Felix, having purchased supplies, food, a couple of cloths, and bottles of wine, continued on his journey. His path to Dijon led through Poitiers and the city of Omoul. Although it seemed that the shorter route to Dijon was slightly north of the Solienne fortress on the map, there was a massive Frey mountain range there, which meant that the route passed through the central province of the Republic. Felix was in a hurry to leave the fortress before curfew, when the sun set behind the horizon, the gates would be closed until morning, and based on Christoph's words, he wanted to get as far away from trouble as possible, so that neither he nor Bernard would come to harm.

He didn't want anything to happen to Bernard. Felix now wished only one thing for this child - a happy family, which Felix had to find before meeting Drago in Dijon.

With these thoughts in mind, he left the fortress. Sven seemed to him to be the embodiment of a problem that could ignite at any moment and affect him.

"Phew, one less problem," - Felix looked at Bernard as he headed east into the forest, away from the main road to Poitiers. - Now we'll find a place to spend the night, and I'll feed you.
Without waiting for a response, he strode into the dense twilight forest when suddenly Bernard spoke:

"Yeah," - it brought a smile to Felix's face.
"Haha-haha," - the smile turned into laughter.
"Why are you doing this, Felix? Isn't this against the First Order's rules?..." Felix remembered his conversation with Ido, his former comrade. Because of this, for just a moment, Felix's head began to ache.

"Maybe, in some ways that fool is right, but I'm not destined to say it to him, - Felix shook his head. - No, I won't. Why should I agree?"
Felix waited for Bernard's response, but it never came, so he continued on.

As he passed through the trees, Felix came across a small stream and decided to take a break. It was a beautiful open glade with a couple of solitary trees and a small stream that flowed back into the dense forest. Placing Bernard on the ground, he threw his bag there as well, which he had to carry either in his hands, on his back, or on his chest. It was all because Bernard always wanted to see something from a different perspective. Bernard crawled to explore the bag, but Felix didn't mind; he had long tied everything with incredibly strong knots that no child could untangle.

Felix approached the stream and dunked his head in the water. The cool, almost cold water began to cool his head. He worried about many things, but prayers to the Mother made him distracted. But even so, he began to worry about Bernard. This child was not part of Felix's suicidal mission. And he knew that he didn't want the child to grow up alone, just like him.

Dull cries made Felix immediately pull his head out of the water. Holding Bernard by his little shirt at a distance of fifty meters, Christoph stood next to Felix's bag with his spear.

"What does this mean?"
Felix's eyes became cold, grim, and bloodthirsty, but Christoph had the same eyes.

Christoph intensified his body with mana. Felix could distinctly feel its influence on his body at a distance of fifty meters. Christoph's muscles were tensing, and his eyes widened to see a little better. Felix didn't wait for an answer; mana from his "mana veins" slowly flowed to his muscles and bones, strengthening them.

Christoph's spear headed for Bernard's cheek, causing Felix to take an uncertain step. He thought about an attack, but Bernard's safety worried him more than anything else, and he watched closely as Christoph moved.

"Fight at full strength!" - Christoph yelled, releasing a controlled wave of mana.

She reached Felix, forcing him to look back into Christoph's eyes. Every blade of grass, from his feet to Felix's, seemed to be watching in their direction. The green-eyed traveler needed only to nod his head in agreement. Felix's fingertips were enveloped in a faint greenish mana glow—an aura. Following this, Christoph's spear was bathed in a blue luminescence, illuminating his dark eyes.

"Ha," Christoph relaxed his grip and released Bernard, who fell onto the grass.

In that very moment, both of them surged towards each other. Christoph and Felix moved at superhuman speed but remained within the bounds of human capability. When Christoph's spear aimed for Felix's left shoulder, Felix effortlessly redirected the tip towards the ground. However, immediately afterward, the spear altered its trajectory, heading for Felix's left eye, causing him to halt and step back in a fraction of a second. The spear whizzed through the air with each strike, but they continued to press forward. Christoph's spear moved like a serpent, employing one of the Republic's three techniques—Flow.

Christoph clearly dominated, launching strikes from a distance, denying Felix an opportunity to approach for his counterattack. Yet, Felix continued to retreat after each defensive move, unable to find an opening in Christoph's defense. Felix decided to change tactics, relying on the dominance of his mana. As Christoph prepared to strike again, a green mana glow spread across Felix's entire palm. With a swift motion, Felix halted the spear's progress by seizing it with his palm and pushing it toward Christoph. Christoph tried to hold onto the spear, but Felix kicked him in the stomach. It was a powerful blow, but Christoph managed to neutralize it using mana.

Christoph held the spear with his left hand, but this lasted no more than a second before he abruptly grabbed it back. A torrent of raging mana surged towards the spear's tip, and Felix released the spear, nearly losing his fingers. Green radiance returned to Felix's fingertips, and he stepped back three paces, as did Christoph. Christoph calmly inhaled as an immense amount of mana enveloped his spear. Felix understood that such a strike could end his life, so he decided not to hold back. A green glow erupted from his fingertips, enveloping his entire hand. With his palm, he seemed to compress space—a peculiar effect of his technique, which Christoph had noticed. Christoph's opponent's spear also glowed, resembling a flowing stream of water.

Taking another deep breath, Christoph rushed forward, and Felix did the same. This time, both delivered devastating blows, causing the air to tremble, and the grass beneath their feet disappeared, merging with the earth. Powerful palm strikes alternated with punches and finger jabs. In response, the spear launched lightning-fast and diverse attacks. It aimed for the heart, lungs, legs, and arms but continually changed its trajectory, forcing Felix to retreat or launch a counterattack during moments of vulnerability. Any of their blows could be fatal, and both expertly evaded each other's strikes.

Gradually, Felix began to accumulate minor scratches due to the unstable ground beneath his feet. He acquired small lacerations from his right hand, extending from his wrist to his elbow, near his right eye, on his neck artery, and his thigh. Christoph also sustained hits, albeit from air currents, but even those caused scratches. These attacks filled Christoph's ears with blood, impairing his hearing and disorienting him, especially as dust accumulated.

In a decisive moment, Felix stepped towards the spear. Shifting his body slightly to the right, the spear grazed Felix's left abdomen. However, in response, Felix struck Christoph's left hand, severing it. Subsequently, his left hand dealt a blow to Christoph's face, leaving deep wounds. Christoph retaliated by striking Felix's chin with the spear's hilt. Felix's jaw cracked, but he instantly attempted to tear Christoph's hand along with the spear. Christoph retaliated with an elbow strike from his left arm to Felix's chin.

Two of Christoph's fingers aimed for Felix's eyes, but with a swift motion of his hand, Felix tore off the entire palm. Felix's vision was impaired, but he sensed massive mana flows directly in front of him. Christoph clenched his jaw and teeth while clamping onto Felix's chest, with the intention of reaching his neck. Christoph tore a chunk of Felix's flesh, and Felix, in turn, struck Christoph's head with both hands, squeezing it. In a matter of seconds, Christoph's head exploded from the strain, and Felix fell to the ground after his opponent...