Seiya

{Ordos' POV}

Damn, I think I might've overslept. I was going for just a quick nap, at most an hour long but I think I slept longer than that. The sun was about just half an hour from setting and I think it's past 4.

Right now, I'm climbing the large mountain Seiya is perched on. I would fly up there but I'm a bit afraid that I might get ambushed by his doppelganger. Also, it's not that hard to climb when you have sharp curved claws.

Along the way up, I encountered some horned falcons. I think they felt threatened by my presence and decided to attack me. Though I didn't want to hurt them, I had no choice since they were about to hit me. Luckily, all I had to do was knock them out, and well they can figure out how to fix a wing… I think.

But anyway, I finally reached the top, or so I thought.

I looked forward at a very, very long staircase that led to the top.

"C'mon, I hate stairs."

And I'm sure you all hate stairs too.

Welp, I'll see you guys when I reached the top. God damn stairs, I wonder how Seiya got up there…

***

Eventually, I reached the top. As I inspected my surroundings, it seems that the entire floor was made of flat stone. Walking loser to the center, I finally spotted Seiya standing at the ledge.

He stood there looking down at the destruction he caused. Maybe he's reflecting on his actions? Nah, probably not.

Now then.

"Hey, Seiya!" I yelled to get Seiya's attention.

Seiya turned his head to the side, his intimidating eye staring directly at me. As a reaction, I almost stepped back but managed to take a step forward.

"I think you've caused enough damage to the forest. Now c'mon, snap out of it, you were emo enough but this is a bit much. Don't you think so too?" I said.

Seiya turned towards me with a cold face. Damn, he just won't talk, huh?

I realized that he had tied his long hair into a ponytail. Wow, if you look at it, you could almost mistake him for a girl if he didn't have such tyrannizing eyes. His body was slim but he was well built.

Hmm, I'm getting off track.

While I was in deep thought, the air had darkened. For a second I thought it was just the clouds but then it started getting difficult to breathe. Then I realized that Seiya had released his aura. There was darkness seeping from behind. I was almost intoxicated by the aura because it spread out through the entire field so quickly I was unable to react.

"Mana intoxication?"

When did Seiya have the time to learn "Mana intoxication?"

I began coughing as I was suffocating in Seiya's mana. To think he knew how to perform Mana intoxication.

Quickly, I held my breath and generated a mana barrier in order to escape from Seiya's overwhelming mana. In a few seconds, my breathing returned to normal.

Good thing I held my breath. If I had breathed in more of his mana, I would've choked and eventually died. But luckily I'd get sent back to camp with the bracelets.

Realizing his mana wasn't affecting me anymore, he withdrew his energy and the air began to lighten again.

I released my mana barrier and took a hold of my spear. Looks like talking to him isn't going to cut it. There is only one way of settling this.

I pointed my spear at Seiya and he unsheathed his katana. He then got into a stance.

I would also get into a stance, preparing for what comes next.

For a while we just exchanged glares. Then Seiya vanished.

My senses told me to guard my rear and I turned around, parrying Seiya's strike with my spear.

The force of Seiya's attack sent me sliding back a few meters and almost sent me off the ledge. I immediately ran to the side to avoid getting knocked off.

Seiya began running towards me and I charged towards him. He quickly slashed at me and I swung back, our weapons clashing.

As I turned around, Seiya had vanished. Then I noticed he had appeared above me and he was ready to perform a falling attack. Before he cleaved me into two, I quickly jumped to the side, avoid what could've gotten me sent back home.

Clang!

I heard a loud ringing metal sound behind me. I twisted my body to face Seiya, and then I received a powerful attack to the stomach.

"Gough!"

I flew back and rolled across the floor. I managed to get up, but there was now a burning pain in my stomach.

What did he hit me with? It definitely couldn't be his Katana or I would've been sent to the camp by now. It took me a while till I noticed Seiya holding his scabbard.

He really hit me with that? What the hell? How the hell did he cause me such pain with just that? He couldn't have made that a deadly strike unless he… wrapped it with mana. Just how much did he learn when I'm not around him?!

I quickly picked up my spear and rushed forward. I swung my spear swiftly, but Seiya managed to perfectly block and dodged all my attacks.

I even tried trapping him with earth magic but even that wasn't enough to stop him. He just managed to break through like it was paper.

As we exchanged a few more strikes, Seiya suddenly pulled his second blade out and I almost had my neck slit.

Bouncing back, Seiya was now equipped with two blades.

Then the ground began to heat up, and I already knew what was coming next after I saw him release his wings.

Seiya ran towards me and then started spinning. The ground began to be marked with cuts as he approached me.

I altered my legs which turned into lion-like feet and dashed away. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of blades slashing the ground and the air at the same time.

Eventually, I heard a noise that sounded like space was just cut in two. I turned around and Seiya was on his knees, looking at the ground with his weapons in both hands. It seems he just tired himself out with that move. Now it's time to bring him back to his senses.

I ran towards him and did a double-footed kick at Seiya's face directly. Seiya flew back and rolled across the ground, his weapons scattered across the field.

"Is that enough to wake you up now, Seiya?!" I'd question Seiya as he slowly stood up.

"Guess that didn't work. He's still emo," I'd say as I pointed my spear at Seiya.

Seiya rubbed his temples and shook his head. Then he ran his fingers through his hair.

I'd tighten my grip on my spear and got into a stance again. But then my legs began to tremble.

"What the? Why am I-?"

Why did I suddenly start trembling? Why do I suddenly feel fear? What is there to fear? All that is in front of me is Seiya, nothing else.

I looked forward at Seiya and he looked directly at me in the eyes. The veins on his eyes pulsated and dimmed. That's not a good sign.

Seiya got up and held his hand in front of him. Then he waved it and a familiar figure appears beside him. That figure being his doppelganger.

You know, mana is supposedly the image of one's true nature. And well, I guess that would be how Seiya would look like if he were to achieve full-body transformation.

I wish I could perform doppelganger, then I wouldn't need to move around much. It would be like having a servant, just doing things that you don't wanna do, like chores.

Anyway, he summoned his doppelganger, and I had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well. This time I had a feeling to be afraid after seeing what it did earlier, deep frying that Fatisense like that.

"C'mon deadweight, is that all?" I heard a creepy distorted voice say and I felt like I was about to explode.

I jerked my head towards Seiya, who had just spoken. So this bastard can still talk. I knew he couldn't keep up that silent act.

But… this fucker called me a deadweight. I hate it when people call me that as I used to be called that in my previous life.

Deadweight is my trigger word, I still have problems trying to suppress my fury when someone directs that word against me. It just reminds me how weak I was in my last life.

I was about to let loose, but I managed to hold myself back. Now is not the time to go wild, it's Seiya I'm facing here. He may not show it much, but he is smart. If I guess, he deliberately let me attack him in order to make my arms tremble. I did feel something was off after I kicked him in the face. But it won't work a second time. Fool me once, shame on you, Seiya. But fool me twice, then shame on me.

Now then, I should take it up a notch.

I dropped my spear and took out Seiya's daggers. Seiya tilted his head as he watched me unsheathe his daggers. I've fought using daggers before when I first trained. I would've picked daggers if I didn't have the choice to use a spear as I trained more with daggers, but I got addicted to spears.

As I got into a stance, I beckoned Seiya and dared him, "Round 2, let's see if you could make up for that kick."

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