'They are not holding back at all!' I thought, seeing their auras clashing.

Their invisible clash of the aura has produced a wall of sparks.

I could see the runes across the arena lighting up as the aura washed over the people. Making them shudder from deep within.

I didn't bring out my aura to protect my people.

The arena's protection is more than enough; the little bit they feel will thrill them, like the over a million people sitting with us.

In a heartbeat, they closed the distance, their weapons slashing through the air in arcs of steel and fury, destined for an earth-shaking clash.

I could feel their skills activating. Strengthened by the power of aura.

Clang!

They clashed with such power that they sent a powerful shockwave of aura through the arena, making people inhale in shock.

Lv. 40.

Viscount Luran had broken through to Lv. 40. It is visible through the power of his skill.

They seemed to have equal strength, but I had noticed the faint shaking from Viscount Luran.

"You had a chance to accept defeat gracefully, Luran, but now you will get a humiliating defeat," said Count Wathall and attacked again.

This time, with even greater power and more skills.

Viscount Luran didn't reply with words but with the blade.

Clang!

Count Wathall defended and attacked, which Viscount Luran defended, but the count attacked again.

Their blades danced at incredible speed.

I watched the battle, but I focused most on their aura. I saw how they used their skills and understood they were amazing.

I am far behind them in my mastery over aura.

Yet, watching them now, I feel a clarity sharper than their blades. My goal burns within me, and I'm channeling every ounce of focus, every shred of determination, to absorb everything I can from them.

'They are evenly matched,' Granduncle declared with an air of finality. But Leila's voice cut through the murmurs like a blade. 'No,' she said, her tone unwavering, 'Viscount Luran is at a disadvantage.' The crowd stilled, eyes snapping to her, startled by her bold assessment.

Only a few have noticed the minor disadvantage he is having.

It is not much but at their level. It could become the decider of victory or defeat.

Count Wathall is pressing hard, using skill after skill, and he has impressive skills. It isn't just him, but also the Viscount.

My skills are powerful, but they are simpler.

They have visually enticing skills, some with a layered effect. If I ever reach level 40, I hope to acquire some of them.

Minutes passed, and nothing but a clash of blades rang out.

They moved with such blistering speed that even the arena's enchantments struggled to keep pace. Some spectators squinted and leaned forward, their eyes straining to follow the blurred whirlwind of motion.

'If I ever faced an enemy like that, survival wouldn't even be a question,' I thought, my chest tightening as I watched the battle unfold, their every move a reminder of my fragility.

They are too powerful.

Their mastery over their aura is at such a level that they could kill a person without a weapon or skill; their aura alone would be more than enough.

Hun!

Time stretched on, the air thick with anticipation, until something unfolded that jolted the crowd to life, their collective gasp echoing through the arena.

As the Viscount Luran moved back to dodge the attack.

Count Wathall slashed his saber in the air, and a moment later, a blue arc came out of it, moving toward the Viscount at incredible speed.

It's not a spell, even if someone who has never seen them could tell it was something else.

"Aura Method!"

Someone said, but I didn't even think about that person. My focus is entirely on the arc.

It is long and thin, but I could feel the aura it is made of and its sharpness. Without a doubt, it could cut a person apart if they didn't defend it with something powerful.

The arc reached halfway when Viscount Luran slashed his sword in the air.

A similar arc of red aura came out of Viscount Luran's sword.

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Bang!

Both of the arcs clashed, sending a shockwave of aura. That made me feel like thousands of blades crawling over one's body.

"The aura skills are too powerful. I had once seen an Aura Master of undead, butchering us mages, left and right on the battlefield," said Mage Aldridge, shuddering.

"The battle of Aldin. I was there," replied Zela, with her eyes turning somber.

Mages may hold the pinnacle of power, but aura—and the techniques born from it—serve as their ultimate counter, a force designed to suppress their dominance.

"You do have some skills," said Count Wathall, with sparks of anger lighting up in its eyes.

He had been attacking for a while and didn't make any progress.

Like always, Viscount Luran didn't answer and moved toward Count Wathall with a red layer covering his sword.

Humph!

Count Wathall harrumphed and moved toward Viscount Luran, with a blue layer covering his sword.

They moved fast and appeared in front of each other instantly before swinging their blades.

'The man who attacked you... was he as powerful as these two?' I asked Jon telepathically, my mind racing. He had already told me the story—how effortlessly the attacker had overpowered him. It was crushing, the man's bare hands sending Jon crashing to the ground with a force that still echoed in my mind.

Even Stone couldn't do that with artifact and all his strength. Jon has an aura and those two weapons, but that man did.

'He would eat these two for breakfast!' he replied simply.

Hearing that, I couldn't help but sigh internally.

Jon wasn't some inexperienced fool. He had fought in one of the most brutal wars, observing face-to-face powerhouses far more terrifying than the two battling before us.

I will have to tread carefully with these matters. It is far above my level.

Clang!

Their weapons clashed, creating the shockwave of the blue and the red. Making the runes of the arena shine brighter to suppress their effects on the people.

