Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

Ed, while under the seal where his body couldn’t express the full extent of his stats, was still watching Moon’s finest movements. Everything was moving far slower than it actually was.

Far too slow. His eyes passed by Moon’s wrist flick, holding the sword in reverse while his hand was at shoulder level. The fine movement he did to produce the attack aiming for his chin.

Even the step he took, both suicidal and breathtaking.

Moon stood behind his guard.

His eyes fell last on Moon’s face, the rigidity of every muscle, the eyes open wider than usual, and even his ears slightly behind their usual relaxed spot.

His shoulder-length hair running fast toward his face, trying to catch up to his stride.

For the first split second, Ed felt cornered. After long years of not fighting, only to fight without his Echo or his stats.

A few beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. When was the last time? he thought to himself. How long has it been?

The urgency of the situation pressured Ed more than he expected. It wasn’t a matter of getting hurt; his body would still bear the small damage a second-floor ascender could inflict.

It was a matter of qualification.

If defeated, he would lose the qualification to guide him further.

Not that I mind losing, kid. It’s just too early for that to happen. Ed made up his mind.

But the path forward, to get out of this maximum lethality, wasn’t something he’d ever do.

"Crazy kid forcing me to do crazy things," he said as he loosened his grip on both of his blades.

Ed shifted, widening the angle of his leg in the sword’s path, while simultaneously leaning backwards.

The sword pierced through his pants right above the knee, and Liquid Mountain only managed to cut, or rather, crop a narrow end of Ed’s hair.

Taking advantage of the fact that Moon’s arms followed the weapon’s trajectory and his chest was now wide open, Ed wasn’t done; his now empty hands aimed for Moon’s chest in a very challenging short-distance punch.

"Ah!" Ed couldn’t help exclaiming. For now, Moon’s elbows were in the trajectory of his punch.

Wuff~

Moon was forced to take a few steps back, while Ed’s hands went for those blades of his, the blades that had yet to touch the ground.

The entire exchange was but a moment, almost an instant for Moon, but for Ed, it was a very agonizingly long moment.

A moment he felt trapped in a quagmire, he ran his sleeve over his sweating forehead. But there was another question.

Had he calculated it would fail, and used his elbow to defend? he thought, and the thought left him more troubled than he was.

Moon whistled; he looked at Ed, now armed again. He nodded. "Not bad, not bad."

His eyes squinted; a sharp glint radiated all of a sudden. "For a shameless old cheater," he spat.

Pffff~

Ed broke into a fit of laughter without any warning.

Moon looked on skeptically. "Hey, what are you laughing at?"

"Edmond, did you notice it?" Lucen’s voice echoed in Ed’s ears.

"Of course, you have no idea how intense the heat is down here," Ed said jokingly.

"How are you going to deal with that?" Lucen asked. "At this rate, the kid might turn out more useful to you than you are to him," Lucen said sarcastically.

"That’s problematic, old man... What do I do now?" Ed said while laughing. "The kid is obviously burdened by his own Echo; he’s many times more dangerous without it."

"Only if the fight doesn’t have any Echo involved, Edmond. If he fights without Echo it’s the same as instantly dying, but he’s too distracted by the unfamiliar Echo he has to consciously control at every turn," Lucen corrected, using his own judgment of the situation and the observations he’d made so far.

"You aren’t wrong," Ed agreed before adding, "How did he know I would do this and manage to defend himself in that situation, though? Any insights?" Ed asked Lucen shamelessly for his input on the part he might have missed due to his own limited observation within the fight.

"Attack first, decide later," Lucen stated flatly.

"You mean—"

Lucen cut Ed off. "He never once believed the attack would land, Edmond," he clarified.

Ed asked, "Are you sure he was completely committed to the attack from the beginning to the end?"

"You are wrong!" Lucen said. "You failed to see it, but since the beginning he was only committed to the exchange; he’s more wary about your senses than he’s shown."

Lucen exhaled softly before adding, "He never once expected his attacks to land; he’s only aiming to pressure you as much as he could," he elaborated further.

Ed didn’t answer for a moment, studying the rugged-looking brat standing in front of his eyes.

"Does cheating feel so funny?" Moon taunted.

Ed shrugged, shaking his head. "Not that; I was just surprised," he said gently, dismissing Moon’s assumptions.

Ed proceeded to address his concerns, those he discussed with Lucen. "Do you feel like you’re fighting better, and not burdened while not using your Echo?"

Moon blinked in surprise, his eyes darting all over the place while thinking...

A moment later, Moon nodded.

His gaze fell. "I use it because things have changed. It’s cool and all, but it’s just—"

Ed cut him off. "Uncomfortable?" he asked.

Moon locked his eyes with Ed’s. "I think so." He nodded.

Ed exhaled softly. "I think it’s just a matter of time," he said with a smile.

"Hm?" Moon tilted his head.

"I mean, look at you, how you handle weapons." Ed pointed at Moon with his blade. "That’s the result of years of experience and struggle; you weren’t born that skilled, right?"

Moon pouted. "Not sure. I’ve always been good with weapons, though," he retorted.

Ed couldn’t help pursing his lips. "Are you flexing now, brat?" he asked.

Moon nodded. "A little." He grinned widely.

After a second, the two of them, Ed and Moon, erupted in laughter.

Lucen at the highest spot of the arena stood still, watching the two with a hollow gaze. His gaze rose to the opposite side from where he was standing.

There Mishu was seated. He stared at him for a moment, but Mishu’s gaze was only on the arena below.

"Edmond, I’m leaving." Lucen turned around. "I’m also thankful you let me witness that exchange today."

"What are you talking about? Has your brain finally succumbed to your age?" Ed said sarcastically.

"No, I now know that this kid shouldn’t be among the children I gathered." Lucen spoke softly, his back facing the arena. "Looking back, it also made sense you avoided affiliating yourself with me," he added.

"What’s wrong with you now?" Ed asked in confusion. Lucen’s attitude had changed beyond the range of his own expectations.

"Are you getting emotional or something?" Ed asked jokingly. "I thought your emotions had long dried after living for a pointlessly long time," he added.

Lucen sighed. "Edmond, I was thinking for a while that if I had managed to have the three of you under me, Samuel’s current potential would have been completely lost."

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