"BANG!"
Their swords clashed, the sound echoing across the training ground. Neither Osirs nor Soue looked away, their eyes locked on each other with unwavering focus.
Osirs tightened his grip on his sword, gaining a momentary advantage as he forced Soue's blade back. Realizing he was being overpowered, Soue quickly tried to step back.
But how could Osirs allow that?
He advanced with a slash already prepared.
As Osirs swung his sword, Soue, with just enough space to adjust his stance, intercepted the attack and blocked it. Once again, their blades locked, pushing against each other in a contest of strength.
Suddenly, Soue's eyes sharpened. With his free left hand, he formed a fist and struck Osirs in the stomach.
It happened too fast for Osirs to react.
The punch wasn't terribly strong, but it was enough to cause a sharp jolt of pain, forcing him to loosen his grip. In that instant, Soue gained the upper hand, pushing Osirs back.
Osirs's body was slowly forced downward toward the ground.
But instead of resisting, he saw an opportunity.
Lowering his body intentionally, Osirs shifted his stance. With his left hand, he grabbed the hilt of his sword, steadied his footing, and, with all his strength, pushed forward.
Soue was caught off guard by the sudden burst of power and stumbled back, momentarily shocked.
That moment was all Osirs needed.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and thrust his sword toward Soue's torso.
But Soue recovered just in time, parrying the strike and locking blades with him once again.
With their swords clashing repeatedly, Osirs and Soue found themselves locked in a fierce exchange of countless blows, a duel of skill and endurance.
And in that exchange, Osirs was clearly at a disadvantage.
It was apparent that Soue had truly mastered the Averze Basic Swordsmanship. He could read and predict nearly every move Osirs made, blocking each strike with practiced precision.
But that didn't mean Osirs was helpless, after all, he too had nearly mastered the same sword style.
The fight had already lasted about five minutes, and while Osirs's strikes remained consistent and strong, Soue was beginning to show signs of fatigue. His sword swings gradually lost strength, his breathing became deeper, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
Seeing Soue's stamina slipping, he shifted into a more defensive stance, blocking Osirs's attacks instead of countering them.
Noticing this sudden change, Osirs decided to press his advantage. He made his sword strikes a bit slower, but with far more strength behind them. Each blow became heavier and harder to block, causing Soue increasing trouble.
Frustration flashed in Soue's eyes. He gritted his teeth as the pressure mounted.
But Osirs didn't let up. He couldn't afford to.
He continued attacking with everything he had until, at last, his sword broke through Soue's guard, creating a massive opening.
Right at Soue's neck.
Without hesitation, Osirs took the chance. His wooden sword surged forward and stopped just short of Soue's exposed neck.
The duel was over.
"STOP!" Teacher Volved's voice boomed across the training field as soon as he saw the finishing blow.
Both Osirs and Soue froze in place.
"The winner is Osirs!" the teacher announced.
Teacher Volved then declared Osirs the winner of the match, and at that moment, a status notification appeared before Osirs's eyes.
[The God of Light congratulates you for completing His challenge! Your reward will be given once you reach a place where no one can see you.]
Reading the yellow and black status notification, Osirs smiled happily and let his wooden sword drop to the ground with a light thud.
He then stretched out his hand toward Soue and smiled."That was a good match."
Soue, who had been frozen in shock for a moment, looked at the hand in silence, then reached out, grasped it, and nodded.
With that, Osirs left the center of the training ground and returned to the spot where he had been sitting earlier.
Applause began to break out among his classmates. A few praised the fight aloud, while others remained quiet, but the clapping grew louder, until a single, sharp clap from Teacher Volved brought it all to a stop.
"Alright, everyone. Enough clapping. Listen up."
At his words, the entire class turned to face their teacher, waiting for him to speak.
"Haa..." he let out a deep sigh before continuing, which only added to the students' confusion.
"As you all are nearly adults now, it's time you understood something important, the situation on our home mountain… isn't as peaceful as it used to be."
"Not peaceful? What does Teacher mean?" someone asked, but the teacher gave him a sharp look that made him fall silent immediately.
"Yes," Teacher Volved continued, his voice growing colder with every word. "The situation is not peaceful. Several races around our mountain have suddenly begun waging war against each other. Naturally, this will affect us as well."
His tone alone was enough to make them realize the seriousness of the situation. No one interrupted, everyone listened intently to his words.
"It appears that war may soon reach our Averze race," he said flatly. "And so, you must begin preparing for it."
The class was stunned. Even Osirs found himself shocked by those words.
War.
It was a heavy word, one they'd all heard since childhood, usually spoken in hushed tones, accompanied by warnings of its terrible consequences. Now, faced with the real possibility of it, everyone grew tense and anxious.
Seeing their reactions, Teacher Volved let out a deep sigh. He clenched his jaw, as if remembering something painful, but then calmed himself and continued.
"But you don't need to panic," he said. "Our race may be small, but we are by no means weak or easy to bully. Over the next year, all of you will begin training to reach the Body Tempering Stage. Once you're ready, you'll join the war alongside our warriors."
His words struck them with a quiet weight.
"So, rest for today. Make your preparations. And come back here tomorrow. You won't be returning home again for quite some time."
With that, he turned his gaze directly toward Osirs.
"You, come to me. You've already reached the Body Tempering Stage, so you have different responsibilities."
Surprised, Osirs blinked. He looked down at the small white fox curled in his arms, then stood up and walked toward his teacher.