Contrary to everyone's expectations, neither of the two exploded into a charge, despite the fiery exchange of words prior.

They both inched closer to their opponents, carefully gauging the distance.

This was a default thing to do for Daru.

At the end of the day, in Neo-Earth, the difference in physical attributes couldn't be too overwhelming.

He can't simply slash his sword and send his opponent staggering backward.

Here, swordsmanship mattered far more, especially since his opponent was more or less equal in physique to him, only less than a foot shorter.

Bao, too, was looking for an opening.

While he was confident in destroying the fraudster, he couldn't deny that the guy was quite skilled in keeping his opponents at bay using the range of his tachi.

Daru was also good at defensive techniques.

Bao knew he needed to lure a strike out of his opponent and dodge or parry it before he could close the gap.

Once he gets through this initial problem, Daru Finnley was his to humiliate, as he excelled in rapid yet cunning close-quarter attacks.

A long and heavier tachi wouldn't be able to keep up at that range.

Everyone watched, excitement peaking even higher despite the lack of action.

Daru soon arrived within prime striking distance.

Observing his opponent for another second, he lunged without hesitation, chopping down faster than Bao expected.

He was not this sloppy in his previous battle.

Silver Serpent couldn't parry, only block, angling his sword horizontally above his head.

Daru powered his way through, young muscles slightly bulging as he pushed his gritting opponent back, secretly closing the distance even more.

Then he viciously stomp-kicked forward.

Bao noticed the attack late, and while he was able to minimize the damage by stepping back, he still received the brunt of the kick's power, attempting to suppress but still letting out a strange groan:

"Puhuhk"

The simple attack didn't earn Daru any points, but it dealt damage in more ways than one, plus it gave him an opening.

Silver Serpent was naturally infuriated at the sneaky strike, hurrying to recover his footing and swearing inwardly to get Daru back.

But in front of him was the blunted point of a wooden tachi, stabbing at his solar plexus area.

Bao was no slouch and was able to muster a clumsy defense, rotating his wooden kris and utilizing the flat part to block the follow-up, but the force and momentum of the stab turned out heavier than he expected.

He almost fell on his butt — an embarrassment Silver Serpent would find difficult to accept.

Fortunately, his legs held on, barely maintaining balance.

But then, the moment he faced forward, a worn-down jika tabi's sole greeted him, landing firmly on his face.

A crisp splattering sound echoed as spit mixed with a bit of dirt flew everywhere.

Bao, kicked squarely in the face, shot backward under the horrified and bewildered gazes of the onlookers, landing on his back.

Before everyone could recollect their wits, the blunted point of Daru's wooden tachi rested threateningly in front of Silver Serpent's neck.

Total silence at the complete domination.

Then gasps, as the crowd exploded into varying reactions, a majority of which was absolute disbelief.

Even False Witness and Sylphina froze, not knowing how to react.

Daru, meanwhile, turned to look at his instructor with a perplexed look, as if telling him to announce the win already.

But Talon couldn't bring himself to.

The instructor didn't realize it, but there seemed to be a bias towards the higher-ranker in his heart.

Daru couldn't believe the stuttering words that came out of Talon's mouth in the next moment:

"T-The victor would be decided with three sword strikes."

Dumbfounded, he was kicked squarely in the gut, forced to step back.

"GET THE F*CK AWAY FROM ME!" roared Bao, who still hadn't fully realized and come to terms with the humiliation he had just suffered.

All he knew was that he was not defeated yet, and his instructor had also said so.

He quickly stood up and struck a fighting pose, teeth gritted and breathing ragged as he glared daggers at Daru.

Anger was fully taking over.

However, it wasn't only Bao who seethed.

Daru, too, and he was losing respect for Talon.

Did his instructor want him to hit his fallen opponent three times?

They were, in the end, all students bettering their swordsmanship, and allowing the other party to be hurt when one had clearly won was straight up dumb and illogical in his opinion.

Even a high school instructor knew this.

His gaze turned cold in utter displeasure and disappointment — more so to Talon than Bao, who shamelessly took the chance to get himself back in the match.

Daru was so utterly repulsed by the irresponsible actions that he couldn't help but have the urge to teach his instructor a lesson about one's responsibility as a referee of a competitive match.

Both competitors' safety was in his hands, plus he was their instructor, yet this was how he would act for whatever reason?

Daru's gaze turned colder and colder by the moment as the recurring thought pissed him off even more, and even the usually charismatic Zach felt pressed by his mere gaze.

This was the first time they were seeing him like this.

Every single one of them.

The scenes of him on the back foot during the sparring sessions, him being talked down on and seemingly bullied by Zach and his crew, and his previous sloppy battle.

Were they all an act?

Was he a wolf in sheep's clothing all along?

Did he want to derive intense satisfaction from a moment of a grand reveal of his abilities at this tournament?

Everyone was so bewildered by what was happening that no one knew what to react anymore, a mix of astonishment, shame, and resentment in their hearts.

They were deliberately made a fool of, so how could they feel good?

Furthermore, even if he was this good at swordsmanship, would it even matter?

It was a fact that he had awakened an F-tier sword…

While everyone was lost in their thoughts, the duel resumed.

Bao's composed exterior shattered, and he charged at his opponent with furious abandon, courage fueled by anger.

On the other hand, Daru remained unfazed, lost in his own cold fury.

Raw skills and fighting instincts took over for the two competitors, and what happened next engraved itself deep in the minds of those who witnessed it.

Three simple, straightforward exchanges resulting in three clean hits following an inhuman dodge and an almost-prophetic block paired with immaculate footwork and swift yet precise strikes.

Everything looked plain, basic, but ask anyone in the scene to do the same, and they wouldn't be able to replicate what Daru just did.

Not even close.

Perhaps Talon could, but against his students, not when fighting another instructor the same age as him.

A perfectly-timed sidestep followed by a vicious strike to the forearm that almost forced Bao to let go of his sword.

Then a strike to the jaw that hit a little too cleanly for comfort.

Still, Bao's unwillingness to lose granted him the toughness to ignore the shattering pain and slash his sword a desperate second time — a sweeping motion at Daru's rib despite blood spilling down his nose and cracked lip.

But the sound that his barely conscious self heard was an unsatisfying, dull thud of wood making contact with another wood.

His training kris couldn't advance anymore.

The next thing Bao knew, he felt a sharp, linear pain at the center of his face, a few bones possibly damaged.

He knew nothing of what happened after.

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