Upon seeing Blake's signal, Asher adjusted his grip on his sword.
At that moment, not only were the students present, but even some Professors, including Dahlia, were eager to witness the prodigious talent of the First-Year student as he went up against Blake Cranston, the top-ranking Second-Year student.
Blake shifted his weight onto his left foot, preparing to receive Asher's strike.
Asher darted towards Blake, his sword slicing through the air in a slashing motion.
*Clang*
Blake blocked Asher's initial strike, taken aback slightly by the force behind it.
Shoving Asher back, Blake altered his stance and charged toward Asher.
"Try and block this," Blake asserted, employing a movement technique passed down within his family.
"Impressive," Dahlia mused, observing Blake's graceful maneuver.
Despite moving towards Asher, he remained in full control of his momentum.
This was a unique technique imparted to Blake by his brother, the Heir to the Cranston family.
'Let's wrap this up,' Blake resolved, determined not to show any mercy to Asher.
He might have sparred more playfully if it had been anyone else, but not with Asher Greville.
He desired to demonstrate to Asher the disparity between them, and it was a matter of pride as the top-ranked student.
Blake's sword targeted Asher, who could now discern the technique Blake was executing.
In Asher's view, he could perceive various nodes indicative of Blake's vulnerabilities.
Asher quickly sidestepped to his right twice and raised his leg to kick Blake, but Blake, alert to Asher's move, took a step back at the last moment.
This evasion was possible due to the special movement technique that enabled him to counteract such sudden attacks.
"Not bad," Blake acknowledged, rushing towards Asher once more.
Asher noted Blake's sword raised to attack his right side but failed to detect the subtle change in Blake's footwork.
Though most people might not have caught on, Asher was already familiar with the pattern of his opponent's movement technique, unlike his own Mir Steps, which Asher could freely adjust.
Blake's movement technique followed a specific sequence, allowing him to swiftly shift his momentum.
As Blake lifted his hand to strike Asher on his right side, he suddenly pivoted on his right foot to alter his momentum.
This rapid shift to the left side happened so swiftly that most students didn't even register it.
None could react to Blake's speed except for Asher.
From the corner of his eye, Asher saw Blake's real attack coming.
'Swift Strike,' Asher engaged his sword technique.
"What?" Blake's surprise was palpable as Asher's sword, which had been in midair to dodge a feint attack, changed direction and descended with lightning speed.
*Clang*
Blake hadn't anticipated Asher striking from such an unusual angle, and the force behind Asher's strike caused Blake to momentarily lose his footing.
This gave Asher the opening he needed.
While Asher's sword pinned Blake's to the ground, Asher twisted his body to deliver a kick to Blake.
He reinforced his strike using mana to intensify his attack, escalating the danger for Blake.
'SHIT,' Blake identified Asher's kick aimed at his face.
At the last moment, Blake pivoted backward, yanking his sword back, causing Asher to miss his attack. Or so he thought. However, Asher abruptly halted his attack midair, brought his leg down, and struck Blake's chest.
*BAM*
"WHAT?!" Many students spectating the duel were left with their mouths agape.
Even Kevin watched the unfolding spectacle with a surprised look on his face.
But the most shocked were the professors, including Dahlia. Asher's movements seemed far beyond that of a typical student.
"Damn it," cursed Blake, who had barely managed to parry Asher's attack. Using mana, he quickly distanced himself from Asher.
He looked at Asher's indifferent gaze, his fist clenched in frustration. He realized he would have lost if he hadn't managed to block Asher's last strike.
The hall fell silent, all eyes on Blake as he stared down Asher.
The top-ranking Second-Year student had nearly lost to the top-ranking First-Year student.
Such an event would have been deemed unbelievable had anyone suggested it before the match. They understood why Asher was unbeaten amongst the First-Year students, but against Blake Cranston, it was a shock to their belief systems.
Blake felt the weight of their stares, feeling as though his pride had taken a blow.
'No, I cannot lose to him,' Blake resolved, summoning the mana within his body to execute the first Sword Art technique his brother taught him.
'Is he using his sword art?' Asher noticed the change in the mana around Blake's body.
He recognized this Sword Art, a modified version of the Cranston Family's Orginal Sword Art. The one who improved it was the current Heir of the Cranston family.
Dahlia noticed Blake raising his mana but didn't halt the duel since the condition was not to use aura.
Blake gazed at Asher, his brother's advice echoing in his mind: to not use the family's swordsmanship openly until necessary.
Asher could sense the mana circulating around Blake's sword; the technique was still potent even without aura.
One of the 20 Second-Year students who had recently completed his spar recognized Blake's attack.
Blake lowered his body to the left and charged toward Asher.
His aim was Asher's neck, and his speed was now twice as fast as it had been. His sword was now surrounded by a strange turbulence of mana.
"Shit, is he trying to injure him?" A Second-Year student recalled the aftermath of Blake using that attack against a monster in a dungeon.
The monster had been torn apart by the strange technique Blake had employed. The scene had been too gruesome to witness.
He was shocked that Professor Dahlia hadn't stopped the spar.
Such an attack would be virtually undefendable for a First-Year student, but Dahlia was keen to observe Asher's response.
Asher's impassive gaze fell on Blake, who had closed the gap between them instantly, his sword drawing a significant amount of mana towards it.
'Mir Steps,' Asher invoked his movement technique, subtly altering his position relative to Blake.
He saw Blake's blade advancing toward him.
Blake's eyes blazed with a fervor to defeat Asher, but in the next instant, he found himself on the ground, inverted, with his right wrist in Asher's grip and his sword directed at his neck.
"What?" Blake gazed up at Asher in disbelief.
He was certain his strike was about to land, but now he was on the ground.
It wasn't just him.
The other students also failed to comprehend what had transpired.
"The winner is Asher Greville," Dahlia announced, her gaze fixed on Asher.
She saw it.
She noticed Asher's movements but struggled to believe that a First-Year student could move like that.
Asher glanced at Blake, who still didn't understand what had transpired.
How had the technique he learned from his brother been countered?
Asher released his hold on Blake's wrist and turned towards Dahlia.
"Can I leave now?" Asher asked.
"Wait, what happened just now?" Some students didn't understand, resulting in confusion.
'Is he that fast?' Aside from Dahlia, the only person who had caught Asher's movements was Kevin.
Kevin had used his lightning element to amplify his senses for the last 10 seconds of Blake and Asher's spar.
"How?" Kevin murmured in disbelief.
Even after witnessing what Asher had done, he was certain he could never devise such a counter to Blake's strike.
