"I have nothing against you. I only wish for a proper fight. I'm willing to put my life on the line, as long as my goal is reached!" Lionel yelled passionately, holding his sword out.
"…"
"It's like fighting against nothing.. Scary-"
Beiric surged forward.
The ground beneath him shifted, dusting rising into the air, obscuring vision.
Swsh!
Lio sliced down, the blade of light clearing the mist.
Beiric was nowhere to be found.
"!"
Clang!
Gathering momentum through fast spinning, Beiric's daggers collided with Lio's sword. Sparks and lightning flew.
Had Lio not turned around fast enough to block the strike, he would have been sliced through, clean in half.
The thought of it made him shiver, pushing Beiric off.
The scenery was quiet. It was the dead of night. The thickly wooded forest worked as a barrier of sound, from those around.
Snow caked the trees, the grass, the skies. The two boys used mana to provide warmth to their bodies.
"Back when we were in school, I admired your speed. To think we would be fighting here, on this chilly day."
Lio's adoration went through one ear and came out the other.
Beiric walked slowly. But even Lio could tell that he had to take everything as seriously as possible. He wasn't fighting some regular school kid.
[Cast: Vines of Electro]
Lio held his sword out. The blade's energy, the thick white lightning, shot out and formed sharp ropes.
The thorny ropes shot into the air.
With light and calculated moves, Beiric sidestepped, disappearing and reappearing, avoiding all ten of the ropes.
The thorns crashed into trees nearby, splintering them. Leaves and snow began to fall.
Amidst the snowfall, Beiric moved.
[Cast: Star Blade]
He moved monotonously, but quickly. The bright yellow blade fluttered and flashed in the palm of his hand. It gleamed brightly.
"I couldn't possibly… block something like that."
Slsh!
Beiric sliced. He closed the distance between the two of them in a short amount of time.
Lionel ducked, narrowly avoiding the cut.
The tree behind him, and a few trees after that were cut clean in half.
Shaking was heard. Rumbling could be felt at Lionel's feet. That was the feeling of trees and wood falling onto the ground.
Another strike was coming. This time, a horizontal slash.
Lio dashed to the side.
— If that had hit me…
While still in the air, Lio could feel the overwhelming, looming presence of death.
—!
Off pure instinct, he raised his guard, shielding his back.
Chip!
His blade shattered. Turning around quickly, he saw Beiric. His face was altered. Different. Insane, but human. Before, his expression was dull and vague.
It quickly reverted, though. Back to a face of displeasure.
— He tried attacking… my blind spot?
Lio grew weary.
Beiric was still there. A calculated killer. Controlling its husk of a body
It could be seen in his every movement.
As the battle continued, it turned into a cat-and-mouse game. Lio doing his best to just barely dodge.
Every strike that Beiric through was filled with killing intent. A vital was aimed at.
Beiric made little to no accidents. It was Lionel who continued to get lucky, nearly avoiding blows, ducking, and evading.
Lio found a second where he wasn't being berated with attacks.
It was quiet.
— This is a tough situation… I need to focus on preserving mana, to keep my body warm and to strengthen my body. But it's hard to focus, being chased around like this. It's even worse that my luck is starting to run out.
He panted, assessing the situation. Beiric could see Lionel from a distance. They locked eyes.
— I need to use this opportunity to fix my sword up, and fight!
It was something he had never attempted to do before.
He condensed his elemental mana. White lightning.
Shaping it to fit into the spot where the blade chipped off. It was shaky and erratic. But it roughly fit the blade.
— Instead of using regular mana… I'll strengthen myself with lightning mana!
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Opening it, surges of white lightning crackled, encompassing his frame.
He held his sword out.
With the bend of his knee, he dashed toward Beiric.
He moved so fast, and so close, he could see the whites of Beiric's eyes.
— I caught him off guard!
Clang!
His condensed lightning blade was strong enough to keep up with Beiric's star sword.
Clang!
They swung again. At the same speed, and same motion. It led to their blades colliding again.
Clang!
They were equal in speed, at this point. Not equal equal in skill. But, Lionel made up for it by increasing his vigor
It was strange, though.
Beiric had not enhanced his body at all.
Lightning could not be faster than light.
— So how could I possibly be matched up with him?
Lionel switched up his fighting style, jabbing Beiric with the hilt of his sword. It sent his chin to the sky.
He followed with a gut punch.
Beiric collapsed into the snow.
"You… you aren't taking me seriously, are you?"
"…"
Beiric lay in the snow, quietly. The night seemed so peaceful.
"I've been fighting like my life has been on the line this whole time. Do you even care for your life?!" Lionel yelled.
But no one responded.
"You're pathetic. I admired you at some point. Watching from afar. But if I would have known you were a good-for-nothing, scaredy-cat who doesn't value his whole life… I would have never even glanced at you."
"…"