Inside the Ironmarch barracks, the sound of swords colliding could be heard. Two people are exchanging sword swings, swipes, and thrusts. Around those two people, thousands of people are circling around, enjoying the sparring session of those two people. Those two are Luceran and Nelez, his butler or personal advisor, you could say.
The ground cracked, gusts of wind rage, loud clangs could be heard as testaments of their power. They move so fast that typical soldiers could not see and track their figures.
Blast of winds, fiery explosions, and ground cracks as they keep on exchanging movements. The crowd had to stand further to not get into the impact.
From a distance, Luceran imbued his sword with his mana; a bluish hue could be seen enveloping the sword. Then, he cast Acceleration spell as he torpedoed himself to Nelez with a blinding speed. Nelez blocked the prince advance with his sword as a loud clang could be heard as the swords collided.
Luceran then stomped his foot on the ground, and smoke of dust rose from the ground, blocking everyone's view of the two of them, including the fighters. Luceran used his mana sense and determined Nelez location before hurling balls of fire the size of a coconut.
From Nelez perspective, he could see nothing other than a cloud of dust. He then uses his internal energies and swings his sword in a three-sixty, sweeping all the dust away and cleaning the arena. Suddenly, he felt an increase of temperature as he saw multiple fireballs flying at him with an alarming speed. He raised his left hand and did a hand sign to raise a thick earthen wall, blocking the fireballs from hitting him directly.
"Dual practitioner of Arcana and Physical path!" Commander Borrin exclaimed.
"Who would have thought that the butler is actually an accomplished dual practitioner?" A soldier said. They are not surprised if Luceran is a dual practitioner of Arcana and Physical path, but they are surprised when they know the butler is also a dual practitioner at the peak of Mana Engraving and peak of Blood Refinement at that.
The sound of explosions could be heard as the fireballs exploded on the earthen walls, while cracks could be seen on the earthen walls, they failed to destroy it.
Knowing that his plan failed, Luceran then imbued his sword with a reddish aura and then swung it vertically from a distance at the butler, while his left hand grasped the air, and then a cone of tornado appeared. He gestured with his hand, and the tornado hurled at the butler. A flaming beam of a sword crashed, and the tornado hit the earthen wall at the same time, creating a fire tornado and engulfing Nelez in it.
"Is it finished?" lieutenant Greg asked with uncertainty.
"It is about to finish," the commander commented with experience.
Clouds of smoke and dust dispersed, and Nelez figure appeared slowly after the explosion and was engulfed in the fire tornado. He appeared unscathed; he patted his clothes and smiled at the prince. Looking at it, Luceran twitched and looked annoyed.
"Your Highness, it is my turn." He bowed, then with lightning speed, immediately appeared beside Luceran and swung his sword horizontally. Luceran was cut in two but then suddenly dematerialized and reappeared again a few meters from his previous location. He casts Acceleration and imbues his sword with his mana, then engages in a sword fight.
They fight and exchange swings and stabs, aiming for the vital parts of the body. Clangs of steel could be heard across the arena, and the crowd saw two people dancing with swords.
They kept on showing sword techniques, countering one another before something happened. Luceran parries a sweep, then charges at Nelez with his body and rams Nelez with his shoulders.
"Woah!" A loud exclamation could be heard as they saw the prince had gained the momentum.
Nelez was thrown a few meters back. Luceran, taking this opportunity, swung his sword horizontally when a windy sword beam crashed at Nelez.
"A direct hit! Did the butler lose the spar?" lieutenant Dreg asked. While Borrin frowned deeply.
Nelez was thrown tens of meters before he managed to stabilize himself and stand again. He looked at his torso, his clothes were torn, but there was no visible damage to his body.
Luceran, seeing his attacks having no effect, felt a sense of frustration. 'I can't even put a scratch on him,' he thought. 'I'll run out of mana at this rate.' He knew that in a battle of attrition, his elemental magic was no match for Nelez's raw defensive strength and seemingly endless mana reserves.
"I can barely follow their movements," another soldier replied, his eyes wide. "They're moving faster than I can think."
"My money's on the Prince," a young soldier shouted from the crowd. "He can use multiple elements!"
"Look carefully again," Borrin said, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the fight. "The Prince is about to lose."
A few soldiers looked confused. "How come, Commander? The Prince should have the advantage with two elements."
