Life in a new Kingdom

With a step forward, Gale launches himself, sword raised high. Defending with a deflection, I caught his blade and twisted my arms, redirecting it. Gale reads my movements as he stops in place briefly to deliver a counter. I duck under it, but the blade barely slashes my temple. A trail of blood washes down my ear and to my neck. He is serious about fighting me. I had my doubts, but clearly, he was committed.

"Gale! Stop this!" Lukia attempts to break the fight, but I raise my sword toward her. Gale does the same. Sending the same message to her, Gale and I crack a smile. Before readying our blades, I wipe the blood from my wound and use my artifact to cast a barrier on my left arm.

If I wanted to defeat him, I needed to change how I fight. Focusing on a sword and shield style, I create an opening in his offensive capabilities for me to counter if he attacks head-on. Reading each other's attacks and predicting the next move was the sure way to win. Gale knew this more than anyone watching this duel. This was the last time we were going to fight; it had to leave an impact on us no matter what. Or else any effort spent between us would be in vain.

No words needed to be exchanged; our blades were the ones talking. Reminding me of a long-forgotten past, I felt this rush many times before. The rush that Sato Haruki experienced as a warrior. Speaking very little, he could read his opponent's feelings and thoughts by measuring their skill and blade.

The feeling was recalled to me; I could read everything from the clash of our blades—to the rhythm of our breathing and pacing. I looked down and saw an opening, moving forward with extreme speed. Gale held his sword above his head, took the answer to my attack, and put his own against it. Defending with the barrier on my arm, I slip past the strike and swing my blade toward his throat, aiming to slice through. But soon felt a sudden twist in my leg from Gale's cunning action. I looked down and found myself lying on the ground, Gale striking down at me. The intense pressure of defending against the falling weight of a man with a sword from the ground nearly broke my arm as I barely defended against such an attack.

Gale had baited my attack, decided to use my blind spot for a takedown, and tried to end the fight there. I had a few more tricks to show, and that wasn't going to end it at this rate. Slipping past to cover the ground was all I could do to regain composure in the fight. For somebody who was freshly sober from a long night of drinking, he was more focused than previously. I could start to get a read on him, but if I tried, he would attack and disrupt my process. I needed to be quicker and more adaptive.

"Sword Art: Blazing Strike!" Guiding my fingers along the blade, I burn runes into the steel and channel the art to manifest. A swirling streak of fire erupts from the runes. Slamming the blade into the ground causes an explosion of fire. Using the momentum of the attack, I catch Gale off guard with a punch to his chin. I forget how much my training with Eckhart increased my strength naturally, not only in wielding a sword.

Gale is stunned briefly as the punch causes his head to swivel and turn. Blood spills from his lip, and he returns the favor by throwing a knee to my chest. I brace for it, using my arm and a barrier to hold off the attack. The pain from his knee causes him to back away, his knee shaking from the damage.

"Sword Art: Vorpal Burst!" To my surprise, Gale returns with his own Sword Art. Something I didn't reasonably consider while planning my moves around his own. I raise my barrier around me to defend against the attack, but simultaneously, I feel time slow down. Until I could figure out what had happened, Gale had vanished. I blinked for a moment to realize too late that he jumped high into the air. Striking down with his sword, I feel the blade crash down onto my own, the pressure intense and heavy. Hitting my head hard on the ground, causing a ringing sound to rattle inside my ears. The tip of his sword pierced my left arm. I grunt in pain before twisting my arm and kicking his face, shattering his nose. His sword rips through my arm, and I barely escape with it still intact.

The dark crimson blood runs down my arm, soaking my sleeve and pants before leaving a significant trail to my side. Sweat dripping from my pale forehead, I feel the blood loss taking a toll instantly. Gale was bloodied in the face and broke his arm from the exchange. His nose, dripping with blood, coated his neck and chest, a wild grin across his face. He was enjoying this, not for obvious reasons, but something inside him felt freer than before.

"Stop this now!" Lukia runs in between us and holds her hands up to block us. "Enough! I won't watch you two kill each other!"

"Is this over, Gale? Looks like we are doing more damage to her than ourselves at this point." Raising my sword directly at Gale, looking to see if he would accept the challenge.

"Tsk... This is only between you and me. Not stopping for anyone." Wiping the blood from his mouth, spitting any that got into his mouth, holding his blade in his left hand. His broken arm was twisted and held to his side, unmoving.

"Don't do it-"

With one giant leap, we raced to the middle, which caused Lukia to be thrown to the side from the shockwave. She held her eyes shut, fearing the worst. But a calm silence followed. Curious, she opened her eyes to witness both our blades clashing together, the impact causing each one to slowly break apart and soon fall into pieces from the use. Both broken blades drop to the ground as a soft hum of laughter escapes our lips. The dual was over; the purpose was to read each other's feelings and understand our feelings.

"You're a good kid, a better fighter than I know. I think this beating made me learn more about myself than I like to admit." Gale stumbles back with a wide grin.

"That makes two of us. I finally figured you out... Don't lose that fire I just fought. You have a lot of it." Breathing heavily, I stumble and trip to my knee. Blood trailing down, I feel a sense of relief leave my shoulders. I turn my head to Lukia and give her a soft smile. "Mind giving me some of that healing you got?"