"Come at me."


    Korvan''s sneer faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing. He saw the shift in my stance, the way I held my ground, no longer retreating. His eyes flicked to my glowing de, recognition dawning in his expression.


    "ying the tough guy, are we?" he growled, his grip tightening on the spear. "Let''s see how long thatsts."


    And then he charged, mes erupting from his spear as he closed the distance between us in a heartbeat. His movements were fast, blindingly so, the tip of the spear a blur as it cut through the air toward me.


    But I was ready.


    With a sharp breath, I stepped forward to meet him, my estoc raised. The starlight mana pulsed through my body, giving me the speed and strength I needed to parry his strike.


    CLANG!


    The sound of our weapons shing echoed through the clearing, sparks flying as fire met starlight. Korvan''s eyes widened slightly as I held my ground, refusing to be pushed back this time.


    I twisted my de, redirecting the force of his strike to the side. For a brief moment, there was an opening—small, but there.


    I seized it, lunging forward with a quick, precise thrust aimed at his side.


    But Korvan wasn''t done yet. He spun his spear with a flick of his wrist, mes roaring to life around him. A wall of fire rose up between us, forcing me to retreat before I couldnd my blow. The heat was suffocating, but I managed to dodge the st of fire just in time.


    Korvan came at me with a ferocity that felt like a hurricane of me and steel. His spear, wreathed in fire, cut through the air in rapid, vicious arcs, each strikeing faster and heavier than thest. I parried, deflecting the blows as best as I could, but the force behind his attacks was monstrous.


    CLANG! CLANG!


    Each strike rattled through my bones, my estoc barely managing to keep up with his relentless assault. My muscles burned, but I matched his pace, refusing to fall back again. I twisted my body, deflecting another sh and countering with a thrust aimed at his midsection.


    Korvan batted my de aside, the mes on his spear ring as he swung at my shoulder. I ducked just in time, the heat from the weapon grazing my skin. A bead of sweat rolled down my temple, but I pressed forward, turning my dodge into a strike. My estocshed out, aiming for his exposed leg.


    SWOOSH!


    But Korvan was faster. His spear blocked my attack, and before I could fully withdraw, his next blow came crashing down.


    "Argh!" I hissed, feeling the sharp bite of his spear''s edge as it cut across my arm. Blood trickled down, warm and wet, against my skin, but I didn''t retreat. The pain was real, but there was something else now—something unexpected.


    Thrill.


    A spark flickered inside me, something raw and primal. It started small, a faint pulse deep in my chest, but with each sh, each cut, it grew. The sharp sting of the wound on my arm only fueled it.


    CLANG!


    I blocked another strike, feeling the pressure of Korvan''s strength pushing against me. The thrill bubbled up, a strange exhration that pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat. This wasn''t just a fight anymore—it was a test, a challenge, a battle where my life hung in the bnce.


    And something inside me weed it.


    ''That''s right…..This feeling…''


    I gritted my teeth as another swing of Korvan''s spear sliced across my shoulder, tearing through my cloak and leaving a trail of fire in its wake. My body screamed in pain, but my mind was clear, sharper than ever.


    ''Is this what I''ve been missing?'' I thought as I dodged another of Korvan''s strikes, the adrenaline pumping through my veins.


    The thrill was growing stronger, a feeling of excitement that coursed through me with every move I made, every blow I deflected.


    For the first time in a long while, I felt alive.


    I spun around Korvan''s next attack, the starlight mana around my estoc ring brighter as I drove it forward, aiming for his chest. Korvan deflected the strike with ease, but I didn''t stop. My movements flowed, one after the other, pushing him back even as my body screamed in protest from the cuts and bruises forming across my arms and torso.


    His spear came crashing down, and I met it head-on, feeling the force of his blow rattle my weapon. My feet skidded across the dirt, but I stood firm, a grin slowly creeping onto my face despite the pain coursing through me.


    "You''re smiling, boy?" Korvan growled, his eyes narrowing as he swung his spear again. "You''re starting to enjoy this?"


