Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage

502  Alto Versus Erik

Luckily, the first match of the afternoon was about Erik, and this was the first match we would be watching today. It was not like I knew the schedule or anything. Actually, Azrael reported it to me at the last minute. Erik's opponent this time, Alto, was a man wielding a spear. I heard he was from a faraway land. Based on his oriental facial features and skin tone, he was probably from the Southern Continent, most likely from the eastern side of the continent, where a small human kingdom still stood. Alto was a man in his late twenties with a lean physical build, green eyes, and long black hair tied in a ponytail. He wore a sleeveless light armor, probably for mobility and flexibility, and was holding a spear with a foot-long mithrill blade. He was quite powerful too, so it was going to be entertaining.

"Two new faces, huh?" My sister made her remark. "They did not look like they were from here, probably somewhere further south. But if they have reached this far, it is legitimate that they are quite powerful individuals themselves."

"A Level 400 spearman is against a Level 500 swordsman. Statistically, spears have several advantages over blades, such as the attack range, but a fencer with superior stats is enough to fill up the gap."

"You're right, Raphael. It is going to be a close match. The outcome would be up to whose skills are better."

"There are many factors to consider, like..." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As my sister and I were analyzing the fighters, a few around us listened and seemed to be taking mental notes. We were literally the most powerful ones in here, so paying attention to our words might help them decide who to bet their money on. "FIGHT!"

"WOOOH!!!"

Shortly after, the match started and the crowd roared. The fighters on that concrete stage might be new to the audience, but their feats had reached their ears and started to give them support. "I think we should be enjoying the fight, Sister."

"Yeah." With that, we agreed to stop the analysis and focused on the match. ◆◇◆◇◆◇

"Fight!"

Shing!

The blades of the spear and rapier immediately clashed the second the match started. Upon the initial clash, Eric the Phantom Fencer and Alto the Dragon Spear crossed their blades and locked one another's eyes, only seeing one another's courage. Ching!

They stepped back and walked around on the stage in circles. As if they were in sync, Alto and Eric dashed toward one another and clashed their blades again. Clink!

The metals met and bounced back due to recoil before they made their move immediately. Erik thrust his rapier, and Alto parried it in response. Utilizing the momentum, Erik rotated his body and swung his sword, executing a Level 3 Sword Art technique. Erik slashed his blade horizontally but Alto dodged it by quickly stepping back. Alto crouched and then launched himself toward Erik with his spear aiming at him while executing a Level 3 Spear Art technique.

"Piercing Stab!" His spear was coming fast straight to Erik. Along with the Dash, Alto's speed easily reached the speed of sound. He was so fast that Erik had to execute Afterimage in order to avoid it.

"Ha!"

Clink!

After missing the target, Alto quickly shifted his aim to Erik's main body, which Erik blocked. Alto immediately attacked him again by swinging his spear horizontally, and Erik activated Instantaneous Transportation, transporting himself midair a few meters above Alto's position. "Sword Wave."

Erik slashed his sword, and a fast energy wave was released from it. Alto stepped sideways, and the Sword Wave left a mark on the floor. Alto then saw Erik disappear in the air and sensed an incoming attack from behind. He immediately swung his spear, but it hit nothing. He realized it was just a feint attack. Before he noticed it, there were three figures surrounding him. Having a little knowledge of Erik's strategy from the rumors, Alto knew exactly what Erik would do. """Piercing Barrage."""

Despite being in the middle of a barrage of fast and pointy stabs, Alto remained calm. He focused his mind on his surroundings, perceiving each of the incoming attacks, before he swung his spear in a circular motion at an imperceptible speed. "Spear Shield."

Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!

Upon performing a Level 6 Spear Art technique, Alto's spear created a force field that perfectly deflected all of Erik's attacks in a single swing. With Alto's raw strength, the technique could even deal significant area-of-effect damage, and Erik had no choice but to leap back. By that, the crowd erupted upon witnessing the Phantom Fencer's signature move being countered. Many were actually seeing that triple Piercing Barrage for the first time, and they were either amused by its beauty and complexity or disappointed that it was ineffective against Alto. Almost immediately, Alto used Dash to instantly lunge himself toward Erik and then thrust his spear at him. Erik managed to dodge it by twisting his body, but Alto immediately switched his stance and swiped his spear at Erik. The Phantom Fencer reflexively positioned his rapier at his side to block the mighty blow.

Ching!

A sharp sound echoed through the arena. The momentum of the swing was so powerful that Erik was pushed by a few feet, but he still managed to stand on his feet. While Erik was still recovering his stance, Alto had jumped in the air. Suddenly, magical energy immediately wrapped his entire body. Apparently, Alto was a magic spearman and he had wrapped himself with the Attribute Armor skill. "Tempestuous Blade!"

In addition to the Attribute Armor, Alto cast the Wind Magic Level 7 spell on his spear, which made his spear sharper, light in the hands of the user, and gained either a repulsive or pulling effect. Right now, Alto set it to pull its targets toward it, making sure the spear would hit Erik. "Meteor Spear!"

At the heat of their duel, Alto decided to end it right away with the most powerful move in his arsenal.