Although Wayland had been a noble knight since the second battle, he had become someone who treated me with utmost respect. So today, I would repay that respect. In the arena, I extended my hand to him. He hesitated for a moment, then took my hand. I asked him in a voice only he could hear.
"Do you want to see my full strength, or do you want to fight with dignity?"
He thought for a few seconds and then said.
"I want to see the gap between us."
"Are you sure? You'll embarrass yourself in front of so many people. I don't want to humiliate you in front of so many people."
"If you don't use your full strength, you'll embarrass me even more. Seeing what you did to Hugo, I know I can't win, and I heard what you said to him. Am I worthy of your sword?"
"Your performance after our last encounter earned you my sword and my respect."
We took our positions, and I slowly approached him with the signal. He launched a fierce attack, but I remained rooted to the spot, defending myself. All the untrained commoners and nobles cheered for his success. To the untrained, he might have appeared to be putting pressure on me, but he and everyone with some training could see that I was not moving.
Footwork is one of the most important aspects of combat. If boxers are evenly matched in talent and experience, footwork can be the key to victory. The essence of footwork is control. With footwork, a boxer can decide when to attack and when to defend. Without footwork, you hand over all control to your opponent, who will decide when to attack or leave your attack range.
After a few more exchanges, I began to use footwork as well. This made the difference in our natural abilities even more apparent to an untrained person. My movements were like a small boat in the wind; his sword couldn't touch me at all. After a few more exchanges, I took a few steps back and said...
"Be careful. I'm about to use all my strength."
I began to launch a series of attacks at him, which he could barely keep up with, but with each strike he struggled more. With another strike, he failed to retreat quickly and fell backward. Then, I pressed my sword against his neck.
I reached out and helped him to his feet. Then, I gripped my sword in a reverse grip, placed my hand on my heart, and bowed respectfully to him, which he did in return. In the next two battles, my opponents were ordinary knights. I wanted to fight someone worthy, but I couldn't. The king forbade Jaime Lannister from participating in the tournament.
The only one worth noting is Smalljon Umber Umber. He was around 18 to 20 Name Day at the time. He wasn't as tall as his father, but he still had time to grow and perhaps surpass him. He had 11 points in Strength and made it to the final battle with an impressive physique. He didn't have much technique. To be honest, with that physique, he didn't need that much skill, but he was too slow. He only had seven points in Speed.
I didn't know if my combination of armor and magic armor would be enough to withstand his greatsword, nor did I have enough confidence to take a chance, so I could only dodge all his attacks, and the difference in speed was enough.
As the signal was given, he gripped his greatsword vertically, one hand on the hilt and the other on the tip, and charged at me. This way, he could occupy a larger area during his charge. He wasn't afraid of my sword striking him head-on. He was like a Iron Giants.
I have two ways to defeat him. One is to attack his unprotected joints from behind, and the other is to fight a war of attrition. Suppose I can keep running away from him, engaging in small skirmishes while luring him into making big sword swings. I can then defeat him.
With each swing of his sword, I could hear the whistling sound of the greatsword cutting through the air. I couldn't believe my double-layered armor could withstand such immense blunt force. The object might not shatter, but it was clear this blow would knock me down and leave me battered and bruised. He kept swinging his sword, kept charging at me.
I attacked him whenever he showed an opening, but he wasn't an idiot. He only exposed gaps in the thickest parts of his armor. He never allowed me to hit his joints. However, even without provoking him, he was clearly exhausted.
I would win in a war of attrition because my stamina can be tripled, but I don't want to win that way. I know I can defeat him with a spell, but I want to test the limits of my swordsmanship. Therefore, I decided to engage him in combat, but not charge at him directly.
I couldn't defeat him in a contest of strength, so I had to outsmart him. As he began to tire, he changed the way he swung his sword. He started to make his sword swings more fluid, so as not to waste his energy.
In this way, he could maintain his high morale while reducing his physical exertion. But in my eyes, this fighting style was too predictable, because the Buff I was familiar with enhanced my eyesight and reaction speed, and his movements were like an open book. Before he even drew his sword, I began to anticipate where his sword would be and then launch a counterattack.
As he began to move, I slipped into the blind spot created by his circular movements and struck behind his knee. He realized this style of fighting wasn't working. He must have found it hard to believe anyone could beat him.
( Smalljon Umber Umber's perspective)
He's like a slippery eel. It's practically impossible to actually hit him. Every time I'm about to strike, he manages to dodge within a centimeter. How could this guy be faster than me?
So I decided to conserve my energy with circular motions, but it only made things worse. He was able to predict my movements, slip past my defense, and hit the back of my knee. My left leg was giving out; I couldn't hold out for long anymore. I had to finish this quickly.
I made another circular motion, and as I expected, he used the opening to move over. But this time, I was prepared. I used the same method he used on his first opponent, bumping him with my shoulder, but I didn't feel much impact. This snake-like bastard had seen through my Trap. As I hit him, he jumped back and then kicked my knee while I was off balance.
I lost my balance and began to stagger. He took advantage of this opening and swung his sword at my overextended arm, disarming me. I tried to tackle him to the ground, but he managed to dodge before I could grab him and put the sword to my neck. I simply couldn't believe that I had lost to a thirteen-year-old boy.