Chapter 20

As soon as the signal to start was given, everyone expected Yudo to launch an attack immediately, but he remained in a high guard position without moving.

Rio stood with his wooden sword at waist level, waiting.

From Rio's perspective, there was no point in initiating the attack. Just by standing there, he could impress the villagers with his stance, and the longer the standoff lasted, the more the surrounding people would think there was no opportunity to attack.

For Yudo, who wanted to demonstrate his strength, the moment the standoff began, he had already lost strategically. He would definitely become impatient and attack.

Taking this as a good opportunity, Rio observed Yudo.

Despite being only two years older, Yudo's physique was superior to Rio's. While Rio was smaller compared to his peers, Yudo was taller and had broader shoulders. It was unclear how much the body enhancement techniques had affected him, but since Rakuoi had taken notice of him, he was certainly not weak.

Physically and technically, Rio was at a disadvantage, but mentally, he had the upper hand.

Seeing Rio's calm expression, Yudo took a step forward.

The moment Rio reacted and wobbled the tip of his wooden sword, Yudo lunged forward.

A downward strike from a high guard. Yudo's wooden sword, slicing through the air with a roar, was easily avoided by Rio, who nimbly dodged and moved to Yudo's left diagonal front.

Yudo, tracking Rio's movements with his eyes, lowered his left foot and thrust his wooden sword forward to take a defensive stance.

It was a standard defensive posture of the Ox style.

Rio swung his wooden sword, which he had held at waist level, horizontally to strike Yudo's defense from the side.

It didn't budge at all.

Seeing Yudo grin and reposition his wooden sword in a high guard, Rio took a few steps back.

"... Is the strength difference this significant?"

Of course, the physical difference was apparent, but the difference in the effects of body enhancement was even more evident. It was almost impossible to break through the defense.

Considering he was facing the Ox style, which was known for its strong defense, this was to be expected.

Perhaps realizing that Rio had no effective attacks, Yudo began to show an offensive stance.

Rio dodged Yudo's wooden sword, which was swung down in a diagonal slash, by stepping back.

Immediately after, Yudo aimed a thrust at Rio's chest, but Rio slipped away by sliding his feet while exposing himself to Yudo's front.

Yudo, with his wooden sword on his right shoulder, swung it down while pulling back his left elbow.

Rio slipped through to Yudo's right side, ducking under the trajectory of the wooden sword.

The villagers began to murmur as Rio dodged Yudo's three consecutive attacks.

Ignoring the noise, Rio maintained his distance with his wooden sword at waist level.

Yudo turned to face Rio, holding his wooden sword vertically in front of his right diagonal front, glaring at him.

Yudo's stance was the defensive posture of the heavily armored knights in the Ox style's formation. There was a blind spot on the right side, but since they were in formation, there was always a comrade to the right, so there was no need to worry about being flanked.

There was something off about Rio's movements in dodging the three consecutive attacks. Indeed, Rio had already shown his evasive movements just before the final attack. He had not only heard about the Ox style's forms from Karyll but also anticipated Yudo's attacks because they were too predictable.

"... You haven't made the techniques your own."

Yudo had learned the techniques from Rakuoi, but he didn't understand them. He hadn't considered how to move optimally with his physique. That's why his movements were predictable and he could be outmaneuvered.

Rio repositioned his wooden sword from waist level to a high guard.

He took a step forward with his right foot.

Yudo, on guard, shifted his body to the right to avoid being flanked.

Rio took a large step forward with his left foot, closing the distance with Yudo.

As soon as Rio entered range, Yudo immediately swung his wooden sword down. It was a feint strike from the Ox style, intended to keep the opponent at bay. The real attack, a thrust, would follow, as Rio had learned from Karyll.

Pretending to be intimidated by the feint, Rio momentarily stopped moving.

Seizing the opportunity, Yudo stopped the feint and launched a thrust.

