“What the hell!” Elysian exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise at the state of his weapon.

‘This shouldn’t have happened. These might be wooden swords, but they were designed and made specifically for training. With the level of force he used, it shouldn’t have left a mark on the weapon.

So, why? Wait…’

Elysian knelt down as he inspected what remained of his sword. He stayed there for a moment, lost in his thoughts as he pondered the cause of the destruction of his weapon.

“Are you just going to sit there, young master?” Hugo asked, smirking as he observed the boy’s actions. “Or do you concede already? Why don’t you just surrender? The outcome of this fight is already obvious.”

Elysian glanced at the captain before slowly standing up while feeling the brittle pieces of his sword. Studying the smug expression on the officer for a bit, he sighed and said, “Enveloping yourself in a wave of force, and also directing that wave in your attack. I’m impressed. I didn’t know that there was someone among my father’s men who was capable of exhibiting this level of mastery over an ability.” The young noble showed an intact part of his weapon, before crushing it into dust. “And an Apprentice Stage cultivator at that. It seems you did not receive your title as a captain for nothing.”

Hugo suddenly laughed and responded, “Thank you for the compliment, young master. But I’m curious, how did you know? We just fought for a bit, and you’ve easily analyzed my abilities already. If there is someone who should be impressed, it would be me.” Pausing for a moment, he smirked and added, “Who would have thought that the brat who was crying while his snout was running down his face would be this intelligent? Isn't that surprising?”

The sudden jab by their captain made everyone laugh as the boy just snorted at the insult directed at him. “What do you mean ‘easy’?” Elysian retorted, scowling. “You hit me with that ability of yours that felt like I’d been beaten nonstop in an alleyway by some drunkard. Do you think that was easy?” he asked, shaking his head as he went to the side and took another sword.

“What? You’re still going to fight?” Hugo asked, chuckling as he nonchalantly waited for the boy. “Aren’t you tired of being beaten? I’m already warning you; the next time will be worse.”

‘Yes, I agree with him. That’s why I should avoid making contact as much as possible. Damn, that will be difficult—no, impossible, considering our cultivation differences. True, he is controlling his power to be on the same level as me, but Novice Stage cultivators have many ranks within it. It would be impossible to control it precisely. It’s true that he is a Novice cultivator, but a peak one. Sigh. Not to mention, his energy capacity is a lot bigger than mine. That area is one of the most important factors that will dictate the outcome of this fight, but that b*stard can't lower it, which means we may have a similar stage, but his energy reserve is at least twice as high as mine.

If I fight him in the shadows like I did with Grimscar, I might have a chance. But fighting someone like him in the open and in a straight-up duel is absurd.

Should I use BloodShade? No, I can’t. Using BloodShade is out of the question. It’s an ability that should be hidden. It’s not worth exposing it just to win this inconsequential duel.

Agh, why did I even propose this fight. I must be crazy. BloodShade might have hit my head very hard that I've made such an idiotic move.

Tsk, why blame BloodShade. It’s my fault, mine alone. I’ve always been impulsive in my decisions. I was like this in my previous life, and it seems I still haven’t learned my lesson yet. Agh, what do I do now?’

“Why have you become quiet, young master?” Hugo asked, his sharp eyes like a predator’s as they continually read and analyzed the boy’s action. Noticing some hesitancy and frustration from his opponent, his smile grew wider. “I don’t have all day, boy. Decide now what you will do.”

“Is that even a question?” Elysian responded, smirking as he tried to hide his emotions as much as possible. “I’m a son of Ironspire as much as the soldiers watching here today. I will never bring dishonor by surrendering. I won’t back down or cower against overwhelming odds. I will move forward inch by inch until I achieve victory, or fall trying.”

The soldiers around them suddenly cheered for the boy as they heard his defiant words.

“Traitors!” Hugo playfully exclaimed, scowling at his men, who teasingly jeered at him. “After I win this, I’ll be sure to make you all run for the whole morning.”

‘Well, at least I’ve gotten something out of this disaster. Making a positive impression is already a big win for me. Hopefully, I don’t mess this up.’

Readying his sword again, Elysian said, “Let’s go.”

And just like that, Hugo came at the boy aggressively again. With his ferocious way of fighting, he swung his sword wide again. Knowing the actions of his enemy, he easily evaded the attack as he dove before stepping away, instead of counterattacking like before. Seeing the retreating boy, the captain smirked as he went for the boy again, hunting him like a predator hunts his prey. This cat-and-mouse pursuit continued for a while as the officer assaulted the noble while Elysian evaded his attacks masterfully and with as little movement as possible; sometimes, it even came so close, a hair’s breadth away, that some thought he was certainly going to be hit. Yet, like before, he danced circles around the man as he changed direction at sharp angles to compensate for the differences in their speed.

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Hugo suddenly stopped his relentless assault as sweat started to form on his forehead. Even the soldiers around them grew quiet, too shocked to say anything at the impressive movement shown by the young noble. As he reassessed the boy more seriously this time, Hugo’s smug smile grew strained. “Are you just going to keep on running, boy? Is that what a son of Ironspire should do?”

