Dean’s spear shot forward.
Percival met it head-on. He wasn’t afraid.
"CLANG!"
The Spear of Dawn collided with Percival’s blade, and the impact sent a sharp metallic ring through the training hall.
Neither of them moved back. For a moment, the two weapons remained locked between them.
Dean stared directly into Percival’s eyes and Percival couldn’t do anything but the same. He was quite shocked of Dean’s boldness...his improved self.
Although Percival trained him as much as he can this still was incredible.
Then both pushed away each other out of nowhere.
Dean immediately stepped forward and a horizontal sweep came toward Percival’s waist.
Percival jumped over the attack. The ghost was smiling.
Dean reversed the spear before Percival could land, bringing the shaft upward directly, trying to hit him seriously.
Percival crossed his blade in front of himself.
"CHANG!"
The blow forced him backward. Dean didn’t give him time to recover as he advanced with another thrust.
Percival tilted his body. The spearhead passed beside his ribs.
His sword immediately swung toward Dean’s neck.
Dean ducked from that attack, breating heavy.
The blade passed above his head and he rotated the spear to struck Percival’s side with the shaft.
Percival staggered.
Dean followed with a second strike.
Percival blocked.
After that third one came.
He blocked once more.
A fourth one...but this time Percival stepped backward.
Dean continued pressing forward. There was no hesitation in his movements anymore.
The forty days of training had changed the way he fought.
He no longer wasted movement, every step that he took against against Percival had a purpose.
Every strike forced a response and every opening was immediately exploited.
Percival noticed.
His expression became serious.
"Better than I expected, my liege. You have grown so much."
Dean thrust again.
"Among other things." Percival said suddenly.
Percival deflected the spearhead but in that exact moment Dean rotated the weapon.
The butt end slammed into Percival’s stomach.
"THUD."
The ghost was pushed backward. Dean lunged.
Percival’s sword flashed as Dean twisted his body.
The blade sliced through the fabric near his shoulder. A shallow cut appeared.
He stepped closer.
The Spear of Dawn swept upward, glowing and feeling the mana energy around it. Dean could see it all...well almost.
Percival blocked with both hands.
The impact forced him onto one knee.
Dean pushed harder.
For a brief moment, Percival was underneath him.
Dean’s spear pressed against the ghost’s blade. Percival looked up.
Then smiled.
"Don’t get careless, my liege." he said.
Mana exploded from his body. Dean was thrown backward. The energy was strong enough to push, no, literally throw him backwards, almost 20 steps.
He landed on his feet, sliding several meters across the floor.
His hands tightened around the spear. Percival stood. The small wound along his side was already fading. Dean narrowed his eyes.
"Still holding back?" Dean said. He actually wanted to fight against his ghost seriously.
He thought he was worthy for that.
"Not anymore." the ghost replied directly.
He vanished.
Dean’s pupils contracted.
He barely raised the spear.
"CLANG!"
Dean could feel the mana. He didn’t even need to close his eyes to focus to those energies.
The ghost’s sword struck from the side.
Dean redirected it.
"CLING!!!"
Another slash came from above.
Dean blocked.
"CHING!!!!!!"
Another from the left.
This time he stepped away.
Percival thrusted directly and Dean twisted. After that he didn’t stop but try to pierce.
This time Percival dodged the attack and got way faster than how he was just a second ago.
He jumped as he was trying to do a sweeping attack.
Dean was being forced backward. His feet moved almost on their own but he couldn’t match Percival’s speed.
So he stopped trying. Instead, he watched. Like he learned from Percival long time ago.
The ghost’s shoulders.
His hips and his feets.
The movement of his sword.
There was always a tiny indication before each attack. This wasn’t even watching his mana energy anymore.
Dean straight up could see his movements.
He waited and Percival swung. Dean needed to learn the pattern, the movement style.
Percival swung.
Dean moved before the blade arrived and the sword missed.
This time it was Dean who thrust.
Percival blocked.
"CHING!"
Dean swept his spear low. Slashing the fast moving air.
"SWOOOSH!!!"
Percival jumped.
Dean spun Spear of Dawn without waiting a second and attacked once more:
The shaft struck Percival’s chest.
"BOOM."
The Holy Energy from Dean and Mana Energy from Percival pierced and combined for a second and a tiny air explosion happened.
