2.19 The Flower of Battle

Kairos was a terribly short weapon. It measured only two feet from tip to pommel, making its reach a genuine problem. Its simple crucifix crossguard was only really useful in stopping your hand from sliding up onto the blade. It had a bizarre blade shaped not unlike a box cutter. In short, Kairos was not an ideal sword, much less an ideal dueling sword.

And yet Esther did not hesitate to use a copy of Kairos for our duel. It told me she was comfortable with using a wide variety of weapons. It told me she was no stranger to duels. It told me she was confident that she was going to win.

I felt pretty confident, too. Kairos was essentially an improved version of the Mocles Saber, my original imperfect Remnant. In the short time I had used Kairos I had grown familiar with it to the point that I no longer thought about how to swing the blade. I was counting on that familiarity to give me an edge in the fight because as good of a duelist as Esther might be, there was no way she would be completely comfortable using a weapon she had never held before.

Which was perfect because I really wanted the mirror Remnant Esther offered if I won. A Remnant with the ability to simply copy someone else's Remnant was too good of a weapon to pass up now that my usual magic was compromised for the foreseeable future.

As soon Iris had given the signal, I raised my arm to strike Esther’s left shoulder, hoping to catch her by surprise. But before I had moved an inch, Esther suddenly pointed at my heart.

Confused, I looked down at my chest.

Lo and behold, her Kairos was pointed straight at my exposed heart, its sharp blade hovering just an inch away from my shirt.

No way. I thought in disbelief.

“Boop!”

Esther poked my nose with the tip of her blade. Orange sparks erupted from the brief contact. I flinched before remembering that both of us were shielded.

Oh, it looks like Esther takes the lead! 1-0! Iris cried.

A crowd cheered in the distance. It made me wonder if this duel was being aired somewhere without my knowledge.

“I was told you were quite the duelist,” Esther said, sounding genuinely disappointed. She lowered her weapon and returned to her starting position. The smallest of smug smiles rested on her face. That got my blood boiling. I was a petty person, but when it came to anything competitive, I was the pettiest personin the room. I usually kept quiet if my opponent said nothing, but Esther had just fired the first shot.

Now, anything was game.

“I am a great duelist!” I replied hotly. “J-just you wait.”

And the trash-talking begins! Iris said. Duelists, reset!

I begrudgingly returned to my starting position.

My heart began to pound.

I liked to believe I performed reasonably well under pressure, but falling to a 1-0 start was definitely affecting my confidence in my abilities. I had to get a win soon to regain some momentum.

I took a deep breath to refocus. Esther had killed me so quickly in the last round that I had no time to glean any information from my loss outside of the fact that she was quick. I would have to use the next round to test her defenses and see how she would respond. Esther raised her blade until it was level with her temple. The blade was tilted diagonally toward her, its end pointed directly toward me. The ox stance.

I breathed out sharply.

The ox was a pretty aggressive stance. It provided Esther with an immediate threat to my face thanks to the point held in front of her. It also provided her with numerous angles of attacks as she could easily shift into a more neutral stance. It wasn't the stablest of stances, but given her incredible speed, that didn't seem like it was going to be a problem for her. She smelled blood in the water, and she was now closing in for the kill.

I deliberated what the best response would be. In the end, I lifted Kairos above my right shoulder in a more neutral roof stance. The roof afforded me a great deal of flexibility to shift into a more favorable stance depending on what Esther did, assuming she even gave me the chance to do so.

I eased into my starting position, turning my waist slightly to give the impression that my sword was being held behind my head instead of just beside it. This usually made the opponent think the blade was further away than it actually was. Esther was likely aware of this trick, but it would still make it difficult for her to gauge my reach.

Esther took a moment to size me up, but she did not change her stance at all.

She was calling my bluff.

Are our duelists ready? Iris said.

"Yes!" I cried.

Begin!

Esther moved first, again. This time, I backstepped immediately to create some space. But Esther was relentless. She closed the gap created by my backward movement with a few quick strides forward of her own. When she was close, she made a lightning-quick jab toward my left arm. I swung Kairos down to parry, only for Esther to pull her blade away before our weapons could connect. We stayed a distance, exchanging feints, testing the other's guard. Then, when I saw an opening in her guard, I went for it. I stepped sideways then lunged forward to land a strike on her open left flank.

I might as well have been a mile away. Esther preemptively sidestepped the strike and returned an overhead strike to my skull. A flurry of sparks exploded from my dueling barrier as her blade came crashing down onto my head.

“Come on!” I shouted.

In frustration, I threw a jab at her left shoulder. Esther stepped back and swatted my blade away with the hilt of her own. She did so with such finesse that in that very moment, my confidence in swordsmanship crumbled like a stale wafer cookie before a hydraulic press.

I had been completely crushed, outclassed, and gutted before a live audience, and there was still one round left to go.

