"Fight!"
Phylas's resonant shout acted like a command, cutting through the atmosphere blanketing the large courtyard. The crowd's roar erupted once more, violent as crashing waves, cheering on the two warriors about to clash.
Rober, inhabiting the body of the warrior named Linus, took a deep breath, trying to calm his unusually rapid heartbeat. He tightened his grip on the large, round wooden shield, feeling its familiar yet foreign weight. His other hand clenched the hilt of the sword, its blade gleaming under the sun. He looked straight at his opponent, Alcon, who was also poised and ready, his eyes flashing with determination and a hint of ferocity.
Without hesitation, Alcon let out a roar and charged like a savage tiger. His steps were firm and decisive on the dusty ground, kicking up clouds with each stride. The sword in his hand thrust straight towards Rober's chest, a direct, fast, and powerful attack.
Rober, though unfamiliar with this body and lacking prior experience in melee combat with cold steel, relied on instinct and the composure honed through countless trials to react in time. He swiftly brought the round shield forward, intercepting Alcon's sharp blade.
CLANG!
A piercing screech of metal on metal rang out. Rober felt a strong impact travel up the arm holding the shield, forcing him back a step. But he didn't lose his balance. Instantly, he used the shield's edge to forcefully deflect Alcon's blade aside, exposing an opening on his opponent.
Seizing the opportunity, Rober swung the sword in his other hand in an arc aimed at Alcon's side. But Alcon was no novice. He reacted with lightning speed, twisting his body and using his own round shield to neatly block Rober's slash.
CLANG!
Another metallic clash echoed. This time, Rober felt the rebound. His sword felt as if it had struck a stone wall, vibrating intensely.
Rober sighed inwardly. "
Indeed, close combat with swords is not my forte."
He knew this well. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person, and in this world, despite practicing magic, he had never truly fought with a sword. Linus's body seemed strong, but his own combat skills were practically non-existent.
"I need another approach" Rober told himself. "I must see if I can use magic in this dream."
He could still feel the magical energy flowing within this powerful body, and the abundant ambient energy in the surroundings, the air, the stone, the trees. But he couldn't be certain. This dream might be a strange world with its own rules. It was possible the magic he knew wouldn't function here.
While Rober was contemplating, Alcon gave him no further time. He charged in again, attacking relentlessly. Alcon's sword strikes became faster, stronger, and more dangerous. He constantly changed his angle of attack, thrusting, slashing, sometimes using his shield to bash, forcing Rober onto the defensive.
Rober had to use his shield to parry Alcon's onslaught while simultaneously trying to move, maintain distance, and find a chance to test his magic.
He decided to create an opening. He kicked out hard with his right foot against the face of Alcon's shield. The kick wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but it was enough to push Alcon back several steps, creating a safe distance between them.
Instantly, Rober silently invoked an incantation in the Vivarivane language, the tongue of the Life Genesis Pantheon he had used for the "Yin-Yang Eye." This time, he attempted a simple spell to enhance his vision, hoping to observe his opponent more clearly.
But... nothing happened. His vision remained unchanged. There was no sensation of energy flowing, and the spell's effect failed to manifest. The magic had utterly failed.
"Just as I suspected!" Rober confirmed internally. "Incantations from the Vivarivane language have no effect here."
Just then, Alcon charged once more. This time, he seemed angrier.
"Linus!" Alcon yelled, his voice thick with frustration. "Don't you dare lose focus during a fight!"
Alcon ducked behind his round shield and slammed his shoulder forcefully into Rober. The impact was immense, and even though Rober hastily raised his shield to block, he was still driven back several steps, stumbling, nearly falling.
But Rober wasn't discouraged. He still wanted to test further.
"Perhaps Vivarivane doesn't work here" he thought. "I must try the languages of other gods."
While fending off Alcon's storm of attacks, Rober silently tested one incantation after another from the various Pantheons he knew:
He tried the Lumalyn language of the Elemental Pantheon, attempting to conjure a small fireball. Nothing happened. He tried the Chronfu language of the Temporal Pantheon, attempting to accelerate oxidation on Alcon's sword. No result. He switched to the Euphamodre language of the Emotional Pantheon, trying to instill fear in Alcon, suppress his opponent's spirit. Still failure. Rober attempted the Cogitener language (Technological Pantheon), Kaoreatyx (Chaotic Pantheon), Solarivoidex (Celestial Pantheon), Melodetrix (Artistic Pantheon), Valorynara (Martial Pantheon), Oracligmora (Mystic Pantheon), and even Sylvatormex (Natural Pantheon).
