Adopted Soldier

It was a very close battle, especially at the end. Oliver who showed an opening to exploit was astounded by Matthew's sudden increase in speed. The tip of Matthew's sword was near Oliver's chest, but was stopped by Oliver who had pinched the tip of the blade using his index finger and thumb. The only reason he was able to do this feat was because of his incredible strength.

So in the end Oliver was somehow able to stop Matthew's attack and at the same time counter. Oliver was able to stop his blow before hitting Matthew, but the sheer force of the attack was actually able to make Matthew's neck bleed a little, even though it didn't hit.

"The winner is Oliver." The moment they heard Alex's announcement the two combatants, Oliver and Matthew lowered their weapons. Matthew who had used an excessive amount of stamina, lay flat on the floor with a smile on his face.

'So in the end, I really was the weakest among the three of us. Still I won't let this get me down, I will use this to move forward ever farther, so much farther that the two of them will be the ones chasing me.'

Unlike before with his excessive pride, Matthew quickly accepted his defeat. This could be attributed to Matthew's fight with Lyner, he learned a lot from that encounter. He was full of pride since he thought that not only was he talented but he also had a good teacher. These factors made him arrogant thinking that he was the best of his generation. Yet he had lost to Alex in almost all categories. In his head he simply thought that he lost to Alex not because he wasn't as talented as the guy, but simply because Alex had more experience than him. That's why he tried to gain as much experience as he could, but for all his talent, pride, and experience, none of that helped him in the face of that absolute power called Lyner.

That person was the only other person aside from his master, that Matthew truly respected. If his master taught him the skills to become the best, Lyner had taught him that there will always be someone above him. He didn't really feel that way towards his teacher since he was his teacher, he didn't feel that way when he faced Alex since their level was pretty close to each other. Lyner was the only one that had made him feel that he had nothing to be arrogant about.

That's why the moment he lost to Oliver, Matthew simply accepted the fact and decided to learn from this fight and improve himself.

Oliver extended his arm towards Matthew, and helped him up. "That was a great spar. You would have won if you choose anything else aside from swordsmanship." Oliver gave his honest opinion about the fight, in which Matthew responded with a bright smile.

"This isn't a fight to the death, but a spar. If this was a fight to the death, I would have picked everything to my advantage, so that I could beat my opponent, but this wasn't a fight like that. This was simply a spar, something that would help me improve. That's why I chose something that look like what you're best at. Since I wanted to learn as much as I can. I will acknowledge that among the three of us, I am indeed the weakest, but that won't be for long. I will take everything I can, and make whatever I take turn into my strength. So the next time, I'm going to be the strongest and you guys will be the one trying to chase after me."

Matthew declared this with a smile, in which Oliver couldn't help but get excited, since he was into this kind of stuff. Alex on the other hand, didn't know what to say. He was someone who pursued strength just for the sake of it. He didn't do it to catch up with anybody, he didn't get strong for anyone's acknowledgement, he simply wanted to be strong for the sake of strength. Since in his mind only the ones with strength can avoid tragedies.

"Heh, so you want to surpass me? You wish to gain my skills and grow stronger. Fine Matthew Zephyr I await for your next challenge." Oliver said in an excited tone. He then looked at Alex after. When Matthew said he was the weakest among the three, Oliver came to the conclusion that Matthew had already fought Alex and lost. He on the other hand, has been by Alex's side for quite some time now, and has seen many of his superhuman feats, but now that he thought about Oliver has never sparred with Alex before.

"Hey Alex, how about we see who between us is the stronger one." Oliver faced Alex, with a wide grin on his face. After beating Matthew for some reason Oliver's confidence rose a bit.

Alex hearing what Oliver said looked at him. He was perplexed, he didn't really want to spar at the moment, he just wanted to check on his equipment. Still he somehow felt Oliver's rising fighting spirit. Alex then faced Oliver head on, and the whole area grew tenser. Matthew who was watching on the side, wanted to see these two fight for real. Since seeing the two fight in an all out manner, he would be able to understand more of their skills, and use some of them for pointers, so that he could grow stronger.

Oliver who saw Alex looking like he was up for it, shrugged his shoulders. "I was just joking. I'm still no match for you Alex. I need to train a bit more, to be able to face you. So I will admit that among the three of us you are the strongest. So the ranking goes Alex first, me second, and Matthew third a.k.a last."

"Huh, don't say it like that. It makes me sound like I'm a loser."

"Well technically you are a loser."

Oliver started to joke around with Matthew about the ranking. This was done so that he could mask his embarrassment as a joke. He knew the moment Alex took his challenge seriously, that in his current state Oliver had no chance of winning. Just that slight shift in Alex's stance made Oliver realize how far apart they were, he couldn't understand it but he knew instinctively that in his current state, he would only make a fool of himself if he fought Alex right now.

Alex on the other hand, was confused by the sudden change in atmosphere. A moment ago it felt like Oliver was going to attack him, so he readied himself, but now it turned into this scene of the two acquaintances joking around like they were old buddies. Seeing this Alex couldn't help but once again sigh.

"Can I go now? I still have other things to do." Alex asked the two who seem to be having fun.

"What is it you're going to do anyway? Why don't you join me and Matthew instead. We're heading out to have some fun."

"Not today, maybe some other time. I hope you two have fun." After saying this Alex turned his back on the two and was about ready to leave.

"Do you need any help?" Oliver asked, in which Alex answered without turning around, and as he kept walking forward.

"No need, thanks for the offer though." This one answer was a great indication of how much Alex has grown. If it was before he would have simply answered no. Without saying anything else, Oliver and Matthew looked at Alex walking away.