22
Chapter 22
The two of them stood facing each other.
Neither made the first move.
A breeze swept through, making the grass sway.
A haze shimmered around Benny's body. While the night air was cool, only the ground beneath his feet felt warm.
'I'll react once I see my opponent's move.'
That was his plan.
He intended to observe first, read the intent, and then act.
Benny waited for Garrett to move first.
Garrett did not move.
Even though he was simply standing there, his towering frame of over two hundred centimeters pressed down on the surroundings.
Enduring that weight, Benny focused entirely on Garrett's every motion.
'Just wait for the right moment.'
Garrett was thinking the exact same thing. He wanted to see how Benny would react.
Both were waiting for the other with the same intent.
The silence stretched on.
At the edge of the lot, Lionel spoke in a low voice, arms crossed.
"When are they going to start?"
Nadia gave Lionel a sharp side-eye.
"Shh!"
Lionel shut his mouth. He wondered why Nadia was only strict with him, but decided it was best to remain quiet.
Garrett moved first.
— Tap.
A single step.
That one step shifted the atmosphere. No mana was used, nor was a sword drawn.
He simply walked toward Benny.
Yet, he was fast.
Benny reacted instantly, leaping to the side.
His feet moved first; his mind followed.
He couldn't track Garrett's next move.
"Where— did he..."
In a flash, Garrett vanished from his sight.
Benny instinctively looked behind him. Nothing.
He looked to the right. Nothing.
To the left.
He was already there.
Garrett launched an attack—a light punch with the strength held back.
Benny's body reacted before he could think.
He dodged.
By twisting his head, he made the punch miss. The wind brushed past his ear.
Garrett stopped.
'Oh?'
He withdrew his fist and observed Benny. It was far too fast to be a conscious decision.
'Is it instinct?'
It wasn't that he had dodged by recognizing the attack.
His body had simply reacted to survive.
'At that age... and against me... his intuition is quite impressive.'
Garrett's gaze shifted.
Seeing that look, Benny increased the distance between them.
He wasn't just retreating; he circled wide to create more space.
'First, I need distance.'
Only with distance would he have the time to read his opponent. Up close, there was no room to breathe, let alone analyze.
He had just learned that lesson through his own body.
From the sidelines, Lionel turned to Enoch.
"That boy's intuition is quite good. Is he always like this?"
Enoch didn't answer. He was staring at the empty lot, his eyes fixed solely on Benny. It seemed he hadn't heard Lionel at all.
Morse leaned toward Lionel.
"I'm sorry. He's concentrating right now, so he probably can't hear you."
Lionel waved his hand.
"It's fine. I understand."
Enoch didn't hear the conversation at all.
'I thought Benny wouldn't even be able to react to someone of the Phileon Knight Commander's level.'
That split-second movement of letting the punch slide past.
An animalistic sense where the body reacted before the mind.
Enoch saw right through Benny's innate skill in an instant.
Enoch knew exactly how valuable that talent was.
'Impressive.'
Enoch smiled.
From the side, Vivianne was watching him.
Enoch focused on the sparring. He tracked every single one of Benny's movements, determined not to miss a thing.
Vivianne couldn't take her eyes off him.
'So he has a side like this. If only that gaze were directed at me...'
Paradoxically, she, who had grown weary of others' attention, craved his gaze.
Garrett moved again.
This time, straight ahead.
A direct line.
The direction to dodge was clear.
Benny leaped to the left.
Garrett followed.
Benny shifted direction.
To the right.
Garrett was already there.
'Ah—'
Benny arched his body backward.
Garrett's arm sliced through the air.
It didn't reach him.
A difference of a single hair.
Benny stepped back and caught his breath.
'I can't read him.'
The change in direction was too fast. He couldn't even tell where Garrett was heading when the movement began.
Edelyn's Water Ball's trajectory was visible the moment it was launched.
Garrett was different. The direction only became clear after he had already moved.
That was why he was too late.
'Then, instead of looking at his whole body...'
Benny focused on Garrett's feet. He decided to read the center of gravity before the move started.
Garrett moved again.
Benny fixed his gaze on Garrett's feet.
'I see it!'
Weight shifted to the right foot.
He's coming left.
Benny leaped to the right.
This time, Garrett didn't follow.
He stood perfectly still.
Benny had leaped into nothing.
Garrett had figured out Benny's intent. He realized Benny was trying to read his center of gravity.
'He caught me looking at his feet!'
He created distance and exhaled. Cold sweat broke out. While his Engine burned hot, his body couldn't keep up.
It wasn't that Benny was slow, but Garrett was simply much faster.
Garrett stared intently at Benny. He seemed curious about what Benny would try next.
'He's testing me.'
At that thought, Benny couldn't help but smile.
'Once. Just one more time.'
Benny grit his teeth.
He pushed his Engine further. The haze beneath his feet thickened, and heat enveloped his entire body. Power surged through his legs.
Benny lunged forward.
Straight ahead.
A reckless charge.
