Saulo held a halberd in his hands.

A two-handed weapon similar to a spear, but with a transverse blade like that of an axe on one side and a small half-moon blade on the other, perfect for hooking.

Saulo didn't like to attack people in the face of provocation, but in this situation words weren't the right answer with which to proceed.

He had to fight in his own way.

"... A halberd."

The surprise didn't occur in any of the three threatening faces that observed him.

Without any apparent change, their eyes just confirmed what was evident the young man carried.

Taking a closer look at the weapon, the halberd started from a long pole of brown wood that ended in a blade of degraded white metal. The color of this blade (the blade with spearhead) was a contrast that began with white from the center of the head of the weapon to turning black at the end and the edges of the three blades that made up a halberd.

The weapon was in what one would expect a young man his age to carry. Without a special power or an intimidating aura, both the aura and the bearer emitted an aura of normality.

In conclusion...

On the one hand, the weapon that Saulo held was one of the average.

On the other hand, seeing the weapon that Aaron held; the black grip and the shine that the blade gave off demonstrated the power that the sword would be able to show and the care that its user gave it.

The weapon that Aaron held was without hesitation one above average.

"I am glad that you summon your weapon. At least that way I know you know how to use it, and don't have it as an ornament."

"It would be foolish not to summon a weapon I possess. I wouldn't benefit from its attributes if I didn't. But for your information, this won't be the only way I'll fight."

In this world it was a completely normal and expected action to summon a weapon to fight, taking advantage of the attributes with which each one was born. Physical, magical, defensive, of agility, and utility. In other words, if a weapon was summoned, each and every one of the attributes mentioned were obtained as an incomparable power from the one an individual used to have before.

Of course, these attributes differed between people depending on how much they trained to increase their power.

"You mean you have more of that garbage than you threw at me? Even among those who don't specialize in using weapons, they know how to discern between a sacred way of fighting and what a group pretends to use as an excuse for its lack of power... A power that can only be achieved with a weapon and what it entails to be its bearer."

"Do you think I haven't heard that before? To be told once again won't change the fact that I believe there are certain occasions where supporting objects can open possibilities in helping those who aren’t skilled in using a weapon or abilities. I'll do things first with that goal in mind."

"Do you really think you're going to go that far with those supporting objects? Do you really think that those who are more skillful and expert at fighting would want to use them as a complement to a real weapon? A weapon that gives us attributes and that we can all summon! What you think or do won't change anything that is generally thought of as a supporting object. Or am I wrong?"

"That..."

What was unusual and distant from the battle canons since the first humans who summoned weapons was what Saulo did.

Fighting using supporting objects for combat.

Objects created to provide new ways of attacking in combat and that weren't within the group of weapons that each person could summon.

Aaron's anger was due to the fact that the hand grenade that Saulo threw didn't need to exist in a confrontation.

The invocation of a weapon was a sacred capacity granted by the Creator and with which humans had fought ever since.

Due to the capacities and attributes that the summoned weapons granted to their bearers, in no way were they at the same level to be compared with those of a supporting object that didn't grant any. In addition, the power and possibilities that a summoned weapon possessed and granted to an individual far exceeded that of a supporting object, which was restricted to its limited power, dangerousness when used and conditioned utility.

That is to say:

It was written in history and proved at present, that a summoned weapon gave to its bearer a greater power and usefulness than a supporting object for combat would ever achieve.

A reality that had never changed in world society and a reasoning that Aaron would demonstrate to the boy.

"Supporting objects for combat have no place in modern warfare. Objects such as hand grenades are known for how weak and dangerous they can be in comparison with powerful and reliable weapons that we can all summon From my own experience I tell you that their manipulation will one day end up hurting you."

After saying these words, two flashes behind Aaron gave the impression of reaffirming his position.

Don and Ryder had just summoned their weapons.

The taller of the two young men (Ryder) carried an axe while the one with a height similar to that of Saulo summoned a mace.

"And considering the power and opportunities offered by the ‘sacred equipment’ and the ‘relics’, that niche that you and a few pretend to create presents itself to the world as obsolete."

Saulo remained silent.

Feeling the powerful determination in Aaron's voice, the words he said caused him not to have an immediate response. Friends, neighbors, acquaintances... relatives. So many times he had heard similar things from them, but this time... it was one of the few times that he really felt the weight of the words that carried the truth of reality.

