4-0 down he had clutched the win 4-5 for Rodova, in what was undoubtedly one of the best solo performances by a junior year fighter.
"…It's over," Lee whispered
"It's done. Skyshard wins. Rodova survives." Derek screamed, as the referee raised his hand in victory
"Winner—Leo Skyshard.
Winner Rodova Military Academy!" the referee announced, as Leo gave the crowd a small thumbs up before walking off like nothing happened.
He stepped over his opponent's crying body without a word, eyes cold and expression unreadable.
He did not bother with things like sportsmanship or consoling the loser.
He did not bother celebrating.
He did not even bother with looking back.
To him, this wasn't glory.
It was what had to be done, and hence he did not gloat in it at all.