Garrett stepped aside.
Benny had predicted the move and shifted his direction.
— Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of rapid footsteps followed.
Benny dove toward Garrett's side and lunged with his sword.
Garrett's arm swept it away.
— Clang.
Benny's wrist stung. He gripped his sword tighter to keep from losing it.
'He's so strong...'
He hadn't deflected it with a sword; he had blocked it with his body. His arm felt like steel.
Benny was thrown back, landing on both feet, though his knees wobbled.
From the sidelines, Edouard spoke softly.
"That boy... he's not just dodging."
Lionel nodded.
"He's trying something new every time. Even if he fails."
Esme spoke, leaning on her staff.
"He's learning through the fight."
They kept a close eye on each other.
Garrett's gaze changed, now filled with a deeper interest than before the spar.
'He's holding back... I suppose that's only natural given the gap between us.'
Even so, it was overwhelming.
He began to run out of breath, and his legs grew heavy.
Despite using his Engine, Garrett was still faster. It was hard to believe he was moving that quickly without using mana.
It was the result of vastly different amounts of training.
Yet, even in this crisis, Benny's fighting spirit blazed.
'This is fun!!!'
He wasn't afraid of losing. He knew the man was incomparably stronger than he was.
'Still, I won't give up.'
He just needed one clean opening. He wanted to land a proper Downward Strike.
Garrett approached.
Straight ahead again.
Benny watched his feet, but the weight was evenly distributed.
He couldn't read the direction.
Benny resolved to hold his ground.
He decided to react the moment Garrett's direction was set. He figured it was better to counter, even if it meant taking a hit.
Garrett's weight shifted to the right.
Benny pivoted to the left.
Garrett's fist flew toward Benny's left flank.
Benny tried to leap away.
He was too slow.
— Thump.
Garrett's fist buried itself in Benny's side. The impact surged through his entire body.
It felt as if his lungs were collapsing.
Gasping for air, Benny was sent sliding.
One step. Two steps.
His feet scraped across the grass.
From the edge, Nadia covered her mouth with her hand. Edelyn leaned forward, and Lionel frowned.
'It's over.'
Just as everyone thought it was finished...
Benny didn't stop.
He spun one more time in the direction he was being pushed, using the rotation to ride the momentum of the punch. He turned that force against his opponent.
He arrived right beside Garrett.
A complete blind spot.
"Now!!!!!!!!!"
The Engine roared explosively.
— Fwoosh!
The haze beneath his feet surged outward in an instant, as if exploding. Heat radiated from Benny's body.
He raised his sword.
This was his full power.
A heavy attack pouring every ounce of strength from his entire body!
It was different from the Downward Strike he had practiced. He put everything he had into this single blow.
He aimed straight for Garrett's head.
Edelyn held her breath. This was Benny's true resolve, on an entirely different level from any Downward Strike she had seen before.
Enoch narrowed his eyes.
Garrett had already seen it all.
That Benny had tried to block the punch with his sword.
That he had used the impact to spin.
That he had tried to seize a blind spot.
And that he would use a Downward Strike.
Even as he witnessed all of this, Garrett did not draw his sword.
Instead, he raised his fist.
"Your best effort. I'll take it!!!"
— Boom!
Benny's sword and Garrett's fist collided head-on.
The air shook at the moment of impact. The wind pressure flattened the grass.
Benny's hand went numb. No, it wasn't just numbness; he couldn't feel it at all. It felt as if his entire hand had vanished.
His sword snapped.
Half of it flew into the air, sparkling under the starlight.
Benny was sent flying, the force of the punch bearing him away.
He tumbled across the ground a couple of times, leaving deep gouges in the grass.
The broken sword landed beside him.
— ......
Silence fell.
Even after the sound of the collision faded, no one spoke.
Everyone simply watched the aftermath of the spar.
Lionel snapped out of it and turned toward Garrett.
"Wasn't that a bit too much?"
Garrett spoke.
"I held back."
"How is that holding back?"
"You're not dead."
Lionel was speechless at Garrett's response.
On one side of the empty lot...
Benny lay collapsed.
The grass was crushed, and the broken sword rested by his side.
He showed no sign of moving.
Seeing this, Morse tried to take a step forward.
Sancta moved before Morse could.
At that moment, Benny's elbow propped up from the ground. His torso rose, his knees bent, and he suddenly sprang to his feet.
"......Huh?"
Benny pressed his hand against his side and patted it a few times.
"It doesn't really hurt?"
He tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. It should have hurt, yet it didn't.
Benny couldn't tell if he had instinctively absorbed the shock by pulling back or if Garrett had indeed held back his strength.
Then, he looked down at his broken sword.
"......Ah. This was the sword the teacher gave me."
Lionel chuckled at that. Nadia burst out laughing a moment later, and Edelyn lowered her head with a look of relief.
Garrett gazed at Benny.
As if responding, Benny looked back at Garrett.
"I'll win next time."
Garrett didn't answer.
Garrett tightened his jaw to hide his expression.