The inside was damp and uncomfortable, but it was a moment of respite for Oscar, who took the time to think about his next move. As a Grade Four, his best chance was to ambush his pursuer from this spot and land a crippling blow.
Suddenly, a bark reverberated off the cavern walls, reaching Oscar's ears and cutting off his thoughts.
'Shit!' Oscar rushed out of the groove to the source of the barking. The enemy had tracked him with a dog, so hiding was useless. The only option now was to fight them head-on.
After a few moments, Oscar stopped in front of Greg and his dog anima, unleashing his Ein in a threatening stance. The bluish Ein around Oscar contrasted beautifully with the dark caverns like a small flame in the darkness.
"Are you an idiot? I know you're a Grade Four, so coming out here is suicide." Greg asked. Unexpectedly, this Grade Four choose to confront him. Was he confident in beating him?
"Don't act tough. We're equally matched right now?" Oscar stated.
"Equally matched?" Feeling insulted by Oscar's arrogant words, Greg stomped his foot as his dog barked aggressively.
"The reason you could find us is because of your dog anima. You had to maintain it to find your way through the forest to us." Oscar said. Seeing Greg's face covered in irritation but also frustration, Oscar knew his theory was correct. "I don't believe you meditated to recover, so how much Ein did you use to find us? As I said. We're equally matched, or may even be in my favor. Besides, you couldn't do anything to me during the enrollment trial."
Greg clenched his teeth. Originally, he planned to have his dog bark but not chase to intimidate Oscar into running around so he could spend time recovering. But since Oscar showed up here immediately, he did not have the chance.
"AHHH" Greg was overcome with anger and roared. It echoed throughout the cave and back. But he clamped up and let down a large breath of air. Greg slicked his hair back with a smirk. "That feels better. I was thinking about what to do with you. I decided that my dog anima will chew on your bones."
Sweat flowed down Oscar's chin. The other reason for confronting Greg and spouting was that he planned to infuriate him, but his enemy exceeded his expectations.
'He may be Samuel's goon, but he's quite level-headed.' This fight was going to be tougher than he assumed. His blue Ein spiked.
The air trembled as a teal-colored Ein wrapped around Greg. The next moment, he flashed forward, and Oscar reacted to meet him.
Next to Oscar, his deer anima manifested. Looking at his deer and then Greg's dog, he felt annoyed. The dog was more agile than his deer; he needed to think about how to reverse this.
"Pathetic, a deer? You had this much confidence with a deer?" Greg mocked Oscar with a smirk. He had enough of this farce and put out his fist, infused with Ein.
Oscar was not discouraged. Grades were merely the differences in Anima and Ein absorption. It had nothing to do with their strengths or strategy.
He ducked as his deer skipped ahead. Instead of the dog, its target was Greg. He needed to gain the initiative in the first clash. Boldly, Oscar faced the dog anima.
Man clashed against Anima, but Greg's side was off guard. Oscar felt thankful for all the spars with Frederick. His footwork improved in these six months, allowing him to easily dodge the dog's simple movements.
Before Greg could recollect himself, Oscar kicked the dog from below right onto its stomach. The pain from his dog anima affected Greg. He could not bring his guard up in time to block the deer's antlers.
The deer swung its head, slamming the antlers on Greg, sending him crashing onto the cavern wall. Oscar rushed past the dog to continue his onslaught. However, Greg gave Oscar no chance and bashed his way through the rubble.
Suddenly, the dog clawed the deer, and Oscar lost focus, similar to Greg from before. Before his eyes, Oscar gasped as Greg charged ahead; a vicious punch dug into his stomach, but it was not over as another fist bashed into his head, making him fly to the side. The deer retreated to Oscar's side to protect him, wary of the two foes.
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"You thought you were so smart." Greg spat out some blood. "But my hits are harder." He was confident in himself. His dog anima was well suited for combat and was a grade higher. Additionally, his body was stronger because he progressed more as a Lower Apprentice Exalt. Greg knew he would not lose if he played to his strengths.
Oscar coughed up blood onto the ground. The red blood was indistinguishable from the murky ground of the caverns. Oscar put up his hands again, ready to continue.
'This is bad.' His stomach and other internal organs were still reeling from the pain. The spars with Frederick did not prepare him for attacks meant to kill.
'How can I get out of this?' His mind was burning up as it tried to find a route out. If he escaped, he could endanger the others in their battle. If he fought on, he would eventually lose.
The blows Greg landed earlier were heavy. They were both Lower Apprentice Exalts, but Greg was closer to the Middle Exalt level than him.