These were words from a stranger. There was no way Saulo could prove that that man wanted to discourage him before the two of them started fighting; but for the same reason this person could simply be talking about what in his experience was pure truth.

This filled him with sadness, no matter how tough he had proposed to be.

…

But in the face of this truth, the pieces of his wounded heart wouldn't heal if he didn't rise again and again.

I must answer...

Saulo knew he had to respond to him to defend his use of supporting objects. An appropriate response to overcome this painful reality.

... at the same level.

"I see that your lackeys weren't impressed either. Or are they a group of peers without opinions that follow you to feel themselves safe?"

"Don't you dare use that word if you don't know its meaning."

Aaron responded sharply to what Saulo took as a nuisance as a result of what his words generated in the man.

"They are my comrades. Comrades in arms with ties formed by respect and trust on the battlefield; and strengthened on this path by a common means and end. Do you understand the meaning of that word?"

"People with whom you create and maintain a relationship, fruit of shared work."

Saulo didn't calm down his desire to talk about something that he had experienced very similarly in his life.

However, the brief exchange of words stopped under the cover of the fog that was beginning to take possession of the path.

…

"Return your weapons from where they came from."

"But, Aaron. We..."

"No. I was the one who offended him. Don't intervene."

After a small movement, Don and Ryder disappeared their weapons in the dimensional plane from which they came.

The boys' expressions remained rigid with murderous instinct, but the pressure felt in the air didn't change at all. Where it really came from was the person who approached Saulo with a threatening calm.

I guess what I said didn't go so badly.

Preparing his mind and body for what was to come, Saulo clarified his thoughts during the time allowed by Aaron's walk.

I didn’t fall for his provocation and I managed to get those two young men to withdraw their weapons. But that does not resolve my greatest concern.

Saulo looked back a little toward the direction where Aaron and his comrades were.

He is still in the same state as before.

The person in question was currently seated, unaware of everything that was happening. The elderly man, whom Saulo had not forgotten, remained motionless, unconscious, tied to a tree by the side of the path.

And if I can somehow overcome this person and his followers, I have yet to free the elderly man and help him escape.

He had a difficult task ahead of him. At this point, he couldn't simply run away or leave this elderly person abandoned to his fate. Saulo knew with some discomfort that the course of action to take sounded better in his head than what he had to do in reality.

But, even so... he was willing to fight and he would do it.

Aaron, indifferent to what Saulo thought, approached at a dangerous speed.

And in an instant, his figure seemed to disappear, lunging with his sword toward Saulo.

With a quick movement, Aaron in a short time made four attacks just as fast as the speed with which he approached. Two on the side and two diagonally. From the exchange of blows, Saulo had to react without delay so as not to be cut. At each cut, the force of Aaron's attacks made shake the halberd that Saulo tried to keep firm in defense.

He's fast. Much more than me.

Saulo could hold his halberd in one hand and try to attack, but his rival simply wouldn't let him. The succession of attacks didn't give him the space to counterattack, so he had to be defensive for now.

After a new sword attack to his left side, instead Saulo felt an explosion of pain in his right cheek.

¿?

In that confusion, he realized that his face had been hit by Aaron's fist.

Truly, he didn't expect an attack to come from the hand this man had free.

As he concentrated on enduring the pain, Aaron attacked him head-on without waiting for him to analyze the situation.

Numerous slashes came at him as he tried to match the speed with which he was receiving the attacks. With each blow that he blocked with his halberd, he felt that, in an oversight, he would lose his balance and would be pierced by the steel of the blade.

And one more time, Aaron's sword came swinging toward Saulo.

Now!

After being on the defensive since the start of the fight, he confirmed what he sensed.

Aaron was a specialist in the handling of his weapon. The sequences of his attacks were strong and direct.

However, an opening for attacking was presented after a horizontal cut in which Aaron took advantage of the impulse of his movements not to lose the flow in which his was attacking with his arms.

With a slash that came from high above, the tip of Aaron's sword touched the ground.

He had just failed his attack.

With the cut passing very close to his position, Saulo dodged with haste moving in a hurry to the side, which caused Aaron's error. The man against whom he was fighting, seeing that the balance between his sword and him had been momentarily lost, chose to retreat hastily.

