Ace exited the dining hall and marched in formation with his classmates towards the practice field. Unlike previous days, there was only one stone platform in the practice area. Someone was already there, waiting for the trainees. Their bald head shined brightly in the afternoon Sun, making it clear who they were.

The trainees looked in confusion at Instructor Gawain.

"Greetings everyone! You're probably wondering why I'm here... I'll keep things brief! Both of the specially recruited House Steel recruits have been defeated!"

Upon hearing this, many trainees in the crowd gasped. Even Ace was caught off guard. He didn't know that the other recruit had lost. While the gossip in the dining hall was rampant, it was still difficult for information to pass between hundreds of people in only a single night, especially since everyone was confined to their quarters after dinner.

Gawain's voice boomed again, silencing the trainees.

"In light of this, I have come to see the trainees that were able to do so! The winner of this duel will become my pupil! That will be all! Now, Trainee 1000 and Trainee 1, make your preparations and approach the arena!"

With a pat on the back from Bell, Ace walked to the gear locker to retrieve his sword. As he weaved through the crowd he heard many nasty remarks.

"The cripple is a finalist?! Who allowed this to pass?!"

"If he had fought me, this wouldn't have happened!"

However, unlike before, people stepped up to defend him; they were his previous opponents.

"You should keep your mouth shut unless you want to spend the evening without it."

"The cripple is strong, if you had fought him then you would have suffered an even more worse defeat than I had..."

As more fierce arguments began to erupt in the crowd, Ace reached his locker and pulled out his sword. Taking a deep breath, he approached the stone platform.

Instructor Gawain was waiting for him in the arena. When he saw him exit the crowd he raised an eyebrow.

"You're the other trainee who beat one of our recruits? I knew you were strong but damn, not bad! Still, I suggest you prepare yourself! Your opponent is... tough."

"What do you mean Instructor?" Ace asked.

Instead of answering his question, Gawain only pointed across the arena to a figure that was taking slow and leisurely steps toward them.

Ace followed Gawain's hand, taking in the appearance of his opponent.

The weapon they carried was perhaps the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. It was a sword, if one could even call it that. The blade was colossal, easily wider than his torso. Its length was also impressive, matching the height of its wielder.

The most concerning thing about his opponent wasn't his menacing weapon though, it was his face. The shaggy black hair and the abyss-like eyes were more than enough of a give away for Ace to remember who he was looking at.

Stopping a few yards away, the mute boy shoved his weapon into the ground like it was butter. Then, he waved excitedly at Ace. Despite the distance, he could see a large smile painted on the mute boy's face.

Smiling awkwardly, he waved back.

Instructor Gawain raised his eyebrow at their silent exchange before shaking his head.

"Gentlemen, it's time. Get ready!" He shouted.

At his command, both Ace and the mute boy readied their weapons.

With a shout from Gawain, the duel started.

Afraid of an initial rush, Ace jumped backwards.

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Keeping his eyes on the mute boy, he was startled to see him disappear from his vision, leaving only a cloud of dust in his wake.

'Huh?'

Whipping around to check behind him, Ace found the space empty. Where had he gone?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone from the crowd pointing upwards. At the same time, he heard the sound of a blade cutting through air. With a look to the skies, he saw his opponent falling towards him while leading with his blade.

Full of adrenaline, he managed to dive out of the way at the last second. Because of the impact, a massive cloud of rubble and dust was sent up, obscuring Ace's vision.

He jumped backwards once more, looking for any movement. Strangely, the silhouette within the cloud remained still, like a statue. The mute boy was waiting for something. Ace just couldn't tell what.

Without warning, there a sound of rock being cracked as the silhouette within the cloud disappeared.

'How is he doing that?!'

Ace checked the skies only to see that there was nothing there. Hearing the sound of metal clanking behind him, he turned around while swinging his sword downwards.

In the next instant, their weapons clashed.

As the vibration ran through Ace's arm, he felt his sword groan internally while its edge became warped. Unable to fully stop his opponents strike, he heard the sound of metal shattering as his sword was cleaved in two.

