“Good fight there, Tamara! I would love to fight you one day; we can exchange some pointers,” Simon confidently said to Tamara.

“Nice try, shorty. But you might want to improve your fighting style first. I take no pleasure in beating turtles,” the tanned girl laughed at him.

Arthur ignored their banter as he focused on Athena and Aroon. They did not rush at each other but took their time drawing their swords. Their silence was nerve-wracking, even for Arthur, who was only there as a spectator. “Why are they not attacking?”

“They are assessing each other and simulating how their fight will unfold. Basically, they are already fighting in their minds, looking for a winning move," Layla explained this time. She did not want to answer him, but she believed it would be a great learning experience for the whole squad.

“Huh? How does it work? I don’t understand,” Arthur frowned.

“They run simulations in their minds, based on what they know about each other, from how their enemy holds their weapon to what their bond is," Layla said through gritted teeth. Arthur really tested her patience. She just hated his guts!

In the end, Aroon moved first. He lowered his body closer to the ground before darting toward Athena with breakneck speed. The silent girl was not fazed by the sudden movement. She pointed her blade toward the ground with one hand behind her back.

Aroon was aiming to swipe Athena’s feet, forcing her to jump so he could follow up while she was vulnerable in the air. But to his surprise, before he could reach her, Athena thrust her sword and slashed upward, sending dirt flying toward the quickly approaching Aroon.

Aroon was forced to side-step to avoid getting blinded by the dirt, which caused him to decelerate just enough for Athena to deliver a thrusting sword strike toward him.

“Is that it?” Arthur could not believe just how fast the fight developed the moment both sides moved.

Yet it was not the end. Athena’s blade was knocked to the side, and Aroon was ready for her follow-up, which he knew was coming the moment he needed to side-step.

They got closer than optimal sword range, entering close-quarter distance. The boy flipped his sword, holding the blade in a reverse grip, which allowed him to use his blade at closer range.

Seeing the blade coming toward her neck, Athena, whose sword got overextended, did not panic. She bent backward, practically doing with the matrix dodge while pushing Aroon back with a front kick to the chest, creating some needed distance.

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Athena landed on her feet after a backflip but did not rush back for another bout with Aroon. The boy also took his time and did not rush back to continue their fight.

“To think Athena Lance actually uses a cheap trick in a duel, I’m honored,” he provoked her.

Athena only looked at him while squinting her eyes, keeping her silence as if saying it’s pointless to provoke her any further.

Seeing his attempt to make her lose her composure fail, Aroon continued his offensive. He ran toward her, swinging his blade at her sword arm.

“He is trying to disarm Athena!” Arthur realized, his observation and understanding got better after watching the previous fights.

The black-haired girl actually let go of her sword before Aroon’s blade hit her hand, catching the falling blade with her other hand.

They exchanged a dozen more moves without any of them getting the upper hand; they were evenly matched as far as Arthur could tell.

“Hey, who do you think will win?” Simon asked the others.

“Ugh... I don’t know,” Arthur answered honestly.

“They are evenly matched; the winner will be decided by who makes a mistake first,” Tamara gave her perspective as well.

“I think Aroon will win. He holds the initiative as he is faster than Athena, even if only a little,” Stevan said, clearly biased toward a speed-oriented fighting style.

“That reminds me! Aren't both of them fast and strong? If their speed comes from their bond, what about their strength?” Arthur asked.

“That also comes from their bond. Their bonds are 2nd gen bonds, an exceptional one at that. They might look small, but I bet their bond can rival Little Orange in the strength department!” Tamara explained.

“Um... I think... Aroon will win... Athena is not used to her sword...” Kale suddenly cut in. The shy boy rarely talks but finally couldn't help but join the discussion, even though he need to work on his timing.

“Huh? She looks fine. What do you mean, not used to her sword?” Simon looked at Kale in confusion.

“It... It's just she seems to miss her target a few times when it should have hit if she is one step closer... I think she's used to a longer sword,” Kale explained, using his expertise as a sword user to notice what the others did not.

“Look! Aroon is about to start again!” Stevan pointed.

The boy ran toward Athena with his sword at his side, ready to chop at her. On the other hand, Athena did not move from her spot but readied her sword beside her head, pointing it toward the approaching Aroon as she held it with both hands.

Just a meter from Athena, Aroon’s running came to a sudden stop while swinging at her, transferring the whole momentum of his charge to his sword.

Athena’s eyes widened, but she did not freeze. She swung her sword at Aroon’s blade without hesitation, aiming for the base of his sword.

Aroon's sword broke as Athena hit it with her sword, but Aroon was already one step ahead. He used his empty hand, holding Athena by the neck in a claw grip while the girl was trying to transition her sword for a follow-up attack.

Both Athena and Aroon had stopped moving the moment Aroon had his hand on Athena’s neck.

Arthur was speechless at their display of combat prowess. Aroon had shown amazing technique and foresight, and if Kale was right, then Athena was able to keep up with him even while being unused to her weapon!

“That's it! Aroon wins!” Layla announced.