Chapter 68: Battle For The First [ 4 ]

Cassian resumed the offensive almost immediately, but his approach had changed.

He began attacking from angles that forced Sigurd to move toward the uneven sections of the battlefield, using repeated thrusts and carefully timed slashes to restrict his cousin’s available movements.

Whenever Sigurd attempted to circle around him, Cassian adjusted his positionand threatened the opening created by the movement, gradually forcing their exchange toward a stretch of fractured stone.

Sigurd understood what he was attempting and allowed the pressure to continue for several moments, studying the pattern of Cassian’s footwork before deciding to disrupt it.

As Cassian advanced with another thrust, Sigurd extended his Gravity Authority toward his cousin’s leading foot.

The sudden increasein weight slowed Cassian’s step, disrupting the timing of his attack and leaving his guard momentarily exposed.

Sigurd immediately advanced, directing a swift slash toward the opening beneath Cassian’s raised arm, but his cousin reacted quickly enough to twist his body and intercept the strike with his sword.

The impact drove Cassian backward several feet, forcing him to regain his balance before Sigurd could follow with another attack.

Cassian glanced briefly toward his feet, understanding what had happened, then adjusted his stance and began taking shorter, more controlled steps.

The adaptation impressed Sigurd. Cassian had recognized the weakness in his approach after experiencing the authority only once, and his revised movements made it considerably harder to exploit his footing.

He no longer committed his entire weight to a single forward step, instead maintaining enough balance to recover whenever the gravitational pressure changed.

Sigurd increased the speedof his attacks in response, forcing Cassian to defend against several consecutive strikes before suddenly gathering Light around his free hand.

A brilliant flash erupted between them just as Cassian prepared another counterattack, overwhelming his vision and forcing him to recoil instinctively.

Sigurd immediately closed the distance, directing his sword toward Cassian’s exposed side, but his cousin reacted despite his impaired vision.

Cassian twisted his body and brought his weapon across his torso, catching the attack against his guard before retreating several steps.

His eyes watered as he blinked away the lingering brightness, and he shookhis head with a strained smile.

"That was unpleasant," Cassian remarked, keeping his sword raised while his vision recovered.

Sigurd lowered his weapon slightly and answered with a faint smile, "You’re welcome."

Cassian laughed at the response, although the amusement quickly disappeared as he resumed his stance and prepared to attack again.

The following exchanges became considerably more intense.

Cassian began paying closer attention to Sigurd’s shoulders, hips, and feet rather than following the movement of his sword alone, allowing him to anticipate several attacks even when Light distorted his cousin’s visible outline.

Sigurd responded by altering the refraction around his weapon, creating subtle changes in its apparent position whenever sunlight reflected from the blade.

The effect was not a complete illusion, but it was enough to interfere with Cassian’s judgment during exchanges where the difference between asuccessful defense and a dangerous opening could be measured in inches.

During one particularly rapid exchange, Sigurd shifted a narrow reflection toward Cassian’s left shoulder, drawing his attention away from the true angle of the approaching blade.

Cassian adjusted his guard toward the apparentmovement, and Sigurd immediately stepped inside his defenses, unleashing Severing Line toward his chest.

Cassian reacted at the last possible moment, twisting his torso and raising his sword to intercept the technique.

The resulting impact drove him backward several meters, his boots scraping across the stone as he struggled to absorb the force.

A thin cut appeared along his sleeve where the edge had passed dangerously close to his arm, and he glanced down at the damaged fabric before looking toward Sigurd again.

"That technique has improved considerably," Cassian observed, his expression becoming more serious as he examined the position of Sigurd’s sword.

Sigurd adjusted his gripand replied, "You’ve improved too. Most opponents wouldn’t have intercepted that strike."

Cassian accepted the compliment with a brief nod before advancing again, this time attacking with a speed and intensity that surpassed anything he had displayed earlier in the duel.

His first slash targeted Sigurd’s shoulder, the second swept toward his waist, and the third changeddirection midway through its descent, forcing Sigurd to retreat toward the fractured stones behind him.

Sigurd met the combination with a succession of rapid parries, his sword moving almost continuously as Cassian pressed forward.

Each collision sent vibrations through their weapons, and the surrounding applicants gradually stopped what they were doing to watch the two Main Line descendants exchange attacks.

Konrad stood beside a broken boulder, his usual smile replaced by genuine concentration as he followed their movements, while Kong leaned forward with his staff resting across his knees.

Even Odin, who had already begun walking toward extraction, paused when another powerful clash echoed across the pass.

