Spark in Darkness: Unworldy encounter/Prototype

Spark 27: Swords clashing

"Heh, you ain't half bad, but this is not enough!" A man with a head of thick blonde hair yelled as he swung his sword, the hair so thick and long it was draping over his shoulder, making it look like a lion's mane.

His opponent grunted at the impact when their swords clashed, and he was pushed back.

"You seem to know the sword skills of the Pendragon noble arts. You're a descendant of that crappy swordsman bloodline?" The man sneered.

His opponent frowned. Nobody insulted his family like that. "I am Arthur Pendragon, the successor of the Pendragon noble sword art. And I'll use it with my Excalibur to crush you."

"Arthur Pendragon, eh? Nice ring to the name. My name is Regulus. And I'm the one who's taking your head tonight." The Nayshard laughed as he threw off his cloak, revealing a dark purple breastplate . It radiated so much darkness that Arthur was momentarily stunned.

"I've got it!" Regulus gave a chuckle as he brought his huge sword down on Arthur's head.

"Not so fast!" Arthur managed to raise his sword arm up to block the incoming blow, but while his quick reflexes saved him from a gruesome death, he did not have enough strength to stop the momentum of the swing.

Arthur was sent crashing to the ground, groaning in pain.

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Oh ho, that was good."

The young swordsman got up to his feet as he tried to shake the numbness off his right arm. He was not able to get the correct form in time, so his whole arm took on all the impact.

"You think I'll let you rest!?" Regulus kicked off the ground and closed the distance between the two of them.

Arthur was faster this time, and with a swift motion, dodged the sword coming at him. If he could minimise the number of heavy attacks thrown at him and find a gap in his enemy's attacks to counter, he could stand a chance. The monstrous force behind each swing by Regulus was no joke, and Arthur knew his current strength did not allow him to take the blows head on.

So Arthur went on to dodge the attacks of his opponent, his eyes never once letting an opportunity to retaliate go to waste. Except the opportunity never did came. Arthur frowned in frustration. Surely there would be gaps in his attack pattern? But why can't I see it?

Seeing the young swordsman losing his cool, the Nayshard burst out laughing.

"You must be wondering why you can't find a chance to land a blow, right? Let me tell you, young lad, I'm one of the generals of Lord Liraie, the mighty warrior Regulus! You will have to wait another one thousand years before you can try and defeat me!"

This time Regulus swung his bare fist at Arthur after he dodged another swing of the huge sword. Arthur did not anticipate this, but before the fist can hit its target, Regulus spotted something approaching him at a rapid speed. Pulling back, he clicked his tongue when his hand got a small cut.

"Well, he won't need another thousand years when I'm here." A gruff voice said. Standing before Arthur was a man with a claymore in his right hand.

"Me too!" A cute voice called out followed by a rain of Light bullets. Regulus was engulfed by the torrent, but after the wave of attack ended he remained unscathed in the midst of the smoke and dust generated by the attack.

"Sir Leovarn and Mimi! Why are the two of you here?" Arthur cried out in surprise.

"Just looking for strong opponents to test my skill, Arthur. I found one right here, and just in time. You need help, right?" Leovarn DePruce smirked as he readied his shining sword.