Tales of Magic Swordsman 375 Re: Second Match 3

After all, fire elemental had the strongest attack power compared to other elements. Auron took out his dagger.

After seeing the power of the fire magic that his opponent had, it was time to assess his opponent's close combat fight.

Auron charged forward. Meanwhile, his opponent also ready to fight in close combat. Every mage who entered the military should have at least some close combat skills. And, if they wanted to raise further in the military rank, they had to enhance their close combat skills.

Actually, not only mage but archer and cleric also had to have a close combat skill. If they didn't have the skill they had to learn it through the pre-military training. What the training taught was actually only the basic, like what to do when their opponent approached them and how to run away. If they want to progress further they had to train by themselves.

Among the mages, archers, and clerics, not everyone fond of this close combat skill. However, they had no choice to learn it. As the rank increase further high, they were expected to have a minimum level of close combat skill. This was one of the reason why it was rare to see mages, archers, or clerics at the upper military rank.

And, Alice was one of those rare people. That was why, Alice was being worshipped a lot among the mage. She was also a beauty and had a great family background[1]. No people dared to mess with her without a proper and strong reason.

Auron exchanged some moves with his opponent. And, surprisingly, he was winning in the close combat skill. It was not a surprise for him since it was already stated in the information he gathered.

When Auron learned that his opponent worshipped Alice, he thought that his opponent would mimic Alice's way of fighting. That was why Auron also began to learn about Alice's way of fighting. And, it turned out that what he thought was correct.

Almost 90% of Auron's opponent's fighting style was similar to Alice's. Fortunately for Auron, his opponent really didn't have that high level of combat skill.

From the short exchange, Auron had known that the report about his opponent's close combat level was correct. His opponent's close combat skill was not that good.

Auron's opponent was not quick-witted enough when facing an unpredictable situation. He also easily got panic and nervous when that unpredictable situation came. He made a lot of mistakes and opening. 

Facing Auron who had long experience in a fight in close combat, Auron's opponent's close combat skill was like a teen that had just reached a puberty level. All this time, Auron's opponent could cope up with the enemy thanks to the equipment he wore.

The equipment Auron's opponent wore really helped him a lot. Moreover, with the safety guard from his high-quality equipment, it gave Auron's opponent some kind of comforting feeling.

Auron's opponent realized that his close combat skill was lower than Auron. He tried to distance himself from Auron. However, he didn't give up. He still had something to rely on, his equipment and his fire magic.

While jumping backward, Auron's opponent used [Flame Pillar] to stop Auron from chasing him. Seeing the flame blasted out from the ground, Auron had no choice but to stop advancing forward.

Auron had to take a detour or wait until the [Flame Pillar] gone before he could chase his opponent again. But, no matter what Auron chose, it would already be too late, except if he chose to charge forwards and didn't care about his body.

Auron would not choose the option to charge through the [Flame Pillar]. It was still early in the match and there was still a long way before the match end. He would not want to act so recklessly.

With no other option, Auron canceled his advance and retreat. The gap between the two of them widened.

Auron would be at a disadvantage in the battle of spells, but he still chose this option to make a plan first. With his opponent realized his disadvantages in close combat fighting, his opponent would desperately prevent them from fighting in close combat. Because of that, Auron had to make a plan for defeating his opponent in one swoop.

Auron's opponent threw several fire spells at Auron. Of course, Auron would not face the spells head-on. Instead, he moved to the side to avoid the spell. 

After two spells from his opponent, Auron tried to charge forward. However, his opponent already aware of that. Auron's opponent immediately created a [Flame Pillar] to stop Auron from advancing and also widen their distance.

This pull and retreat happened for several times. It was like seeing a boxing match where an out-fighter and an in-fighter boxer fight. What made its difference was wide of the arena and the distance that the out-fighter could attack from.

The battle lasted for 10 minutes. The opponent began to feel the pressure. With many attacks, even though Auron could not get close to him, but he also could not hit Auron. His heartbeats started to beat faster as his nervous built up.

Auron who had a huge experience facing this kind of battle was calm. He slowly advanced although his opponent always retreated.

Slowly but surely, Auron led the opponent to the edge of the arena. The opponent still could escape to the side, but Auron arranged his movement so that his opponent could not escape too far.

The opponent didn't realize that he was being led by Auron as he kept on throwing his spell and maintained his distance from Auron.

5 minutes later, the opponent had realized something wrong. However, it was already too late for him. He was already cornered by Auron.

[1] Alice is General Elbert's granddaughter

Chapter end