"Now, then... enough talk. Let's fight!"
With Edward's resolute words and determined eyes, he prepared his legs to move while keeping his sights on the target.
Eben Lustriel sighed, taking deep breaths to restore his energy—the tiny vestiges that remained—while strengthening himself with Mana.
Had it been an ordinary swordsman who used the Swallow God Sword Techniques, he would have collapsed in exhaustion by now. However, thanks to the miraculous effects of Mana and strengthening Magic, Eben could keep fighting.
I predicted that the adversary of my pupil had more Mana reserves compared to Edward, and could most likely control his Mana better. In a battle solely based on those factors, it was certain who the victor would be.
If they kept exchanging blows at this rate, their power would be on par, and it was going to end up a battle of attrition.
'If you want to turn this around, Edward... you had better get serious!'
After all, I knew more than anyone, what Edward desired the most—an overwhelming, crushing victory!
"Huuuu...." I watched as Edward gave a heavy breath, closing his eyes for a moment before flashing them wide open again.
A tinge of excitement swept through my body upon realizing what he was about to do.
"The 9 Fundamental Precepts: Form 6..."
Immediately I saw his lips moving to form those words, a brief feeling of hesitation welled up within me.
'Form 6? You haven't completely mastered it, Edward!'
He had gotten a good grasp on the first five, but the sixth was one that required even greater focus and concentration. Since the difficulty rose drastically after the fifth, I made sure to halt his progress any further.
To think he would resort to such a move now... what was Edward thinking?
He took his stance, gripping his blade with one hand and stretching it out to the air while using the tip of his finger on the second hand to touch the ground.
The pose seemed bizarre, as he couched a knee slightly to ensure one hand grazed the floor while the other—gripping the blade—was ascended above.
His face was on the target, and he seemed like he was ready to move at any time. The opponent, on the other hand, remained in his position.
Judging from his current status, I surmised that Eben Lustriel was most likely trying to conserve his energy by limiting his movements. He would wait for Edward to make his move while parrying his attack and dealing his blow at the same time.
It was an excellent strategy.
Unfortunately, something of the sort wouldn't be effective when faced with the move Edward was about to make.
'If he has learned it well and perfected it to 30 percent, no, even 20, then... such defenses won't be enough!' I grinned.
The 9 Fundamental Precepts' Sixth Form, also known as...
Edward gripped his blade tighter and loosened his muscles, getting ready to march. The ground beneath him cracked as the accumulation of mana on his body had reached boiling point. He finally opened his mouth and steam proceeded from it.
"... FLOW!"
>BOOOOOMMMMMM<
The area where Edward stood erupted as chunks of tiles burst apart. Smoke and dust ascended, rising as a result of the destruction the boy left in his wake.
As for his body, it had long left his previous location and was now charging at the target.
>WHOOOOOSHHH!!!<
Such speed as was never seen throughout the contest between the two now manifested.
In a flash, the distance between both opponents was closed and Edward was basically within range.
I noticed Eben's flustered face as he struggled to make a reaction.
"W-wha—?!"
Making a whirl, Edward's spinning form created a whirl that surpassed anything possible by normal human standards. It was almost as though someone cast a wind tornado Spell on the battlefield.
"WHOOOSSSHHHH!!!<
Eben struggled with the pressure and barely had enough time to raise his katana.
It was too late, though, as the boy's spinning body completely overwhelmed him.
The Swallow God disciple had his blade flying away thanks to the sheer pressure of Edward's swing.
The dark-metal weapon cracked and shattered apart in mid-air, leaving Eben unarmed.
Edward was still not done, though.
In his cyclone, he encircled Eben, swirling around him on all sides to trap the so-called prodigy of the blade in a tight circle.
>SWISH<
>SLASH<
>SWOOSH<
From all areas, Edward's blade tore through Eben's clothes—even reaching his skin until blood gushed out on so many areas in an instant.
None of the wounds were fatal, but they seemed painful regardless. Evident to this fact was Eben's scream.
"Guarghhhhhh!!!" The helpless boy's agony rang true.
I sensed not only pain in his voice, but frustration and shattered pride. After his loss against Edward, I was certain the boy had trained harder and worked on himself and his blade.
He did all that, only to be so one-sidedly defeated again! As an elite from a great family, this had to be the first time he would be experiencing shame to this degree.
"Sorry, bud... this is the end!" I smiled.
There was no need to feel sentiment for someone that didn't concern me.
>SWOOSSHHH!!!<
After dealing multiple damages to the enemy, Edward finished it with a decisive blow to Eben's back.
"Guarkkk!!!"
Silence radiated the hall at that moment. Edward's blade was outstretched, and his calm face could be seen in absolute focus that it almost appeared to be melancholic. Eben's bloodied and roughened face was the opposite of Edward's clear one.
His mouth was opened as he made a tired screech before losing all strength and giving in to the call of unconsciousness.
>THUD!<
Eben Lustriel fell, losing the match that very moment.
More silence filled the hall as Edward huffed, moving away from his opponent while dragging his feet on the ground. It seemed he was plenty tired too.
"Huff... huff..." He breathed heavily.
>CLANG<
His sword fell to the ground and I saw his arms spasm a few times.
'He has reached his limits, uh?' I smiled in understanding.
That's what he got for pushing himself too hard.
"W-winner... Edward Karl Leon!!!" Klaus declared in a flustered tone.
I could tell that he was secretly happy that no major incident had occurred.
"WOHOOOOOO!!!!" A deafening myriad of cheers came from the audience
