Evolution begins with an ant colony

Akun pivoted on his heel, effortlessly dodging the strike with a swift sidestep. "Four," he noted, his voice tinged with amusement.

As she launched her fourth attack, the elf woman's thoughts raced. "I can't let him keep dodging like this," she mused, as she gritted her teeth. "I need to be more unpredictable so I can catch him off guard. I won't let him outmaneuver me again."

The elf woman's frustration gave way to a steely resolve. "No more holding back," she thought, her gaze fixed on her opponent. "I won't let him underestimate me. This ends now, with this last attack." Suddenly she imbued her sword with her blue mana, forming a mana blade, far superior to an aura blade in both destructive force and sharpness. A sign of her skills as a swordswoman.

Finally, for her fifth and final attack, the elf woman unleashed a powerful overhead strike, aiming to cleave Akun in two with a decisive blow. With a suddnen movement, Akun raised his katana in a swift counter, intercepting her blade with his own in a clash of steel, sparks flew as a huge gust of wind was created. "And that's five," he said triumphantly, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

Akun proceeded to use his sheer strength to push the elf woman back, flipping in the air, she landed back on her feet. And he returned his blade to its sheath.

As the last of her strikes landed, the elf woman stepped back, her chest heaving with exhaustion. She glanced down at the ground, where her attacks had left deep sword marks embedded in the earth.

Akun gazed at her with a calm expression, his purple eyes gleaming with slightly with his mana.

"I suppose it's my turn now," he said, a hint of anticipation in his voice. With a confident stride, he stepped forward to face his opponent, ready to unleash his own set of moves.

The elf woman appeared visibly uneasy, her eyes narrowing as she observed Akun's movements with a mixture of fascination and fear. "His sword, it seems rather sturdy, but it doesn't appear to be made of mythril. How did it not brake under the force of my attack?" she wondered, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face.

Assuming a defensive stance, she prepared herself to counter any move Akun might make. "This man is strong, now that I think about it, why didn't he arrive at the tornament at a eariler time? He would have easily trampled upon his opponents. What the point of entering at a time like this, I don't understand him at all."

Meanwhile, Akun maintained his stoic expression as he observed the elf woman. Despite the intensity of their impending battle, a faint sense of excitement flickered within him. "This is turning out to be more fun than I expected.

There's something satisfying about defeating an opponent who believes they're strong," he mused to himself, as his thoughts trailed off, something inside him ignited without him noticing, †[ -??- is reacting slightly.]†

Breaking the silence, Akun addressed the elf woman. "Oh, and by the way, I never caught your name. What should I call you?"

The elf woman paused for a moment, her demeanor softening slightly as she spoke to Akun. "My name is Lyra," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of pride. "I hail from the Elven Kingdom of Arindale, and I am known as Lyra Swiftblade, Champion of Arindale."

With a graceful bow, she introduced herself formally, her eyes meeting Akun's.

With a smooth motion, Akun drew one of his katanas from its sheath again, revealing the sleek black blade, honed to perfection. The glint of purple mana in his eyes added an calm yet captivating aura to his presence.

Lyra observed Akun's movements with a keen eye, her grip tightening on her sword as she prepared for his attack. "Here he comes" The anticipation hung thick in the air as both warriors stood ready for anything, the tension between them palpable.

As Akun readied himself for the strike, his thoughts raced, "I can't hold back too much," he mused, his brows furrowing in concentration. "But I can't afford to go all out either. She's isn't me enemy, so I don't plan on killing her."

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He tightened his grip on the katana, about to make his move. "I'll make the attack powerful, but precise," he reasoned, his mind calculating the necessary force. "Enough to make an impact without risking her life."

Akun's lips curled into a smug grin as he addressed Lyra. "Alright Lyra, I'll be making my move now. Brace yourself," he said in a confident tone, his voice carrying an air of determination. "This might just be my first move, but it could also be my last."

Lyra's brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to decipher Akun's words. "His first move... his last?" she pondered inwardly, her mind racing to grasp the implications. "But we both agreed on five moves each... What is he trying to say?"

A hint of anger crept into her thoughts as she considered the possible meanings behind Akun's words, a vein throbbing on her forehead. "Wait, is he trying to say he'll..." she wondered.

But before she could finish her line of thought, Akun suddenly disappeared from view. "Wait, where did he go?" Lyra mused in confusion. But before she could reason further, the next instant she saw a massive crater suddenly emerge where Akun once stood, and then, out of nowhere, a massive gust of wind followed.

In that moment time seemed to slow down, Lyra's eyes widened with shock as she caught a glimpse of something. Her shoulders tensed, instinctively raising her sword to counter the impending strike.

In the next instant, her sword instantly shattered upon contact with something. "Wait... this doesn't make any sense... how is this even possible." Her pupils shook, disbelief washed over her as she realized what had happened—whatever she just counterd just now was so powerful that it shattered her blade with ease.

Before she could react further, the force of the wind swept Lyra off her feet, sending her tumbling backwards. She landed roughly, the impact roughing up her clothes and body as she skidded across the ground slowly coming to a halt.

Lyra coughed slightly, her throat dry and her body still reeling from the impact. She mumbled in disbelief, her pupils shaking as she tried to make sense of what just happened. "What... What just happened just now?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she slowly turned her head to the left and glanced at her shattered sword, now nothing more than a broken handle. "How is this even possible? I-It...

doesn't make any sense."

Suddenly, she heard a voice asking, "What dosen't make any sense?" Her expression darkened, devastation clearly in her eyes. Slowly, she raised her head to look at him, standing tall before her with the sun casting his shadow over her.

She couldn't help but tremble slightly at the sight of him, feeling an overwhelming sense of unease. "This man... Is he some sort of monster?" she thought to herself as she gazed at Akun's calm yet smug smile.

Akun's gaze shifted from Lyra's shattered sword to her. "Well, it seems since you're now like this and your sword is out of commission, I guess I'm the victor of our little game, right?" His tone was laced with a hint of superiority as he spoke, clearly enjoying his victory.

Akun's smug demeanor suddenly softened slightly as he realized he had forgotten something important. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself," he remarked, extending a hand towards Lyra, intending to help her up. "You can call me Akun." His tone was casual, a stark contrast to the intensity of their recent battle.

†[-??- has grown slightly.]†