Taking a battle stance, Guan Yu held his treasured green dragon crescent blade with both hands holding the polearm tightly, like he has done so many times in the past, as a duel between two powerful warriors that have seen much death and bloodshed in their long lives of fighting.
Breathing in and out to calm himself before resuming, his right eye focused directly upon Ulric and only on Ulric. He needs to use everything at his disposal if he is going to win this fight, for the fate of his comrades rests on his shoulders, not daring to look back at his shoulder.
The air around them was thick with tension, and the quietness of the forest seemed deafening compared to the distant screams coming from the burning village. The sounds of insects chirping and the faint breeze that swept through the trees were the only noise that could be heard while they stood a few feet from one another with weapons drawn.
Finally, it was time.
It was a very tense moment as the wind suddenly moved around them, gusting across the clearing. Guan Yu stepped forward, swinging his blade downward as he charged forward. The crimson knight charged as well, yelling at the top of his lungs in excitement at this challenge.
Bringing up his weapon into a defensive position, the old man parried the first strike directed towards his chest; the force behind Ulric's blow nearly knocked him off balance as their weapons clashed loudly, echoing through the night. He recovered quickly as he tried to retaliate, but to no avail, for his enemy had anticipated it.
"Impressive!" His enemy announced in pure delight, "A mere swing of my strength would have easily cleaved most humans into pieces, but for you, it seems a different story entirely." A jolly laugh came out of him. "You are indeed a fascinating human!" He then slammed his gauntlet into the ground, throwing dirt and debris into Guan Yu's direction with force to distract him.
Leaping backward to avoid the dust cloud that was thrown, he landed gracefully onto the grass with ease, only to suddenly see a lunging Ulric with his curved sword at hand, who appeared to be extremely fast in that split second. This prompted the veteran warrior to hurriedly raise his polearm in front of himself, barely managing to block the blade that was aiming for his head.
"Good block," said the excited knight. "I'm starting to believe you are the god of war, as you say," respecting the fact his opponent is more experienced in combat than he initially thought. "I wonder how many men have you slain throughout your years," he curiously asked as he pushed his weight downwards.
The comment caught him off guard, allowing Ulric to take this opportunity by sweeping the man's leg with a kick, which resulted in him stumbling and falling to the ground on his back. Quickly rolling out of the way to evade getting stabbed through the stomach, he leapt onto his feet again to swing his blade in a horizontal line.
Instead of blocking the attack, Ulric allowed the blade to cut into his armor, which caused minor damage. "Hmm," he hummed in amusement before merely laughing at his rival's attempt at harming him. Before the latter could pull his guando, the knight then explained this reason.
"You expected a mere slice to my torso would easily cleave me?" Hilarity rang out from his voice: "What a joke!" Throwing his head back with loud laughter. He is amazed by his opponent's determination, despite how insignificant his blows are upon his armor. "Our suit is comprised of hardened materials, designed to withstand most attacks," he told his adversary of the difference between them.
While the old man listened to his words, he thought of different ideas to pierce through his enemy's defenses. "So you are saying you are invincible?" Asked the old warrior, playing along with this conversation as he continues to analyze the man before him.
Taking this bait, he smirked confidently under his helmet, "Not quite. You see, we knights have weaknesses on certain spots of our body—a weak spot if you will," explaining with a cocky expression, "if you continuously hit them hard enough or accurately enough, then that part will crack like glass and fall apart. Mace would be effective," he commented in the last part of his sentence.
Bewildered appeared on the old man's face. "Why must you give me that information?" His tone was laced with disbelief that a person who is an enemy of his is willingly providing crucial knowledge that could be used against him in this battle.
"Simple!" Exclaiming in excitement, "Because I enjoy this thrill of competition against worthy opponents, unlike those fools who proved themselves to be nothing more than weaklings," he expressed his own satisfaction at having to engage in this battle between himself and Guan Yu.
The old man, although hesitant to believe, decides to trust the enemy's word despite them being literally opponents: "then I will test that theory." removing his weapon from Ulric's flesh, he swung horizontally in an attempt to knock him off balance.
Sensing what he intended, the knight dodged sideways to dodge the slash. "Now it's my turn to attack!" Without warning, he swung his curved sword in quick succession towards Guan Yu's left arm. However, the old man saw this attack and was able to easily predict its movement in mid-air before sidestepping to his right, evading it altogether.
Dismissing this, the old man raised his weapon upwards before slamming it down upon his enemy, who simply blocked it with ease by lifting his own blade upward and deflecting the blow away from his own body. Immediately afterward, Ulric made a sudden charge forward and unleashed a flurry of diagonal swipes, which were all countered successfully.
As the two continued battling each other with blow after blow, seemingly equal in all terms, his comrades watched both in awe and fear of the anticipation in this concluding duel as Billy sweated nervously in having to watch the spectacle while not doing anything to help.
The young blond boy can't imagine the stress that his mentor is going through or how he had to focus so intensely on every detail of the Crimson Knight's movement in order to effectively defend himself. Just seeing all that pressure is painful, especially since he himself isn't allowed to intervene.
It feels sickening to do nothing, but he must obey the request given to him and will continue to do so until he sees it fit to act. Regardless, he had faith in him that the elderly man would emerge victorious, but seeing how equal they are, it is a matter of when or how it will happen.
