"It's an honor that you decided to attend my measly engagement banquet, Your Majesties!"
I spoke as I bowed deeply to the royals that just arrived with my fiancées following my lead just behind me. To my surprise king chuckled and spoke, visibly in a good mood.
"Raise you heads please. I had no choice, young man. You see my daughter insisted on coming."
Spoke the king still smiling and pointing to his daughter standing right behind him.
"You see Aurora here spoke a lot about you. Something about rising star that is already A rank adventurer, running successful business that is also an S rank grand party, the student and future husband of our national treasure Yuki Sazanukachi, and so on, and so on. I could not help but come and see you."
Hearing this I paled. The king's smile, what he was talking about, everything was pointing to single thing. And the thing it was pointing to was terrifying. Goosebumps ran across my spine and before I could speak a single word, king's daughter Aurora spoke.
"That's enough dad! Victor, fight me please! I challenge you to a duel to first blood! Here and now!"
As she spoke, girls standing behind me paled, even my father paled and the whole banquet froze. There was no way out of this, not even my father could stop this from happening when first princess asks for duel right next to a king there is only one thing you can do.
"Naturally I accept, Your Highness!" I spoke, trying my best to hide my unwillingness. It didn't come as a too big of a surprise, I was expecting that this would be the reason she came, but that does not mean I was happy about it. She jumped up and down happily for a moment and spoke.
"Let's do this!"
I gently nodded and spoke. "In that case let's move to the garden! We can duel there!"
The moment I completed my sentence nearby announcer that heard the whole thing shouted loud enough for everybody to hear.
"There is going to be duel to first blood outside in the garden. Participants will be the first princess Aurora and Victor Balzac!"
After this announcement a pin drop silence spread in the ballroom. Soon after that everybody followed me and Aurora to the garden murmuring something that none of us could understand.
Soon we were standing on a large patch of grass facing each other when she spoke pointing to one of the marquesses watching us.
"You will judge the duel. Remember, you need to be impartial and fair!"
Men unwillingly walked up and nodded.
"As you wish your highness!" He stepped in between us and spoke.
"Please make twelve steps back both of you!"
We both turned and made the twelve steps as he requested. Then we once again turned to face each other.
"Ready yourself! Remember the fight ends the moment first blood is shed, one of you is knocked unconscious or somebody forfeits the fight!"
We both nodded.
"Fight!"
The marquess stepped back several steps and activated his body infusion just to be sure covering his body with small layer of raging winds.
I on the other hand quickly activated both of my infusions and my aura, while Aurora exploded in blue flames that covered her body and blade.
Not even moment after that she charged forward scorching the ground she walked on with every step. I meanwhile readied myself to receive her. I knew that she is faster, stronger, and has much more stamina and mana than me. There was no attribute in which we were even, not even thinking of me having edge.
Her swordsmanship style was extremely aggressive focused on overwhelming the opponent. So, I was not going to be gaining any advantage there either. The only thing that I was banking on to keep me from losing instantly was my aura of balance.
As she charged her speed was impressive but the moment, she made few steps and found herself inside of my aura her speed dropped significantly, and she felt the impact of my aura right away. She looked hopeful as she charged but when the aura hit her, she started smiling, like something good happened to her.
As she reached me, she swung at me with her longsword, I parried and quickly stepped back, not giving her the opportunity for second swing. She loved to overwhelm opponents with high-speed continuous swings. I was not planning on giving her an opportunity to do that.
My plan was to delay her for long enough for my aura to make her pass out. If either mana or stamina reached zero, the person would pass out and when the person's health reaches around ten to fifteen percent remaining from the aura, exactly the same happens. So, all I had to do to win was to delay and defend until my aura does its thing.
This was much easier said than done. Her attacks were ferocious, she was charging, slashing and stabbing at me her with her sword nonstop, while doing that, she had what you could only call shit eating grin on her face. She grasped my strategy the moment I backed off the first time, I was sure about it since it was the exact time she started grinning,
**** Aurora's POV ****
I heard so much about this guy. Prodigy this, future pillar of the kingdom that. Let me be the judge. I hope you will manage to at least entertain me a little.
"Fight!"
Finally! My infusions are active let's see what's all the fuss is about!
What's this? Why I am slow? Why am I weak? Why is everything degening?
I see! It's his skill. That weird thing he activated it must be this. It's good start, I hope you have the swordsmanship to back it up.
*Swush* *Clunk*
He parried? And retreated? What?
Is he planning to attrition me out of the duel using his aura?
Perfect! Keep doing this! This is a first time I am fighting somebody and I don't know if I win.
*Swush* *Clunk*
*Swush* *Clunk*
…
*Swush* *Clunk*
*Swush* *Clunk*
I love this! He is awesome. I already lost more than half of my stamina and almost as much of mana and life. He just wants to parry me to dead. I love it!
*Swush* *Clunk*
*Swush* *Clunk*
…
*Swush* *Clunk*
*Swush* *Clunk*
No matter how much I swing he just keeps on parrying and backing off. Never lingering even a second longer, never swinging at me. I even tried to lure him into longer exchanges by giving him the openings. He even looks at the opening but he still keeps on backing off. Not giving me a chance to swing more than once. It's like he knows that my specialty is rapid fast continued attacks, but how could he?
Is he reading me while we fight? Not possible, nobody can read me like this.
Did he saw me fight? Can't be, I have never been in a fight this long.
Is it just pure instinct? It must be! There is no other explanation. Why else would he do this? His battle instincts must be guiding him! I love this!
*Swush* *Clunk*
*Swush* *Clunk*
…
*Swush* *Clunk*
*Swush* *Clunk*
I am down to less than quarter of my stamina, my mana and health are not much better. There is no other way! I have to use it! If it continues like this I am going to lose, and no matter how entertaining the fight is, I want to win it.
But what if it kills him?
There is no way it kills him! He will manage! He must! I want to fight him more after I win! I must fight him again! This is too good!
Please find a way to live through this Victor! I am going to use it!
**** MC POV ****
What the actual ever living fuck?
She is really going to use it? That stance is unmistakable.
I thought as Aurora backed up little and took an unusual stance. She crouched a little with her right leg forward and left quite far back. Her upper body was turned towards me as she placed pommel of her sword in between of her breasts. She inhaled sharply and spoke.
"Último corte!"
This was her strongest skill. The skill would let her charge to me in twice the speed she normally could and release single thrust that would launch a flaming spike about ten meters forward.
This made the skill very hard to interact with. It came out from sizeable distance, fast, had noticeable range and unbelievable damage. The skill had few small flaws, that were all I could rely on for survival.
One of them being that this skill always aims for the heart, every single time. It was part of the skill. There was no other place it could be aimed at. That is plenty scary but also predictable. I would prefer if she didn't actually used it since if I screw up, I am going to die, but from the moment she took her stance there was no running from it, or stopping it. She would have used it even if I surrendered.
I took my stance ready to parry her thrust aiming at my heart. Gulping one more time as she charged towards me.