The gray hammer floated between Oscar and the stranger; Oscar could feel the Ein around the hammer, indicating it was a hammer anima, one from a grade-seven Exolsia. Then the gray hammer flew back into the hands of the stranger who tried to ambush him, a tall and muscular man with a large frame that reminded Oscar of his father, Henry, towering over him. The stranger had a bed of shaggy brown hair and brown eyes on his broad face, wearing a black uniform with large black boots that stomped over the swampland, a uniform Oscar recognized to belong to the Earth Core Academy.

Oscar walked slowly, pacing around the small island in the middle of the swamp, as did the stranger, who stared at Oscar with a powerful gaze. He noticed the enemy had another hammer in his right hand, black with red, glowing cracks all over it as if it had been in a furnace. Then, the stranger came to a halt, and Oscar followed suit.

The two stood still as the swamp's murky waters did not flow. Their gazes met, and Oscar knew this person would not be an easy opponent despite having evened out against Maia Claude earlier. This man before him emitted a more intimidating presence than she did.

Then, as a splash could be heard from the waters, Oscar threw his bulwark and a 'Silver Star' toward the stranger. The stranger across from him also threw his hammer anima. Two sharp clangs of metal resounded as his Invicus Bulwark failed to reach the enemy, deflected by the thrown hammer, and his 'Silver Star' was repelled by a single swing from the hammer in the stranger's hand.

"Not bad." The stranger said gruffly as his hammer anima flew back into his left hand. "That ranged spell flew faster than I had expected. I am Orden Aesn; nice to meet you."

"I am Oscar Terr." Oscar pulled back his bulwark to his arms, not showing the shock he felt when Orden easily knocked away his 'Silver Star' like a speck of dust. "Do you have the leisure to talk like this?"

Oscar stepped closer, a heavy wet step on the muddy ground, splattering mud on his pants.

"I like to know the names of my opponents. Well, those I find to be interesting." Orden stomped his large foot ahead, sinking into the weak ground. He spun his hammers around his hands like a master before stopping him with his arms extended down, kicking off a flurry of winds that scattered the grass.

Summoning his deer anima to his side, Oscar noticed Orden's eyes had not shifted or moved. Normally, whenever people saw his grade-four anima, they revealed some hint of relief, scorn, or delight in finding an easy mark, but Orden remained unchanging with the same gaze. For some reason, Oscar felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek, coming from Orden's strangeness.

'He seems to favor close combat. Let's accept his invitation.' Oscar lowered his body like a beast, ready to pounce on its prey. His muscles tensed up from Adamasreis, and his feet dug into the dirt. His opponent, Orden, merely smiled and put up his two hammers in a stoic stance with his large body.

'Silver Burst'

Oscar charged in, keeping his Prinstyct open to view all the possible moves that Orden could do. However, he looked shocked to see not a single intent from Orden. Even as he closed in, he did not catch a whiff of intent within the distorted world.

A gray blur flew out at him without motion or intent from Orden's hands. Oscar clenched his teeth and deflected the hammer anima, but the hammer turned and sped back toward him. The entire way here, Oscar and his deer anima deflected the hammer anima, careful not to allow his weaker-grade deer to be hurt.

"Bastard," Oscar finally arrived in front of Orden, who lifted his black hammer with red cracks and swung down. Oscar responded by pulling up his bulwark, flowing the Reis through it. A bone-crushing dull sound of two heavy objects crashing into each other shook the murky waters.

Shock became evident across Orden's face as Oscar resisted his heavy blow, but it soon turned into a wide smile of a battle-crazed maniac. On the other hand, Oscar frowned upon realizing the true nature of Orden's blows, similar to Emily's combat style of using 'Weight Boost'.

'When Emily uses it, she times it with the downward swing of her blows, and yet this Orden, I can tell he's lifting and swinging it freely without an issue.' Oscar shouted as he deflected off Orden's hammer and spun to get closer. However, Orden wielded his hammer masterfully and swung heavily from the other side. Another clash of heavy blows ensued.

'Flowing Mountain'

Oscar lessened the power of Orden's hammer by redirecting the Reis to his fist and swinging fiercely, his fist rippling through the air.

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'Stone Fist'

A mass of stone appeared and covered Orden's fist as though he held a boulder that formed into the shape of a fist. The massive stone fist's speed did not match its large appearance as Orden swung to meet Oscar's ferocity.

Their powerful fists collided. Though Orden's stone fist dwarfed Oscar's punch, Oscar held the power of 'Flowing Mountain' that combined his and Orden's power. But Orden's might again surpassed Oscar's expectations as both fists were repelled backward.

