CHAPTER 1030: CHAPTER 157 - THE CENTAUR KINGDOM (6)

The ground trembled beneath Kali’s hooves as she lunged forward again, a streak of raw power and speed. Her halberd cut through the air with a sharp whoosh, slicing the wind so cleanly it made the air crackle. I met her halfway, raising Ayuru to intercept. The impact resounded like thunder, a metallic clang that sent sparks scattering around us like fireflies in the morning light.

She smiled. That kind of smile that said, "Finally, someone worth fighting." Her eyes gleamed with excitement, her muscles flexing beneath her smooth skin and sleek centaur form. Her halberd twisted in a graceful arc, a blur of polished steel that came down with lethal precision.

I pivoted sideways, the blade narrowly missing my shoulder by a breath. The air pressure from the swing was enough to ruffle my hair and sting my cheek. I countered with a low sweep, my blade humming as I aimed for her lower torso, but Kali jumped back, hooves kicking up dirt in a graceful leap.

The rhythm between us was sharp and relentless. It wasn’t just a fight. It was like a dance where every movement flowed naturally into the next. There was no hesitation, no fear, only focus.

She spun her halberd in a full circle, the blade slicing through the air so fast it left streaks of silver light. I ducked beneath it, thrusting upward. Our weapons met again, clang!, sparks flew, and the reverberation tingled in my arm.

"Not bad, Sir Leon," she said between movements, her breathing steady, not a hint of fatigue in her voice. "I thought you’d crumble by now."

"You underestimate how stubborn I can be," I shot back with a grin, parrying her next strike effortlessly.

Her laugh was short but genuine. "I like that."

She lunged again, this time with more speed with her halberd tracing a deadly crescent aimed at my chest. I twisted my wrist, meeting the strike in a flash. The sheer force behind her weapon made the air around us ripple like waves, but my stance didn’t falter.

Kali was good. Incredibly good. Her movements were sharp, calculated, and strong, yet elegant with her every swing of her halberd looked like a performance, beautiful but deadly. Her hooves barely made a sound against the earth now. She was moving like a whisper and her attacks were more unpredictable the longer the duel went on.

But I wasn’t exactly struggling either. My blade followed her rhythm instinctively, as if it knew where she’d move before she did. I wasn’t fighting with raw strength. I was reading her flow, countering at just the right moment.

For minutes, neither of us seemed to gain the upper hand. Every hit, every block, every dodge felt balanced. We are perfectly matched. The clash of metal and the heavy exhalations from both of us echoed through the field.

Around us, the onlookers from Reilhahand’s tribe watched in utter silence. Even Reilhahand himself had stopped grinning, his eyes fixed on the fight, clearly intrigued.

Kali twirled her halberd once more, the sunlight reflecting off the blade in a blinding flash before she swung it down hard. The shockwave it produced rippled through the ground, sending a gust of wind that made the grass flatten and dust swirl.

I braced myself, blocking it just in time, though the force pushed me a few steps back.

She smirked. "You’re holding back, aren’t you?"

I smiled faintly. "Maybe I am. What about you?"

She let out a small laugh, her eyes burning brighter. "Maybe I am too."

We both charged again.

The sound of our weapons colliding grew louder and more intense. Clang!Clang!

Clang! Each impact sent small shockwaves through the air, bits of grass and dirt flaring up beneath our feet. My blade danced in perfect synchrony with her halberd with neither one of us missing a beat.

I slashed low and she deflected it with the bottom of her halberd’s shaft. She swung wide and I sidestepped and answered with a clean horizontal cut. She ducked, her hair whipping through the air as she twisted her body to avoid it, then spun her weapon behind her back to counter.

The fight had turned into something almost mesmerizing. And yet, even after what felt like hours, neither of us looked winded.

Sweat glistened faintly across Kali’s skin, catching the sunlight as she moved. The determination in her eyes never faded, her lips curved in that same confident grin.

"You’re really something else, Sir Leon," she said during one of the short pauses between our flurries. "Most men wouldn’t last half this long against me."

"I could say the same for you," I said, shifting my stance, blade poised. "You make it sound like I’m supposed to get tired already."

Her smirk widened. "Cocky. I like that."

Then, with a sudden burst of power, she dashed forward again with her movements faster than before. The ground cracked under her hooves, dust rising in her wake. The tip of her halberd darted toward me like a spear, so fast it nearly blurred.

I parried, twisting my wrist and forcing her blade to the side before countering with a rising slash. She leapt back, the blade grazing her arm just enough to leave a faint mark and a thin red line that contrasted beautifully against her pale skin.

She looked at it, then chuckled. "You drew first blood. Not bad."

"Guess that’s one point for me," I said, raising an eyebrow.

She lunged again before I could finish my sentence. Her halberd came down hard, aiming for my shoulder, but I deflected it upward, then kicked off the ground, closing the distance between us. Our faces were inches apart when my sword stopped just shy of her neck, the blade humming faintly against her pulse.

She froze, her eyes widening slightly but not out of fear, but out of surprise. Then, slowly, that same amused smile spread across her lips.

"Well," she breathed, her voice low and soft. "Looks like you win."

For a moment, the world seemed to still. The dust from our fight hung in the air like mist, the wind carrying the faint metallic scent of steel and sweat. Both of us stood there, unmoving, our gazes locked.

Then I lowered my blade, stepping back just slightly.

Kali exhaled, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Despite losing, she didn’t look disappointed. If anything, she looked thrilled with her cheeks flushed and her eyes gleaming with excitement.