He snapped into reality as Greg closed in for another strike. He wanted to run, but Oscar had no choice but to meet Greg head-on. The pressure was high as he had to get out of this plight.
The two pairs of man and Anima exchanged blow for blow. The deer made large sweeping strikes with its antlers to create distance between it and the dog. Meanwhile, Oscar was careful in choosing his moves.
As time passed, Oscar was losing the feeling in his hands. His deer's antlers cracked as the dog gnawed and clawed at them. Holding back the blood trying to escape his throat, Oscar bided and waited for his time.
Greg was no slouch either. He had sensed Oscar was planning something and moved cautiously, but the irritation was building. Both were almost ready to burst from the stress, one from anger and the other from desperation.
Their fists met each other, cracking the ground under them. They were blown back a few meters away.
Oscar breathed heavily as severe tiredness washed over his body. The numbness had spread to his entire arms and legs. He knew his shape was bad.
Extremely tired, Greg cursed at Samuel for making him use his Anima for so long. If only he were at full strength, Oscar would be nothing to him. He also did not expect Oscar to hold on for so long.
His ragged body dragged itself close, as did Oscar's. The two stared at each other as the deer and dog continued fighting. This next exchange was likely to be the last one between them.
"Hey…." Oscar said.
"What?" Greg responded.
"Why don't we stop here?" Oscar posed a daring question. How many have asked this during a fight to the death?
"HUH?" Greg's eyes popped wide open like never before.
"You and I both know if we continue, one of us will die in this exchange." The deer and the dog stopped their struggle as their masters talked. Oscar continued, "Is it worth doing all this for Samuel?"
The question resounded like thunder through Greg. He asked himself why he was struggling and going through this pain for Samuel. What was he getting out of it?
Oscar pushed his notion forward. "We're both students of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. We both have a future to think about. Is your future really about staying under Samuel's boot?" Oscar spared no words when trying to convince Greg. He provoked his pride and esteem.
Greg wavered slightly. However, this battle's outcome also depended on Samuel and Austin. If they return to the Blue Ocean Pavilion, won't he be persecuted by them?
He pondered for a moment, weighing the benefits of each action. Meanwhile, Oscar slowly inched the deer closer to him. The dog followed suit and came closer to Greg.
'Please don't choose wrong.' Oscar wondered why they had to fight. As Exalts, wasn't it enough to protect your loved ones, have a long life, and live peacefully? Samuel and his gang were the antitheses of that notion.
Why did they feel the need to kill needlessly? To stomp on those they deemed lower than them? Oscar racked his head for an answer, and all he could see was fierce pride and horrid greed. You can still gain respect and admiration by being a powerful Exalt properly.
"I'll agree." Greg agreed and lowered his hands.
"Thank you for being reasonable." Oscar also lowered his guard with a sigh of relief.
"We'll walk out from a distance. Take five paces back."
Greg nodded. But right when Oscar called out to start walking, he charged. His face posed a maniacal smile in the glee of his trickery. He could not believe someone was this stupid.
If he decided to take that deal, what was the guarantee he wouldn't be punished anyway? He didn't trust Oscar but his words about Samuel were correct. The best course of action was to kill Oscar, leave with Samuel, and then go his way.
However, to his horror, he saw Oscar had charged at nearly the same time as him. This guy should have been off-guard. The only way he could have reacted so fast was if he had decided to charge from the start!
"You were lying the whole time?!" Greg cried.
"Halfway. I planned to attack you from the start to knock you out. But since I've seen your true motive, I won't hold back and kill you." Oscar coldly stated.
Oscar did not wish for it to come to this. He planned to knock Greg out and drag him back to the Blue Ocean Pavilion, but now there was only one course of action, kill to survive. A book he read in the past said that life was the survival of the fittest; in times of dire straits, the winner is the survivor.
Oscar burst out the last of his Ein.
Greg was shocked to see Oscar's Ein. It was slight, minuscule, and tiny, but he noticed it had recovered. Thanks to his higher progression, he had an advantage, but now the tables had turned.
"When did you recover?" Greg shouted anxiously.
"Very slowly while we were talking. Meditation is only the state of mind. If I have the time and remain immobile, I can recover." The seated position was simply a pose to get comfortable with the process. He had a hint when he saw Elder Saul performing meditation while lying down. Though he was not as proficient as when seated, it was still a precious small amount of Ein.
Everything was set up in case Greg changed his mind.
"Now, let's finish this." The clear-headed Oscar was ready. In contrast, the fuming Greg was distraught as they neared each other; Oscar and Greg beckoned their Animas. This would be the final clash.