"Correct," Borrin answered. "But he's running out of mana and stamina. He's expending too much mana with those various spells. Nelez, on the other hand, is focusing on defense. He's barely broken a sweat, not to mention his Arcana and Physical paths are at a much higher level than the Prince's. He's just waiting for the right moment." The crowd looked back at the duo, their earlier awe replaced with a tense silence. They could see it now: Luceran was panting, his movements slowing, while Nelez was as steady as a mountain.
The fight came to an abrupt end. Nelez's body blurred as he suddenly closed the distance between them, a swift movement that caught Luceran completely off guard. He imbued his left hand with a brownish, earthen energy and sent a powerful punch toward the prince. Luceran had no time to cast a spell or dodge; he could only focus his internal energy into his hands and imbue his sword with his remaining bluish mana. He raised it just in time to block the punch.
A thunderous impact rocked the area, sending a powerful shockwave through the crowd. Luceran was thrown back ten meters. He managed to cast the Feather Fall spell at the last second, landing on one knee with a clang of his sword, his body panting and trembling. Nelez, on the other hand, was barely sweating, his breathing only slightly labored.
Luceran sighed. "I lost," he said, his voice flat after stabilizing his breathing.
Nelez bowed respectfully. "The Prince's progress is amazing."
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, but Luceran felt no pride. He knew the gap was still immense. He had only been able to hold his own against Nelez because he had used up all his mana and energy. He was still far from being able to truly defeat him. A sense of inferiority crept into his heart, a feeling he hadn't felt since he had read about his brother's achievements.
He looked up at the sky, a wistful expression on his face, as if he was lamenting to the heavens and lamenting his snail-paced progress.
A heavy sigh escaped Luceran's lips, a silent lament to the vast and unbridgeable gap between him and his older brother, Magnus.
The memory was as vivid now as it was ten years ago. He was seven years old, a child still learning the basics of his craft, when he watched his brother, Magnus, who was seventeen at the time, spar with three royal guards. All of them were at the same cultivation stage as Nelez, the peak of the Blood Refinement and Mana Engraving realms.
Yet, the fight was a one-sided spectacle. His brother, at only seventeen, fought with the wisdom of a veteran general. The three royal guards, all seasoned warriors, were nothing more than props in his display of power. Magnus effortlessly combined physical martial arts with elemental magic, his movements fluid and unpredictable. His body blurred with incredible speed, and his defense was impenetrable, a masterpiece of strategy and technique. The royal guards could barely land a single blow. The crowd, a mix of nobles, commoners, and royal family members, was in awe. His brother was hailed as an absolute genius.
However, after the fight, Magnus was not satisfied. A look of dissatisfaction on his face. He found the victory too easy, the royal guards too weak. It wasn't a challenge; it wasn't a true test of his strength. In a moment of sheer audacity, Magnus stepped forward and, with a voice that commanded the attention of the entire crowd, challenged two of the fighting instructors, a Sky Knight and a Mage Lord. The crowd gasped. People thought he was biting off more than he could chew, but the reality was far more shocking. He fought them to a standstill!
The news caused an uproar across Primordia. His brother was publicly known as the greatest genius of his generation; not one came close to his achievement in his generation.
Even the principal of the Immortal Academy, despite having lived for a few eras, claimed that he has seen only less than five people of Magnus's caliber.
After that day, the news of Magnus rise is a nightmare for the invaders of Primordia. From that day onwards, Magnus experienced many assassination attempts. The assassination attempt only stopped when he slew an Eldritch Lord alone and was elected as the Supreme Commander of the Eldritch Eradication Army.
From that day, the Eldritch forces and also all the factions of Primordia know that sending assassins to Magnus is actually a death sentence for the assassins.
Back to the present, the cheers of the crowd brought Luceran back to reality. The soldiers were still buzzing, their faces full of excitement. Some were praising the prince, but most were still talking about Nelez.
Nelez, seeing the prince's solemn expression, approached him. "Your Highness, everyone has their own path. Everyone is unique in their own way," he said, his voice soft and understanding. "Yours is also unique even compared to Prince Magnus. I believe that you will carve your own legend, your own legacy."
Luceran only smiled at his butler comforting act.
The two changed back into their noble attire and went to the main hall. Inside, they found three people waiting: the Mayor of Ironmarch, Ian, and Liz.