Percival was thrown backward.
He landed, slid several meters, and stopped.
Dean immediately charged. When Percival saw this he raised his sword.
The two collided again.
Spear.
Sword.
Spear.
Sword.
The attacks were almost one to one. It was tactical one could’ve said. If Dean attacks Percival would parry, if he did it then Dean would parry.
The sounds echoed through the field. The more and more butlers and maids started watching the duel.
Harry and his family were among them.
It was beyond magnificence.
This time the duel looked like an art, instead of Dean getting beaten up by Percival.
Dean’s attacks were becoming increasingly aggressive.
He struck toward Percival’s shoulder.
Percival blocked with not much ease.
Next attack was toward his ribs and he dodged.
This time it was toward his leg and Percival parried this one.
Percival countered after.
Dean stepped away from his attack.
The blade missed his chest by inches. If it hit it would be a deep cut. The duel was way more serious than ever.
Dean thrust again.
This time, Percival couldn’t fully escape.
The Spear of Dawn grazed his side.
Percival got cut in that instance and his ghostly yet Heavenly, glowing red blood started spilling.
Percival stepped back. He was quite shocked because he really was using all he had. Dean learned everything more and better than Percival could EVER imagine.
Dean didn’t stop with this attack.
He attacked again.
Percival blocked this time but he was getting pushed back, like seriously. This duel was NOT even close to ending.
Dean rotated the Spear of Dawn.
The shaft struck Percival’s wrist once more but this time it was MUCH of a shallow cut.
Percival’s grip weakened and with that Dean kicked his knee. He wasn’t going to miss a chance.
Percival stumbled.
Dean’s spear came around
The blade stopped a few centimeters from Percival’s throat.
But Percival suddenly stepped forward, after dodging the spear.
Dean’s eyes widened.
Persival’s sword came up.
Dean twisted the Spear of Dawn once more to parry but he was late.
The blade passed his chest.
But this time Dean released one hand from the spear and struck Percival directly in the face.
"CRACK."
Percival’s head snapped sideways.
Dean immediately pulled the spear backward and drove the butt into his abdomen.
"UGH!!"
Percival stumbled.
Dean followed. The Spear of Dawn came down.
Percival crossed his sword above his head.
"BOOM!"
Two energies combined and did the same thing once more.
The dirt floor beneath his feet cracked.
Dean pushed with even more power this time.
Percival tried to pushed back.
Their faces were only inches apart.
Dean gritted his teeth, Percival’s eyes narrowed but neither of them gave way.
Then Dean suddenly released the pressure.
Percival’s body shifted forward.
He then stepped aside and he hooked the spear around Percival’s ankle.
The ghost lost his balance.
Dean pulled and Percival fell.
Before he could recover, Dean placed the spearhead against his chest.
Silence.
Percival stared upward.
Dean stood over him, breathing heavily.
For several seconds, neither moved and then suddenly, Percival laughed.
"Puhahaha! Magnificent, my liege!!!"
A genuine laugh.
"Well..."
He slowly lowered his sword and the sword vanished directly.
"I believe that’s the closest you’ve ever come." he said.
Dean’s grip loosened.
"I thought I had you." he said.
"You did." Percival responded.
Percival sat up and added to his words:
"If this had been a fight to the death, you would have won that exchange."
Dean smiled.
"That sounds like a victory to me." he said...and he was right, it WAS a victory.
"Don’t become arrogant." Percival said. Just because Dean won against him didn’t mean he would against everybody.
After all, in this duel, the Mana or Holy energies were RARELY used.
Percival stood and dusted off his outfit.
"You still have much to learn, my liege." he added to his words once more.
Dean lowered the Spear of Dawn.
"I know." he said. Of course he knew.
Percival looked at him carefully.
"But forty days ago..." he said thinking.
He glanced at the cracked dirt floor around them.
"You wouldn’t have lasted thirty seconds, sir." he added.
Dean smiled.
"Then I guess the forty days weren’t wasted."
"No." said Percival and added "No, they were not."
Dean rested the spear against his shoulder.
For the first time, there was no overwhelming gap between them.
This was something none of them expected.
Not the butlers or maids that were watching from the castle, nor the people who actually duelled here today.
Still, whoever or whatever was watching, one thing was for sure.
Dean won.
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