The winds caressed the surrounding.

It brushed the face of Jake and kissed Cheyenne's face, linking them together.

Two uniquely distinct individuals, yet like-minded at the same time.

One only cared about himself and could be said to have reached the cusp of the concept of neutrality.

The other, an enigma. Someone who has proven to be as much unpredictable as her opponent. She cared enough about her close ones, enough to initiate a fight with the one person she didn't want to battle with.

Two figures whose stare-down said the whole story. They had fought before, but it was a contained fight.

Now, there were in the Dark Forest, a place that symbolizes freedom.

Nevertheless, there was sure to be blood spilled on this perfect ground!

...........

'What a sad life?' Jake sighed.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to fight with Cheyenne, but he knew it was inevitable.

He could see a fire in her eyes that desperately wanted to cling on to something, and apparently, she could get that hope if she got hold of him.

This gave Jake more reason not to reconsider the rejected offer. He didn't want to be seen as something valuable enough to cause obsession.

Sighing softly, Jake closed his eyes and "opened" himself to his environment.

He held his sword firmly and trimmed his index finger on the pommel.

After Jake's previous sword broke in the competition, he had only used random swords and had not dedicated himself to the swords.

The sword he was currently holding was something he had found when he rummaged through the items he stole from Aztec Library.

It was a [High-Earth Grade] sword, capable of conducting energy, thereby, increasing the strength of the wielder's attack.

However, what drew him to the sword was its plain appearance.

Despite being a sticker for ornate swords, Jake couldn't keep his eyes off the sword.

After hours of staring, he realized that the sword wasn't actually plain.

Far from that, it was perfect!

A perfect longsword with a thin and smooth blade of four feet(4ft). It looked delicate as if it would break upon touch, just like him.

It bore a perfect resemblance to an Estoc sword, excluding the length and width.

A perfect sword, granting the perfect attack range and wielded by the most perfect individual.

"Perfection," Jake smiled as he couldn't help but feel motivation course through his veins.

He entered his sword stance fluidly, like the wind that brushed his cheeks and like the lilies that danced beautifully on the lake's surface.

His mindset seemed to have reached the periphery of something larger, but wasn't sure how to proceed.

Gripping his sword, Jake envisioned different attack methods and tactics.

He created multiple scenarios in his mind, trying to find the right one to implement.

Having fought with Cheyenne before, he knew how much endurance and stamina she had. So, he couldn't think of a long fight.

Ultimately, after searching to no avail, Jake decided to use the fluid style, in which he fought using any style that suited the situation.

His decision marked the start of the fight, as the moment he inched closer to Cheyenne, the latter bolted to him.

Mid-way through her dash, she silently murmured, "[Sky Mortal]"

A blue wind blew from the atmosphere and descended on her like a chosen one.

It covered her body in attractive blue lights, encasing an ethereal armor on her.

The most striking feature was a small pair of wings that grew on the leg piece of her armor, possibly granting her speed and maybe...…..flight!

Heading to her opponent, Cheyenne threw a flip and kicked a sharp gust of winds towards Jake.

The concentrated wind blade pierced through the air as it headed Jake's way, gaining accumulation in the process.

*Whoosh*

Seeing this attack before it actually started, Jake had released his [Ice Elemental Spirit Essence] and let his sword absorb it, making it sharper and also, giving it a crystalline look in the process.

Shifting his stance, Jake raised his sword up and slashed down at the [Wind Blade] that had pierced his proximity.

His attack created another [Wind Blade], generated from physical movement, that clashed with Cheyenne's energy [Wind Blade].

*Whoosh!*

A strong shockwave spread out when the two forces met each other, each threatening to destroy the other.

Ultimately, having similar strength, they dispersed with a sharp wave.

Jake had already expected that, so he ducked.

After the attack was done, he stood up and immediately slashed at his back, despite not looking back.

He already knew that Cheyenne would use her previous attack as a cover to plan her next attack.

However, despite his prior knowledge, Cheyenne outdid him by spiraling her spear and making Jake lose control of his sword slash.

Spinning the weapon around her neck, Cheyenne burst out at great speed and attempted a thrust.

From Jake's point of view, the thrust was very deadly. It moved straight but spun slowly.

No matter how Jake blocked it, it would still negate the force of his block.

Thinking deeply, Jake decided to evade and made an upward slash at Cheyenne.

The slash manifested into twenty other slashes which Cheyenne had to block in little time.

Jake removed all his strength limits and went full percent when dishing every attack.

*Clang!* *Clang!*

Understanding that if Cheyenne got comfortable, she would become annoying, Jake took charge of the battle.

He made sure Cheyenne blocked every of his slash and kept her mind focused on his sword.

In one attack, he disappeared in front of Cheyenne, reappearing just behind him with a side slash that cut away all obstacles.

His speed spelled trouble for Cheyenne who found it hard to keep up. If not for her fine senses, she would have been overwhelmed a while ago.

However, she was not distraught.

*Cling* *Cling*

She exchanged more than a thousand attacks and she gradually came out the victor.

After distancing himself, Jake took a few seconds to catch his breath.

'This is not what I expected,' sighed Jake.

Blood poured out of his body from the stabs he had conceded to Cheyenne.

Even he was surprised as he had initiated almost all the attacks, yet, she plummeted him.

Nonetheless, he knew the reason for it; Weapon proficiency!

Jake had been bested when it came to skills with weapons.

Cheyenne, with her spear, fought like it was her sensory organ. Her every move, far more calculated than his, and the tricks she did were more complex.

Yet, what shocked him more was the way the spear was aware of every attack.

'.....like her weapon is connected to her on a more intimate level....weapon….connect...shared,' Jake's brain processed everything he noticed at a high speed.

From watching Cheyenne's movement, Jake got a clue on how to achieve the last stage of his sword technique.

He first glanced at Cheyenne to check up on her.

Seeing that she was recharging her energy, he closed his eyes and emptied his mind.

Breathing in and out like a conductor, Jake physically touched his sword and instantly gained an epiphany.

His sword and him, breathing together, pulsing together, bleeding together, achieving a synchronization rate at a hundred percent(100%)

His sword and him, twins that were separated a long time ago. Now that they have met each other, they would assemble back.

His sword and him, two sides of the same coin. No wielder, no weapon, just a being, one being. A SWORDSMAN

It was at that moment that he achieved a new state of mind. An advanced one that he had been touching its border for months.

Jake opened his eyes and found himself in a black and white world with swimming grey lines connected to everything.

It was a world that was so dull, everything was painted with just two colors and interconnected with each other.

Although he was a mixture of both colors, Jake wasn't an exception!

He looked at his body and saw that his sword had the same shade as him. It appeared to be a part of him and Jake smiled.

'This is it. A glimpse of perfection' thought Jake.

He understood what he currently saw.

This world was a manifestation of Jake's senses, to be exact, it was a manifestation of Jake's sense and his sword sense.

Mixing it together, they saw a grey world, much like what Jake pictured the world to be like.

The sword saw the world as a blank world, but Jake saw it as something more defined.

The combination of both of them, a world not too blank and not too colorful.

Smiling, Jake looked at Cheyenne, who was also white and black in this world.

He flexed his hand on the grey lines connecting the both of them and blinked from his position.

Before Cheyenne could react, a slash with no rivals came at her.

She tried to block it but slashes from all directions surrounded her, accompanied by an almost transparent blur, which Cheyenne understood was Jake!