The Sixth Training Field erupted at the simultaneous hit, followed by the point declaration.

But it wasn't only those inside.

Even the older scouts and journalists, who were stationed outside the fences, ordered their cameramen frantically.

They could not miss this amazing scoop.

While some of them knew more than the others, the mere fact that an F-ranker was this close to becoming his class' representative was something worth bringing back to their bosses.

They also planned to interview the students from Class 69 later, hopefully the two finalists themselves if Fortuna smiles upon them.

However, for now, they shall watch.

In the middle of the dueling space were Daru and Lynn, locked in an insanely high-level, high-intensity series of exchanges — one that revealed another fact: Daru Finnley was not going all out against Zachary Jambah earlier and was merely toying with him.

Going toe-to-toe with an A-ranker.

Everyone had expected it the moment he dominated Bao, but watching the match unfold exactly as they'd thought felt different, somewhat surreal.

No one had expected today to go like this.

*PAH!* *PAH!* *PAH!*

The sounds of wooden swords clashing echoed through the Sixth Training Field.

However, they were barely audible, drowned by the enthusiasm of the crowd, cheering for their champions.

A good portion wanted sheer chaos, roaring for Daru's victory, though more people were screaming for the fairy's.

The two danced for the onlookers.

One was like a furious hornet, stabbing with her stingers, but her movements had the grace of a butterfly.

On the other hand, Daru was like a river.

His defense, offense, footwork, and transitions…

Everything was freely flowing, as though it had long been engraved in his body what to do in every situation, and yet, he was utilizing his brain to the fullest, processing everything almost instantaneously and responding accordingly.

The contrast between the two created an unforgettable match that one would never expect to see in a small class tournament.

The excitement was worthy of a grand finals match of an inter-cluster swordsmanship tournament between the most renowned of professionals, but of course, the skills displayed by the two competitors weren't at such a level.

They were still young, so not yet…

The famous professionals might as well retire if these two youngsters were already as good as they.

The match continued with neither side earning a point, and strangely, the more it progressed like so, the lighter Talon's heart became.

The slight advantage he gave Lynn would surely reveal itself somewhere down the line.

But Daru wasn't simply wasting stamina with meaningless exchanges of blows.

No.

He was confirming something — Lynn's plan.

It was now safe to say that he knew what the snobbish young lady was up to.

More specifically, a huge part of it, but something was still missing.

The finisher.

He wanted to know how the A-ranker was planning to defeat him, and while Daru could choose to prevent her from getting her way, where's the fun in that?

To the snobbish A-ranker's surprise, her usually quiet opponent suddenly spoke:

"Fine, let's not waste time. I'll give you what you want."

Exactly after Daru said so…

*PAH!*

A wince-worthy thud of wooden weapons making contact with layered skin, flesh, and bones sounded, heard by those at the forefront of the huge crowd circle.

Talon, with a racing heart, then raised his arms, declaring:

"2-2!"

Even he, an older man, couldn't help but feel nervous for his students.

He could only imagine what the competitors themselves were feeling.

Their hearts must be jumping out of their chests.

Strangely, the instructor was wrong.

Daru had only ever felt excitement at situations like these.

Lynn, on the other hand, was strangely more relaxed now, having achieved the second phase of her battle plan.

Neither of the two was feeling nervous at all, although the young lady felt a bit uneasy at her opponent's words.

The two temporarily disengaged, breathing quite heavily while slightly rubbing the sore spot that was struck.

But their eyes never broke away from each other.

Daru extended his arms, unknowingly striking a charismatic pose under the impressed gazes of the crowd.

"Now then, Pemberton. Show me how you intend to finish the match."

Many among the spectators cheered, finding themselves switching sides, in utter goosebumps despite the rather cryptic set of words.

However, Lynn understood what he was saying, another small portion of her confidence chipped away.

Her opponent saw right through her?

Yet, he was still going through with it. Was she being underestimated?

Fury grew in her heart, washing away the unease.

Anger was indeed a great way to boost courage and even focus for some.

Lynn narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, roaring as she exploded in an all-out dash:

"Don't you act so high and mighty, Finnley!!"

In the next moment, she showcased great agility, nimbly zigzagging in an astonishing and unpredictable way that didn't seem possible for young students like them until she did it.

Even Daru was impressed.

However, the eyes were still faster than the legs, and it was painfully meant to be this way in Neo-Earth, no matter how one tried.

Only in the Myriad Sword realm can the reverse be possible.

Watching his opponent's furious approach, a faint grin tugged at the corners of Daru's mouth.

He finally understood what Lynn was up to.

Coincidentally, he had been planning a response since earlier, and he arrived at the same answer.

It was now up to whose move was better.

Daru also charged forward, though his was a plain, straight rush — far less unpredictable and flashy than his opponent's.

At the perfect distance that her brain decided so, Lynn suddenly became akin to a bee that had gone crazy, seemingly twitching to the left, then the right, then the right again, then the left.

But of course, this was merely her changing directions with unbelievable mastery and control over weight shifting and momentum.

There were no patterns to her movements, and one could only guess when she would strike.

Meanwhile, Daru's eyes were like a cat's — focused on one thing and only one thing: Lynn's sword.

He rushed forward, while waiting, and waiting…

Then it happened.

The A-ranker exploded forward in an explosive stabbing dash which, for a moment, seemed otherworldly before the shackles of the human body tethered her to a more mortal maneuver, but crazy astonishing nonetheless.

Daru was impressed in the back of his mind.

However, his focus was not on how the stabbing rush appealed to the eyes, but on timing.

Yes.

He had been waiting for this.

With an instantaneous, constricting twitch of his pupils, Daru jumped, barrel rolling in mid-air.

Lynn's wooden rapier struck nothing under the bewildered and awe-struck gazes of the spectators.

Following this was a dull yet piercing thud as Daru slashed downward with his wooden tachi.

His jump wasn't as high, and his momentum wasn't as fast as in the Myriad Sword Realm, but he had practiced and used this sword skill of his multiple times.

He believed he could use it in Neo-Earth.

Fortune always favored the bold.

Although he felt that the success of his Neo-Earth Tornado Slash depended on 70% mastery and 30% luck, he landed it nonetheless, even if he couldn't stay on his feet and had to drop to one knee, supported by his free hand.

He was a bit unsatisfied but still happy that it worked.

Unbeknownst to Daru, his "failed" landing only created a more dramatic effect, making him appear like some protagonist in an action movie in the eyes of the crowd.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.