Something was changing in Enrico's presence. The air seemed heavier, and with his dull eyes he advanced this time directly toward Faelion. Noticing that his opponent was different now, Faelion used bird magic to transform into another form, a psittacine. Unlike the previous transformation, this one looked more like armor than an actual bird.
'What is this?'
Through the avian shell covering his face, his vision was different. He watched his opponent's movements and saw something strange in Enrico's body as the punch came toward his face. Moving quickly, he lifted his feet and caught the fist with the claws on his legs, which also looked more like armor than a true transformation.
'Why are his muscles trembling like that?'
Brute force pushed his claws backward, but he didn't want to stop the movement. Using his opponent's momentum, he spun, kicking the fist aside with his other leg, and in the middle of the spin his other leg struck Enrico's neck, sending him flying away. His eyes were becoming duller and duller. Many would think it was a sign his opponent's defeat was approaching.
'Why do I feel like something is wrong?'
Not wanting that feeling to linger, he decided to end this as quickly as possible—even if he had to use all his mana. Gathering power in his body, he exhaled toward his opponent, creating a current of wind that destroyed everything in its path. The air current struck Enrico's body, pushing him back several meters before it was broken apart by Enrico's fist, creating an opposing shockwave.
"Bird Magic: Eagle Mode and Psittacine Mode."
Activating his strongest transformation, his body turned into mana as he assumed the form of an eagle. Around that form an armor began to form, gradually becoming more humanoid as milliseconds passed. Soon he stood in a hybrid form—half bird of mana, half elf—encased in armor. Feathers made of mana circled his body, and with a burst of speed after transforming he was already in front of Enrico.
As his opponent approached, Enrico's dull eyes moved toward the incoming strike. Raising his hand, he grabbed Faelion's claw even as his own body was injured by the explosion of wind that burst out the moment his hand touched the elf's talons. While Faelion was surprised, Enrico moved both arms, spun him through the air, and then kicked his ribs, breaking part of the armor surrounding his body and dispersing some of the mana around him. Faelion coughed blood before being pushed backward, his eyes wide as Enrico vanished from his sight.
'It's as if he's adapting to my movements.'
Faelion was faster than in his mana-bird form and had greater perception by combining both transformations, but it was useless if his opponent had already adapted to the speed of both forms. Of course he had only been struck because his opponent caught him by surprise with that adaptation, but the elf would now be far more cautious.
His feathers floating around his body transformed into the same sword he had earlier. Grabbing two in his hands, he advanced toward Enrico with the blades accompanying him. With a descending strike from the front, Enrico moved to the side and avoided the first blow. The second came from behind, forcing him to leap into the air. Faelion seized the opportunity and used his other sword in an ascending slash. With great skill even in midair, Enrico twisted his body, avoiding most of the damage with only a light cut slicing his clothing.
"Bird Sword Multiplicity: Cockatoo Dance."
Using his own fencing technique, the many swords moved together in their own rhythm. The first attacked from above, forcing Enrico to move backward as he landed. Then two swords spun in circles at great speed before attacking at the same time. Still moving, Enrico kicked upward the sword that tried to strike him from above and caught it with his right hand. Using the fencing style of his mother, he deflected one blade and then swung in a wide arc behind him, deflecting the other.
But Faelion's assault didn't end. He moved from side to side while his blades swept across both directions. The swords spun like rotating cutters trying to slice Enrico apart. Enrico stopped the first with a tap to the tip, kicked aside another coming from the right, and spun through the air to avoid three at once. While the blade he had halted hung in the air, Enrico gripped its hilt firmly and slashed sideways, catching Faelion by surprise just as Faelion's sword was about to pierce him. Both strikes landed simultaneously, each piercing the other's shoulder.
'He's following my dance?'
It was unbelievable to him, but at the same time it made his eyes shine with a faint excitement. This was the first time he felt as though he were dancing with a true partner. Even so, he remained focused. Even if he had begun to admire his opponent, he still had to kill him. Their sides were incompatible, and he completely agreed with his father's beliefs.
'Fourth movement.'
All his swords seemed to split into two blades before closing in around Enrico's body. With the two feather swords still in his hands, Enrico used the dual-handed fencing style taught by his mother to drive away every blade around him with devastating cuts that shattered many of them. These techniques had been taught by the original Enrico's mother years ago when he trained with the Solcren Ferreira family. Until now, he had never had the chance to replicate that monstrous ability.
'Fifth movement—'
Faelion stomped the ground, and Enrico surprised him by stepping in perfect synchronization with his motion. This was the final moment of the deadly dance between them. Faelion was certain it would be the finishing move.
'I see… he'll try to reproduce it. I accept the challenge.'
He stepped again, and the pressure between them seemed to increase as their weapons collided. Raising his right sword, Faelion tried to cut Enrico's neck, but Enrico deflected it. Faelion responded the same way. The blades separated from the clash, and immediately another strike came from behind from the last floating blade. Stepping on the ground, Enrico spun backward, letting the blade pass him and fly toward Faelion. Raising his sword, the elf managed to deflect it just in time and prepared to pursue his opponent—until Enrico's speed suddenly increased with a violent burst and he appeared directly behind him.
Yes, from the moment he faced Enrico he knew the human's physical abilities were superior. Even so, he could not hesitate to accept this duel for a simple reason.
"Haha… damn pride."
In that final moment he wanted to prove that his skill and technique were superior to Enrico's. And he was right—his swordsmanship was better. But the last exchange between them was not a clash of swords.
'I forgot… he still thinks like a mage.'
The feather blade pierced his chest from behind, making him cough blood. Throughout the entire fight he had observed his opponent's movements, and only at the final moment did he realize why Enrico hadn't been using magic. Somehow, he had sealed his mana to increase his physical capabilities. He didn't understand how, but he knew that this human would go even further in the future.
"You are an absurd human."
Faelion's eyes lost their light, and his body fell heavily onto the ground. Enrico should have been exhausted, but his dull eyes lifted toward the sky where a tear in space had begun to appear.
His eyes were even duller than at the start of the battle. Just like years ago when he had entered the limit-breaking state, he had entered that mode once again. Now he stared toward his next opponent—like a predator watching its next prey.