Reincarnated into Two Bodies

Chapter 250: A Fair Fight

As soon as I accepted Villius’s hand, Instructor Liz cleared the center of the room with a voice that managed to be both incredibly lazy and terrifyingly commanding. Once the arena was ready, which was more or less a singular mat surrounded by a wall of students, we were told to take our places in the ring.I took a deep breath, settling into my side of the ring. Opposite me, Villius did the same. He looked focused, his usually nervous smile replaced with one of confidence.

I held my sword in a firm grip, loose enough not to break it apart the moment things get heavy, but firm enough so that it wouldn’t fly away and smack the audience.

Around us, the student body formed a loose, disorganized circle. Most were watching with a mix of curiosity and relief. The rest of them, though, weren’t paying attention at all. I guessed that these must be the students who were here just for the sake of being here.

I locked eyes with Villius.

You might be wondering what I was thinking when I took his challenge.

The tournament… it was most likely going to be a one-on-one kind of deal. I couldn’t possibly rely on my two-bodied coordination to disorient and overwhelm my opponents, and even if I did, Instructor Liz already showed me that it wasn’t exactly foolproof. 

So, before I level up my two-body techniques, I needed to master being independent first.

Which was why I believed Villius was the perfect opponent for me.

As I observed before, he was a solid Sareid practitioner. Maybe a little bit green considering his last-minute crash course origins, but he was solid enough not to be taken lightly.

He was a Sareid practitioner, but a hybrid one, mixing the crash-course fundamentals with whatever family style he’d grown up with. He was a puzzle I knew half the pieces to, which made the other half something I didn’t completely understand.

With him, I could learn to anticipate the unexpected and adapt when something didn’t go as I'd predicted.

To be honest, Attila would’ve been a fine choice of a sparring partner too… Her Mastery-Talent for the sword would’ve been a treat to spar against, and not to mention, despite saying that we’d spar sometime, I had never actually sparred with her yet…

But seeing Villius’s eyes, something told me that he had a deep reason for dueling me. Maybe a point to prove? Or satisfy his own curiosity? All I knew was that this duel pairing could be a win-win for me.

However, if I wanted to actually learn something, I had to stop cheating. I needed this to be a fair fight.

Across the room, I steered Carine’s body toward a quiet corner. I leaned back against the cool stone wall, crossed my arms, and let my eyelids close shut. 

I needed to rely solely on Feyt’s senses for this match. Using Carine’s eyes was a great hack I had come to rely upon a lot, but there was no guarantee Carine would be able to keep watch over Feyt in the tournament all the time. And besides, if I couldn't win as a single person, I didn't deserve the win at all. Just my ego talking, basically.

As I tuned out Carine’s senses, Feyt’s began to sharpen ever so slightly. A single vision against my opponent. It felt limiting considering that I had a clear sight of every movement he made, down to the muscles and ruffles of the clothes. 

But like eyes adjusting to the dark, Feyt’s ears compensated quite well. I could hear the sound of his heartbeat slowing down, his breath getting calmer, his fingers tightening against the hilt of his blade. 

Though it wouldn’t be as accurate compared to Carine’s sight when it came to predicting moves, it was a good enough advantage.

“Best two out of three?” Villius asked.

I gave him a sharp nod. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Hey! Hold your horses! I haven’t even explained the rules yet!” Instructor Liz shouted, now standing in front of the class, overlooking the “arena”. 

Both of us stopped mid-motion as we slowly turned towards her.

She cleared her throat before continuing. “The rules are simple. It’ll be a best-of-three. To win, you either land a solid hit, put them on their back, or make them drop their stick, whichever comes first. No aiming for the throat, no aiming for private parts either. Keep things safe, alright? The Saint can’t be everywhere all at once.”

The entire class remained silent as she finished explaining the rules. 

She let the silence hang for a beat, savoring the discomfort, before she finally waved a dismissive hand.

“Well then, now that’s out of the way… You two may begin.”

We snapped back toward each other instantly, the wooden practice swords held firm.

Instructor Liz kept a close eye on the two of us as we began circling each other, our blades pointed at each other.

Villius moved first.

He didn't go for a flashy overhead strike like the beginners. Instead, he lunged with a low, testing thrust, a standard Sareid fundamental. I parried it, the clack of wood on wood echoing through the silent hall.

He was fast, but he was also predictable. 

Or so I thought.