None of them attempted to interfere, understanding that the two cousins had chosen to settle their competition through their own abilities.

Cassian eventually succeeded in forcing Sigurd toward a particularly uneven section of the battlefield, where several fractured slabs created awkward gaps beneath their feet.

He immediately accelerated, directing a powerful thrust toward Sigurd’s chest while positioning his sword to intercept the most obvious counterattack.

Sigurd recognized the trap and shifted the gravitational pressure beneath his own feet, reducing his weight just enough to accelerate sideways without losing control of his balance. 𝚏𝗋ℯⅇ

Cassian’s thrust passed through the space he had occupied, and Sigurd appeared beside him, bringing his sword toward the opening created by the missed attack.

Cassian recovered quickly and intercepted the strike, but the impact forced his weapon downward and left him defending from an increasingly uncomfortable position.

Sigurd pressed the advantage with another rapid combination, forcing Cassian to twist his body and retreat while struggling to restore his guard.

When his cousin finally found enough room to counterattack, Sigurd released another concentrated flash of Light directly betweenthem.

Cassian had anticipated the possibility and immediately closed his eyes, protecting himself from the worst of the brightness while raising his sword toward the direction of Sigurd’s last visible movement.

His response was sensible, and against the same attack Sigurd had used earlier, it might have been sufficient.

Unfortunately, Sigurd had already prepared something different.

Instead of approaching from the expected direction, Sigurd moved across Cassian’s flank while refracting the surrounding light to distort his visible position.

His years of assassin training guided his footwork, allowing him to move with minimal unnecessary sound while controlling the angle from which his next attack would arrive.

Cassian reopened his eyes just in time to notice what appeared to be Sigurdadvancing from his left, and he immediately shifted his guard toward the movement.

The image was displaced byonly a short distance, but that small error was enough to expose the opposite side of his defense.

Sigurd accelerated into the opening, his sword descending in a precise application of Severing Line.

Cassian attempted to recover as soon as he realized his mistake, twisting his torso and bringing his weapon across his body to intercept the descending blade.

He was too late. Sigurd passed inside his guard and brought his sword to a controlled stop against the side of his cousin’s throat, the edge resting close enough to make the outcome unmistakable.

Cassian froze with his own weapon suspended halfway through the attempted defense, understanding that any further movement would accomplish nothing.

The surrounding applicants fell silent as the two remained in position for several moments, their breathing gradually slowing after the intensity of the exchange.

Cassian eventually lowered his sword and released a quiet breath, a faint smilereturning to his face as he looked toward Sigurd.

"You win," he acknowledged, accepting the result without hesitation.

Sigurd withdrew his blade and stepped backward, allowing his cousin enough room to straighten his posture.

"That was close," Sigurd replied, examining the shallow cut along his own sleeve where one of Cassian’s earlier attacks had nearly connected.

Cassian shook his head with a rueful expression and said, "Closer than I would’ve liked. I thought I had you when I forced you toward those broken stones."

Sigurd glanced toward the fractured section of the battlefield before answering, "You nearly did. If I’d reacted a little slower, that thrust would’ve reached me."

Cassian studied his sword for a moment before returning it to its sheath.

Despite losing, he appeared more thoughtful than disappointed, as though he were already examining the mistakes that had allowed Sigurd to overcome his defenses.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to work harder before we meet again," he said, extending his hand toward his cousin .

Sigurd accepted the gesture with a smile and replied, "I’ll be waiting. Next time, I expect you to make things even more difficult."

Cassian laughed at that, and the two exchanged a firm handshake before separating to collect their belongings.

There was no resentment between them, nor any need for further explanations.

Both had entered the examination intending to claim the highest position, and both had understood that competing for the same prize would eventually bring them into conflict.

Cassian had fought with everything he possessed, forcing Sigurd to combine his swordsmanship with Gravity, Light, and the experience accumulated throughout his previous life.

Sigurd had ultimately secured the victory, but the duel had also demonstrated just how formidable his cousin would become with further training.

As the remaining applicants resumed their preparations for extraction, Sigurd returnedhis sword to its sheath and secured the pouch containing his Demonic Cores.

The mountain pass had finally grown quiet, although the broken terrain and numerous carcasses would remain as evidence of the extraordinary battle that had taken place there.

He glanced toward the distant extraction route, where the final registration awaited, and began walking alongside the other competitors.

The Crown was now closer than ever, but until the instructors completed their verification and announced the official results, Sigurd knew that nothing had been decided.