'That knife… He must have gotten it from one of the agents back at the library. The question is where was it all this time? No. Right now, what's really important is how to deal with the aftermath,' contemplated Chris as he observed Ace who was holding his ground against Deker with impressive tenacity.
None of them were letting up as the platform became more and more covered in cuts produced from Deker's wind slashes and Ace's attacks.
'Now I get it,' Deker's thoughts raced as he continued his match with Ace, exchanging attacks with each other. 'I don't know what kind of power it is, but his specialty is this weird shadow magic and that energy that's covering his knife. That attack from earlier was the result of him combining that shadow spell with precise movements for maximum damage.'
"Hehe. You really are one interesting kid," he muttered evading Ace's attack by redirecting and blocking the knife using his own sword. 'But…'
'Talk about a monster. With my first attack, I had the element of surprise, but he even evaded that,' Ace's thoughts raced as he leaped backwards, creating distance between them.
'So far, I can kind of get a feeling of how I'm supposed to fight. But I'm having trouble accurately timing my moves and attacks. Maybe it's because the memories I have aren't originally mine.'
'There's a sense of awkwardness in the way he moves. Oh well, right now he must be trying to figure out what he can do now that I know what he's capable of,' Deker thought as he observed Ace intently.
"Well, if you won't attack then I'll go first!" Deker raised his sword, a magical blue aura forming around him as his sword covered itself in a whirlwind of wind which continuously grew stronger.
"Here I go!" With a fast and clear motion, Deker's sword descended, a powerful gust of wind heading straight towards Ace with unimaginable force as it cracked and fissured the ground of the arena.
And the name of the technique was...
Ace, not knowing what to do, called upon the same shadow technique he used when he was attacked by surprise earlier, creating barrier to protect himself from the attack.
The attack hit Ace's shadow barrier with such force that he was being pushed back. During that time, Hugo was watching everything intently, never averting his gaze even once from the battle.
His expression remained neutral and focused as he slowly approached Chris and engaged with him.
"That's a nice reaction that child had. Instead of trying to counter the attack, he decided to defend against it. Right now, he's most certainly pouring most of his strength into the barrier to keep the attack from breaching it."
"Huh? Dean Hendrickson," exclaimed Chris finally noticing Hugo.
"How about enjoying the show for now and talking later? It would seem this fight is nearing its end," were Hugo's words, a smirk on his lips as his eyes glowed bright yellow.
"As you wish," Chris replied.
In the meantime, Deker's attack had ended, and the once perfectly built platform, now completely full of fissures and a pile of rubble, was nothing more than a shadow of itself.
As Ace's barrier slowly dissolved itself into his shadow, it revealed a figure breathing heavily and struggling to stay up on its feet.
"Hahaha!" laughed Deker, impressed by Ace's persistence. "Can't believe you managed to block that attack! You really are impressive!"
"Thanks… for… the… compliment… Haah," Ace, though keeping a calm and composed expression on his face, breathed heavily as he tried to answer.
'This is ridiculous. How am I even supposed to beat him? Whether it'd be in technique, power, experience, he surpasses me in everything. Beat him… a sword that can beat him. No. That's not it. Survive. That's the only thing that matters. The sacrifices don't matter as long as I survive.'
Ace's breathing became steadier as his gaze shifted into a more focused, determined and cold one. They were the eyes of a beast ready to kill.
'The air about him changed,' thought Deker, seeming honestly surprised for a moment as he saw Ace who seemed to relax his muscles. 'Guess this is his final struggle.'
"One strike. I only need a single strike," Ace muttered under his breath, focusing more and more as he emanated a silver aura. The same energy that coursed through his knife, making it glow brightly.
It was serene flow. It was like the flowing water of a stream that ran endlessly across the mountains. This was definitely the finale of this battle.
Deker, sensing this, did something unexpected. He planted his sword in the ground.
Chris and Hugo, seeing this, understood immediately why he had done so.
"What are you doing?" asked Ace, a tinge of suspicion and doubt in his tone.
"Don't worry. This match isn't over yet. Collect all your strength. I'll meet it with my own," replied Deker, his gaze piercing and intimidating.
Just as he was told, Ace collected all of his strength. Deker didn't move at all. He neither tried to attack nor did he utter a single word. It was just silence.
Ace, his focus deep and his breathing steady, had an aura that poured out of him. Of course it wasn't mana. It was something raw. Something much more potent and primordial… pure fighting spirit.
"This is it," said Chris, his expression becoming more serious.
"This is the final act," Hugo followed up.
Deker pulled out his sword from the ground raising it high up. "I, Deker von Rotsguard, recognize you, Ace as a worthy opponent. And as a show of my respect, I'll hit you with everything I've got," he said, his eyes emitting with a magical blue glow.
And at that moment, they all felt it. It was an immense pressure that made it hard to breathe. It was a murderous aura that instilled deep fear in most. The young woman who had remained on site, not uttering a single word, fainted while Chris and Hugo, finding it hard to even move under this pressure, resisted it with their own strength.
'You crazy bastard. You're really pulling out all the stops with this one,' thought Chris, glaring at Deker who was the origin of this aura from where he was standing.
'Kid. I hope your spirit isn't so weak that it will break so easily," Deker thought as he swung his sword down, a wave of pressure being released on Ace.
'Spiritual Pressure,' internally began Hugo, observing what was going on with curiosity in his eyes. 'A technique only used by those who have reached a higher realm of existence. Capable of instilling fear into the hearts of their enemies just by breathing. But this variation sends one's killing intent as an attack directly towards the opponent. One that attacks directly the soul. Will he be able to resist it, I wonder?'
Ace, taking on the attack head on, felt his body being sliced up in half. The sensation was so vivid that he really thought that he had died. It was a horrifying experience, an illusion that broke his spirit completely. His body, still in the same position as it was before the attack, only had empty eyes. Those of a dead person.
"Guess this was the best he could have managed," muttered Hugo, a tinge of disappointment in his voice as Chris averted his gaze in agony from the scene.
"Goodbye, kid," said Deker, a hint of sadness in his voice as he turned around, ready to descend from the platform.
At that moment, Ace's body flinched a little. The grip of his hand which had loosened up after the attack, became firm once again. Deker turned around in surprise. Even Chris and Hugo had surprised expressions on their faces.
An aura that grew stronger and stronger with each passing moment had started to form around Ace. Clearly, he had still not given up.