Saulo immediately attacked with his halberd. The impetus to finally go on the offensive was reflected in his attack.

This was because in this situation he had the advantage. The advantage of reach.

Although both the sword and the halberd were used as weapons for close combat, they weren't maneuvered equally. The length of a halberd was greater than that of a sword, which allowed its bearer to attack from a greater distance. On the other hand, a sword didn't have the same range as a halberd, so it was necessary to fight quite closely.

Even though he knew this beforehand, Aaron had to retreat. With a rushed leap, he moved away from Saulo and his halberd.

With the possibility of going on the offensive, Saulo attacked.

Taking small steps backwards, Aaron retreated before the avalanche of cuts that Saulo propitiated.

The greater reach of the halberd allowed the young man to attack at a safe distance.

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

But when it seemed that he could continue, Saulo was suddenly interrupted by his enemy's sword.

Without exception, it had occurred in every attack he had ever made.

Saulo had been attacking with a fighting style that allowed him to attack at the maximum reach of his halberd. This meant that by holding firmly with his hands the areas near the end of the handle, he could attack with a greater sense of security.

For a person who didn't fight, it was an illusory sense of security that this style of fighting provided.

A person like an Amish.

However, in the long run, this style of fighting would tire him because of the greater weight he had to carry from the handle.

If it went on like this, he'd get tired without having hit once with his halberd.

If he wanted to hit a blow, he had to take a risk.

Saulo forgot the idea of attacking at a safe distance and focused entirely on the offensive.

Positioning his hands closer to the middle of the handle, Saulo moved his halberd quickly into the air after hearing the last sound of the metal blades colliding.

And after firmly holding the handle of his weapon, the strike of his halberd caused an injury to his enemy. Thanks to the new balance achieved by holding his halberd in this way, he succeeded.

Immediately, upon noticing Saulo's change of strategy, Aaron also went on the offensive with a frontal sword attack.

"!"

Saulo noticed in surprise that the approaching strike against him was different from the previous ones. A thrust loaded with a force of attack that would easily pass through the flesh.

"Gugh."

It was too fast.

Saulo's jacket acquired a different color when he checked the injured area. Added to the dirt and dust that his clothes carried, a color that wasn't before appeared.

"My elbow."

A red line was drawn on his elbow.

"Opportunities hardly occur twice in a lifetime."

The speaking voice was heard closer than it should have been, and when Saulo looked away from the wound, Aaron's sword was inches from his face. Almost as if an alert warned him of the imminent end, the handle of his halberd interposed itself between him and the sword.

"I couldn't agree more."

Saulo laughed at himself for agreeing with his enemy.

He had missed the advantage he possessed for a moment and allowed Aaron to approach where he could comfortably use his sword.

If I could turn my halb...

Before Saulo could turn his strategy into reality, a powerful force deprived him of his thoughts.

"¡GOGH!"

Aaron had just kicked him in the stomach with the same intensity that he had been attacking with his sword.

The force of the attack threw him several feet back, falling sideways to the ground. Feeling his arm being crushed by the weight of his body, the intense pain that came immediately prevented Saulo from rising and holding his halberd.

A powerful kick from a powerful man.

That was the kind of attack he had to endure.

The feeling wasn't the same as when he was inside the backpack. Saulo really couldn't breathe. His mind told him he had to, but his contracted body didn't allow him to receive the air he inhaled.

"G-g-a-ahh."

Little by little he breathed again, but he felt that it wasn't enough.

His efforts didn't provide him with the support he needed to get up.

A-air. I need air.

Suddenly, as if his requests were being heard, a blast of air came toward him. However, it wasn't the air of life he needed.

"I-I really need a break."

The sword that once again pierced the wind wouldn't wait for his recovery.

-Aaron's point of view-

I think I kicked him too hard in the stomach.

Aaron advanced toward Saulo.

The confidence was visible in his face when he saw the boy's condition. Due to the kick, the young man had difficulty getting up after having been thrown several meters.

The vulnerability of the boy encouraged him to attack with his sword, sure that his victim wouldn't recover his composure in time to attack him with his summoned weapon.

He is going to attack me with one of his supporting objects.

From his point of view, there was only one possibility that the boy could use.