    I didn''t answer. I didn''t need to.


    I could feel the heat of the battle in every fiber of my being now. The thrill of putting my life on the line, of fighting an opponent stronger than me, faster than me—it was intoxicating. Each cut, each close call, only fueled the fire inside me. The more dangerous the fight became, the more alive I felt.


    CLANG!


    I blocked another strike, the starlight mana in my de pulsing stronger, brighter. The thrill was overwhelming now, a raw, electric excitement that surged through me with every breath.


    "Come on, Korvan," I muttered under my breath, feeling the adrenaline spike again. "Let''s see how far we can take this."


    Korvan''s eyes narrowed, and for the first time, there was something other than smugness in his gaze—wariness. He could sense the change in me. He wasn''t just fighting a skilled swordsman anymore—he was fighting someone who was embracing the chaos, the danger, the risk.


    I dashed forward, my estoc glowing with starlight as Iunched into a flurry of attacks, faster and more aggressive than before. Each strike carried the full weight of my energy, my focusser-sharp.


    CLANK! SWOOSH!


    Our weapons shed, the air between us crackling with mana and heat. I didn''t care about the pain anymore. I didn''t care about the blood trickling down my arms or the burn of his mes. All that mattered was the fight, the thrill of it, the challenge of pushing myself to the limit.


    For the first time, Korvan looked rattled.


    "You''re insane!" he shouted, blocking another of my strikes. His spear red with fire, but I didn''t stop. I couldn''t. The thrill had taken hold of me now, and I wasn''t about to let go.


    With a grin, I lunged forward, the starlight mana in my estoc zing brighter than ever. This was it—the moment I''d been waiting for.


    Life or death.


    Victory or defeat.


    And I weed it.


    Kill or get killed.


    That is the essence of the battle.


    Either you cut down your enemy, or you get cut down.


    Why does one learn the way of a sword?


    To disy their lives?


    To disy their nobility?


    For what reason did we create the term ''weapon''?


    Isn''t the answer clear?


    ''To kill the enemy.''


    That is what a weapon is for.


    The world around me blurred as I gave in to the feeling surging inside me. My body moved on its own, my instincts taking over. My estoc shed with starlight mana, each strike more vicious than thest. I heard the sh of metal, the searing hiss of mes, the sharp crackle of mana, but it was all distant, like the sounds wereing from another world.


    All that existed was the blood.


    It sttered across my vision, red against the glow of starlight, mixing with the orange and yellow of Korvan''s mes. Every sh, every parry, every movement was instinctual now, primal. My de sang with each swing, my muscles burning but alive with a sensation beyond pain, beyond exhaustion.


    I could feel it coursing through me—a need, a hunger to end this fight with my enemy cut down at my feet.


    I could hear Korvan''s grunt with every deflected strike, his frustration building as I pressed on. His fire mana surged again, ring hot and dangerous, but I didn''t care. The heat, the blood, the pain—it all fed the growing thrill inside me, blurring the lines between who I was and the de I wielded.


    Kill or get killed.


    That was the essence of battle. I could see it so clearly now. The reason a weapon exists—to kill the enemy, to cut them down, to survive at their expense. Every sh of my estoc against his spear, every spark of mana and me, every strike that found flesh—all of it blurred into a dance of death.


    But then, just as suddenly as it began, something changed. The blur shattered.


    I felt a sharp, burning force crash into my body, my chest exploding with pain. Korvan''s fire-embedded spear struck true, mming into me with enough force to send me flying back.


    "Gah!" The air was knocked from my lungs, the sharp impact driving me into the ground. I hit the dirt hard, rolling several times beforeing to a stop. The world around me spun, the mes and starlight flickering wildly in my vision.


    My head pounded, my body screaming in pain as I tried to force myself upright. Everything felt sluggish, the adrenaline that had fueled me moments before now ebbing away, leaving only raw agony in its wake.


    Korvan stood over me, his spear still glowing with embers, his eyes dark with fury. "You fought well, but this is where it ends, boy."