Chaos Cycle: The Eye of Genesis

"Hey, Lara, you have your speech ready," Shin spoke, trying to find a way through Lara's defence. He could not find it with his sword, he better try with his mouth. "Inside, you are already celebrating, heh? Defeating me should be easy for you, right?"

Shin got no reply from her mouth, but the sword in her arm came sharp at his nose, piercing. Shin released some steam and tried to get back with this swift speed, but Lara followed closely—not letting him free.

Once Shin had succeeded to go aerial, but that did not go for long. Though Lara could not fight for even a second, she never left a chance for him to deal an easy blow either. He had tried to toss her onto the air and take some chances there, but that plan turned out to be futile. Lara was already ready for it and cut through his weave of air blade.

'I should have tried to master one thing first,' he thought regretting. Unlike Lara who only had her sword going on for her, SHin had other things. in these few weeks, he mostly tried to use how to move swiftly, along with the weave of wind blades. That did come more than enough daunting, still, Lara held the upper hand with her swordsmanship.

there was only one reason for that, Shin failed to even reach in any one of this stuff like Lara to challenge her sword. His fast movement using the waves of air steam was only used for backing away, so were his wind blade. Lara cut through his wind effortlessly. 

"Look at you, still daunting even though you have the match in your hand," Shin muttered as he moved backwards with the steam. Lara was not far away either, still with her plan to not give him space.

Narrowing his eye, Shin changed to water as he made a sharp sweep with his sword, shooting a large arc of water blade Lara. Lara's sword glinted colder as she jerked it to cut through the arc of water. She did it with some effort, but soon found out there was no one before her.

Her eyes were about to move upwards when she had to jerk her sword as a block before her head, as soon Shin came from above. Before Shin could try anything next, she pulled her sword and twisted it towards his gut.

Shin blocked as he came down again. The frown never left Shin as he scowled at Lara. They were really evenly matched. Shin could not connect any attack, while Lara could not contest with his speed.

'If only I could do the two things together,' Shin thought. His plan with all the nonsense came with no result, Lara was as stoic as a log of wood, only replying with her sword. 'Can I make way for the type of wave Elior wanted me to learn?' Shin bit his lower lips, knowing she never succeeded in making those, and the ones he made were far weaker compared to his weave of air.

'Let's make her wet first.' She thought, returning to his original plan. 'That sounded dirty.'

His initial plan was to make her wet with all the water so that she would get heavy and slow. A feasible plan, but he had to capitalize fast as the water made through mana evaporated quite fast.

Breathing out, Shin forced the blades of water again. this kind of water blade was not actually sharper than wind. It should have been, but Shin lacked training. The cheers of the audience already got numbed in his head, and he was feeling far tired. Now he knew what kind of state he would have been in if Elior did not make him do all those demonic training.

Lara should be far more exhausted than him—after all, unlike her first match, her other opponents were far harder to deal with. Moreover, she had less health compared with him. Perhaps, there was a chance for him to succeed. 

Shin shot the blades of water, but it was not even a bit threatening, unlike the other time. Well, his plan was to get her wet, in the first place. Lara ran her sword and dodged from the way, though some portion of her arms got wet.

Shin shot again, knowing it was far from enough. He could not make any more air to float—well, he could, but he was leaving for any unforeseen during the match. Through Lara had no catchy moves, her sword was fetal enough. It was the only thing she have trained in, sharpened it far better than anyone he met so far in the tournament.

Shin had many things compared with her. His control in the two attributes of air and water, he could manipulate waves of air to float for some seconds as well. And his brother said there were many other cool things he could make.

Lara's sweat got washed over by his water cannon, and currently, she did not have to cut it with her sword. The water cannon had barely had any power other than to stop her at a spot.

Shin was grinning that he got her wet, but a sharp sword came at him again just after the water cannon finished. Shin released the air and withdrew, he knew Lara would try something like those, when he was busy with the other attack.

Shin noticed he already wasted most of his mana, and here was the opportunity for him. He got back to his feet, and shot at Lara again, bearing his sword. There was no pressure of wind on his sword currently nor the water, though it was still releasing some steam.

Lara tilted her head and ignored her exhaustion and finally noticed what Shin was planning. Her body was far heavier. If it were before when she was in her ideal state, it would not have any problem, but currently, that was not. Narrowing her eyes, she came with the block.

Metal clanged in the air, releasing soft warping of mana. They withdrew again, eyes glued to one another. This was the opponent she knew the best. They have duelled hundreds of times and in most of them, Shin would always try to find a way to swift victory, while she would try the opposite. Make it worse for shin to make an attack and she would make a mistake, she would make him pay.

She raged the man inside her channelling path, and got again. her sword made a swiss sound through the air, and came at the right shoulder of Shin, Shin came too, but her sword feinted to attack his lower body.

It succeeded actually. She thought Shin would use his air steam to get back. 'Can't he use them more?' That thought was relieving, but Shin could be playing her too.

She saw him grunting in pain, but his stance steadied again, and he attacked, sword still realizing the steam, eyes narrowing. Sweats dripped down from his forehead and face, as the smoke warped from his sword. She tried to freight after a couple of exchanges, but Shin caught her earlier, though he could not take any advantage over her.

A frown appeared on her brows. Currently, Shin was not playing, as usual, he seemed to be trying something else out of her expectancy. Either way, she would be happy if he fails now. She could not block something unexpected now. She knew Elior trained Shin separately. So he should have something else to show her as well.

As she was thinking, a sword came at her again, warping smoke like waves. Her sword was blocked, but something weird happened. Her sword actually could not touch Shin's sword, something restricted him, but she had no time to ponder as Shin was coming with a late feint.

His sword dropped down and was going from her lower body. "Focus." She heard her opponent muttering. "Concentrate." She closed his eyes after than, as if forgetting there was an opponent before him with her sword ready.

Her sword moved to block his and she barely succeeded. The blind shin actually went for another attack, shove it to her chest currently.

"One a line," Shin muttered and got a better over her this time, leaving a bad scar on her breastplate, breaking the armament defence in a large portion on her upper body.

Lara cursed and saw no smoke was warping like before. It was far sharper and condensed. It was cold like the weapon Elior used though it had not reached his level. Her mind rang with that thought. If Shin really learn to use those weird kinds of moves that she have no idea how to progress, how could she block him?

And then Shin opened his eyes, with a grin on his lips, looking at his dull blade. 

"Looks like SHin is not going to disappoint me today," Elior muttered from the high seat in the stand.