The crowd shouted at the clash, but the next moment quieted down as the two moved.

Clang Clang Clang!

The blows came faster and harder now, each strike reverberating through the air like a thunderclap. Their speed was unreal, much faster than before.

They are moving throughout the arena, with their feet not standing in one place for more than a moment.

"These people are monsters. Nobody could last before them," said Baron Husk, his voice quivering.

"Unfortunately, my lord, you haven't seen the true monsters. If you ever see them, you will see these two as harmless," said Mage Aldridge.

He didn't shudder, but his voice had such sombreness in it. That made everyone shudder.

These two are very powerful, but there are people more powerful than them—ones who will give nightmares to the two in front of me.

Minutes passed, and those two kept clashing. Revealing the skills they haven't before.

Powerhouses are very careful about revealing their skills, but this dual is no less than a battle. The result of it will reverberate through their kingdom.

Rip!

Suddenly, a ripping sound rang out, and I saw a blade cutting through the arm of the Viscount Luran.

The cut was small, but the blood leaked out of it.

"Hehe!" smiled Count Wathall.

However, the Viscount acted like nothing had happened and attacked back.

Rip!

A minute passed, and another wound appeared on Viscount's stomach and, two and a half minutes later, on his legs.

"Like I had told you. You have made a big mistake," taunted Count Wathall.

The Viscount's expression barely changed while his opponent mocked and taunted him.

Minutes passed, and a few more injuries appeared on his body. He didn't seem to care about them, as he kept fighting.

"The viscount seemed to be losing," said Selina.

Nobody said anything to that. Every eye is focused on the battle. There is barely any noise as everybody watches the duel with the bated breath.

It is exciting.

The Viscount is at a disadvantage and getting cut, but not enough to make him surrender.

It is frustrating the Count Wathall, but the man is a veteran of man's battle and knows how to control his emotions.

He might taunt and mock, but every move was calculated. His attacks were sharp, yet there was caution in every strike—never revealing too much, never opening himself up to give the Viscount a chance to retaliate.

He has the edge, and he wants to maintain it.

The battle continued, and a few more cuts appeared on the Viscount. Some cuts are shallow, while others are deeper but insufficient to hamper his fighting ability.

Such injuries might stop others, but not him.

Hun!

A few more minutes dragged on, the battle intensifying, when—suddenly—something unexpected happened. It was a moment so surprising that it froze the crowd, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

Rip!

Viscount took a step left and moved his sword forward as usual, but this time, his sword was able to avoid the saber of Count Wathall and cut him across the stomach.

"Finally, he cut him. It wouldn't have been fun if he had lost the dual without giving his opponent a single cut," said Baron Husk, striking his thigh excitedly.

Others laughed with him, but a few had serious expressions on their faces.

"That attack was strange!" said Jon. The old man, me, and a few others couldn't help but nod.

"He seemed to change during that attack," said Zela. Baron Husk opened his mouth when Viscount nearly gave another cut to Count Wathall.

He had dodged in time. All Viscount's sword was able to cut was his cloth.

He moved to attack again, and Count defended before trying to attack but saw Viscount's attack coming.

'What is happening?' I asked.

Viscount's power didn't increase. His speed and strength remained the same, but something had changed.

His movements become more refined. His attacks are sharper.

'Is it a skill or something else?' I asked myself.

Clang Clang Clang!

Just seconds later, the tide shifted. With a surge of power and precision, Luran took the lead in the battle, forcing Count Wathall to take a wholly defensive stance.

I focused my everything on the battle. I'm trying to find out what this change is.

Rip Rip!

Two more cuts appeared on Count Wathalls body, one after another.

The man is trying to claw back the edge. Using the skills and moves he hadn't used before and even the aura methods, the Viscount seemed to have turned into a terror.

He is cleaving through them all.

A few more seconds passed, and the Count had finally pushed back against the Viscount and launched the attack when he froze.

Viscount was before him, with his sword on Count Wathall's neck.

It was so sudden and happened in such a way that people didn't react for a minute before a massive cheer rang out through them.

"The winner is Viscount Luran!" announced the referee as the crowd calmed down.

Hearing that, another massive cheer rang out through the crowd's mouth.

Viscount Luran and Count Wathall stared at each other before Viscount Luran put down his blade and walked out without saying a word.

It made the expression on Count's Wathall face even worse, seeing Viscount didn't speak even a word from start to finish.

He kept looking at him for a moment more before walking away.

"Ah, what a duel it was!" sighed Viscount Husk. "The conditions changed so suddenly. Even now, I don't know how he won,"

He isn't the only one; others too are thinking about it, including me.

I have many questions, and I could only think of one person who could answer them.

"These two are already this strong in the dual. I wonder how strong they would be in battle with their full abilities and artifacts," added Captain Davis.

Yes, they have used many skills and even aura methods, but not all of them. I am sure of it.

Not to mention the artifacts.

So, it is hard to say who will win if they fight using skills, methods, and artifacts.

However, seeing the dual. Especially the strange last bit. My money is on the Viscount Luran.