This person had made his position clear about those useless inventions known as supporting objects for combat, even using one to attack him. Now that he was in trouble and because he was weak in power, he would surely use an object to make up for his lack of combat capability.

And with what he expected the boy to defend himself, it happened.

A projectile flew in his direction.

Another hand grenade?

His initial impression diminished when he realized that it wasn't what he thought.

What the young man threw was a throwing knife. An object which, due to Aaron's attributes and those of the weapon he summoned, wouldn't harm him.

Dodging effortlessly, he assumed the use of the knife as a strategy that didn't materialize before due to his kick interrupted it.

Even if I don't defend myself, it's a weak object thrown at a distance where it can't gain enough momentum to hurt me.

Feeling the despair of his enemy at the sight of him approaching, the boy planted one last defense in a rush of his actions. It was clear to both of them that the halberd wouldn't be lifted in time, so the boy hurriedly resorted to defending himself with one of his supporting objects.

A throwing knife.

His last defense was the same object that he threw at him a few seconds ago. A supporting object, which, as its name suggests, was to be used for throwing itself and not as a defense.

What is he trying to do with that little knife besides trying to throw it at me?

A small knife would break mercilessly as it collided with the power carried by a sword. The only logical option of attack was to throw it. By the time he wondered why the boy was uselessly protecting himself with that object and was no longer throwing it, another question surprised him exceedingly.

-...-

Saulo threw the knife he was holding.

Indeed, as Aaron foresaw, Saulo threw the knife he held in his left hand. Immediately, the man against whom he was fighting, wasn't surprised to see an attack from a distance heading toward him. It seemed as if during all these last seconds he was waiting for this sharp object to be thrown at him.

The surprise, however, came later as the nature of the attack was revealed.

An unconventional attack.

The head is one of the parts of the body where the most organs are visible. With organs such as eyes, nose or tongue; the damage to those parts of the body would deprive the functioning of the senses possessed by the human being.

Thus, it is not strange to think that one would try to protect oneself involuntarily.

However, precisely an unconventional surprise attack could cause this reaction.

He had thrown the knife, but not completely.

Only the blade was thrown.

The object he held was itself called a throwing knife. What differentiated these knives from common throwing knives, was that after activating a tiny button, the blade came out shot of the handle as if it was a projectile propelled by gunpowder.

The confusion about how the knife was thrown and the memory of an explosion very close to his eyes increased the dimensions of what this supporting object actually meant for Aaron.

"I’ll finish this!"

Saulo charged toward his enemy.

He created this opportunity using his best weapons.

With cunning, he acted to appear more helpless, launching an attack that with the first knife must have seemed desperate.

After that, he waited that the momentary confusion generated by throwing a knife again - but in a different way - would give him that opportunity to break through the sword-bearer's solid defense.

A defense that he would break with the halberd he was holding.

"Gggrrraaaaawww!"

Saulo attacked with a battle cry as banner.

This is not resolved with good intentions or just causes.

Without powers obtained from nothing or fallen from heaven.

There are no resurrections in another world or reincarnations as a creature.

Only one opportunity.

Only one life.

Saulo had to seize this opportunity with the right ability at the right time.

"[Shadow…]!"

The largest blade of his halberd emitted some gray lines as he shouted.

And then...

Saulo's chest was pierced mercilessly.

A direct cut

A fatal wound that even the most optimistic of combatants would not hesitate to affirm meant the end of the fight and the life of the boy.

Saulo didn’t utter cries of pain or supplications out of fear of knowing that his time in the world had come to an end.

The sword, to which he believed would gain in speed and reaction, had pierced his chest.

I-It can't be.

The force of the impact had made him release his halberd.

Looking at the sword in his chest, Saulo realized in horror what that wound represented.

He had lost the battle.

His dreams, desires, and aspirations ended there as well.

He could no longer make his journey to the capital, nor return to his community in due course.

Aaron had pierced him with his sword in a deadly blow.

"Look what has happened to you. For trusting your victory too much in those useless trinkets is that you believed that a simple knife would hurt me. That unusual way of fighting is what has led you to this."

Saulo looked at Aaron while he knew with an empty expression that his hope of survival was non-existent. With totally serious eyes, Aaron looked directly at him with the certainty of what this wound implied.

Uttering a final breath, he stopped moving.