The Foolhardies 91 Twister

"Do you honestly believe dragging me down to the mud will give you an advantage?" Azuma's eyes glinted with murderous intent as he moved his right foot back and made himself an even narrower target than one could imagine. "You only hasten the approach of death."

"When did your words get so flowery?" I asked while feigning calm serenity. Even though deep down inside, my heart was racing like a drumbeat to a K-pop soundtrack. "Nothing's set in stone… It's not over until the fat lady sings."

Azuma smiled. It was the kind of smile that turned my blood icy-cold and sent the hairs on the back of my arms standing on end. A foreboding feeling was growing in me. The dude was up to something, and I wasn't going to like it.

My nemesis lowered the pointy end of his spear onto the wet gra.s.s. Then he spoke in a series of incoherent gibberish I a.s.sumed was a fairy dialect I hadn't discovered yet. It sounded weird enough to come from the fay.

You might be wondering why I didn't take this chance to attack him while he focused on his weird chant. Honestly, there was no opportunity for a sneak attack. It was his eyes. They were like sharp daggers plunging into the depths of my courage, daring me to jump in.

Once Azuma finished his chant, a predictably magical thing happened. Moisture from the wet gra.s.s began to rise up from the ground in the form of tiny water droplets which were clearly visible to my enhanced eyesight. These droplets gathered around the shadowblade of Azuma's spear tip, covering it in a liquid coating that glowed like a pale reflection of moonlight against the water's surface.

I recalled my previous fight with Jimmy Jonas and how he used a similar skill to ignite his glaive in flames.

My throat went dry. "Is that…  Augmentare ?" I gulped.

Momentary surprise flitted across Azuma's face before he replied with, "You know about Elemental Weapons?"

The memory of Jimmy's blood-caked faced flashed across my vision, forcing me to shut my eyes tightly in the hopes of stopping that rewind in my mind. "Y-yeah... I fought another commander who could use it." I cleared my throat. "So... you can use it too."

"You would too if there was a master to teach you." Azuma raised his spear level with his shoulders. Both hands grasped tightly onto the pole as he pointed it toward me. "Sadly, you're out of time."

The few water droplets that didn't get pulled into the spearhead's s.h.i.+ny new liquid coating floated around it similar to those scenes when astronauts play with their water while in outer s.p.a.ce.

"Okay… that's cool," I whistled appreciatively. That appreciation was short-lived. My next words were, "Wait, we're skipping the banter?"

In a single leap, Azuma launched himself forward with his spear aimed to strike me down. He moved so quickly that I barely had time to jump forward before our weapons clashed against each other.

Sparks flew as shadowblades met. The sound of metal raking across metal shrieked into my ears combined with an explosive pressure that was no doubt caused by the watery sheath of his spear's tip.

Although it worked well against most enemies at my level, my falchion's absurd cutting power was practically useless against Azuma's higher tier weapon. In fact, I'd go as far to say my sword lost out to his spear in terms of explosive strength. This was clear in how my shadowblade got blown away by the spear thrust boosted by the elemental power he'd harnessed earlier.

Now, in this momentary opening, the old Dean might have gotten himself skewered in the gut. But I've survived countless life and death struggles since my last bout with Azuma, and I'd picked up a thing or two since. So, instead of fighting against my sword arm getting pushed away, I twisted my body and followed the momentum to a full three-hundred-sixty degree clockwise rotation that sent my sword slas.h.i.+ng back at Azuma's exposed abs.

Azuma blocked it with the shaft of his spear, but I was prepared for this obvious outcome too.

I twirled around again—this time counter-clockwise—and attacked him on the other side. But Azuma parried this attack with a twirl of his spear, causing our shadowblades to rake across each other once more.

Again, there was an explosive force of steam that pushed my sword arm back. I could feel hot water graze the skin on the back of my hand.

"Argh!" I screamed.

But neither the failed attack or the pain in my hand deterred me in the least. I simply gritted my teeth and continued to twirl around a third time—back to clockwise—while making sure each twirl pushed me forward and drove him back. My third attack was a one-handed downward slice that Azuma parried by raising the b.u.t.t of his spear at the exact moment my sword came cras.h.i.+ng toward him.

This action broke his stance momentarily, and I used that time to reverse my sword grip by transferring my falchion from my right hand to my left. In the same breath, I twirled a fourth time—counterclockwise now—and sent my reverse sword slas.h.i.+ng toward Azuma's chest. But the b.a.s.t.a.r.d blocked it again.

Seriously, there was only so many times a guy could pull off such an amazing dance of swordplay that would have made even Geralt of Rivain proud, you know?

My frustration stayed my hand and stopped the combo I was chaining, giving Azuma enough breathing room to raise his spear high and right back down on my head in a blow that would have cleaved me in two if I hadn't raised my falchion in time to block it with both hands. Still, the impact was so powerful it drove me to my knees. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

My arms ached from the strain and I could taste blood in my mouth. My ears rang from the cheers of the dozens of Magesong soldiers who'd surrounded us. Above me, I could see Azuma's maniacal face staring back at me. There was definitely murder in his eyes.

The only good thing about this situation was that the Augmentare Azuma cast was finally gone. That last blow must have depleted it somehow. That and Fool's insight was still active. I doubt I could have survived this long without its support.

"Your fight with Jonas strengthened you," Azuma remarked in an almost happy tone marred only by his weak voice. "You're a compet.i.tor too, deep down, aren't you?"

"I-I don't know what you mean," I hissed through gritted teeth.

Azuma shook his head. "We're not so different." His smile was manic, almost crazy-like in the way it grew on his face. "I let you live last time for this very reason. Now I can truly enjoy our battle."

"You're really crazy, Azuma," I said, pus.h.i.+ng back against the pressure he was shoving down at me. Even worse, I could feel his killing intent. It was smaller compared to Jimmy's, but much sharper—like a honed blade eager to carve me up. But despite this obvious threat on my life bearing down on me, a grin was forming on my face. Perhaps, Azuma was right about me after all. This p.i.s.sed me off so much that I just had to have the last laugh. "Don't think you're winning. I just need to keep you here until my general gets the job done."

Azuma raised an eyebrow almost like he'd had an epiphany. His next words, however, erased the smug smile plastered on my face. "He really is incredible... he said you would say that."

"W-what?" My mind was suddenly in turmoil. There were only a few ways I could interpret Azuma's meaning. None of them good. "W-who said that?"

Azuma sent me a pitying gaze, and for an instant, his forceful killing intent subsided.

"It seems you were too inexperienced to contend wits with him, Dean," Azuma said. His voice was almost a whisper.

"Oh, spirits..." The strength in my arms was being sapped by the realization dawning on me. "He figured out my plan… He knew I would try to split your forces and keep you guys focused on me…" 

Azuma nodded in an almost reverent way. "The Lord of War knows all."