"Kh!" Their swords clashed again as Shawn was pinned to the ground. He tried to fight back, but Noel kept pushing with his strength.
Both Noel and Shawn were staring at each other without using their Spiritual Energy. Noel knew that Shawn would use his Spiritual Energy the moment he used the Ignition Sword and vice versa. So, they were trying to wait until one of them gave up this waiting game.
It seemed Shawn was the first to give up. However, Shawn didn't want to make himself look bad. Hence, Shawn let out a burst of Spiritual Energy not on his sword but on his back.
Noel got pushed back for a bit due to the momentum produced by the impact that hit the ground. Still, Noel gritted his teeth and stomped Shawn's stomach to prevent him from leaving the ground.
Unfortunately, that was actually a bad move. The real reason for Shawn to use that burst of Spiritual Energy was due to the soft ground. A single burst slightly crushed the soil, causing him to fall a bit further.
This caused Noel to lose his balance because it was deeper than he imagined.
Using this opportunity, Shawn kicked Noel in the stomach, blowing him away. Noel might get pushed back a bit, but he didn't get any real injuries.
At the same time, Shawn managed to get up while holding his stomach.
"…" Shawn and Noel narrowed their eyes. They realized they might need a lot of time to defeat the opponent before them.
As if having their own plans, Noel and Shawn jumped toward each other.
"Haaaa!" Shawn roared while stomping the ground to stop the momentum. After that, he spun his body, kicking Noel from the side.
On the other hand, Noel also did the same, trying to take his opponent aback.
Unfortunately, it appeared they had thought the same plan as their feet almost hit their faces at the same time.
Both of them ducked down, causing their feet to hit each other and ultimately stopping their momentum.
"Kh." Shawn gnashed his teeth, feeling frustrated. Noel clicked his tongue and took a step back, trying to find another way to defeat his opponent.
'It seems that he can neutralize the gap between our strengths by using his Spiritual Energy. The same applies to my Ignition Sword, which is dispersed by that power.
'According to my observation, he should have a Spirit that has a unique way of controlling Spiritual Energy. However, that Spirit doesn't have any element. So, I can utilize the elemental advantage to suppress him. If only I could use my Ice Element or my Everchanging Emotion Sword Style, it would be an easy fight.
'I can probably use the latter, but it means I might alarm my own team. Only Rose and Jonathan know about it right now and I'm planning to wait for another three to six months before revealing my identity to them.
'Still, it doesn't change the fact that I've decided to crush him. In that case, with only my Fire Ability and Rune Mastery, how do I crush him?'
Noel thought as his sword began to be enveloped by black fire.
Noel's expression turned grim as he wouldn't hold back anymore. He might accidentally injure him, but he had confidence that Igor would have the ability to stop him at the last moment.
He even glanced at Igor as if showing his intention.
"…" Igor frowned, not pleased by this decision. At the same time, he couldn't say anything because Shawn actually expressed the same thing. Their battle would probably become even bigger than he imagined.
Noel and Shawn took a deep breath.
Shawn was the first one to make the first move. He let out a burst of Spiritual Energy around his feet to blast him to Noel.
Seeing the incoming Shawn, Noel stomped the ground to reinforce his stance and raised his sword.
Their swords collided, but this time, Shawn was shooting himself like a bullet, so the momentum immediately pushed Noel back. In fact, Noel could be said to be remarkable to even block it.
Feeling not enough, Shawn jumped into the air and stepped on the air, launching himself at Noel. This time, he wanted to use the same tactic as Noel's and pinned Noel to the ground.
Instead of dodging, Noel actually ducked down, placing his hand on the ground. He was forming the Hardening Rune.
However, Shawn's momentum was greater than he imagined. The moment he finished the rune, Shawn was already right before him.
Noel had to throw himself to the side to avoid Shawn's attack.
Noel clicked his tongue, feeling a bit hurt on his side due to throwing himself a bit too strong to escape from that momentum.
Though, Shawn's condition was worse than his.
"Gah," Shawn screamed while holding his left fist that almost hit Noel. Even his blade fell down because it failed to penetrate the ground.
"!!!" The people widened their eyes. They knew how soft the ground was since it was made of sand and dirt. Yet, Shawn actually failed to stab the ground.
They simply couldn't believe it.
"What's happening?" Igor sucked a cold breath, remembering the rune Noel placed before he escaped. "What is that earlier? Its appearance is similar to Spirit Enhancement. But a Spirit Enhancement is supposed to be exclusive to Blacksmiths… And seeing how fast he can enhance the ground, I'm afraid there's no one as fast as him in the entire kingdom."
Igor was completely clueless about Rune.
This was a fighting technique that everyone could learn after all. That was why its worth far surpassed anything everyone could offer. If it was monopolized by a certain individual, that individual would become the greatest existence in the kingdom. Thus, the reason why Noel wanted to spread the knowledge sooner or later.
Though, these people were still unaware of the real potential of the runes. They simply saw this weird ability, thinking it was Noel's Spirit Ability.
Noel hurriedly stood up, seeing Shawn, who was still in pain. It was time for him to end this fight.