Chapter 307: By The Edge

“...Begin!”

The announcer’s voice had barely echoed across the arena before Attila shot forward again. A cloud of sand exploded behind her heels, her wooden blade raised high, aiming straight at me.

We’re doing that again, huh?

Thankfully, I was ready for such a move, so I didn't panic this time. I traced the trajectory extending from her blade to my shoulder, stepped cleanly off her line, and let her rush slide harmlessly past.

It was a fluid evasion, and I took the perfect path of doing it as well. This way, she would’ve overextended, and I had the perfect chance to counter.

Yet, Attila’s eyes locked onto mine the moment I moved.

As I moved past her, Attila drove her heel deep into the sand, stopping her momentum instantly. And instantly, she pivoted her entire weight towards me, with enough strength to kick up another cloud of sand with her first step.

She knew I was going to dodge that?!

If she had committed to a true rush and I’d held my ground instead of dodging, I could’ve punished her easily. It was an ultra-risky read. But it somehow worked.

I raised my sword quickly as I jumped back, barely deflecting her blade’s path. The impact sent shockwaves up to my shoulders again, but I ignored it as I scrambled back to regain neutral distance.

I really should be panicking by now. But instead, I felt a massive amount of pride swelling up inside both of my chests.

Attila took a massive gamble, a move that, if used on anyone else, would lead to her quick loss. But she believed in me. She believed that Carine was good enough to slip past her rush, and also sure that I would do so calmly. That was the only way her rush could’ve worked, and I landed in her trap.

She was fighting the absolute peak version of me, trusting that I would perform at my best so she could punish it.

She respected my skill that much, huh?

It made my heart race for some reason. But I knew for a fact it wasn’t from being scared.

God, I LOVE this fight!!

I held back a laugh, tightening my grip on my hilt until my knuckles turned white. There was no need to hold back or play it safe anymore. If she was betting everything on my absolute peak, then I’d give her exactly that.

I met her gaze, seeing her confident smile right back at me, her wooden sword brandished and at the ready.

I took a quick, deep breath—and shot forward.

I took the initiative this time, driving straight into her range and launching a rapid sequence of thrusts and feints. I wanted to push her to her absolute limit with everything I had, intending to meet her expectations.

She didn’t flinch at my attack, and instead smiled. She raised her blade and began blocking and countering my every move. Each time my blade made contact with hers, it felt like I was striking a wall. She was using her strength even on defense.

Once I was sure my bait had been bit, I took a quick step back, feigning lost momentum.

Seeing the opening, Attila didn't hesitate to press the advantage with a confident smirk.

I wasn’t planning on doing the same trick as last time; a martial artist like her wouldn’t fall for it twice. Instead, I intended to win this through a head-on exchange.

I knew I might be able to deflect or block some of her attacks, but just thinking of the impact it would send through my arm, or the amount of strength I needed just to drive her blade away… my wrists would break before the match ended.

On the other hand, I couldn’t just dodge willy-nilly either. Attila knew how I fought, and a single sloppy evasion would allow her to rush me over and end my flawless run as Carine.

So, my solution was simple. A solution I had done on a certain person before, but I stopped doing it due to fear of being branded as a monster again.

Attila thrust her sword forward with the force of a piston. I instantly drew a line from the tip of her blade, calculating its exact trajectory down to the last minute angle based on her arm, determining the absolute bare minimum movement required to survive it.

She was aiming squarely for my left shoulder. It would take barely half a second to connect.

Her blade whistled closer, yet I remained perfectly still. I waited, and I waited. I waited until the absolute, last, razor's-edge moment…

And when that microsecond arrived, I subtly leaned my torso to the right, letting her wooden tip pierce the empty air a hair's breadth from my shoulder.

Attila wasn’t taken aback, nor did she break her rhythm. She yanked her sword back with terrifying speed, immediately driving it forward in a relentless follow-up thrust.

Once again, I waited until the absolute last possible moment, shifting my body to move and dodge with the absolute minimum of movement.

Thrust after thrust, slash after slash.

I tested my fate with each and every single move I made. It gave me both immense thrill and fun, perhaps as a way to compensate for the absolute shitshow my last two matches as Carine were.

With no blade to deflect, no body to push, and no step to press… I gave Attila nothing to play against as I continued to graze her attacks, super efficiently.

Up in the spectator stands, the crowd that had been roaring endlessly gradually began to die down. From Feyt’s seat, I could hear the whispers ripple through the audience as people asked themselves or each other what they were even watching.

I was sure the scenery looked wild from up there. I mean, I was barely moving, but none of her attacks had touched me at all. But it was the best play I could think of against Attila, and I wanted to give my best against her.

For the first time in the match, I sensed a gasp of air from Attila. She was tiring herself out trying to chase me, and this was the moment I was waiting for.

Attila drew her sword back for another quick thrust. But before she even moved her arm, I knew where she was aiming. Instead of slipping away again, I stepped directly inside her range, sliding right past the path her blade was about to follow.

By the time she threw her thrust, I was already standing inside her guard. Her eyes widened in genuine shock for the first time in the entire fight, and before she could pull her weapon back or reset her footing, I drove a lightning-fast thrust of my own straight into her chest.

My wooden blade stopped right at the base of her throat. Her thrust remained extended beside me, touching nothing but air.

Attila froze, her chest heaving up and down as she stared down at the blade right below her chin. Her eyes were still wide, unblinking, as we remained in that position.

For three long seconds, no one in the arena reacted.

“A-And match!” the announcer’s voice cracked over the artifact, finally remembering his job. “The winner of the match is Carine of Class Honors!!!!”

The arena exploded with cheers and roars. The reactions were a mix of wondering what just happened, celebrating my flawless run, cheers of a successful bet, cries of lost bets, and many as such.

I let out a long, trembling breath through both bodies, slowly lowering my weapon as Carine. The adrenaline finally died down, and a cold sweat broke out across both of my foreheads.

Across from me, Attila slowly drew her arm back. She looked down at her wooden sword, then up at me, standing completely still in the middle of the sand. Then, her shoulders began to shake.

She threw her head back and burst into a loud, booming laugh.

“Man!” Attila roared, wiping a streak of sweat from her forehead as she planted a hand on her hip. “You’re terrifying, Lady Carine!” she said with a beaming smile. “I thought I was fighting a ghost or something!! I’m actually shaking right now!”

“Forgive me, I didn’t want to hold back against you,” I responded with a light chuckle. “After all, you trusted me enough to give me your best. Why shouldn’t I give my best as well?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, so you’ve been holding back this whole time?!” she shouted.

“Ah, n-no. That’s not what I meant—”

She landed a pat on my shoulders, giving me a wide, bright grin. “You’re awesome, Lady Carine! No wonder Feyt likes you!”

“H-How is that relevant?!”