The attack, which Rio had anticipated, was meaningless against his well-practiced footwork. He pulled back his right foot and stepped forward with his left, shifting his body just enough to avoid the attack. He then slid his wooden sword along Yudo's, aiming for his gauntlet.

With a loud thud, Rio's wooden sword struck Yudo's thick leather gauntlet.

The impact forced Yudo to lower his arms, and he gritted his teeth as he swung his wooden sword horizontally. Rio dodged by leaping backward.

The villagers applauded, impressed by Rio's clean strike to the gauntlet.

If this had been a real duel, Yudo's hand would have been severed, but the match would continue until one of them surrendered or was completely knocked to the ground.

Yudo, with a red face, glared at Rio, taking the defensive stance of the Ox style.

"Rio...!"

Embarrassed in front of almost the entire village, Yudo was completely enraged.

However, he didn't recklessly attack, likely because he was more cautious after being struck on the gauntlet. Having all his attacks dodged and being outmaneuvered, he understood that a hasty attack would result in a counter.

But the stalemate was also a blow to Yudo's pride. Being struck on the gauntlet and entering a standoff would make him appear hesitant to the villagers.

Caught between caution and pride, Yudo wanted to show his skills.

Reading Yudo's psychology, Rio tapped the side of Yudo's wooden sword with his own, in a high guard. It appeared to be a provocation, but it was just a feint.

At the beginning of the match, Yudo wouldn't have fallen for such a cheap provocation.

But in his current state, the touch of the wooden swords seemed like a glimmer of hope.

Yudo immediately turned his wrist to entangle the wooden swords, trying to lift Rio's. At that moment, Rio lunged forward, forcing a blade lock.

Caught off guard by the sudden force, Yudo's body stiffened, and he was dragged into the lock.

With their wooden swords clashing, Rio looked Yudo in the eye.

In this position, where Rio, who was shorter, had to look up at Yudo, the villagers would see him as bravely attacking. Given that he had just struck the gauntlet, they would likely perceive the match as even, or even in Rio's favor.

Yudo, realizing Rio's strategy, glared down at him with a bitter expression.

"Did you peek at the form practice and plan your strategy? That's cheating, you know."

Yudo spoke in a low voice so that the others couldn't hear, but Rio responded coolly.

"I didn't peek, but I did plan a strategy. It's only natural."

Since there was no shame or need to hide it, Rio spoke at a normal volume. The village chief, understanding Yudo's words from Rio's response, looked slightly exasperated.

The villagers, who were cheering, didn't seem to hear their conversation, but Yudo, realizing that continuing would dig a deeper hole, glared and put more force into his wooden sword.

"Ugh!"

Using his physical and weight advantage, along with body enhancement, Yudo forcefully pushed Rio back, leaning forward.

Yudo held his wooden sword horizontally, pointing the tip at Rio while gripping the handle at his chest.

As Rio stumbled backward from the push, he recalled Karyll's words.

"In a one-on-one match, it doesn't make much sense, so he won't use the technique if he knows the intent."

—The stance for the Ox style's formation charge.

With a loud stomp, Yudo began his charge.

He didn't stop advancing, aiming a sharp thrust at Rio's abdomen. If it hit, it would pierce his stomach and push him back. If avoided, the flanking comrades would finish the job.

Rio quickly sidestepped to avoid Yudo's path.

Yudo, tracking Rio's movements with his eyes, tried to swing his wooden sword horizontally in a desperate attempt to recover.

However, Rio's wooden sword was faster, cutting under Yudo's feet.

With the momentum of the charge and the unstable stance from the forced horizontal swing, Yudo had no chance.

He fell face-first, sliding on the ground. His wooden sword, released to protect his face, rolled uselessly and was stopped by Bald, who was sitting in the audience.

Rio, without hesitation, turned and repositioned his wooden sword, guarding his feet while taking a few steps back and lowering his guard.

"Winner... Rio..."

The village chief, surprised by the unexpected outcome, declared the winner modestly.