The Seven Wonders of the World

44. The Pursuit of Rater

Uyutsu looked at Alucard in surprise, as he saw him take the initiative in dealing with Emrun. He himself had been contemplating how to handle this situation, as he did not want to fall into a trap. He watched as Alucard got closer to Emrun, as a fight was about to break out.
Alucard would keep a calm and quiet expression on his face, as he waited for Emrun to make the first move. He was determined to not let this little boy get the better of him, as that would be a humiliating mistake to make on a mission like this.
“You are quite brave for a young boy,” said Alucard, keeping a calm demeanor. “But you are quite ignorant to believe that you can take on someone like me.”
Emrun smirked at that, seemingly determined to prove him wrong. “Do you really think I would be so bold if I thought I didn’t stand a chance?” he said, his voice more smug than ever.
Emrun took out his sword, as he planned to slash Alucard with it, but Alucard blocked the sword with a card he had whipped out, as it had spikes on the end so it would protect the card from breaking.
“What?!” said Emrun.
“I may look like some gambler in a fancy suit to you,” said Alucard, “but even I have some form of a defense mechanism.”
Alucard got into another stance, as he kicked Emrun into the tree, as Emrun fell down and the soldiers watched in awe.
As the battle continued, Uyutsu would note that the soldiers around them were starting to become nervous and frightened, as Alucard would keep blocking Emrun's attacks with his cards, then hitting him hard with counter-attacks. Uyutsu would also note that while Alucard kept on fighting, he was still aware of their surroundings, as he could immediately block any attack in any direction from the soldiers surrounding them.

After a while, Uyutsu would start to realize that Alucard had the upper hand in this fight. Emrun was still putting up a good fight, but he would not be able to outlast Alucard's defenses and counter-attacks. The soldiers around themselves were starting to move backward slightly, as Uyutsu realized that they felt a lot more confident now that they had seen Alucard’s skill with his cards.
So far, Alucard had proved himself to be able to fight a grown-up like Emrun, and even though Uyutsu had not been involved, he was still impressed with his teammates’ abilities.
Emrun continued to attack, but he was growing tired. His face was starting to become red, and his attacks were slowing down, as he began to realize that it would be difficult for him to win this fight.
“You have fought well,” said Alucard, looking at Emrun as he held his cards up, ready to block any sudden attack from the young prince. “But I think it’s time to wrap things up now.”
Emrun’s face was becoming redder, as he tried to gather up whatever strength he had left.
The battle was coming to its conclusion, as Emrun would attempt to make one last strike at Alucard, who would block it with a card again and counter-attack with another hard strike, as he would knock Emrun down to the ground.
“Don’t give up yet,” said Alucard, but his voice was laced with a bit of sarcasm, as he knew that Emrun had already given everything he had.
Emrun would lay on the ground, breathing heavily as a result of the battle. He was clearly exhausted and not willing to fight anymore, as his breath was shallow and uneven.
“That was a okay fight,” said Alucard, as he sheathed his cards back into their holsters. “I can see now why the Emperor wants Rater so badly.”
Suddenly, Emrun got up, as he grabbed Alucard and kicked him into a tree. “This isn't over! Not yet!” said Emrun.
“So much for exhausted,” thought Alucard to himself, although he would not let his guard down, especially now that he hadn't used any of his more powerful cards yet.
“You're a stubborn boy,” said Alucard, as he started to circle Emrun.
“Just because I'm tired doesn't mean I'm defeated!” said Emrun, as he was breathing heavily, but still full of energy to face Alucard for another round.
The soldiers all watched with bated breath, as they did not know what would happen next.
“I will not give up until your spirit is completely broken!” said Emrun, as he launched another attack at Alucard.

Alucard would not respond with a counter-attack, as he would simply dodge Emrun’s attack and circle back around him, as he prepared himself for whatever Emrun would do next. However, Emrun would suddenly drop to the ground and sweep his leg, as he knocked Alucard to the ground.
Emrun's teammates had cheered, as Emrun grabbed Alucard and punched him a few more times. “How'd you like that, asswipe?!” said Emrun.
Alucard would smirk, as he spit out a few bloody teeth.
“Is that the best you can do?” he said.
Emrun's expression would grow serious, as he realized that Alucard was not hurt by his recent attacks.
“That was just to get your defense down,” said Emrun, as he drew out a dagger, “now, let's see how well you block this.”
Alucard's smirk grew even wider, as he saw the dagger in Emrun's hand.
“Now that’s more like it,” he thought to himself, as he waited for Emrun's attack.
Emrun would finally launch an attack, as he aimed the knife at Alucard. But Alucard would not respond with the usual cards, instead he would swing his arms like a boxer, as he blocked Emrun's attack and delivered an uppercut right to Emrun's jaw.
Emrun's vision blurred for a moment, as he stumbled back and dropped the knife on the ground. It looked like Alucard had the situation under control now, as he was much older and stronger than Emrun, and the soldiers would all see that too. However, Emrun was not letting this fight end so easily, as he would regain his momentum and launch another attack toward Alucard.
“Impressive!” said Alucard, after Emrun’s latest attack was also blocked and countered with a hard blow. “But your stamina is draining, and soon even your will to fight will be lost.”
Emrun’s face was still a little red from previous fatigue, but he was definitely running out of strength by now. Still, he would not let this fight end in defeat, as he would start to launch more attacks at Alucard, who would continuously block them all while delivering a few blows of his own.
Emrun would suddenly remember his sensei’s advice, about how a fight isn’t always won through brute force and strength. He would calm down, letting his body and mind relax, as he started to circle Alucard with a calm and collected demeanor.
Alucard would continue to attack, but Emrun would be blocking or dodging his strikes with ease, as Emrun started to slowly weaken Alucard, landing blows here and there, until eventually, it was Alucard who was out of breath, rather than Emrun.
“What's with the calm demeanor?!” said Alucard, as he slowly backed off himself, getting a card at the ready.