Chapter 1022

General Nova lunged toward me; his spear outstretched in a direct attack. There were no feeling things out with him. He went straight for a killing blow. I struck the tip of the staff with my sword, directing the strike and causing it to move past my shoulder. He pulled back and struck again, and then again. His spear quickly launching a dozen sharp and dangerous attacks. Each one I countered with my sword.

I suddenly got a prickly feeling, and I leaped back. At that moment, a glow formed on his body, and the speed of his attacks sped up to the point of a blur. I wouldn’t have been able to block it, and had I been standing there I would have been turned to mincemeat. This was far different than the fighting I was used to. When fighting, most people either attacked or used skills. When they attacked with a skill, there was usually a bit of forewarning. It was even considered common to announce what skill you were using before attacking.

That’s how Adventurers and gladiators did it, at least. However, Adventurers worked in teams, and it was often important to know what your allies were doing before they attacked. These verbal cues added cohesion to a team. As for gladiators, they were fundamentally showmen, and crying out attacks was a way of hyping up the audience, so it was likely taught and encouraged. General Nova was a soldier though. Soldiers put their lives on the line. Skills weren’t showy attacks designed to overwhelm or intimidate an enemy. They were simply a tool to facilitate killing.

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He blended his attacks with his skills, slipping them into his attack. He did it a second time, swinging his spear like a staff in a wide arc that would slash my body. Each time it revolved, I had to take a step. He skillfully managed to activate the glowing skill just as the spear was behind his back obscuring my vision. When it came around him, it was moving faster. I had another premonition, but I wasn’t able to get out of the way. I blocked with my sword, which shattered as I flew back and hit the edge of the yard.

The crowds didn’t yell or cheer like they would in a gladiator match. These were the wedding attendants. They were mostly nobles from Esmore or the Ost Republic, so they were more sophisticated than the typical rabble. I could hear whispers and chuckles. A few people clapped lightly. Looking to the side, I could see the three girls I had brought with me looking on anxiously, holding each other as they watched me fight.

“Is that all you have?” General Nova spoke up. “After your previous confidence, I would have thought you’d be able to put up at least a bit of a fight. Frankly, you’re disappointing.”

I stood back up. Although I was a little dusty, he hadn’t damaged me at all, and despite all of his skills, I hadn’t used any of mine. I had managed to deflect two of these skills, used with the precision of a general, while not consuming any energy of my own. To most of the people present, it might have looked like I had lost that exchange. Otto, for one, looked increasingly worried. However, the King, General Octin, and Octius didn’t have faces like they had just witnessed someone being defeated.

Most of all, I had been holding back, trying to get a feeling for my abilities and how they matched his. I pulled out a new sword from my Inventory. It was my turn.