Arms hurt :/ Enjoy \(○□○)/

Chapter 4

The Gressant tournament, finally started. Mordred, Aaron, and I, won without much a problem.

Most of the contestants, were pretty weak. Some lacked, combat experience. Others, just couldn't use their head.

The tournaments mc spoke, "The tournament, shall continue! Match 16, Aaron, against Gwen!"

The crowd roared, as both contestants walk onto the stage.

People from the crowd, shouted to encourage the fighters.

"My angel, Gwen! Beat that rascal!"

"Kyah! Aaron-sama!"

---

As I walked, onto the stage. People from the crowd began to cheer, women and men, alike.

It was hard, to contain my excitement. With a smile, I looked up, to see who my opponent was.

Beautiful sapphire (sapphires are blue rite?) Eyes looked back at me. Her pale white hair, fluttered, behind her shoulders.

Mesmerized, by her beauty. I did not notice, the signal to begin. The white haired beauty, sprung from her initial spot, and thrust her sword towards me.

"Sh-shit!" I panicked.

I placed my sword forward, to block the strike. Gwen's sword, was about to come in contact with mine. Abruptly, her sword swiftly changed direction. It curved downwards. Then again, it changed directions.

The moment her sword, was beneath mine, it curved upwards. I immediately, countered by taking a step back, and launching a vertical sword strike.

As if she predicted, my strike, she jumped to side. With a quick flick of her wrist, she thrusted her sword.

I stepped back, once more. Using my back foot, I rolled forward. I stopped my roll, and stomped forward. My foot crash in front of her.

Before Gwen was able to move away, I swung my sword horizontally. Using her sword, Gwen managed to block my strike, once it reached its end. Using the momentum, she jumped backwards, to make distance.

I looked over at Adira, with a sneer. "Heh, how so you like that."

She answered, with a mocking smile of her own. I could barely read, the words she spoke, from her lips. "You're wide open."

Before I could completely change my focus, to Gwen, she was already sprinting towards me.

I dodged her strike, and summersaulted backwards. In mid air, I swung my sword several times.

As I landed, I felt a painful strike, on my left side. I was blown away, by Gwen's kick.

I landed, a few meters away, from my initial location. I could taste blood, in my mouth.

She was strong. Probably, stronger than I.

"Damn, I can't lose." I groaned.

I gripped my sword hilt, even tighter. With a mighty roar, I leapt towards Gwen.

She dodged my strike, as if it was nothing.

I need to be faster. I strained my body, to increase my speed. Everytime, I moved forward, I stepped off the ground harder. Everytime I swung my sword, I swung harder. Hoping, it will become faster.

How wrong, I was. Certainly, it was a little faster. But, it tired me out.

I began panting. The other contestant, Gwen, wasn't even sweating.

I glanced towards, Adira. She had a dissapointed look, on her face. My chest clenched, tight. My breathing became a little faster, and my face got hotter.

What is this feeling? Ugh...

Why am I so weak. Even though, I trained so hard. If only I was strong..., maybe, I could have saved them, my family.

Maybe, I could have saved my friends. Maybe, I could have protected my companions. I'm always so weak.

I wish, I could have protected them. The grip on my sword, lightened. My gaze lowered.

"Heh, have you given up." Gwen mocked.

She walked forward, slowly. Mocking me, with every step.

I gave up, inwardly. I didn't even bother to say, that I gave up. I'm so pitiful. I can't even do anything. Damn, damn, damn!

I've lost so many things. I don't want to lose anymore.

Strangely, those words echoed in my mind.

A female voice, suddenly played in my head. Who's voice, I didn't know. It held a strangely, soothing tone. A deep, female voice. Yet, it was so soothing.

"We aren't born with, all the power in the world. We are only born, with the potential." The voice spoke.

The voice comforted my mind, clearing it of fatigue. My eyes closed, by itself.

"Why do you want strength. For fame? Glory? To protect, or to destroy?"

The strange voice, began to ask me questions. I couldn't answer the quesions. No, it's not that I couldn't answer. I didn't know the answer.

It felt like years, had passed. I was deep in thought. Why, do I want strength.

