Just as he landed in front of me across the hole at the top of the train, he gripped his greatsword with both his hands and pulled it back– taking a basic swordsman stance.
The train had already begun moving, and we were currently speeding atop it at four hundred kilometers per hour, with no sign of slowing down.
The wind pressed against my back with such force that keeping my head straight, let alone standing upright, became a challenge.
I exuded mana from my heels and used it to create suction around my legs, forming a vacuum that enabled me to firmly cling to the train.
Yeah, moving like this would be hard but at least I won't have any trouble standing straight this way.
Normally I wouldn't have been able to do something like this. But since I had been training under Leo and trying to distort the air using mana, my control over it has gotten even better.
Even Kai couldn't help but acknowledge this fact.
"You mana control is impressive," he remarked.
He had every right to be impressed.
After all, it's not easy to control your mana once it leaves the confines of your Area of Dominance– your body– and enters the atmosphere.
Of course, words of appreciation weren't the only things that escaped Kai's lips.
"But you will still lose here," he said in the next moment as he began advancing towards me, step by step.
What was more unnerving was the fact that he wasn't using mana to cling to the train like me.
But then, how was he doing it? With this thought in mind, I scrutinized Kai from head to toe before it finally dawned on me.
He was using the weight of his greatsword to maintain his balance.
He may have also been channeling the mana inside his body to withstand the resistance of the wind.
Fwoosh—!!
By infusing his legs with mana, Kai leapt in my direction, raising his sword high above his head.
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue in frustration as I thought about my next move.
Should I utilize Martial Aura? If I do that then the dense layer of mana will protect me from the wind resistance, and I'll be able to move freely.
However, in the next moment, I quickly dismissed that idea and raised my spear high once again to block his incoming strike.
Clang—!!
Thaam—!!
The resounding clash of metal hitting against metal reverberated through the surroundings.
Once again, the sheer force behind Kai's attack pushed me down on one knee.
His sword pressed down upon me, pinning me in place as I knelt as I used my spear to keep his blade from cleaving me in half.
"Where will you run to now?" he taunted, a triumphant grin forming on his face. "I must say, Lucas Morningstar, you've been a great disappointment."
With those words, Kai tightened his grip, exerting even more force as he drove his greatsword down on me until finally his blade struck my shoulder and caused blood to spurt out.
"Gaaah!" I let out a muffled scream, my teeth clenched in pain.
"And here I thought you would provide me with a worthy fight," he continued. "Tell me, where will you run now?!"
"Nowhere," I replied through the agony, my voice strained. Yet, a grin akin to his own began to spread across my face. "But where will YOU run now?"
Naturally, Kai was taken aback by my words, his brow furrowed as he gave me a perplexed look.
Without paying him any mind, I released a resounding roar. "Mana burst!"
KABOOOM—!!
Before he could even get a chance to react, a big azure explosion erupted right away, with my own body at its epicenter.
The top section of the train block we stood upon was violently blown to bits and the force of the explosion flung Kai back into the air.
He crashed down on the side of the tracks while I stood up victoriously, the smirk still present on my face.
Fortunately, I controlled the intensity of the explosion, so the top section of the train on which we stood wasn't destroyed.
After all, my goal was just to push Kai off the train.
Upon landing on the ground, Kai swiftly rolled to kill the momentum of his fall and got back on his feet before casting a glance back at me.
His eyes were composed and cold, devoid of any hint of emotion.
Within a matter of seconds, as the train I stood on hurtled forward at a rapid pace, his figure receded into the distance and merged with the blurring surroundings until he vanished entirely from view.
"There's no way he can catch up to me now," I let out a sigh, trying to calm down my raging heart.
I now understand why Quinn is so scared of Kai.
Even with all the recent boost in my stats, he managed to overpower me in a head-on confrontation.
Of course, we held back considerably since we were fighting on a moving train, but I now have a clearer understanding of his level of strength.
I think master was right.
If I solely talk about physical prowess then Kai would likely be on par with Nero— perhaps slightly below.
"Haaa~" I released another sigh, sitting back down on top of the train to get some rest.
One more thing is also clear to me now.
If Kai and I were to go all out and fight, it would undoubtedly be a close match… but I will win.
Sure, he's a little stronger than me even now, but my technique is clearly far superior than his.
And it is just as master once said to me, technique beats strength.
Shaking my head, I cleared my head of such thoughts. Right now, I need to focus on the game I am in.
Bringing my right hand wrist up, I tapped on my smart bracelet to unlock it. Then I contacted our team through an open channel.
"Do you all copy? I repeat, do you all copy?" I inquired over the comm. "If you can hear me, provide your status reports, over."
Without delay, responses flooded in.
-"This is Amelia. I'm currently under attack. Engaged with two hostile forces, over."
-"Elijah reporting. I've made contact. Engaging a lone assailant, over."
-"Anastasia here. I'm kinda busy, but yeah, I'm fighting a single enemy, over."
-"William reporting. I've reached the forest gate. There's no sign of any enemy activity in sight. Requesting further instructions. Should I go inside or wait, over?"
What? He's already at the gate of the Fifth District Forest?! How is he faster than a fucking flying train?!
Ah, he must have used Rui's help.
Okay, so Amelia is fighting against two people. Anastasia and Elijah are both fighting an enemy each.
Given that Chase and Nero aren't replying to my call, I think I can safely assume they are also engaged in combat.
Since Kai was pursuing me until a few moments ago, it's clear that none of their seven team members have reached the forest yet.
…Wait, does this mean no one is spotting William? So he can just go in and grab the flag?
But then what's their game plan? Are they scheming to ambush us on our return to the stadium?
A surprise attack somewhere on our route back to the academy campus?
Or maybe they are trying to lure us into some kind of a trap?
-"Lucas, what are my orders?"
Yeah, what should I instruct him to do?
Should I send him inside the forest now or have him wait for the rest of the team for backup?
No, if the rest of the team is engaged in battle, the optimal course of action is to send William into the forest to get the flag.
Once that happens, we all would keep the enemies from reaching William until he successfully plants the flag on the flagpole.
But what if it's a trap? Is it foolish to send William blindly into the forest like this?
"Arghhaaa!" I let out a frustrated groan and scratched the back of my neck as I cleared my mind of doubt.
Kai…
Kai is attempting to deceive me. Is there a trap or not, he's trying to bluff me!
-"Lucas, quickly! Give me my orders!"
Arghh! Fine!
Nodding firmly, I made a decision. "William, proceed inside the forest and secure the flag."
-"Roger that."
As soon as I issued the command, the train gradually started decelerating until it came to a complete stop and pulled up at the Fifth District station platform.
The station, like the train, was completely empty and not a person was in sight.
Nodding once more, I jumped down from the top of the train onto the platform. It's time to get to work.
I've improvised my plan.
First, I'll help my teammates, then I'll proceed to the next phase of my plan.
If I can execute the plan that I have in my mind then it will lead to my– I mean, our flawless victory.
