The day of the duel finally arrived. Yūma was surprised by the size of the crowd. These matches were more popular than he thought. Adventurers showed up, but so did regular townsfolk - men, women, and kids sitting on their parents' shoulders, all eager to watch.

The arena wasn't anything fancy - just an open training ground with some wooden stands thrown together. Still, to Yūma, it felt like almost a thousand people had shown up.

Are there bets on us? I hope those who voted only based on gender will lose. But who can blame them? We've never shown our abilities to anyone.

"Are you ready?" a voice echoed from behind him.

It was Paul. He could barely hide his excitement, almost like a child, as if he were staring at the birthday cake he'd waited to taste.

"Yeah," Yūma replied calmly.

"Show me what you're capable of, Yūma Sazanami," he continued with a wide smile. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Yuna appeared with her friends trailing behind. She walked with sharp confidence, her steps loud on the wooden planks.

"Are you ready to lose?" she asked firmly. Her tone carried a little anger, as if she wanted to fight more than the title itself.

"I like your confidence," Yūma answered with a slight smile.

"Hello everyone!" The receptionist shouted from the announcer's stand.

"Welcome to the battle of the day! The battle that will decide the new party's leader!"

The audience roared, cheers and whistles breaking out across the stands.

"Welcome, contenders to the arena. Yuna Kirigaya and Yūma Sazanami,"

Both stepped forward, entering the sandy circle of the arena. Their weapons had been provided by the guild - crafted from wood. Death was not planned by the guild, at least for today.

Yuna held a short wooden dagger. It was the perfect choice for her ability - light, fast, and made for stealthy strikes.

Yūma, meanwhile, carried five small wooden throwing knives tucked into his belt and a longer wooden sword in his hand, more suited for closer combat.

The signal was given.

The duel began.

Yūma charged forward rapidly. With a sword in his right hand and his other hand clenched into a fist, he was only meters from the girl. Yuna quickly stepped aside, dodging before he could swing. She hasn't used her ability yet, as if testing his capabilities.

After the dodge, she swiftly rushed toward the boy with her dagger in her right hand. She swung.
Clinch!
Yūma parried with his sword in both hands. He also hadn't activated his power yet. He knew he shouldn't use it before her. He remembered the five minutes they counted in the forest. Yet, he wasn't sure how much she had improved in the last two days.

Distance separated them again. Yuna lunged forward toward the boy and swung with her blade. Yūma blocked it, this time with only his right hand. His left hand was prepared to strike.
Bang!
His left hook hit her right cheek. He wasn't sure about that blow. After all, it was the first time he had struck a woman, nor had he ever wanted to. A little doubt appeared in his mind.

Mistake. Yuna didn't care. While he was distracted, she managed to land a blow with her dagger.

"Ahh," he whispered. The dagger was made out of wood, but the pain was real. Yūma felt as if he had been stabbed, though there was neither blood nor a cut. The weapons were enchanted with a spell to make them feel real but without causing critical harm.

While he was in agony, Yuna continued to press forward. Swing after swing, block after block
Clash! Clash! Clash! Clash!
He decided to use the surroundings to his advantage. Before one of her swings, he quickly stepped aside. He scooped a little amount of sand from the floor with his left hand and launched it at her. It worked. While she was distracted, he managed to get behind her.
Clash!
A large wound would have appeared on her back if the sword had been real.

"Aaaaa," she yelled. She had never felt such aching pain in her life.

Yūma charged at her, swinging his sword toward Yuna's back. The blow cut through the air harmlessly as she vanished, evaporating from existence. Just then, the girl quickly reappeared ten meters to the left. She had to use her ability. She wouldn't endure the same strike to the same place - the pain was too much.

Paul's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that kind of spell. It wasn't the first time he had seen such an ability.

"Interesting," he whispered with a little smile.

Riko was holding her right hand over her chest. Her heartbeat was racing, especially after the last hit. Subaru was concerned but still believed in her. He was afraid but didn't show it on his face.

The audience was confused. The words "Did you see that? How did she do that?" echoed through the crowd.

That was a nice blow. But for how long does she intend not to use her invisibility? Is she waiting for me?

Yūma understood that his ability lasted longer. Around five minutes of difference, unless he strained it to its maximum level. In that case, the difference would become only two minutes. Only during that state did he have a chance of noticing her while she was invisible.

I know it's dumb, but I'll start the real game then.

As Yuna's pain slowly faded, she lunged forward toward the boy. Her eyes were as sharp as a blade, as if she were about to kill him.

Yūma inhaled slowly. "Hawk Eye," he whispered.

Slash with her right hand. Into the air, Yūma was already aside. In this state, he saw the world differently from others. Tiny signs of movement revealed her intent. Her actions were visible to him even before an attempt of a strike.

