"The first match of the fourth round of duels will now begin! Li Jun and Lian Chen please enter the arena." 

Two figures responded back to the judge with affirmation and slowly walked to their respective sides to face one another.

(Now this fight will be intriguing.) Dalis scooted into comfortable seating. 

"Li Jun. As fellow peers, may we have a good spar. Please educate me." 

"Lian Chen. Truthfully, I have always wanted to have a serious match with you. Back in the Orphanage, we had only sparred twice, and both times it was too light. But now, Lord Caleyar has granted us the chance to do battle in an environment suited for our levels. Let us have a good spar." After returning a scant polite bow, he signaled the judge that he was ready for the match to begin. 

"The battle will now commence. I hope you children have a good spar," the judge announced and smiled.

"Ignis Accersi."

With a gentle magical whisper like the first flicker of an alit candle, a flame emerged from the palm of her hand. 

"Multi Ignis Elementum." 

The flames multiplied. Ten flames blazed in the air, spreading evenly and remained levitated a small radius around Lian Chen. Each blazing flame was similar in size and was energetically enlarging by the second. Their brilliance shone with red and orange radiance, spotlighting the lithe petite girl in a festival of New Year lanterns. 

Once again, the crowd was sent into awed commotion. 

"That girl is so beautiful!"

"Every time she enters the stage with her flames, my heart kindles." Love can be seen all over that young knight's eyes.

"The best part about her is that I heard she is not an internship student. She is not a girl from Feeria! She's a genuine orphan."

"Wait! What did you just say?"

"Holy mother of our Lord Caleyar is that true?" 

"Then she must be an angel for sure!"

"Da fuck? I'm going to get my son to marry her!"

The revelation stirred the crowd into pandemonium, especially the young men who would gladly wait for her coming of age. Those big-dreaming men were exhilarated with fire in their eyes.   

"Hmph," Alexia couldn't help but let out a snort. (How idiotic. Everyone should wait patiently for this—great young mistress to arrive on the scene. I will wash and water them thoroughly to the facts.)

Coinciding with Lian Chen, Li Jun's eyes were firmly closed in concentration, unperturbed by the abrupt rising temperature. Slowly, his left arm that was rested on his hip formed a narrow, colourless but distinct and opaque substance, congregating to resemble a saya. Immediately, his eyes widened open, and his hardened right arm swiftly arced towards the saya, unsheathing a thin and curved sword—the katana.

Exchanging eye contact, the two figures set off.

Lian Chen's movements were deliberate, slow, and sedate, maintaining control of her flames with idyllic harmony. In contrast, Li Jun appeared to have embodied the nature of the katana sword, surfing the currents of the wind in preparation for a decisive attack. 

Two flames answered their master's call with a flare and sought to defend their master. 

Gliding the sword in mid-motion, Li Jun moved his left arm. He touched the tsuba with his calloused fingers and met the grip of his brother. The two-handed saber was now together and uniform.

Li Jun dangerously pivoted his steps with precision, dodging the two flames in the nick of time. Left behind were two fallen residuals.

"Oooff so close!"

"Such a scary child . . . to not even halt with that attire of his."

Head Ronin Yamada was keenly observing.

Lian Chen was not idle. The squad of flames on standby were pelted one by one in quick succession with each force transcending the previous in burning strength. She did not hesitate to deploy the full battalion! 

Li Jun creased his eyebrows greatly, but with an unwavering mindset, he submerged himself into the firestorm. 

Was he looking to die?!

Three of the initial flames approached him. Sinking his inner fears that spiked again, he bolted straight towards them and careened to the left, thwarting the three flames.

However . . .

It was not a repetition. The missed flames were not residuals. Encroaching meters behind his back, the flames returned to extinguish their misfiring with heightened ferocity! 

Danger shrieked as his senses felt a forthcoming boiling heatwave from his back skin. Gripping the sword hilt tightly, Li Jun swirled his body backwards with the wind and unhesitantly released the accumulated untapped power of a sword strike.

*SLICE*

Following the relic of the whistle, the three flames were forced to stifle under the grandeur of Li Jun's colourless unnamed mana katana. One slice was all that was needed to neatly blow the bright flames away into the dust. Spectators were boggled. But, what truly boggled them was the event that occured after.

*Shatter*

The seemingly powerful sword shattered as though it was glassy, brittle counterfeit.

Head Ronin Yamada was not surprised by the outcome. (That sword had the intention and purpose of leveraging everything on the line to end the duel with one decisive slice. What are you perplexed about?) 

