The Deadly Prince
"This will be a duel to the death, merchant," he declared.
The man named Sun Tzu just looked at him, waiting.
Lucas drew the curved sword from the scabbard strapped to his waist. Five scabbards dropped to the ground as the floating swords spinning around him were unsheathed. This signaled the start of the duel.
The fool hadn't even bothered to bring any weapon. Well, he would show him the consequence of that. He placed his left foot forward and moved sideways, his right hand holding his sword above his head with its sharp end pointing toward the merchant. Then he raised his left hand, palm up, to control the spinning swords.
The duel began.
Lucas summoned his swords to spin toward the merchant. His opponent suddenly charged and ran toward him. Lucas smiled. He would pay for his insolence.
To his surprise, the merchant suddenly flowed into an intricate dance, circling around to avoid the swords within an inch as they passed by him. He watched as the merchant nimbly jumped, slid, vaulted, spun, leaped, shuffled, and sprang like a butterfly.
Well, that was not enough to avoid his swords. He drifted into a complex ripple of movements to command the swords and rushed toward the merchant.
They clashed with one another. They flowed with precision and dexterity—Lucas attacking while his opponent evaded.
Lucas grinned as he swayed through his opponent. He feinted a strike at the merchant's head. His move ensured that his foe would not be able to elude his other swords this time.
Out of nowhere, a huge shield appeared on the right arm of his adversary, blocking all his swords as he spun gracefully to his right. Lucas was astounded. He never thought this merchant was a battle mage like him. If he could summon a shield, then he would be able to muster a weapon too.
Just as he feared, a massive two-handed sword in a backhand grip materialized in the left hand of his adversary halfway through his spin. Lucas stifled the chill rising in him. He would be cleaved in two at the end of the merchant's rotation.
He quickly used his breakout skill, but it failed, to his complete horror.
He now noticed that his opponent was not just spinning—he was also creating a tourbillon that drew everything near toward him. The vortex made his special skill impossible. He knew the sword in his right hand would break like a twig if he parried, but it was better than nothing.
With a roar, he placed his sword in front of his body to shield himself and desperately poured all his elemental magic into strengthening it. Lucas knew it would not be enough.
He had always prided himself as one of the strongest earthen battle-mage knights. He had never lost a duel before, and now he was about to die. His thoughts raced furiously as he searched for any option to survive this predicament, but he found none.
Time slowed in his eyes as he watched the sword draw nearer, his foe completing the turn.
Lucas placed all his energy into accomplishing the insuperable task of strengthening his sword. He needed to survive this. He would not go down in shame. This Sun Tzu had cheated him, denying him the use of his deadly skills. He must not allow this.
He was a prince, heir of the royal line of Adara, and one of the commanders of the Lion Guild. He would not be disgraced by this shady character and his schemes.
Lucas howled with all his might as the heavy sword collided with his blade. He felt and saw how his saber shattered under the force of his enemy's broadsword. He watched in horror as the blade struck his armor and began to slice through it.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the sword vanished as if it had never existed. The small slice denting his armor was the only witness and proof of what would have happened.
The merchant continued his spin and used the weight of the heavy shield to pivot away from him.
Lucas felt his face turn red with humiliation. Not only had this suspicious person defied him, he had defeated him and spared his life in front of the people. This Sun Tzu had tricked him and robbed him of the chance to use his special skills.
He would pay for this—with his life!
—
The Watcher
He studied how the Prince was defeated and spared by his opponent.
He watched Lucas closely and saw the man's fury at being shamed in public. He observed as Lucas moved without considering the consequences of his actions.
All five swords that had lain scattered on the ground after Lucas lost control of them suddenly flew toward the merchant from five directions.
His adversary immediately raised his shield and summoned his sword to defend.
This time, Lucas used his special skill—the one he reserved only for slaying opponents.
The merchant blocked with his shield, parried with his sword, and began to spin. But Lucas teleported, blinking instantly to one of the flying swords, and delivered a fatal blow by sliding and slashing his foe in the left torso while dodging the heavy blade.
Lucas blinked again, this time to another sword passing over the merchant, and landed a crippling blow to his head.
In an instant, he blinked to another sword passing an inch behind his rival and cleaved him.
He blinked again to yet another sword, this one deflected by the merchant's shield, and spun to slash upwards from the right side of his hip to his upper left shoulder.
It all happened so fast that, to the untrained eye, it appeared as though five Lucases attacked all at once.
The last blink carried him to a sword moving straight toward his opponent's chest, and he rammed it through him.
Silence followed as everyone stood stunned at what had just happened.
They all watched as the merchant dropped his shield and sword, fell to his knees, and slumped to the ground.