Chapter Thirty-Six: A New Round of Duel—The True Power

Inside the training room, Mingchuan and Colter were already poised with their swords drawn. “Three, two, one—begin the duel.” Enelte, who happened to be in the room, was unwittingly chosen as the referee.

The moment the duel began, Enelte charged at Mingchuan, swinging his left sword in a wide arc. Mingchuan blocked with the blade in his right hand, but Enelte immediately thrust with the sword in his right. Colter had anticipated that Mingchuan would instinctively raise his left blade to parry, giving Colter the opportunity to feint and land a decisive blow. To his surprise, Mingchuan didn’t block at all; with a graceful sidestep, he evaded the attack entirely, and in the same motion, slashed with his left sword, striking Colter squarely on the back.

Colter, stunned by the hit, rolled away and sprang to his feet. But now the initiative had shifted. As Colter was just regaining his stance, Mingchuan’s right sword came crashing down from above. Colter barely brought his twin blades up in time to block, but Mingchuan reversed his grip and drove his left sword into Colter’s abdomen. Their mecha were of similar type, so Mingchuan’s blow didn’t do much real damage, but it was enough to ignite Colter’s fighting spirit. He unleashed the full speed and agility of his Light Cavalier model, launching a relentless series of slashes at Mingchuan. Yet Mingchuan remained unfazed, parrying every strike with precise movements.

“Impressive. Then I’ll fight with all my might as well!” Mingchuan’s fighting spirit blazed. He leaped back, momentarily escaping Colter’s range, then swiftly combined his twin blades into a greatsword. Engaging his mecha’s thrusters, he surged forward in a burst of speed. Seeing Mingchuan charge, Colter instinctively crossed his swords before his chest to block. But the force of the impact was overwhelming—Colter’s mecha was flung a dozen meters back. Though he was unharmed, none of the three noticed the cracks forming in Colter’s blades.

“Well done! Again!” Colter called out provocatively, and Mingchuan readily accepted the challenge. But this time, Enelte noticed something was amiss. Mingchuan, wielding his greatsword, launched another assault on Colter, swinging horizontally at his right side. Colter raised his swords to block, and as the blades met, a tremendous crash echoed through the room—accompanied by the unmistakable sound of metal fracturing.

Sensing disaster, Enelte shouted a warning to Colter and rushed in with his own greatsword to shield him. At that instant, Colter’s blades shattered with a resounding crack. Just as Mingchuan’s greatsword was about to strike Colter, Enelte arrived in time to intercept the powerful blow. The collision sent both of them flying back, crashing to the ground with a thunderous noise, as a shockwave slammed Colter to the floor as well.

“What happened? Are you all right?” Drawn by the commotion, Wenxin and Joey burst into the training room. Seeing the three sprawled on the floor, they hurried over. “It’s nothing, nothing at all,” the three quickly scrambled to their feet. “No need to come over, just go about your business.” Though the girls sensed something was off, they obediently waited outside.

“Is everyone okay?” they asked each other. “We’re fine, just fine!” came the chorus, and laughter broke out among them.

“So, what did everyone think of the duel?” Mingchuan was the first to speak. Colter analyzed, “It seems my twin blades can’t match the greatsword of you Dragon Knights—the damage just isn’t there, even though this mecha’s mobility is excellent.” Enelte offered his view, “Exactly. And the twin blades just aren’t as durable as the greatsword—that last strike proved it: Mingchuan’s greatsword shattered your swords, Colter.”

Mingchuan mused, “That’s true. Colter, since your twin blades are broken, why not request a Dragon Knight’s weapon from Taylor and the others? The twin blades are just as powerful, but the Dragon Knight’s version can merge into a greatsword for heavier attacks.”

“Good idea—I’ll take your advice. I’m not fond of the straight blades the Dragon Knights use, but I’ll go see Taylor about it soon.”

“What’s the rush? Let’s grab a drink first, have some fun and a good chat! After all—”

“After all, Taylor and I are on good terms,” Enelte cut in. “Leave it to me. Let’s go unwind first!”

“Sounds good. Let’s go!”