Li Jun's heart raced and was swelled up with astonishment. Naturally, he understood best that the sword would break after one use. What shook him to the core was that the sword did not simply crumble or disintegrate. Instead, it shattered. Only a very powerful or destructive assault could achieve this. Had he underestimated Lian Chen?

Gazing on her opponent's reaction, an unusual complexion rose. 

(I must forge!) Li Jun's predicament has yet to subside. Five stronger flames were headed in his trajectory. Wiping the warm rivers of sweat, Li Jun hastily formed a long polearm that consisted of a single-edged blade on the end of the pole. 

"Glaive?" Dalis seemed interested.

Li Jun is the young patriarch of the Jun Clan. The Jun family is one of the oldest and most influential clans of the Swamp. Their family are master weaponsmiths and were the preferred producers for Swamp citizens to purchase their weaponry from. Since trade became much more active between nations, their influence had weakened. However, their weapon mana arts have only advanced to greater realms. Having comprehended the nature and inner mechanisms of weapons, the Jun Clan are able to employ their smithing expertise to forge weapons through their own mana source. Li Jun is capable of this art, and he could conceptualise many weapons to his fitting for martial combat. 

Taking a deep breath and letting out a war cry, he violently swung the glaive to the approaching raving burning fires with an unswerving diagonal cut. The flame leading the troops did not deviate and launched forward. Lian Chen was unfearful of the introduction of a brand new weapon. Not only did she have the upper hand, but the glaive that walled her path was also imperfect, weakened, and contained meagre mana energy. Moreover, the second flame was by the tail of the first flame, meaning if he managed to foil the first there was still another one impending! 

Moments before the impact with the first flame, Li Jun's arms expertly lunged the cut further forward by capitalising on the long extension of the weaponry. 

Lian Chen's eyes fluttered; she was caught off guard. Uninhibited deep sourness exuded, fracturing the graceful girl from her festive pageant. (Not good . . . Not good . . .) 

She felt very ashamed of her amateur mistake. The problem lies with the fact that she had forgotten that her opponent had brought forth a new weapon. This was self-explanatory, and as a matter, of course, a new weapon meant a different combat style. However, being a practitioner who primarily fights from a distance, she had been carelessly negligent. One of the essential requirements of being a Vanquisher was knowing martial combat: close combat was an utmost necessity requirement. At her time in the Orphanage, she learnt in close quarters that the one who can deliver their strike first wielded the tendency to have the advantage. Thus, in a clash of weapons or fists, especially between those of similar caliber, the one who held a weapon an inch longer or a limb longer was often the one to connect first and come out on top.

Instantaneously after lunging forward for the the weapon to be in reach, he let go. 

*CUT*

The meagre mana force was the first to deliver its destructive blow. Sizzling, the flame took the force at first hand, burning the object in crude retaliation. However, having its vigour diminished along with the weapon's self-sacrifice, the flame could only disperse unwillingly with its executioner into nothingness. 

Caught in the blast with no time to waste, Li Jun desperately bent his knees like a diver pushing off against a wall and pushed backwards, exploiting the impact of the collision as an impelling force to elude the arriving second flame. 

"Gaaahh!" Li Jun crashed and rolled several meters, scooping up sand in his rocky cruise. He felt the sand dune smudge and pour into his mouth, choking him.

Lian Chen personally surged forwards but gracefully, looming to check her opponent; likewise, the fires spread and loomed over their enemy.

Staring fixedly at Li Jun as she closed in, she saw him zealously propel himself up and then a sudden rapid fast colourless object swung her way.  

Bypassing the squad of defenders, the heavy semicircular tip whooshed through the air and swiftly latched onto her small frame, raking her in. 

"Caught you." 

Lian Chen, without a word, tilted down and nonchalantly surveyed her condition. A large tear could be seen through her upper garment. There, a sickle was ahold. Small blotches of blood could be seen spilling through the hole, patching her delicate body with some red. It was not anything to worry about. 

Li Jun had thrown a chain sickle as a last resort. If it weren't for the fact that Lian Chen took the initiative to close in, Li Jun would not have been able to fend off against the rest of the blazing flames. Now, the two were only breaths away from each other.

With a flash of her deep-set dark-brown eyes destining the disappearance of her flames, she said: "I admit defeat Li Jun. It was a good spar. Thank you for teaching me."

After a brief moment of silence, the crowd erupted in dynamic cheers!

"DAMN IT! My wife lost! How can this be?!"

"Who the hell is your wife?"

"As expected from the Jun Clan's young patriarch. He has the ferocity required for a Swamp expert."

"The fight was not that long. Nevertheless it was a good match! Well done children!"

(Perhaps she may really be a bit of a ditz.) Dalis sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned against the seating.