Chapter 4

Distance

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Roy shakingly murmured.

"Sorry, but it's obvious," Matthias said as he tightened his grip. "It is part of my destiny to advance in this country. So try to think of your loss here as a step towards my goal."

Matthias shot his sword towards Roy's neck but in one quick motion Roy jolted his neck forward and bent his knees. While his neck was slightly gashed in the process, Roy shouted and swung his scythe at Matthias's chest.

"You're not the only one with a goal, idiot!"

Matthias bent his back as far back as he could and took four quick steps in reverse, nearly stumbling as he did so. Before Matthias could fully recover Roy quickly shot his scythe straight towards Matthias again.

Matthias immediately felt as if someone just punched him in the gut as the scythe's metallic end struck him. Tthe encompassing blue aura he had around his body faded as he fell. Pain shot up at his stomach again as the blow from before refused to let him go. He peered down at his stomach to see part of his armor cracked but not completely breached. Before he could examine the damage more closely the edge of his vision displayed a sharp green light approaching. Matthias reflexively swung his blade upwards and the edges of the two combatants' weapons shun with violence and beauty. But Matthias's attempt at blocking a deadly slash led him to see the blade of Roy's scythe hooked on his own. He tried to retreat but Roy then gripped the edge of Matthias's sword with his left hand. Roy's blood trickled down the blade all the way down to Matthias's hand. The two then looked up at each other and exchanged glances.

"Now that was ballsy," Celsus cracked.

"I'm surrounded by crazy people," Sophia murmured.

"So unorthodox, even for my style," Matthias said as he shrugged.

Roy raised his scythe up high and tightened his grip on Matthias's weapon. His neck bled even faster as his breathing increased.

"Funny, I don't even recall your name," Roy said smiling as gusts of wind raced across the arena. "It's over, Matthias."

As his right arm fell for the finishing blow Roy noticed his target began to blur. His surroundings bent and Matthias moved further and further away. A violent pressure shot intensely towards his muscles and then his bones.

"What the-,"Roy whispered.

In an instant Roy found himself in great pain at the other end of the arena. He soon noticed a stream of smoke and dust between Matthias and himself, clouding visions to create vague shapes of each other. His eyes then scaled rapidly, trying to see evidence of what just transpired. He soon noticed that to his right and left his arms were lodged into the wall of the arena. His back ached as his eyes struggled to return his sight to its original state. He prompted them straight ahead, attempting to focus on the figure meters away from him. The smokescreen began to subside and there he saw Matthias slowly getting up, with his left arm extended and left hand open. Roy summoned up his strength and forced his body forward. The wall behind him cracked and he fell to his knees arms, free from the shackles of the stone barrier which blocked off the outside world. His neck stung his nerves with pain, shouting at him to halt anymore effort to move. He grasped the open wound but the stream of blood was beginning to flow through his fingers. His breathing hastened and his heart pounded his chest harder and faster. His eyes, desperate, scanned the battlefield in around him, hoping to scour for some chance at survival.

He then glanced over to his left and noticed his scythe a few feet from him. Unable to stand up, he attempted to crawl quickly towards it but his body failed him. The rough embrace of the arena floor shook his body.

"Damn it!" Roy scowled as he slammed his blood red fist on the ground. He turned his eyes to Matthias, whom at this point was already standing.

Matthias peered down at his sword and saw that Roy's blood was beginning to stain it. He raised his sword up and turned it horizontally. He peered at Roy as the sword shun a blue magnificence upon his face.

"The great thing about these weapons is that when you shut them down the remnants of battle disappear as well. So as soon as this blade of mine shuts off, you're blood will disappear from it. Fitting isn't it? That you're blood will be forgotten in the same way you will be?" He lowered his weapon and paced slowly towards Roy. Another gust of wind pushed against the two. "Oh and by the way," he secured his grip on the sword's hilt, "the name is Matthias."

Roy grunted and slowly rose to his feet. His vision began to betray him and he saw two Matthias instead of one.

"What was that just a minute ago? I had you...damn it," Roy stuttered slightly as he still clutched his own neck. His knees gave way to his weight and he stumbled down to the ground.

"It's none of your concern. This will be the last time we see each other anyway," Matthias said as the blue aura from before surrounded his body once again. He set his eyes straight forward as his pace sped up. "All that matters now is my destiny. This fight just proves that my resolve is greater than yours."

Roy's fist slammed to the ground. He looked down at the arena floor as he saw the blood from his neck dripping away from his trembling fingers.

"To hell with that," Roy coughed out. Matthias left brow angled upwards at the response.

"Oh? Are you saying you have a greater goal than mind, without even knowing me?"

Roy grinned as his head struggled to face upward. He then stared right into Matthias's eyes as the sunlight glared off of his own. His grin widened.

"Damn right. I plan," Roy coughed, "I plan to make this country a better place-once I am captain."

Matthias's towered over him as his sword glimmered. The blue aura that encircled him darkened slowly. It vanished and the sun at this point was behind his head. A shadow shrouded his body, from feet to head. All but his eyes were covered, which pierced the shadow of his body with a blue fiery light.

"Ridiculous," he said under his breath as he rose his sword. The world around the blade seemed dark as the sunlight reflected off of it.

Roy's eyes widened and teeth gritted. Using what strength he had left, Roy made a swift dive for his scythe and gripped it tightly. His heart pounded harder and louder as turned to face his opponent. His muscles contracted and toughen with the intensity of a lion's roar. He hurried his pace as Matthias was about to strike him down. The blood from his neck wasted no time to hurry its own pace as well. With a cry, Roy swung his scythe upwards to parry away his end.

The clang of unwavering lights and blades ring course through the air and Roy's world went dark in an instant.


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