Adopted Soldier

Oliver was surprised to hear what Matthew said. This was the first time anyone actually asked to have a duel with him. The term duel and the way Matthew asked him got Oliver excited.

"Heh, well what kind of youth am I if I don't accept such challenges. Sure let's have a duel. Alex can be the judge. So what kind of duel will this be?"

Matthew seeing Oliver's confident smile, made him even more motivated. His rival Alex always had a stoic face, and moved like a machine, his way of fighting felt like victory was all but certain to him. Oliver on the other hand had the complete opposite feel from Alex, he was showing a face that says that no matter what Matthew did victory was his to take.

Though they had different styles and attitudes, in the end the feeling they give their opponent was the same. The feeling that no matter what the opponent did, victory was all but certain for them. Matthew couldn't help but smile at this feeling, since he already met the ultimate person who gave off a similar feeling. The person whose very existence tells you that no matter how hard you struggle, you will never win, you will never be able to be at the same level as him.

That person was none other than the monster of the battlefield Lyner. He gave off a similar feeling of despair, but the level he exude, was not the same as Alex and Oliver's, his was on a different scale all together. Still Matthew knew to the opponents he faced might have had a similar feeling, when they faced him.

Ever since he lost to Alex, some of the mercs who knew of their clash, have considered Matthew the weakest of the three prodigies. Seeing as James Bourne was right in front of him, Matthew wanted to see if he truly was the weakest of the three. If it was before he met Lyner, Matthew would have challenge Oliver to prove he wasn't the weakest, but now he simply wants to challenge Oliver to better himself, and to see what kind of fighter the mysterious prodigy of the shadow mercenaries was.

"Seeing as you have a sword at hand, how about we have a match using swords." Matthew confidently suggested to Oliver.

"Are you sure? We can have a different kind of duel, like with our hands or a sprint or something else. Are you sure you want to have a duel with me, using swordsmanship?"

Oliver asked this not because he was being arrogant, but because after the fight with Specter, for some reason his skill had greatly improved. He was unsure if he could properly hold back if they fought with swordsmanship. As if he could read Oliver's mind, Matthew answered.

"I'm sure of it, don't worry about us going overboard, since we have Alex as the judge he could stop the fight if it gets too out of hand."

Oliver nodded his head and finally agreed to have a duel using swordsmanship. Alex who was watching everything unfold sighed. He wasn't even given an option not to judge the fight. He wanted to check his equipment, but it would seem he needed to deal with this first before he could do anything else.

...

The three of them headed to the empty gymnasium. They were going to use blunt blades for the spar. Even though the blades won't be able to cut, but they could still be used as blunt weapons and with sufficient strength one could use them to break bones.

Oliver and Matthew stood a few feet away from each other. They weren't wearing any protective gear. Usually Oliver would wear some protective gear due to his fear of getting hurt, but like his sudden increase in skill, his fear of injury was dwindling ever since he met Specter. He couldn't understand why it was happening, but he was grateful for this turn of events.

When Alex saw the two get into their own stances, and he could feel their battle intent, he signaled the match to start. The moment the match started Oliver used the move wind step, this was the footwork his master Ken taught him. With this move he could travel short distances almost instantly. Oliver suddenly appeared right in front of Matthew and entered his striking range.

Matthew wasn't surprise to see Oliver appearing in front of him after one step, many masters could do the same much less someone of Oliver's level. Matthew then without being flustered attacked with a stab of his sword.

Oliver responded to this move, by deflecting it with his own stabbing motion, redirecting Matthew's stabbing sword slightly so that he wont hit, while Oliver's sword was nearing Matthew. Seeing the incoming sword, Matthew used the palm of his empty hand to push the flat side of the blade making the attack miss him.

Matthew after the failed attack didn't relent the offensive. After that first exchange, Matthew quickly determined that Oliver's skill with the sword was above his. As the fight goes on, Matthew's chances for victory will slowly dwindle. Knowing this he decided to push onto the offensive and give no time for Oliver to do anything, once Oliver shows an opening Matthew will go all out and try to end it then and there.

Unfortunately while Oliver was defending from Matthew's attacks, he too was thinking of the same thing. He had guessed Matthew's battle plan, and was now in the process of thinking of a way to attack, he was doing this while defending himself from Matthew's relentless offensive.

Once he decided what to do, Oliver did what he intended without hesitation. He showed an opening for Matthew to exploit. Matthew who saw the opening he was waiting for, didn't take the bait. This was an obvious trap, since it hasn't been that long since they started to fight. Someone of Oliver's prestige wouldn't show an opening this early in the game.

Oliver was actually quite surprised that Matthew didn't take the bait.

'That just means he isn't that desperate yet. I just need to wait it out, he would get tired eventually, and will have no choice but to attack the opening I make.'

The sword fight continued in a stalemate. To a third person's point of view it would look like Matthew was the one winning, seeing as he was on the offensive, while Oliver couldn't do anything but block and evade. Yet the truth was they were in the same situation. Matthew couldn't hit Oliver, while Oliver couldn't find a timing to counter attack.

This went on for quite some time, until finally Oliver noticed that Matthew was slowing down. This was the chance he was waiting for, once again Oliver showed an opening inviting Matthew to attack. When Matthew saw this he knew that it was another trap, but he had no choice but to take it. So without anymore hesitation he attacked Oliver in the opening he showed.

The sheer speed of this one attack surprised Oliver, who wasn't expecting Matthew to suddenly move like that. Even though he set a trap, he couldn't do anything with that speed. Oliver had no choice but to do an all out attack as well.

Alex who was watching was amazed on how the two reacted in that final clash. The ending of the clash was unexpected.

"The fight is over."