'It's not Reis. This man is that naturally strong. How is that possible?' Oscar pondered as his arm was still dragged back by the force of their collision. He recalled Aunt Rosett saying a while ago that his master, Draven, was born with a unique constitution that gave him extreme physical power beyond the norm. There was no doubt that Orden was the same. 'How far do his physical powers go? He can easily wield a hammer laden with the weight-increasing spell.'

Slightly insulted, Oscar clenched his teeth and stomped his foot back to regain footing. He had toiled for years to become a master of Reis and increase his physical power, yet this person was born with a natural disposition that could match him. 'Like hell, I'll accept that. '

"You're pretty good." Orden swung his arm around to scatter the fragments of the stone fist off of him with joy in his voice. "I don't know what you are doing, but I've always wanted to match up against someone who could handle me."

Oscar did not respond but tilted his head as a gray hammer flew from behind. A small cut formed on his cheek, dripping tiny drops of blood that became long streaks down his face. "For a big person, you sure have some sneaky tricks."

"If there's a chance, I'll take it." Orden's roaring laughter echoed through the swamp. "Now then, come! I want to see more!" The large hulk put up an open stance with his hammers lifted and his arms slightly spread out, leaving his chest exposed.

Oscar charged out once more, but this time, Orden stampeded ahead with both his hammers clenched firmly in his hands. The swamp became noisy with the constant barraging of their blows as Oscar and Orden entered a fierce confrontation. Oscar felt his bones ringing and his skin rippling and tearing because of the strange reverberations from Orden's attacks, similar to his 'Shattering Wave' finisher.

'Earthen Echo'

Orden's spell mimicked the earthquakes that tore apart lands on a smaller scale, done by the fine pieces of dirt that coated Orden's weapon, which shook fiercely to create the effect. Oscar did not shirk back from this discomfort because his muscles were still intact and filled with Reis.

'Edureisclad'

His defensive Reis technique stopped the onslaught of the echoes and allowed him to fight freely, but he had to admit that Orden was a monster. Although he fought with his deer anima by his side, Orden easily fought the two of them, even grabbing onto his deer's antlers and tossing the deer anima away with his monstrous strength.

'But I still have the upper hand.' Oscar fought well and controlled, using his advanced Prinstyct to force Orden on the defensive. His enemy no longer had the wide and open stance as before but now kept his hammers close to block Oscar's onslaught of blows.

'Now!'

His deer anima maneuvered to the back with a single lance formed atop its head and wrapped by the two antlers, almost seeming like a unicorn. It strode well toward Orden's exposed back.

"Tch!" Orden clicked his tongue and threw his hammer anima toward the deer anima. He did not forget about Oscar as he brought down his other hammer to deter him.

Oscar smiled and took on the heavy hammer, easily deflecting it due to knowing its path from his Prinstyct. His right arm became encased in a large silver lance, and he thrust it toward Orden's chest. This motion became clear as day to Orden, who had already prepared for it with his 'Stone Fist' to grab onto the lance.

'Shattering Wave'

However, as the stone fist grabbed onto the lance, it shattered apart, leaving Orden dumbfounded as his hand became bloody from many cuts and tears. Oscar did not let up and forced his lance forward, but his eyes widened at the strange motion of Ein toward Orden's feet, about to happen in the next second.

'Silver Burst'

Oscar propelled himself backward as several large stone spikes protruded from the ground in Oscar's direction, stopping at a certain distance. However, Oscar still spat out blood from the injuries his deer anima took from the hammer anima, and he ordered the deer anima to return to his side.

"Your Prinstyct is better than mine. That much is clear." Orden spoke as he clenched his bloodied hand, staring at it with clear brown eyes. "But it seems there's a limit to your physical powers; they're not natural, are they? How long before you can use it again?"

Oscar wiped the blood from his lips; his arms no longer held the power of Adamasreis and were shaking from the effects of clashing against Orden. He cracked his neck and said, "Who cares?"

"I do." Orden bashed his hammers together. "I have seen enough. It's time to finish this." As he finished speaking, a cloud of sand swirled around him and covered the area.

Oscar squinted to avoid the sand getting into his eyes and gazed around. Within the dense clouds of sand, he could not see Orden, meaning his Prinstyct had been nullified. But the same went for Orden, who should have also lost track of him.

However, within the whistling of the sands, Oscar heard something make its way toward him. Lifting his bulwark, Oscar blocked Orden's two hammers, facing off against the giant, but the double weight of Orden's weight-boosted blows made Oscar take a knee.

'Silver Star'

Oscar shot out his ranged spell, but Orden quickly disappeared into the sands. Panting and covered in sand, Oscar got to his feet, looking around once more.

"How long can you survive in this sand?" Orden's voice whispered through the sands.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Oscar retorted.

The sands continued to blow as the two within resumed their battle.