Since a few hours ago when he had heard that an 'elder brother's had arrived, he had bombarded Alice with many questions concerning his siblings and why she hadn't told him about any of them before. At first, she tried to dodge the question, promising to 'tell him later yet he kept pestering her until she finally relented, telling him about the person who had arrived.
Orion Ashborn.
The fifth child of his father the patriarch of the Ashborn Clan, Azrael Ashborn and his immediate older brother.
That was also how he learnt that he wasn't a child born between his father Azrael and his legitimate wife, Annovelle.
Unfortunately, he had no time to get any further details as she left to get his wheelchair.
But he already had the information he needed.
'So it's the clan bastard trope huh? Now it makes sense. But..., her emotions at the end. It seems like there's more to this. Welp, good thing I picked today to get a technique.' He smiled smugly.
On his way out, he whispered something into Rinae's ears as the wheelchair rolled to greet the hateful Prince.
But now.
"Ah good. I was worried she wouldn't find it." He said, sounding genuinely relieved. "I almost thought I'd have to use a sword. You don't mind, right...brother?" His voice taking a sinister tone.
"Heh. Do whatever you want. I'll even use my left hand since I'm right-handed." Orion sneered as he tucked his right hand behind his back, clearly underestimating Ender.
"Ah, really?! Thank you so, so much." Ender beamed, his smile radiating pure innocence, nearly melting the hearts of the guards... nearly.
"This is going to be so fun." He said as he twirled the middle section of the staff awkwardly, earning mocking chuckles from the watchers.
A gruff-looking guard suddenly came up to the middle of the circle as Ender entered it. He had a brown, well kept goatee and a large ring-like scar on the side of his neck. His eyes were bored yet respectful as he addressed Orion and Ender with a surprisingly smooth voice.
"Greetings, young masters. I am Gregg, a knight under the great Ashborn banner. I will be officiating this duel." He said, bowing respectfully. "Now, due to the significant difference in...capabilities between the two opponents, a few extra rules will be put in place to ensure fairness."
He paused, checking their faces before continuing.
"The first rule is that active usage of mana or artifacts of any kind in this duel is strictly forbidden. Secondly, there shall be no intent to kill in this match. This is a friendly match. Thirdly, the match will be deemed over once one of the two admits defeat, leaves the circle or loses consciousness. Do you understand?"
"Hmph. Yes."
"Sure." Ender said simply, leaning against the staff lightly.
"Then...start!"
At the sidelines, two guards talked about the duel.
"Is this even a match? The manaless young master going up against the fifth heir. Even if it is a light spat, it's not even close." He snickered softly, feeling a tad bit sorry for the unfortunate little guy.
"Yeah. Even worse, I heard from a friend of mine that the fifth heir actually awakened a few months ago."
"Huh really? Then I guess the young master is really in trouble now."
"Heh, well to be honest, he is a weakling who deserves to be put in his place. It's good that the fifth heir actually arrived, he's going to kick that useless brat off his high horses." A third person sneered, clearly looking forward to seeing the young master get beaten to a pulp.
Ender heard it all, yet a wide grin was plastered on his face as he stood opposite Orion.
"Ah, this feels nice." He said, twirling the staff in his hand as the mocking voices and emotions flowed into him.
"To be talked about so much for once."
[Existence 2 > 3]
He slid into a stance, pulling his left foot back and gripped the staff firmly, pointing it towards Orion. His mind zeroed in on the faint sounds resounding in the courtyard, tuning out the various unimportant sounds until all that was left was the sound of Orion's breathing and the faint scraping of his boots against the gravel.
Besides spending his first five years searching for a hint of his soul, he had also trained his other senses to the maximum, trying to compensate for his lack of sight. This significantly increased his ability to judge the distance and direction of something, allowing him a weak form of echolocation.
But just knowing where Orion was wouldn't help him beat him. While he knew he was definitely above the brat in skill at using weapons, his current body was significantly weaker and still developing. It wasn't even suitable for combat at all.
'Welp, that's a fantasy world for you. Damned nobles.'
Luckily, he had already planned for that.
'Koe, calculate the amount of regenerative validates I have.'
[Congratulations!]
[You have awakened a new stat.]
[You have awakened the Validity stat.]
[Validity: 197]
"Hehehe. Oh, I am going to enjoy this." Orion sneered as he rushed at Ender who was deep within himself.
[Would you like to convert 70 Validity into Physicality?]
"Yes."
Orion swung his wooden sword in a horizontal slash, aiming for Ender's ribs with the flat of the blade.
"You're toast, weakling."
But right before Orion's strike landed, Ender armsuddenly became a blur as he seemingly disappeared from his view.
For a second, there was a moment of confusion as Ender seemingly disappeared from the ring. Then, a sharp cry suddenly tore out from the ring.
Orion dropped his sword in pain as he felt something solid slam into his wrist. He stared at his fingers in horror, seeing two of them shattered completely. Snot and tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, crying out in pain and clutching his mauled hand.
Suddenly, a seemingly kind voice spoke into his ears, yet the voice made him shiver in dread as he realised what had happened.
"Are you having fun, big brother?" Ender said sweetly as he stood over Orion's shivering form.