Elysian tried to conserve as much stamina and energy as possible by evading the attacks with little movements, yet he was still left with a labored breath, though he hid it carefully. “The sons of Ironspire are not like wild beasts who continue to attack thoughtlessly; they are predators who hunt with their guile and wit,” he countered, smiling challengingly.

“You cheeky brat,” Hugo muttered while grinning without humor in his eyes. “Let’s see how long you can keep that smile of yours.”

‘It seems I have poked the beast.’

Elysian’s eyes widened in surprise when the captain disappeared, appearing at his side with the same attack but with greater speed and ferocity. Like before, he evaded the attack as closely as possible to conserve his rapidly depleting stamina and energy. Before he could even steady himself, another attack came faster than before. This continued for a couple more attacks as the boy evaded them with deft skill. Just when he thought the speed of the attack had plateaued, he suddenly felt a debilitating pain all over his body that made him unable to move.

Hugo immediately took advantage of this momentary opportunity, attacking the unprotected side of the boy.

‘F*ck, Uroko Kōshin!’

Elysian’s side was suddenly protected by transparent scales as the force of the blow sent him flying. Though much of the damage was mitigated by his hastily built defense, it was not enough to protect him completely. Coupled with the mysterious injury he suffered earlier, it took him some time before he could move again.

“Are you alright, boy?” Hugo asked, concern in his tone as Lucas’ loud voice castigated him from the side.

‘Agh, that hurts! If this had been a real fight, I’d have been in a lot of trouble. Luckily, this is just a friendly fight, and the amount of power he used was controlled to not cause any serious injury or death; otherwise, I’d be f*cked right now.’

Elysian slowly stood up, smiling at his opponent’s worried face. “Damn, captain. You really got me there. It seems that your ability extends a lot further than expected. It damaged my insides without me noticing it.”

Hugo breathed a sigh of relief as his usual smug face reappeared, though it was somewhat mellowed. “Sorry for that, boy. My abilities didn’t seem to affect you, so I increased them to the maximum allowable within our agreement. Also, my abilities are somewhat connected to my emotions. I think I overdid myself in that last exchange.”

‘Interesting. So, his emotions greatly influence his ability. Hmm… Isn’t that a major drawback, though? Control is what separates life from death in a fight.

Well, I shouldn’t lump all cultivators into my way of fighting. There are many powerful people who let go of control as they rampaged their way in battle. At the end of the day, it’s how well you use your ability that will determine if you’ll be powerful or not.’

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault,” Elysian responded, accepting his apology. “It just means I’m weak and need to learn a lot more to kick your ass.”

“Kick my ass? That’s never going to happen, boy,” Hugo said, chuckling again as his mirth returned. “So, what do you want to do now?”

‘Yes, that’s the question; what should I do? Will I concede after my boastful proclamation that the sons of Ironspire do not surrender?’

When Hugo saw the reluctance of the young noble, he smiled genuinely and said, “Why don’t we make this fight a draw? This isn’t some serious duel, but a friendly bout. Like you said, a stretching of our arms and legs.”

Chuckling at the captain’s offered concession, Elysian shook his head and conceded, “No, I lost. You win.”

“Really?” Hugo muttered, surprised by the boy’s surrender. Raising his brow, he teased, “I thought the sons of Ironspire moved inch by inch until victory or fell trying?”

‘I knew you’d bring that up.’

“That’s true,” Elysian said confidently and without any shame. “The sons of Ironspire will not surrender until they achieve victory or fall trying, but most importantly, they are also not stupid. You might think of me as surrendering, but I’m not.”

“Really?” Hugo muttered, grinning, curious to know where the boy was leading the conversation.

“Yes, this is called a strategic retreat,” Elysian declared. Even though all the eyes were staring at him, he remained calm, without a hint of embarrassment. “A son of Ironspire might retreat for now, but when the opportunity arises, he will strike again. This process repeats until he’s able to grip victory by the balls and pull it from the enemy.”

All eyes suddenly widened in shock at some rather vulgar description from the ten-year-old boy before erupting into rapturous laughter. Elysian’s smile turned into a grin as he looked around the training ground. The only ones who did not laugh were his two companions as they looked around, confused by everyone's reaction. It seemed his constant antics had made them immune to it.

“Well, I didn’t know you were this crazy, boy,” Hugo quipped, grinning as he ruffled the boy’s hair. “Aren’t you a noble? Tsk, you should watch your manners.”

“Manners, my ass. I was born with a foul mouth. It seems noble etiquette doesn’t work on me,” Elysian responded before scowling. “Hey, stop messing with my hair. Do you know how long I took care of it this morning?”

While many just stood and watched, some of the soldiers came closer to the main characters of the bout, joining in their friendly banter.

“Tsk, you’re wasting your time. Just shave it like me,” one of the soldiers quipped as others chuckled, dissing him.

“It seems you’ll just fit in with this lot,” Hugo said as he continued to mess with the boy’s hair, annoying him even more. “Before I forget, we still have our bet. As I said, I’ll be enjoying every swig of it.”

This instantly made the already rowdy soldiers cheer in celebration, anticipating a couple of free rounds of drinks.

“I thought our fight was a draw,” Elysian quipped as he tried to get away from the strong hands of the captain.

“Tsk, shameless brat, pay up,” Hugo responded, pulling the boy back to him.