He tried all the languages, all the incantations he knew, from the simplest spells to more complex ones. But all were useless. Not a single spell activated. The magical energy within his body remained, but it refused to obey the commands of the incantations.
After numerous failed attempts, Rober finally had to accept the truth. In this dream, although he could still sense magical energy, he could no longer use incantations to communicate with the gods and produce magic as usual.
"Perhaps" Rober thought silently "in this strange space, my voice, my intent, cannot reach the ears of the gods. Or perhaps, the gods themselves cannot, or will not, interfere in this dream."
But incantations weren't all Rober knew about magic.
A confident smirk touched Rober's lips.
"Fortunately" he mused "I spent time researching another method, a way to create magic without relying on incantations, without needing to communicate with the gods. The method of directly manipulating magical energy, which I planned to teach after becoming an educator."
This method was far more difficult than using incantations, requiring intense concentration and a refined control and understanding of energy.
By now, both Rober and Alcon were tiring. The prolonged engagement, though lacking decisive blows, had drained much of their stamina. They stood facing each other, panting, sweat pouring down their faces and dripping from their heavy bronze armor.
Alcon looked at Rober, his eyes showing confusion and a hint of bewilderment.
"Today... you seem strange, Linus" he said, gasping for breath. "Like you're not all there. Just defending clumsily and barely attacking."
Rober, still playing the role of Linus, replied with a somewhat indifferent tone:
"Sorry. Had things on my mind."
Then, Rober's lips curled into a slight, provocative smile. His gaze met Alcon's.
"But that's done now. Come on, Alcon! Time to finish this boring match!"
Alcon, provoked by Rober's words, grinned back, a belligerent smile. He tightened his grip on his sword and shield, let out a sky-shattering roar, and once again launched himself straight at Rober with his remaining speed and strength.
But this time, Rober no longer defended passively. He stood his ground, his eyes intensely focused. He uttered no incantation, used no divine language. Instead, he focused his will, directing the flow of magical energy within his body and connecting it with the energy of the stone beneath the ground.
Instantly, just as Alcon was a few steps away, a small rock suddenly erupted from the ground directly in his path.
"Ugh!"
Alcon, charging at high speed, couldn't react in time and tripped over the stone. He stumbled, lost his balance, and tumbled head over heels, landing sprawled on the ground right at Rober's feet. His sword and shield flew from his grasp.
Rober didn't need to do anything more. He simply stepped forward and pointed the tip of his sword down at Alcon, who lay bewildered on the ground.
Alcon looked up at the sharp blade aimed directly at his face, just inches away. He sighed, then managed a wry, accepting smile. He raised both hands, signaling surrender.
Immediately, Phylas, the nobleman standing on the stone dais, shouted loudly:
"The duel is over! The victor is... Linus!"
Phylas's declaration echoed across the courtyard. But the crowd of spectators, instead of cheering the winner, began to murmur amongst themselves, their faces showing disappointment and annoyance.
Alcon got up, brushed the dust off himself, then turned to Rober and asked urgently:
"Hey, Linus! Why haven't you run yet?"
Rober tilted his head, confused:
"Run? Why would I need to run?"
Suddenly, the crowd's murmuring transformed into angry shouts, curses, and jeers:
"What a boring fight!"
"That's how you win?!"
"Alcon fought like a clown!"
"Waste of time!"
Suddenly, an old leather sandal flew from the crowd, hurtling straight towards Rober's face. He stood bewildered, not understanding what was happening, when a barrage of other objects, rotten tomatoes, small stones, pottery shards, even dried fish, began to rain down on him.
Rober hastily raised his shield to cover his face, frantically dodging the "unidentified flying objects" aimed at him. While dodging, he tried to shout at the crowd:
"Why...? Why are you throwing things at me?"
He glanced towards Alcon, only to see that the other warrior had already bolted and was now hundreds of meters away.
At that moment, the spectators, having thrown everything they had, began to surge onto the dueling ground, their faces contorted with anger, looking ready to tear Rober limb from limb.
Rober realized the situation had become dangerous. He couldn't possibly fight off an entire enraged mob like this. He decided escape was now the top priority.
He turned and sprinted desperately in the direction Alcon had fled, shouting as he ran:
"Alcon! Wait for me!"