Not-So an Extra



A/N: I made a little change in the previous chapter about the fighting rules.

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"Allez!"

The moment the word fell, they sprang into action simultaneously with their weapons poised to strike.

Simone swiftly spun his spear in a full circle in front of him and brandished it, aiming at Nathaniel's face.

—Bang!

The sound of the clashing metal reverberated through the room, erupting sparks between the collided blades as Nathaniel effortlessly blocked it.

Pulling his spear, Simone thrust his weapon toward the other side of Nathaniel's face, causing him to tilt his head to the side.

Simone's assault did not cease there. 

He continued to thrust at both sides of Nathaniel's face, forcing him to constantly tilt his head left and right whilst stepping back to evade the relentless strikes.

Seeing a gap in his movement, Nathaniel hastily raised his sword and thwarted Simone's spear downward.

—Bang!

Quickly reacting, Simone deftly twirled the spearhead around Nathaniel's blade and lifted it upward, making a vertical cut. 

Nathaniel bent his back backward to evade and leaped to the rear to create some distance.

Landing perfectly on the floor, he was immediately greeted by a spearhead that shot toward his face.

—Bang!

He blocked it and Simone tugged his spear before thrusting at his left flank.

—Bang!

Nathaniel diverted the attack, but Simone rotated his weapon, propelling his spear rear point at Nathaniel's right side.

—Bang!

Nathaniel parried it and just like before, Péréz spun his weapon once again, making its rear point strike Nathaniel's left wing.

—Bang!

He blocked it, but the spearhead was coming back on his right side.

—Bang!

Simone continued to deliver more blows on either side of his body in turns.

—Bang! —Bang! —Bang!

Sparks of metal burst between the colliding blades and Nathaniel was being pushed.

Regardless, in contrast to his situation, the black-haired young man was seen delighted and let out a chuckle as they exchanged attacks.

"Simone is so zestful today, huh?"

The man in question lifted his head and found his friend smirking smugly.

Well, Nathaniel would always be Nathaniel.

His harsh tongue couldn't be separated from him; it was his trademark.

Simone returned the smile and asked.

"Is it?"

"Yup."

In truth, he often wondered whether Nathaniel was really the Imperial Prince or just a thug.

Nonetheless, after spending almost three years together, Simone had grown accustomed to his friend's eccentricities.

—Bang!

Their blades clashed and the harsh grating noise of metal filled the air as their weapons bound together.

With a soft chuckle, he responded.

"Then, I'll take it as a compliment."

Retrieving his spear, Simone pounced his spearhead toward Nathaniel's face but he effortlessly tilted his head sideways.

Unexpectedly, Simone swept his spearhead horizontally, forcing Nathaniel to duck, and quickly swung his sword toward Simone's abdomen.

With lightning reflexes, Simone jumped backward, narrowly evading the strike by a hair's breadth.

Lifting his left hand, Nathaniel unleashed a barrage of wind bullets toward Simone who just landed, causing him to rapidly spin his spear, deflecting the incoming projectiles.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom! 

A series of explosions occurred, sending dust and debris hurtling into the air; forming numerous mini craters around Simone on the arena floor.

Ceasing his fire, Nathaniel began to charge toward Simone, and so did him.

As the distance between them drew closer, Simone instantly waved his spear vertically.

However, before it could graze Nathaniel's body, he lunged forward above his spear and delivered a powerful kick to Simone's chest.

"Ugh!"

Simone grunted as he stumbled backward and Nathaniel who was hovering slashed his sword downward.

Regaining his footing, Simone immediately brought his spear in front of his body, using its shaft as a shield.

—Bang!

Before Nathaniel's feet touched the ground, Simone shoved him away, sending Nathaniel hurling into the air.

Seizing the opportunity, Simone dashed and thrust his spear toward Nathaniel who just landed, forcing Nathaniel to tilt his head sideways.

But before Simone could retrieve his weapon, unexpectedly, Nathaniel grabbed the shaft and pulled it towards him, prompting Simone to lunge in his direction.

Upon seeing Nathaniel waving his sword, Simone hastily jumped and backflipped toward Nathaniel's rear.

Letting go of the shaft, Nathaniel quickly spun around, only to find Simone who just descended commenced bolting away from him.

"What the hell?"

Despite Nathaniel's confusion, he started to follow after him.

Chanting inwardly, Nathaniel fired several wind bullets, yet, Simone deftly zig-zagged, effortlessly dodging the attacks.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

Numerous small craters that billowed smoke littered around the arena floor.

Undeterred, Nathaniel shot another volley of wind bullets but this time, suddenly an earth wall emerged and blocked their path.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

It crumbled down but another earth wall was already waiting in the forefront.

Halting his fire, Nathaniel slashed his sword in the air, sending two crescent white lights toward it.

—Boom!

Dust and debris burst like a firework when the wall in front of him erupted as a giant fireball bulldozed right through it, forcing Nathaniel to hop and roll to the side.

Sensing something coming, Nathaniel who just landed darted up ahead and saw numerous fireballs rushing toward his direction, resulting in him sprang and began running.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

Every time Nathaniel's feet left the ground, his previous foothold exploded in a split second.

As Simone was chasing after him from behind, Nathaniel changed the course of his direction.

The moment the brown-haired young man entered his sight, raised his left hand and unleashed a barrage of wind bullets.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

With that, they both run whilst dodging each other's attack.

After nearly destroying the arena floor with their explosive exchange, they eventually stopped firing and dashed toward each other.

Flames burst out and covered Simone's spear points, while a bright white light enveloped Nathaniel's sword.

—Bang!

The resounding clash of metal echoed through the space, igniting fiery sparks as the blades collided.

A vortex of dust swept away outside the arena due to the shockwaves between the two forces.

The harsh grating noise of metal was heard as their weapons bound.

While they strained against each other, Nathaniel chuckled and voiced his mind.

"Shall we get serious then?"

"Certainly."