The W2RLD

Chapter 19 - Two Sides of the Coin

The W1RLD

Written by: The Masked Eidolon

Edited by: Leon the Man

Enjoy 🙂

Chapter 19 - Two Sides of the Coin

ONE YEAR AFTER CHAPTER 18:

Complete silence enveloped the dark room in which the man in black confidently stood. He was holding a wooden stick, painted black to suit his attire, and his eyes were closed shut. His duty was to land a strike on a certain sandy-haired soldier using that stick without opening his eyes. It was a tall order, as his opponent was extremely skilled. But the man in black had no doubts he could eventually land a blow on him. And when he did land that blow, it would not be a mere glancing one. No, it would be a mighty attack that would leave his opponent completely defeated.

The man in black sauntered forward, not even bothering to take a form. This would lure his adversary into making the first move and falling right into his trap. But the brown-haired individual was a patient fighter, and he did not respond to his opponent in black's provocation. He merely smiled and said:

"Have you gotten so frustrated with your inability to land an attack on me that you're now purposely throwing the match?"

The man in black responded with a smile of his own, "No, master. I was just trying to bait you into carelessly attacking me. Of course, you're too perceptive, and didn't fall for the trick."

"Remember your lessons, Ethan. Deception is beneath you. When you fight your enemy, always aim for his head." Rico instructed.

"I know that lesson very well." Ethan replied, "But you also taught me that tactics are just as important as strength. 'So what if you can overpower an enemy, when your enemy can outsmart you?'"

"Good answer! You really do take my lessons to heart, huh?"

Ethan smirked, "I'm nothing if not observant."

"Well, Mr. Observant. Let's see what you can do without your eyes." Rico said as he readied his training saber and started walking toward Ethan.

This was it. Rico had taken the bait. Now it was Ethan's job to beat him in a one-on-one struggle for supremacy. However, Ethan was thrown off guard when Rico, without warning, sprinted at him and went for an overhead strike. Ethan reacted with a sluggish block, giving Rico enough time to capitalize on his aggression. He went for a side-swipe to his student's stomach, but it was easily predicted and parried by Ethan, who thrusted at Rico's chest.

In response to this, Rico merely stepped to the side, and as Ethan zoomed past him, struck him in the back. However, Ethan never lost his balance, and instead of falling on the floor, he mitigated the impact of Rico's strike by executing a forward dive roll. While this was a good tactical move, Rico still had the advantage, and he capitalized on it by flawlessly engaging Ethan with a flurry of attacks using unrelenting force. Ethan barely managed to defend this onslaught, finally ending the skirmish with a well-placed counterattack that forced Rico out of his aggressive position.

This attempt at landing an attack on Rico was Ethan's best yet, as he had actually managed to defend himself from Rico's first rush. Although he had suffered a couple of hits, Ethan was in no way discouraged from his goal. Every ounce of brain power he had went into formulating his plan of attack, and since Rico was far too skilled to be bested in normal combat, there needed to be some kind of trick involved in Ethan's winning blow.

But what kind of trick would Rico fall for? He was a veteran of warfare who had fought against all kinds of people, and he knew the ins and outs of sword fighting to a T. What method of attack could possibly fool him? Ethan began to feel a sense of hopelessness in his gut, but right at that moment, he instantly realized that there was only one option if he was going to have a chance at fulfilling his task.