He dodged every attack, not even trying to hit her back. It felt like a game to him. He grinned, almost toying with her, even though he knew he could have ended the duel by now. But he wanted to see what he was capable of.

Yuna swung her dagger with her right hand, aiming for Yūma, but he stepped aside, making a "cut" on her right shoulder with his sword. She immediately tried to punch him with her left hand. Yūma moved to her other side and used his sword to make a "cut" on her left shoulder. He was waiting for her to unlock her true ability.

Yuna inhaled sharply from exhaustion. Yūma was still waiting for her move.

"Invisibility," she whispered. She vanished, evaporating from existence. Only Yūma was visible to the crowd.

Silence fell. No sound - just Yūma standing in the middle of the arena.
Clash!
Through the air. Yūma stepped aside. He couldn't see her swing, but he noticed the faint movement of sand scattered by Yuna's feet. She tried to make her steps unnoticeable to the boy, but that wasn't enough. His eyes carefully tracked the disturbance, allowing him to avoid her invisible strike.

Still, Yūma couldn't stay in one place. Yuna lunged toward the boy every chance she got. He dodged every slash. He couldn't do much more.

The audience was confused. To them, it looked like Yūma was fighting with himself, fleeing from his own shadow.

Paul was aware of an ability like invisibility, but couldn't comprehend Yūma's power.
How does he see her? he thought. He had never seen someone capable of countering such a broken ability.

But Yūma wasn't fast enough to dodge forever. Yuna tried to land a blow with her dagger - missed - but then swiftly charged at the boy. And the moment came. The moment the girl was faster than him.
Clash!
She slashed his sword away. Yūma was left wide open, defenseless, with nothing in his hands. Yuna rushed quickly, hoping to end the duel. She swung.
Clinch!
Yuna's dagger clashed against two small wooden knives Yūma quickly drew from his belt, their blades meeting with a sharp ring in the air.

He had strained his ability to its maximum level - at last, he was able to see the blade itself.

How? During the swing, the blade rippled through the air, its metallic texture distorting the space around it. That ripple was visible only to Yūma's eyes. If the weapon hadn't been enchanted, he wasn't sure he would have been able to parry the blow at all.

He had two minutes to end the fight. At least, that's how long he believed he could last before the aching pain got to his head. But he didn't care about that. To him, the duel had become mere entertainment - he had even forgotten about the bet. A wide smile stretched across his face, and it hadn't faded even once.

The audience was astonished. None of them had ever witnessed a battle of this level in their lifetime. Neither Yuna nor Yūma truly understood how powerful they were compared to ordinary people, nor how rare it was for others to be able to spectate such a duel.

Riko couldn't bear to watch - she turned her head away in fear. Subaru was still watching - stunned by Yūma's overwhelming strength. His senses seemed to be on par with the level of Riko's wolves - perhaps even superior.

The duel continued. Yuna rushed toward the boy with a dagger ripped upside down in her right hand. Meanwhile, Yūma watched carefully - every step, every ripple of air around her movements. He hurled two of his knives, predicting her path. The first blade missed, but the second "cut" her leg. She tripped, stumbling, but luckily, Yūma wasn't quick enough to land a blow.

He pulled out another pair of blades and lunged forward at the girl. He swung with his right hand.
Clinch!
Parried. He tried with his left hand through the air - Yuna dodged to the left. While his back was wide open, she quickly pressed forward and kicked his back with her left leg, which knocked him stumbling forward.

Vulnerable - that was her chance. She closed the distance. She swung the dagger at the end.
Clinch!
Yūma caught Yuna's dagger between his twin knives as she swung at him. She pushed harder, trying to force the blade through, but instead of keeping it locked, Yūma turned his hands left, guiding her dagger's point into the ground.

In that instant, while she loomed over him, he countered. His right-hand blade drove into her side once, twice, then again in rapid succession. No blood, but aching pain. She would have been dead if not for the spell.

Yuna dashed away. She inhaled rapidly, exhausted and in pain. She charged toward the boy with the last of her energy. He was prepared, holding his blades. But…

Dark dots blurred his sight. Two minutes had passed. In fact, it was three minutes. His excitement during the fight and his willingness not to end the duel had made him stand longer than he expected.

Aching pain hit his head. He couldn't even react - the dagger landed a blow to his neck. Yuna reappeared.

The crowd was disoriented throughout the entire duel. Watching the boy fight someone, but looking like he was fighting with himself, was so strange that it was not hard to believe it was just a dream.

Silence fell. Yūma was standing in the middle of the arena, in front of him, Yuna stood, holding a blade near his neck. He couldn't see or hear. The only thing he felt was pain in his neck and his head.

He closed his eyes. "I lost," he muttered with a wide smile plastered across his face. He fell on the ground, landing on his back with a loud smash.