Images of my life, flew around, in my mind. The lives of my friends, and family, that I could have protected. Now, all gone. I gripped my sword's hilt, tight, once again.

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I knew the answer, but I couldn't say it. Was I unsure? Or, was I scared. Scared, that I won't ever become strong.

I felt so conflicted, but I reached a conclusion. What was there to be so scared of. I'll make it work, somehow. I'm tired of it, being weak. I want to do much more. This can't be all, that I am worth.

"I want to become strong. To have the strength, to do much more. To be able to do things, I could not do, before!"

Perhaps, I'll be able to become strong. Hopefully, I do. I want to protect the friends, that I'll make in the future.

A huge load on my chest, relieved. It doesn't matter if I lose this fight. I always have another chance.

A sensation tugged, my chest. Telling me not to give up, and to fight, with all my might.

I like it, this feeling.

"Your answer, never forget." The voice replied.

After those last words, the voice siezed. Shortly after, words, thoughts, and pictures flew I to my mind. All these things, had one thing in common. These were the memories, of a certain girl.

A girl, that looked fimiliar to someone I know. The girl in the memory, was practicing different forms, attacks, and movement. Everything that I saw, was recorded into my brain. Like, it was always there.

My eyes shot open, and I stood up.

Gwen, who was a few meters ahead of me, stopped in her tracks. She let out a smile, and spoke.

"Hmm, so you want to continue?"

I replied, with an attack. I gripped my sword, and flew, by kicking off the earth. My speed was hundreds of times faster, than before. A technique, I learned from the memories.

My sword heavily struck against Gwen's. She flew backwards, from the momentum, and crashed into a wall. Suprisingly, she was still concious.

"Ugh..., y-you." Suddenly, she became angry.

Her face grew grim. With a yell, she charged forward. I parried, all her attacks. I didn't even need to take a single step.

How easy, to think I had so much trouble, before. I began, to notice the mistakes Gwen was making. Everything felt so slow.

The fight, has dragged on, for far too long. With that thought, I went on the offensive.

I drew my sword in, under my shoulders. With a strong step forward, I thrust my sword out.

With much difficulty, Gwen blocked it.

I took another step, and my sword swung, yet again. A strike to the left, to the right, to her legs, and her chest.

My sword strikes, like that of the girl's, in the sudden memories. Swift, and graceful. Every step, I took, was the same step she took. Every swing, was the same.

At the end of this sword dance, she finished with a strike, that carried the force of the world itself.

Gwen, who was having trouble blocking my strikes, had cuts all over her body. She tried to block one of my strikes, and lost her balance.

I smiled, a smile that I hadn't had, in a very long time. A victorious smile.

Taking a deep breath, my left foot flew like a meteor, towards the ground. The power of my step, is important. The force accumulated, will be added to my sword strike. A floor split, from the force of my step. My body leaned forward, with great force, and my sword flew upwards.

My sword touched, Gwen's, and her sword flew out of her hand, towards the sky. Right after, a huge explosion resounded, right under her.

Following the movement of my sword, condensed mana, in the shape of a pheonix, flew out from the tip of my sword.

Gwen screamed, "I-I give up!!"

The flames of the phoenix, scorched the platform, and was burning away Gwen's body. Before, the Phoenix fully decended, it split, and dissapeared.

After hearing Gwen, concede. Adira flew from her spot, and split apart the phoenix, with one strike. And, grasped the burning body, of Gwen, healing her injuries.

The crowd was flabbergasted.

During the whole outcome, the king was so suprised, he stood up, from his seat.

"What the fuck!" The king yelled. "How is this possible!"

The king, and the others, couldn't handle what had happened. Sword movement, that had never been seen before. And, a technique that summons a phoenix!

The MC, struck out of his daze. "The victor, Aaron!"

The sudden announcement, awoke the other. The people watching the fight, and even the knights, all began to cheer.

"Wohhhhhhh!"

"Yeahhhhhh!"

"Amazing!"

I clenched my fist. Finally, I have the strength!

"Don't be so happy. That level of ability, is nothing. The name of the skill is, great descent of heavenly phoenix." Adira spoke, caching my attention.

When my eyes landed on her, I remembered the girl in the memories. She looked exactly like her, Adira.