The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

                                          Although both fighters could go fight as soon as possible. The narrator decided to buy some time by asking some workers of the magic school to clean the arena. Everything just to build tension for the finals.

"What a load of bullshit…" Zaos said and then sighed.             

                Although Zaos was tired of that waiting, at least he had some time to think things through. As he had suspected, he wouldn't be able to have a normal relationship with his father nor with the royal family. Still, even though Drannor and Ameria hid all that from him, it didn't mean he had to be a complete ass to them. Interacting as before was impossible since they had their own duties to the kingdom, and many lives depended on that. Besides, they saved his life more than once… he could say his goodbye to their relationship on a good note.

                After waiting for a while, the narrator finally calls Zaos and Drannor. They headed toward the center of the arena while the spectators were shouting due to the excitement. Their names were pretty well-known due to the events of the five years, to the point where all people of the kingdom called them young heroes. Despite that excitement, Drannor looked troubled. As for Zaos, he looked as calm as he could be. Drannor already imagined that Zaos knew everything, and that was why he was troubled.

"Listen, Zaos… I am Sorry," Drannor said.

"Don't be, and I don't really care about all this setup. I am just going to do what I want," Zaos said. "If you want to win, you'd better try hard because I won't work as a stepping stone for your legend to be born."

              After saying that, the expression on Zaos's face changed. He wasn't joking; he had to come to have a good fight and win. Drannor knew how stubborn Zaos was. Not even the king's authority and plans could change Zaos's attitude. He assumed the Ox guard once again and prepared for the fight. Drannor will finally have the chance to fight Zaos at his best, but he still isn't satisfied with the rest of the situation. Still, before he could come with the terms of that…

"Fight!" The narrator said

            Zaos dashed forward and tried to stab Drannor with his big sword, but the young spearman blocked the attack with his weapon. That being said, the impact made him move backward for several meters. Before Drannor could even stop, Zaos dashed again, and this time he tried to cut him with a full horizontal swing. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in Zaos's movements, so that made Drannor feel goosebumps. However, Drannor used the effect of his spear to recover faster and then jumped backward with a somersault. When Zaos finally finished the motion of his attack, Drannor landed twenty meters away from him.

            As expected, that spear would be a pain in the ass. Unless Zaos hits it with a full swing, it won't break. It was the only way to solve that mess since he didn't want to rely on magic. He wanted to prove that he was the strongest even without it. However, before he had the chance to do that, Drannor changed with all his might and then tried to stab him. Zaos blocked the attack, but the vibration caused by it made the bones in his hands crack a little. As if that wasn't enough, Drannor tried to hit him with a flurry of stabs. Zaos's sword blocked them all, but it was only a matter of time before the bones of his hands could break it. It was the same strategy Zaos used in the previous fight.

              Instead of waiting for the situation to solve itself, Zaos decided to take some risks. He jumped backward to gain some distance and then assumed his ox guard. Drannor ignored that and charged forward. Zaos tried to stab him with his sword, but Drannor increased his speed by using the spear at the last moment. He dodged the attack and then tried to stab Zaos. However, much to his surprise, Zaos grabbed the spear's tip with his left hand and stopped the attack.

            Drannor opened his eyes widely and tried to pull back his weapon, but even though Zaos's hand was bleeding, he didn't let go. Zaos couldn't attack with his sword with his current posture, so he kicked Drannor with all his might in his left side. Although both of them had their armor on, Drannor still felt that, and Zaos almost heard his ribs cracking, but even despite that, he didn't let his spear go. Zaos prepared another kick, but Zaos escaped by relying on the effect of the spear, increasing his speed and then kicking Zaos in the chin.

              The pain in his head was almost as annoying as the pain in his left hand. Fortunately, Zaos let the spear go, before Drannor could pull again and this time cut Zaos's left hand even more. Zaos tried to charge again, but then he saw that his vision was a bit blurred. That kick sure messed with his rhythm. In any case, Drannor wouldn't have much time to recover, so that was fine.

"Why aren't you using your magic?" Drannor asked.

"Because I don't need it," Zaos said. "Even if I need it, I don't want an easy victory."

"You are as stubborn as ever…" Drannor said. "Are you underestimating me, or are you worried about killing me, Zaos?"

"Neither," Zaos replied. "As I said, I just don't want an easy victory. In any case, this will be your last duel, so you shouldn't hold back. The next time we fight, it won't end pretty because I will only do so if you give me a reason to kill you or the inverse."

              Drannor couldn't help but frown. That was too much even for a joke, but he could tell that Zaos was angry and that he wanted to cut all ties with those who thought that could manipulate him like a pawn.