Chương 91: Book 2 Chapter 43 - Tournament Finals

Kiara's opponent was named Mal, a woman in her thirties who had been in the intermediate class for over a year. She had slowly improved each semester, earning higher and higher spots in the student rankings each time. After Henry had graduated, she had been one of the favorites to win it all this semester, and that confidence was well deserved. This was one of the few students who could land a hit on her if she slipped up, and in a duel a single hit could end it, if it struck the right place.

She entered the duel more focused than she had been in quite some time. Kiara knew that if she sparred against Mal ten times, she would probably win all ten of them at this point, but she didn't want to slip up and lose because of a momentary lapse. Mal also knew that her shot at winning was slim, and she set up in Mountain Form, starting off defensively. Mal was one of the few who could carry a second sword effectively when facing off against Kiara.

That second sword mostly stayed close to her chest, serving as a shield of sorts for any strikes that Kaira slipped through her primary guard. Since today was a left-handed-forms day, Kiara normally wouldn't even have her second sword out, but this time she employed a similar strategy as Mal, holding her second sword near her chest, just in case. She approached using Fire Form, which was strong into Mountain Form, and also allowed Kiara to be the aggressor.

Mal quickly transitioned into Air Form, a good counter to Fire Form, but still leaning defensive. Kiara moved to her modified Fire Form, tailored specifically to go against Air Form. Apart from Handel, she hadn't yet met anyone who had begun modifying the sword forms to tailor them specifically to whatever form they were up against. As such, she was able to effectively pick whichever form she wanted without suffering the consequences of fighting into a form that was supposed to counter her own.

Since Mal knew Kiara was using Fire Form, she stuck with Air Form, which allowed the fight to settle into a predictable rhythm. All of the openings that Mal would normally have against someone using Fire Form simply weren't there, something everyone in the class had come to expect when facing off against Kiara. As their blades clashed over and over, with Kiara using a situationally inferior form, Kiara was able to feel that gentle tug of competition that she usually lacked in the intermediate class.

Mal was one of the few that could still help her feel it. The duel still wouldn't be close on any normal day, but with so much on the line, Kiara was being slightly more passive than normal. She didn't take some of the openings she saw, since she would be left open herself if Mal was able to capitalize on it. Kiara knew those strikes would work 99 times out of 100, but today wasn't the day to risk it. Instead, she focused on settling into the rhythm of the fight.

When Mal transitioned to Wind Form, abandoning the defensive form for a more neutral one, Kiara realized it was happening before it did. The way Mal positioned her foot after her latest parry, the slight shift in the angle of her hips, and the way her shoulders twisted to create some distance were all perfect tells that she was moving out of Air Form and into Wind Form.

A tiny part of Kiara's subconscious realized that she had entered the flow state she was seeking to learn, but most of her focus stayed on the rhythm of the fight. It wasn't so much about consciously analyzing her opponent's form as it was watching the subtle tells of their body positioning and allowing herself to feel the movements of the fight.

She knew this already, but getting into this state was difficult when a simple analysis already delivered the desired result without needing as much focus and mental effort. Because at the end of the day, focusing deeply on something was difficult – it took intent, motivation, and energy. She relished the feeling though. Once she had entered that flow state, there were very few things that compared to it.

Her perception seemed enhanced, her subconscious mind processing the inputs at a speed her conscious mind could never match. Her body was perfectly attuned to her mind's deductions, reacting before she could even consciously comprehend the decision her subconscious had made. All of this was built on top of her sword mastery and the muscle memory she had developed over countless hours of study and practice. The work she had put in allowed the flow state to be as effective as it was.

She blocked Mal's latest swing with her left hand, stepping slightly to the side as she pushed Mal's primary blade wide. Her followup riposte, aimed for Mal's heart, was blocked by Mal's secondary blade, something that Kiara already expected, something her body knew was about to happen before the blades even touched. She knew that Mal would step back, away from the riposte, as it was catching her off guard, an attempt to create space.

Kiara stepped forward in tandem, bringing her right hand across her body for a final stroke. In that flow state, she had forgotten that it was day for left handed forms, and it felt natural to use her right hand in that moment, as it was already in position and was staged perfectly to take advantage of the opening. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

There was no room for counterplay, no risk of Mal responding in a way where Kiara might take an unlucky hit and lose. The entire sequence only took a second, but Kiara felt like she had ten seconds to see it all play out as it happened. Her swing from her right hand caught Mal on the neck as she was stepping away from Kiara's left handed weapon. Mal's collar lit up red, signaling the end of the fight. She looked at Kiara's second sword in surprise.