Left with nothing to defend himself, he watched helplessly as the behemoth blade arced towards his torso. Full of desperation, he jumped over the swing and latched onto the hilt, surprising his opponent.

There was a brief pause as the mute boy looked him in the eyes.

Then, with a huff of air, he raised his sword over his head and brought it down into the ground on top of Ace. The mute boy repeated this movement, slamming Ace into the ground harder and harder with each impact. Still, Ace held on, even though his injuries continued to multiply.

After a few minutes, the cadence of the boy's swings slowed, until eventually... they stopped. Through the silence, Ace could hear the sounds of labored breathing.

Not one to waste an opportunity, he swung his legs around and kicked the other trainee in the face, knocking him away from his weapon. Having sustained heavy damage to his internal organs and numerous gashes and bruises, Ace took his time getting up.

When he finally did so, he could see the mute boy was already on his feet. One of his eyes was bruised shut and his lip was busted. Still, he was bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet, fists raised. With a heavy sigh, Ace matched his stance.

He wasn't unfamiliar with a bareknuckle boxing match. It was actually his favorite way to fight, even though he was missing an arm.

Finding his own cadence, Ace slowly closed the gap between them.

Not even a millisecond after he stepped into the mute boy's range, a lightning fast jab flew towards his face. Having predicted the punch by watching the shoulder, Ace slipped under it and threw a hook at the boy's ribs, connecting with an audible crunch. At the same time, a vicious uppercut rocked his chin, sending him reeling backwards.

With his vision now spinning, he watched the blurry figure of his opponent hobble towards him. Sensing danger, Ace tucked his chin and put up his guard, waiting for another a strike to the head. Instead, he felt a heavy fist sink into his exposed body, breaking something inside.

Trying his best to not double over in pain, Ace leaned forward and headbutted his attacker, sending him stumbling backwards.

While he gasped for air, his vision returned to normal, allowing him to once again see his opponent. The mute boy was standing only a few feet away. A crooked nose had been added to his facial injuries. His dark eyes were bright with emotion. There was even a faint smile on his lips.

'I-Is this guy having fun?!'

They stared at each other in silence.

Even the crowd's manic cheers seemed distant. To Ace, all that remained in the world was the person in front of him.

'Just one more... just one more...'

Taking a deep breath, he moved forward, grunting in pain as each step shook his already broken bones. The mute boy matched him.

Abandoning all pretense of finesse, Ace stepped forward with his strong foot and torqued his hips, sending a powerful straight flying towards his opponents face. Perfectly mirroring his movement, the mute boy threw the same exact punch.

Their blows connected at the same time.

***

"G-- -- -------"

"Ge- u- Trai---"

"Get up Trainee!"

Ace was rudely awoken by a bucket of cold water being splashed on his face.

Gasping for air, he shot up into a sitting position, wincing as his broken bones rattled against each other.

"I would heal those up quickly if I were you!" Gawain said with a laugh. "That goes for the both of you! That face of yours has definitely seen better days young man!"

Confused, Ace turned over to see the mute boy sitting next to him with his facial injuries still fresh.

Circulating Sever energy throughout his body, he felt the comforting warmth fix what would have taken weeks to heal naturally.

While he recovered, he called out to Instructor Gawain.

"What happened?"

Smiling widely, Gawain replied with a voice full of glee.

"Double knockout! As soon as your punches connected, you both dropped like rocks! It was really something! I've never seen knights so willing to abandon their weapons before...must come from growing up in the slums!"

More worried about the reward than anything else, Ace spoke up.

"So what does this mean? I remember you said the winner would get to be your disciple."

Gawain suddenly grew serious.

"That was the original plan, but I don't think I can teach you guys. Our styles don't really match."

Hearing his words, both Ace and the mute boy looked down in disappointment.

Noticing this, Gawain raised a hand and pointed behind them.

"Instead, he will be your teacher."