Lady Kalasena took the wooden sword from her maid and pointed it at Benedict. Her battle intent rose to the surface. Benedict nodded. He accepted the challenge. Assuming a stance, he pondered briefly. Last time they fought, he discovered the secret behind her Bewitching Sword Style and won. He had to admit it was a creative trick, but it was a trick, and nothing more. A capable Perception Realm swordsman could break though, like he did. However, Lady Kalasena was a genius in her own right. She must have modified and improved upon her sword style, otherwise this challenge would have no meaning. Benedict was curious how much she changed. He conveyed his intent without words, and Lady Kalasena appeared to understand.
She charged forward like a fearless general. Her wooden sword whipped up the air, as it slashed towards Benedict. Bang! He parried it with the back of his blade and shrugged it off. Then, he replied with a sharp upward cut. Lady Kalasena bent backwards, allowing the tip of his sword to skim her chin. She turned around and countered with a leg sweep. He saw through her attack though, and with one backstep, he exited her range. She was undeterred and pursued with a series of thrusts. Each thrust carried explosive speed and force! Even if she was using a wooden sword, the force she commanded could easily puncture skin and break bone! The attacks showered Benedict like a rainstorm, yet Benedict smiled. Using the superior defenses of the Hawken Style, he wove through the attacks like a light mist.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The loud exchange of blows made the junior knights stop, surprise and shock flashing through their eyes. They could tell that the spar between Benedict and Lady Kalasena was far more intense than the spar with Sir Melvin and the others. What did that mean? It meant that fighting against Lady Kalasena was harder than fighting three of the top knights at once! Her might alone had eclipsed them! It was a startling thought, leaving many to wonder who this mysterious lady was. Only a few people knew her true identity. Her strength was to be expected. She was a Perception Realm Novice and had Minor Sword Form attainment. Although she was not as flashy as an Arcanist, she had excellent fundamentals and swordsmanship. It was enough to pressure Benedict, albeit in a spar.
Benedict's defense remained steady, as he blocked the countless strikes. He was inwardly impressed. Compared to before, her attacks were flowing more smoothly, and there were fewer flaws in her stance. She could not completely resolve her lack of combat experience, but she made great strides in the past week or so. Her improvement was honestly astounding! One could feel how much she trained to improve this much. It was like she was declaring that she was not inferior! But Benedict was more interested in how she changed her Bewitching Sword Style. Till now, she did not use it. She fought using pure basic swordsmanship. Finally, the girl decided to use it.
Woosh! Her sword came crashing down on his left, and in that moment, she shifted her attack ever so slightly. Although it was a minor shift, it greatly changed where her sword would end up. She actually targeted his right side! That was the premise behind the Bewitching Sword Style; by layering feint upon feint, it could thoroughly conceal her true intentions! Benedict was well-prepared though and did not fall for it. He promptly blocked the sudden strike on his right. Lady Kalasena gave a subtle smile as her fighting spirit surged higher! Again! Dashing in, she moved like the wind. Then, she suddenly slowed and pivoted to the right. However, she appeared on his left and hacked sideways into Benedict's torso. No, it was another misdirection! She was actually performing a downward slash!
Benedict's eyes shined. A triple-layered feint! It was incredibly challenging to perform three high-speed feints in a row. Any slower, and it would not be convincing enough. It required outstanding physical prowess and battle awareness! Not anyone could do it! But the resulting power was enough to trounce anyone below Perception Realm and pose a threat to anyone above. Although Benedict knew the trick behind her Bewitching Sword Style, and had pre-emptively used his Martial Perception, he could barely see through her feints in time. Clang! Ultimately, he blocked her attack, except the margin for error was really too small. His evaluation of her kept rising. She was truly a prodigy!
Her attack had evidently taken a toll on her body, since her breathing became erratic. Sweat formed on her body, and her chest heaved up and down. Even her arms were shaking slightly, and her vision dimmed. Like Benedict thought, it was not easy to perform a triple-layered feint. It exhausted half of her stamina in one go! Despite that, she was still not satisfied because Benedict clearly had strength to spare. For example, he had yet to show any Martial Energy, martial techniques, or the Cloud Sea Style. His stance remained firm and unyielding. He did not receive a single hit yet. Lady Kalasena was unwilling to give up like that. The pride in her bones would not allow it. She had to see him struggle, to lose composure! Only then would her improvement have any meaning! She decided to stake it all on her final attack. Five-fold Bewitching Light!
Five simultaneous strikes emerged once again, but unlike in their previous spar, these strikes were far more focused. They did not strike five different parts of the body, rather they concentrated their target on Benedict's torso and two arms. While on one hand, this made it easier to defend against, it also enabled her to do it with far greater power and speed! Her five strikes were like lightning, as they blasted towards Benedict! He finally took it seriously and used a martial technique. Martial Energy flowed through his body like the roar of a river. Furthermore, it was not just his imagination, but everyone could hear it too. Water curled around Benedict's blade, as he executed an upward strike. Cloud Sea Style: Soaring Current! Boom! The energy transformed into a towering current, like a reversed waterfall, effortlessly shattering Lady Kalasena's Five-fold Bewitching Light! Rain showered the courtyard before rapidly receding into air. Martial techniques were the same as magic spells. Their effects were not permanent, and the world would eventually restore balance.
Lady Kalasena was forced ten steps back, her stoic face showing a trace of shock. Although she heard the stories, seeing was believing. This was her first time seeing Martial Energy in action! And she could hardly believe it! Once he used Martial Energy, one strike was enough to destroy her improved trump card instantly! It was as easy as blinking! His true power completely eclipsed her! However, Benedict had the opposite thought. His wooden sword could not withstand the tremendous strength and shattered. Lady Kalasena's sword remained intact, and she was unharmed, so she won their spar! Of course, Benedict held back on his martial technique, only using it to break through her trump card. If not, he would have killed her. Still, a loss was a loss. He could not complain about the result. Forcing him to use the Cloud Sea Style was praiseworthy!
He raised his hands and declared, "It's my defeat."
The girl did not answer. She raised her sword, where a thin crack formed. Soon, that crack expanded until ting! Her wooden sword also fell apart. Five-fold Bewitching Light placed enormous strain on her weapon and body. She did not show it on her face, but it was taking a great deal of willpower for her to remain standing. And despite Benedict restraining his martial technique to the absolute minimum, the aftershocks were the final hit needed to break her sword. Watching the wood fragments fall to the floor, Lady Kalasena gave Benedict an intense gaze. Her meaning was obvious. It was not her win. It was a draw!
"No, it's my defeat," Benedict insisted. "I was forced to use Martial Energy to break through, which violates our original agreement to fight purely based on swordsmanship. It's your win."
Lady Kalasena's maids stepped up, and replied, "Our lady does not accept this result."
The other maid added, "Our lady's final attack was broken by yours. Furthermore, your lordship was still holding back. Hence, our lady does not consider this as her victory."
"O-Oh…" Benedict was confused.
Lady Kalasena clearly wanted to win, and when she did, she said it did not count. He could not understand the thoughts of such a strange person. Unbeknownst to him, Lady Kalasena already saw him as a rival, someone she had to defeat openly with their full strength! At that moment, a powerful explosion came from the Celestial Court. Benedict, Lady Kalasena, her maids, and the junior knights looked up simultaneously. Black smoke drifted from the twenty-first floor. It was the conclusion of Freon's spar with Lord Kel and Lady Vivian! Benedict used this as an excuse to hurry over. The rest was known.