To their dismay, it won't happen anytime soon, as the duo fought for what felt like hours, causing Billy to snap out of his trance and speak to the witch standing near his side, "Hey Morgan?" He asked, garnering her attention towards him, "Do you think he will win against that guy?" His expression was filled with concern.
Morgan was silent for a moment as she continued holding Seth in her arms, weighing the possibility of the outcome:Well, "he hasn't lost yet," speaking truthfully what she saw, "though it would be hard to tell how this will end," her eyes never leaving the two rivals who are locked in heated conflict.
"That isn't exactly encouraging," the cowboy murmured under breath with noticeable sarcasm; his eyes remained fixed on the battle. It was honestly disheartening to hear her reply, not at all hopeful or optimistic with the result, "I don't want to imagine losing someone again," quiet enough so only he and her could hear.
She had heard it loud and clear, for she too shared the same sentiment. But there is nothing they could do to intervene, only hoping for the best for them as they wait patiently. "I understand what you mean, Billy." Sighing dejectedly, her eyes went down to Seth's sleeping expression: "All we can do is trust in him," reminding them of what is important.
He understood, knowing the parting words of Guan Yu, "Yeah, the old man is a pretty dependable guy, huh?" Smiling at this, he felt better and more reassured. It helped soothe his worry for now. "I bet he's going to find a way to beat that monster, no matter what happens," he said, looking back at the pair in front of him with a wide grin.
Morgan returned with a smile of her own, appreciating his optimistic mindset. The boy's belief in his teacher is almost admirable: "I believe in him as well." Her confidence is small but existent; "he'll find a way, like always." She affirmed with a saddened expression.
Appreciative of her support, he turned and gave her a thumbs up before looking back at the match. "Damn straight, he will!" He is praying in all of his heart that it happens as soon as possible. The tension is too high, and he is not sure if he can bear it any longer. "That old timer better not lose," he says, gritting his teeth with a mixture of anger, worry, and stress building inside of him.
Meanwhile, Wymar was watching the two warriors go all out; his interest is still piqued with the old man, wanting to see him at full potential to fully observe how a human who claimed to be the god of war fights in person. "The air around this human is that of a fighter that has experienced much of war in his lifetime," feeling it within the aura that he emits. "A wise fighter but a foolish man," the giant spoke in dismay.
For someone who served the dark lord for a long time, experiencing many warriors in his lifetime, there were few men who had gained his respect and acknowledgment as being worthy foes. All of them were killed during the conquest, making him lament in a sense of losing capable warriors that deserved fighting, "although he is still human, with only a few exceptions."
It is a pity that he will have to witness this warrior's demise. "If he managed to kill him, then it would be such a waste," expressing his disappointment with this reality, "but if Guan Yu was the one that slays Ulric instead..." Fascinating scenario to imagine: "Maybe I might recruit him into the cause if he lives long enough to join us." He then laughed at this, as it amused him greatly.
Guan Yu bared his teeth in exhaustion as it began to grow increasingly difficult for him to keep fighting. He could tell that the knight was aware of his weariness. "You're getting tired, aren't you?" Ulric taunted mockingly, "surprising to see someone with such strong stamina to begin with, especially an old man," admitting his sincere respect to this human, for he has not seen one in such a long time.
Having been a veteran in the art of fighting and having experience with many battles, the elderly warrior found himself at a disadvantage against an opponent that showed no signs of fatigue at all. The energy he used to swing his blade was like he used it casually every day.
Although he refused to give in and show his weakness, he kept pushing forward despite the growing ache in his bones and the sweat trickling down his brow. His own stamina is waning quickly as he is running out of energy to use from every swing he brings.
Seeing this growing fatigue, Ulric decisively kicked his opponent's stomach as hard as he could. Guan Yu stumbled back in pain before losing his footing, collapsing onto the grassy soil, which caused his guandao to slip out of his hands, sliding away from him. "It is over," he told his fallen foe as he approached him. "We are evenly matched, but even then, human endurance has its limits," now standing in front of the old man's vulnerable position.
Horror plastered on Billy's expression: "Come on! Don't give up!" He shouted, trying to encourage his teacher, but was useless as Guan Yu struggled to push himself up; the kick must've struck him harder than expected. "Get up! Please!" Begging at the top of his lungs, "You have to..." With gloom in his voice, he is beginning to realize that maybe he had been wrong and is about to see his father figure being slain before his eyes.
"You were a great warrior," he complimented the proclaimed god of war with respect. "To last this far is an amazing feat of itself, but ultimately, it was all for naught," he laughed to himself. He is finding it to be genuinely fun fighting the old man. Such an experience is something he will never forget. "For this, I will—"
Everyone's eyes widen in surprise as Guan Yu painfully and slowly stands up with heavy panting, holding his weapon, while blood begins to leak out of his mouth, ears, nose, and eyes as determination shines brightly from his right eye. He wiped his mouth with a grimace, staring at his opponent.
Shock was written on Ulric's face, his jaw dropping as he found himself at a loss for words at this development, taking a couple of steps back in amazement. "A normal man's body would have lasted this long in a fight," he said, bewildered at this new revelation of this fellow warrior being different from the other humans he had fought.
Straightening his stance, he carefully adjusted his breathing before finally speaking. "To win any battle," the old man informed him of a lesson he learned long ago: "one must act as if you are already dead." Taking another battle once more, his demeanor is cold and hard with every bit of resolve in defeating his opponent, "for the dead have no fear of death," glaring at his stunned enemy.