Just as our swords parted, Villius didn't move back. He stepped inside my guard, his shoulder dipping. A risky, aggressive gamble. That wasn’t a Sareid teaching; that was the "plus" I’d been looking for. He swung the hilt of his sword toward my ribs.

I sucked in my gut, feeling the wood graze my uniform as I pushed him off by the shoulders to gain some distance.

I needed to remember I couldn't see his feet anymore. I had to rely on the shifting sound of his feet on the mat.

Villius recovered fast even after being pushed off, and he moved in for a follow-up strike, his wooden blade whistling toward my temple. It seemed he was confident it would catch me off guard.

But the strong step he took echoed clearly in my ears. It was a heavy thud that carried nearly his entire weight. He was leaning into the strike, putting his all behind the swing. He wouldn’t be able to change course if he missed… A perfect chance.

So, I didn’t block. Instead, I dropped my body down.

My knees hit the mat as his blade whistled through the empty air where my head had been a moment before. I could feel the wind of the strike brush the tips of my hair. He was still committed to the arc, his momentum carrying him forward and leaving his midsection wide open. 

Without letting a beat pass, I drove myself up.

“Ha—!”

I pivoted my hips and swung. My wooden blade hit him true, landing squarely into the sides of his stomach. I pulled my strike at the last second, dulling the impact just enough to ensure he wouldn’t lose his breakfast all over me.

Villius froze. His sword was still finishing its useless journey through the air as his eyes went wide.

"Point," Instructor Liz’s voice echoed from the sidelines. “That was a nice dodge. Keep that up,” she added, sounding like a proper instructor for once.

I stood up, dusting off my knees. My heart was racing. Without Carine’s eyes to act as a safety net, dodging that strike by sound alone had been a pure, terrifying rush. It was a familiar feeling I had known for a while, but it never gets old.

Villius smiled as he retreated to his side of the mat, chuckling slightly as he rolled his shoulders. "I knew I wasn't mistaken about you, Sir Feyt. You are as gifted as the day I saw you."

I offered a polite nod.

He was likely referring to the day Mother used me to make an example in front of the class. 

“You’re not bad yourself, Sir Villius. That hilt strike nearly got me.”

“I appreciate your compliment,” he said, giving me a bow. Then, slowly, he straightened and took up his stance once more. “Let us give it our all for the next round.”

“Sure thing,” I replied, my own grip tightening. 

I did the same, calming down my breath.

Villius wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice, and I doubt he would make the same mistake. I’d have to find a new crack in that hybrid style of his.

Liz raised her hand. "Round two. Ready... and—"

“—Hey.”

A sudden voice called out to me. It didn’t come from the arena. It didn’t come from the students on the sidelines. No, it was spoken directly to my ears. More specifically, Carine’s ears.

Villius moved forward in a flash of speed.

I barely even processed the word being spoken by the instructor, but thankfully, thanks to months of training my bodies’ muscle memory, I had enough focus to react and block his attack. But all of the pressure was on me now.

"I know you’re not actually sleeping," the voice continued. It was deep, gravelly, and sounded vaguely annoyed.

Annoyed, I opened Carine’s eyes just a crack. 

It was Lechter. He was standing a few steps away, arms crossed, his brows knitted together in a permanent scowl. He looked down at me with that "You’re nothing but an annoyance" expression he did so well.

“What is it? Keep it quick,” I demanded through Carine’s lips, my voice sharper than usual.

Back in the arena, Villius was a menace. My defense as Feyt was starting to fall apart. I was parrying late, my footwork turning into an unorganized scramble because half of my brain was currently processing Lechter’s sudden, unexpected presence..

Lechter scoffed, unimpressed. "Since the instructor told us to find our own partners, I figured I’d go for the one most likely to actually give me a challenge. So, spar with me."

As I pondered why he would challenge Carine, Vilius upped his aggression. It seemed like he, too, noticed that Feyt was slowing down.

But as I tried to shift some of my focus back towards Feyt in hopes of turning things around—

“—Hmph. Shall I take your silence as a resignation?” he added.

For someone so quiet, he really knew how to push buttons. 

Villius saw the opening my split focus made. He didn't hesitate. He feinted high, and as I bit on the bait, distracted by the sheer audacity of Lechter’s timing, Villius swept his leg in a low, graceful arc.

I landed on my back, my wind knocked out of me. A small flinch echoed all the way into Carine’s body, making my crossed arms twitch. 

“Point,” Instructor Liz’s voice echoed.

I lay there as Feyt, staring at the ceiling of the training hall, while simultaneously staring at Lechter’s smug face as Carine.