Esther gave me the “are you serious?” look but said nothing. I stepped away, flustered and quite embarrassed at my outburst.

As I walked back in shame to my starting position, panic began to flood my mind. I was one point away from getting swept 3-0. Nothing I did now would likely change that outcome, but I wasn’t ready to admit defeat. No way. I would never hear the end of it, not from Iris, not from the cat, not from Priscilla if she ever found out.

“I told you you were garbage!” she would likely say.

I took a deep breath and refocused. An idea came to mind.

"Hey Iris, can we have some distance so Esther doesn't kill me right away?" I said, looking up into the sky. "We're literally starting three feet from each other.

Victor's choice. Iris said. What do you want, Esther?

"Give the boy some distance," Esther replied. "He’s dying for a win."

“The match isn’t over yet!” I said hotly.

“Yes, it is," she said. "It absolutely is."

I said nothing in response because I couldn't think of a good comeback. Thankfully, Iris came to my rescue.

Alright, alright, no need to kick him while he’s down! she laughed. Geez! Six feet apart, so Titus has a chance.

Thanks.

I believe in both of you!

“Gordon, you believe in me, right?” I said.

Gordon was sitting half-in, half out of his pocket dimension. There was a half-empty bowl of cat food sitting on the ground in front of him. He seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit, probably from seeing me being dumpstered by my opponent.

“Sure, why not?” he yawned. “If you lose now, however, there is a warm meal waiting for all of us in Iris’s study.”

Suddenly, losing didn’t seem too bad anymore.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. Esther?” I said.

"As you wish," she replied.

Esther and I moved until we stood six feet apart. Iris fell silent. Even Gordon stopped eating watched the fight intently. For a moment, I got to appreciate how cool it was to be able to fight a seasoned duelist under the unveiled glory of outer space. It reminded me of the spectacular stages from the various fighting games I used to play with Priscilla and Yeigar during our breaks from grueling days of combat training.

I bit my lip.

That seemed like an eternity ago.

I lowered Kairos into a fool stance, leading with my left leg. It was clear now that Esther’s defense was impeccable. The only thing I have yet to test was my defense against her offense. The fool stance was perfect for just that.

My back was against the wall. Esther gave no sign of slowing down, but I was warmed up now. If I lost here, there were no more excuses left to give.

Matchpoint! Iris said. It’s not looking good for our Densus Knight. Will he able to clutch it out?

"Probably not," Gordon said.

"I'm right here!'

"Hello, right here. You're about to get swept cleaner than the forge's floor."

Matchpoint! Iris said. Fight!

Esther closed in for the kill. She approached slowly, methodically, like a ghost closing in on a cornered victim. She held Kairos in front of her with the blade pointed forward and the pommel held in front of her leading hip, a pflug stance. She stopped just outside of my reach and waited, daring me to make a move.

Are you kidding me? Why is she so good?

I waited for her to move. And waited. And waited. I was convinced she was going to somehow teleport behind and finish the job. When it was clear she was going to wait until I made a move, I accepted my fate and moved forward toward my death.

That meal better be good, I grumbled.

When I was in range, I raised my blade for a quick feint toward her left shoulder. She didn't take the bait. She stood there, waiting patiently like an open crocodile’s maw. I threw a couple more jabs at her shoulder before slashing at her chin. Esther saw the strike and dodged backward with minimum movement, just avoiding the edge of my blade. At the same time, she parried my blade. Hard. So hard that the parry sent me reeling toward the ground, off-balance, about to die.

I knew the riposte was coming, so I immediately jumped back and back-pedaled as quickly as I could without losing my balance. No counterattack came from Esther's end.

I smiled.

I had finally managed to get the duel under control.

I tried to use the space I had made to reevaluate the situation.

But when I scanned the platform for my opponent, Esther was no longer standing where I thought she was. She was much, much closer, marching towards me like a bounty hunter closing in on a cornered target.

Every thought fled from my mind as I hastily returned to the fool stance.

This was it. My last chance to save the match.

Before Esther came within striking range, I stepped forward and made a diagonal slice to her right arm, hoping to clip the edge of it to score a point. But Esther flicked her blade, catching my strike with the mid-section of her weapon. She stepped into the strike with frightening speed, knocking me off balance. I threw my foot back out to stop myself from falling to the ground, but by then, Esther had seized my right arm.

The next thing I knew, the entire world was spinning like a top. In reality, I was the one being tossed like pizza dough at a New York Pizzeria. I let out a cry for help as for a split second, I was airborne, utterly at the mercy of the forces beyond my control. Then, after what seemed like an eternity I landed back on the ground, flat on my back. I stared blankly up into the cosmos above. The stars stared back solemnly, silenced by the earth-shattering beat-down they had just witnessed.

I had lost, and the only person I had to blame was myself.