It was well known that Kiara alternated which forms she practiced on different days, and Mal apparently hadn't expected the second sword to come into play. Kiara bowed.

"Good fight, Mal. And thank you, I rarely get a challenge like that anymore." Mal snorted after she got over her initial shock.

"I don't think I challenged you at all. I didn't spot a single opening in your defense." Kiara smiled.

"Well, you're one of the only people I have to really try hard against. You're an incredible swordswoman, thanks for the duel!" Mal bowed back, a surprised smile of her own forming on her face.

"Thanks, Shian." The people in her sword class, as well as the servants at her estate, had all started growing accustomed to her preference for first names. She insisted they call her Shian, instead of Lady Yountal, and she used their first names in return. It opened up a door of familiarity that Kiara preferred. Friday was the last round of the tournament, and she was up against the first ranked student.

No matter the outcome, she would end as one of the top two students this semester, so she didn't take this fight nearly as seriously as she had the one with Mal. This was another student that she knew she could practice getting into that flow state with though, so she took the opportunity. She settled into Stone Form, allowing her opponent to come to her. He did, trying to push her back, but today was already meant to be a dual-wielding day.

Utilizing both swords, she was able to maintain her position without leaving any openings for him to take advantage of. She once again avoided the openings she saw in his defenses, opting to try settling into the rhythm of the fight. It took longer, probably because she was trying too hard, and wasn't relaxing into it the way she had instinctively done against Mal. She did eventually settle into that flow state though, feeling the euphoria that came along with it.

Her mind once again began interpreting her opponents movements in real time, processing his posture, weight distribution, and movement foreshadowing faster than her conscious mind could follow. She knew where to move, what to do, how to block or dodge, and followed those instincts without hesitation. Her opponent was good, and had mastered all nine sword forms himself, so she wasn't able to completely dodge all of his strikes like Handel had done to her months ago, but she began to see how it was possible.

Against a less-skilled opponent, she had the sudden realization that she could do what Handel had done against her. Once she was in this flow state, she could see their movements being telegraphed early enough and with enough clarity to dodge each strike without needing a weapon of her own to block or counter strike. Here, she did need to use her swords, though. She employed them effectively, enjoying that flow state for a moment longer than needed before she ended the duel.

Instead of letting his attack slide off to her side like the forms they were using would normally have her do, she blocked with extra force, pushing into him just as he was taking a step. It put him off balance, and his attempt to block her next three strikes inevitably left something open. A swing at his head could only be blocked by his left hand, which left his torso open to her thrust with her other hand.

The only way for him to evade it was to roll awkwardly to the side, which left his back and ribs open for her follow-up swing. That final slash across his back turned his collar red, ending the duel. The first ranked student placed second in the tournament, but had been two points ahead of her in the rankings already, so she still placed second overall in the student rankings.

She had lost a few spars at the beginning of the semester, and the other student had simply taught the beginner's class more times than she had. She wondered if it wouldn't be more fair if Handel awarded more points for the spars, since that would help the better students rank higher each semester, but then again, the way he had things now ensured that he always had volunteer instructors for his beginner's class. It was a shrewd business practice.

He ran the whole academy without paying a single instructor, meaning he could keep all of the income for himself. After class, Kiara stayed late again to continue practicing on her own. Even though she didn't feel like she was progressing as much now as she had in the past, she still enjoyed working through the forms, it was mentally relaxing, while being a good physical workout at the same time. About thirty minutes into her practice, she noticed Handel watching from the sidelines.

She wasn't sure how long he had been there, but she could have sworn he wasn't there a moment earlier. She found a good stopping point then approached him. She was getting better at leaving [Magical Sense 3] active more often, and out of curiosity's sake she scanned Handel as she walked up. He registered as a tier 3. She hadn't ever seen him at any of the upper-class parties she had been to, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. She wasn't even sure if he lived in Easton.

There were quite a few of the other students who lived in nearby cities, and simply travelled to Easton every day for class. Many of the ones that lived in Easton were tier 1 or tier 2 and likely not wealthy enough to be invited to those parties. Other than Henry she had only seen one or two of them around outside of class.

"Nice work in the tournament," Handel praised her with a nod.

"It was fun to watch."

"Thanks!" she replied with a smile, pleased at the compliment. He tossed her a dueling collar.

"Let's spar."