Chapter 12: The Mock Battle
The duel began without further ado. Flame charged at Kyle, wooden sword in hand, with spectacular speed. Kyle, with his vast knowledge and skills, thought: I could defeat this bastard with just a flick of my finger, but I have to act.
Just as Flame's sword was centimeters from him, Kyle made it seem as if his small feet got tangled. His childish body slumped to the side, falling with an inelegant spin that sent him rolling across the floor. Flame's sword, with its fiery aura, whistled past where Kyle's head had been. Everyone was surprised.
Kyle got up from the ground, dusting himself off. "Ah, sorry, I slipped..." he said, his voice slightly embarrassed.
Rush, who was observing, smiled as he thought to himself: What a strategy, great warrior, it seems you want to hide your powers. The Heinz clan's Patriarch noticed Kyle and thought: It's impossible to slip just when you're about to be hit... is it true that he's clumsy?
Flame grew enraged and said aloud, "It seems you don't want to fight seriously...!" Flame used his fire aura and imbued his sword with it. With a cruel smile, he said, "I'll teach you a lesson for your bad behavior, you bastard!"
Kyle's mother was scared and told the Patriarch, "Please, stop this, Kyle will get hurt." The Patriarch looked at her and said with his cold voice, "There is no law that prevents the use of aura."
Kyle listened to his father's words and thought to himself: Ha, as expected of the Patriarch, he never really cared about me. Well, let's think about how to escape this now...
Flame lunged at Kyle with his sword. Kyle began to run, trying to dodge clumsily, his mind working as he ran. Just as the tip of the sword was about to reach him, Kyle, with a cry of apparent surprise, tripped once more. His body collapsed to the side, rolling just enough for the sword to pass over him. He got up with difficulty, rubbing his arm, his face pale and sweaty with an expression of childish fear and relief. "Phew! He almost got me!" he exclaimed, maintaining the illusion.
The Zujesh Patriarch watched, his face inscrutable. Kyle's "intuition" was taking shape. The Heinz Patriarch noticed the strange "luck." This Zujesh is more cunning than he appears, he thought. Adeline, however, felt only immense relief.
Kyle thought to himself: I can't stay like this; I'll get tired quickly. The only thing I can do is use the Dark Illusion tactic. The Dark Illusion was a tactic Kyle created, which didn't require mana and plunged the opponent into a terrifying illusion. Kyle, still sitting, put his hand over his left eye so the purple light wouldn't be seen, and used the tactic.