Chương 127: [Leo Vs Sam]

Leo stepped out of the tunnel and into the full force of the arena. The roar was deafening, but it wasn't just a generic wall of noise anymore; he could clearly hear people shouting his name, competing directly with the section of the crowd chanting for Sam. It sounded incredible, a massive surge of energy that sent a spark right down his spine, but underlying it was a heavy, intimidating pressure. He really wanted to win this. More than that, he wanted to win it convincingly.

The realisation that he had an actual fan in Grey, and likely plenty more out there in the stands judging by the noise, shifted something inside him. He wasn't just fighting for himself or a point anymore; he wanted to win it for them. He walked to the centre of the dirt floor and stopped, standing face-to-face with Sam. Leo looked at him for a second, then relaxed, the Sarren resting over his shoulder.

"So, who are you going to ask to the dance? Diane?" Sam burst out laughing. The question completely caught him off guard, the sudden laugh taking him by surprise before he quickly forced it back under control. He shook his head, pointing a finger at Leo.

"Man, don't even try it."

"I wasn't trying anything," Leo said, smirking.

"Just thought bringing up Diane would be funny. Look, there she is." Leo pointed over toward the stands where Rika, Parmo, and the others were gathered. He raised a hand and gave them a wave. The group spotted him and waved back.

"You not going to wave?" Leo asked. Sam shook his head, a bit exasperated, but raised his hand to wave anyway. The group waved back a second time, though Diane distinctly singled Sam out and gave him the finger. Leo laughed.

"Man, you should ask her just to see the response. It'll be funny as fuck."

"No chance," Sam said immediately.

"I'd rather shit in my hands and clap."

"Lovely image. Cheers for that, man," Leo said. Sam laughed again, the pre-fight tension easing out of his shoulders.

"I think she'll end up with Ronan anyway. He has a thing for her, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Leo replied. Nearby, Grimgar's hand cut through the air, holding steady at the peak of its reach. Leo gripped the Sarren.

"Good luck."

"You too," Sam said. They both lifted their weapons, their eyes locking as the last of the laughter faded. Grimgar's hand dropped, and the fight began. Leo stepped forward at an angle, the Sarren held in both hands at lower chest height, blade pointed outward. Reading it immediately, Sam stepped back and started to circle. Leo matched him, stepping left and forward, cutting the arena down from the first moment. He wasn't going to give Sam room to build anything. No space to jump in and out, no room to work.

Just pressure, and the Sarren between them. Pushing in fast, Sam tried to get inside the reach before the Sarren could cut him off. Leo threw a strike to meet him, but as Sam moved to counter it, Leo pulled it back, the feint catching his opponent mid-movement. Sam got out before the stab that followed could catch him properly, and they went back to him trying to circle for space. Leo kept coming. Sam kept looking for a window of opportunity, one that hadn't shown itself in the first minute or so.

It went on like that. Sam kept moving, kept testing, and kept finding the same answer. The Sarren's length made every attempt risky, and Leo wasn't slowing. The space behind Sam was shrinking without him being able to do much about it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Then Leo stopped pressing and came forward in a sudden burst. The flurry came without warning, nothing in his feet or his grip giving it away before it was already happening.

One moment he was walking Sam down, the next the Sarren was moving fast through a series of strikes, swishing past Sam's guard as he scrambled backwards. Sam covered well, moving quickly, but the earlier pressure had eaten more ground than the sudden scramble left him time to account for. He was close to the edge of the ring before he'd fully registered it. Feinting inward, Sam pushed hard right, going for the gap behind Leo's left shoulder. Leo struck with a backhanded slash, from right to left.

Sam ducked under it and came up into the space behind Leo's left side; he'd broken the containment, or near enough. Leo was already stepping into the turn, stopping the swing mid-arc, his body pivoting to bring the blade around. He had one moment to convert it. The slash became a stab and he drove it home, the point catching Sam in the back of the ribs before he'd cleared the strike. Grimgar's hand went up. One-zero. Sam straightened and looked at Leo. Leo winked.

"I'm supposed to be the smart one. You plan that ahead of time?" Sam said.

"No," Leo said.

"But I've fought Phil and Locke today. Both had a similar thing going: fast in and out, get inside the reach. I'm used to facing it now." Sam looked at him.

"That's bullshit."

"Don't blame me, I didn't make the bracket." Leo laughed. Sam shook his head, something working behind it, not frustration, just quiet and thinking.

"Two more to go," Leo said.

"You're not getting another point," Sam said.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." They reset and the fight began again. Sam jogged backwards, faster than Leo was expecting. The gap opened before he'd had time to close it. Leo kept moving forward, but Sam was already at distance, and something about the way he'd done it made Leo slow rather than speed up. What are you planning? Sam sprinted.

Leo stopped for a half-second, not expecting the sudden switch, then brought the Sarren up fast: left elbow raised above his shoulder, right elbow tucked against his stomach, both hands on the grip, blade pointed directly at Sam as he closed the distance. As Sam drew close, his hand came forward and the dagger left it, on a path straight for Leo's stomach. Leo dropped the blade and deflected the knife. It skittered wide. He froze.

Couldn't help it; the deflect had worked, and for a split second his brain hadn't caught up with the rest of him. He noticed too late that Sam was already in the air. He tried to bring the Sarren back up, but the reverse-grip stab was already coming down, driving into the gap between his shoulder and neck before the blade got anywhere near it. Grimgar's hand went up. One-all. Sam landed just behind Leo's left shoulder and stepped back.

"Told you to enjoy it while it lasts." He tilted his head.

"Bet you didn't think it'd be that quick, though." Leo shook his head, grinning despite himself.

"The Achilles thing from Troy? Really? You're a prick for that." Sam laughed.

"Why?"

"Because it's cool as fuck. You just made me look like the big bald guy from the start of the movie." Leo pointed at him.

"Not cool, dude." Sam was still laughing as they walked back to the centre. Leo came forward as the round began anew. Faster now than either of the two previous starts, he closed the gap before Sam had a chance to back away. He saw Sam realise how close he'd gotten. Yeah, you think I jumped the gun? Who says you being right in front of me is a bad thing. Sam pushed in, daggers working fast in the tighter space.

Leo turned the first strike away, took a step back from the second, and threw a quick stab that Sam slipped to the side of. Sam came back up and drove forward again, the left dagger flicking out at Leo's ribs. Leo knocked Sam's forearm out wide with his own, sending the strike wide, and shoved into the space it created. He swept the Sarren out left to right. Sam ducked. Leo brought it back the other way. Sam ducked again.

As he came up, Leo had already brought the blade back around to his shoulder, both hands on the grip, pommel facing forward. Sam surfaced from the second duck and found him already there. The pommel came out slow. Sam stepped right to clear what looked like a slash. Pivoting, Leo followed his friend before he thrust out with the pommel. Again, Sam dodged, stepping backwards out of reach. The slash he'd been waiting for came before he could capitalise.

Sam quickly stepped to Leo's left and stabbed forward, committing to the opening. Leo wasn't there. He'd crouched at the end of the slash and hadn't come back up, driving low and left, the blade twisting as it followed him so the edge came around facing Sam. It caught him across the left ribs as Sam's stab passed through empty air. Grimgar's hand went up. Two-one. Leo straightened.

"Oof." He shook his head.

"Went a little quick at the end there, mate. Never seen a feint before?" Sam rolled his eyes.

"You're a bell end." Leo grinned.