Ikemen Revolution: For Crimson Glory

Chapter 3

Making this a spectacle put a lot of pressure on me, and that meant that the other recruits will distance themselves from me. They wouldn't want to garner unnecessary attention from any of the high-ranking officers, especially when Lancelot was clearly picking me out. I took the sword that another officer offered to me, since this uniform hadn't been supplied with one today. The saber felt heavy in my hand. It's not exactly what I'm used to, but it'll do.

Standing in the middle of a wide circle of red army soldiers with the Ace of Hearts, Zero, only a few feet away, my eyes swept across the crowd. The recruits were eager to see the fight, eager to see me lose. Too bad for them. I have too much riding on this to fail now. Twisting my wrist around to get more used to the weight and how it would swing, I tensed when Lancelot gave the order to begin.

Neither of us moved, assessing the other. He can't be the Ace for nothing. I knew little to nothing about him, since his family name hadn't been mentioned. Erring on the side of caution, I waited. I needed to see how he moved before I could create some kind of attack plan.

Zero's first strike was fast, accurate. His saber narrowly missed my ribs as I raised my own to block the blow. The 'shink' of the blades sliding apart only lasted for a split second before his second strike, and third, all precise and clean. Before I knew it, I'd been put completely on defense. Ian wouldn't have had great form anyways, so this worked in my favor.

Each time I blocked, Zero would pull away and strike again, instead of trying to overpower me. He's clearly holding back. A wave of irritation went through me. Twisting around this time, I made my first offense move. Landing a solid elbow to his jaw, I'd caught him by surprise, as well as everyone else.

"Didn't they teach you that sword fighting is actually supposed to be with the sword?" Someone called from the group. The others around him seemed to agree.

I wanted to retort, but Zero had to be my priority. He wasn't going to allow me any moment of rest with his relentless swipes at me. Whoever taught him had done well. It reminded me of the same style I had learned. That's why neither of us had claimed a clear advantage. We blocked and parried evenly.

"Zero, stop holding back on him," Lancelot ordered from the side.

As requested, the next swing came much harder. He pushed with his sword, making my balance faulter for just a moment. He swiped his foot, making me smack against the ground on my back with enough force to knock my breath out of me. Sticking out of the dirt a few feet away was my sword. I hadn't been able to hold on.

The tip of his blade pointed at my face, it seemed like I'd lost. The others around were whispering. Some of the officers were muttering about how sloppy the fight had been, but they were a little impressed that I'd last so long against the Ace. This had to be the end of the fight. Ian surely would have given up.

No one had called the match. Lancelot remained quiet.

And I can't afford to give up.

The moment would come where I could do something to turn this around. Zero and I were locked in a stare, like he was daring me to get back up. It went on for longer than it should have. Finally, my opportunity presented itself. His gaze moved from me to Lancelot, and for a split second, his grip loosened on the saber, assuming this to be over. Striking out my leg, I hit his knee hard. Gripping the blade with my left hand, I yanked it hard enough to get it free. The steel sliced through my palm, but I'd managed to toss it behind me.