Lust System: Sword Genius in Women's World

I wasn't sure I could beat Mia, she was quick and nimble, though if I really tried I would probably win, but then she'll have to swing 5,000 times.

"Both of you are going to duel, don't think of choosing someone else" Laura spoke as she walked past us.

"After choosing your partner, stand close to them and I'll choose who gets to start first, take note the aim of this duel is to show how much you can control your Mana in a fight, even if you lose to your partner, if I think you did well, I would still let you go" Laura said.

Now all the students had chosen a partner, mind was Mia since I didn't have a choice, infusing Mana was the goal so I had nothing to worry, I learned how to infuse Mana at the age of 16 and have been practicing for over two years so it was nothing new.

"Both of you should go first" Laura pointed towards us.

I was already expecting it, she already told us yesterday so I and Mia were already prepared to duel, Laura sat on the stone chair and we stepped forward while the rest of the students moved backwards.

I stretched my shoulders, rolling my neck side to side, feeling the now familiar tension ease from my muscles.

Standing across from me, Mia clutched her wooden sword tightly in her small hands. Though being quite petite, she was surprisingly quick and very strong.

"Ready when you are," I said, adjusting my grip on my own wooden sword. The wooden felt light in my hand, more a tool for training than a weapon, but Mia didn't need anything sharper than this to keep me on my toes.

She nodded once, her lips pressed into a thin line. One of the things I liked about Mia was that she was always dead serious when it came to training.

The moment she shifted her weight, I knew she was coming for me. Her foot had barely touched the ground when she was up and running-quick, a blur of motion, lunging forward in a bid to hit my side.

I sidestepped easily, bringing my sword up in time to block her strike. Wood clashed against wood with a solid thwack, the force of her blow sending a slight vibration up my arm.

Her moves were exact, no motion wasted. I haven't sparred with much people before, but there was something peculiar about Mia.

She fought in an unorthodox manner that mixed the lightness of her small size with strength that would catch any opponents off guard.

She didn't allow me a moment to think, just pressed the attack with a flurry of quick strikes: left, right, an overhead swing, then a low sweep aimed at my legs. I parried each blow, my sword meeting hers in a rhythm, she was too predictable.

Maybe I was just used to studying people that everyone became predictable, though I couldn't attack I was still blocking every one of her strikes.

'Damn she's good' I muttered under my breath, both of our wooden sword were coated with Mana and with each strike a tiny amount of Mana is lost.

Mia swung her sword and I blocked the attack and used the opportunity to push her backwards.

Mia grunted softly, recovering in an instant. She was relentless, darting back in with a feint to my left, then pivoting to strike at my right shoulder. I saw it coming but barely had time to raise my sword. Her strike was precise, faster than I expected, and I had to pivot to avoid it. She wasn't giving me an inch to breathe.

She had impressive stamina too, most people had by now begun to slow down, but not Mia, who only seemed to focus further. Your next read awaits at empire

Since she was attacking, I focused on defense to see if she was getting tired but I don't think that's happening.

I could feel the burn in my arms from parrying her blows, and I made sure to control my breathing. I needed to find an opening, but Mia was good at not leaving any.

In an instant, she pressed in close. Too close for me to use the length of my sword effectively.

As soon as she was close instead of using her sword she tried a kick which I dodged then she swung her sword, I brought my sword up to block again, but she was moving around to my side. Spinning, I tried to keep her before me, but she was quick. The instant I hesitated, she was behind me, her sword swinging toward my back.

I twisted sharply, my sword coming up just in time to deflect the blow. The impact sent a sharp jolt up my arm, but I couldn't help but smile, this was training.

"Close," I teased, stepping back to gain some distance.

Mia didn't say anything, but I could see the hint of a smirk on her face, and she was enjoying this too.

She came at me again, and this time I decided to meet her head-on. I stepped into her attack, our swords clashing hard, and I pushed back with my full strength. She slid backward, digging her feet into the floor for traction.

She didn't have time to recover before I pressed the advantage, swinging my sword in a broad arc toward her side. She blocked it but the force of my blow sent her stumbling back a step. I didn't let up, launching a series of quick strikes aimed at her shoulders and legs, trying to break through her defense.

My dad taught me a trick with Mana, all swordsman would fight with Mana coating their sword but if you timed your strike, at the time of impact I would increase the amount of Mana in my sword to give it more power when striking.

But Mia was never one to go down easily. She blocked every hit with precision, her body light despite the force I exerted on her. It was like trying to break through a wall of water because she just flowed around my attack, never once losing balance.

It was like we were fighting at stalemate, neither of us could break through the others defenses.

Mia suddenly dropped into a low stance, her sword sweeping toward my legs. I jumped back, avoiding the strike, but she was already rising with her sword swinging upward in a diagonal slash. I barely managed to bring my sword up in time and the force of the clash forced me backward in another step.

Now she was the attacker, pinning me down with a flurry of fast, sharp blows. On and on she came, and for the first time I was on my heels. I blocked and dodged as best I could, but Mia was a tempest of activity, her sword cutting the air like a storm.

The moment finally came. During the course of one of her attacks, she overextended-just a fraction. It was a small mistake, but it would have to suffice. I moved in, using my height to my advantage, and interlocked her sword with mine, twisting it from her grasp by a quick flick of my wrist.

Her sword clattered onto the ground, and she stumbled backward, I immediately moved in putting myself between her and her sword.

Mia stood still for some seconds before dashing forward with incredible speed, and she was coming towards me, but just when she was about to crash into me she sidestepped and immediately I swung my sword towards her back but my sword passed through and Mia disappeared.

"Shit..." I muttered as I felt a sword touching my back.

Mia had a mirage skill, the moment she sidestepped she used the skill and her real body moved to the left while the mirage moved to the right and I went after the mirage giving her time to pick her sword.

I raised my hands up and turned around, Mia was standing there with a smile on her face, she was ecstatic.

The rest of the students just stood there staring, I could see Mary with her jaws dropped, before the match I thought both of us had an equal chance of winning, but during I thought I was definitely going to win.

"Mia, amazing technique, but easy to see through, and Xavier, you couldn't see through her technique, and you were holding back too much, there were times you could have pressed forward and attack but you were waiting" Laura spoke.

"3,000 swings, because you were supposed to win but you didn't, Mia 1,000 swings" Laura spoke as she pointed another team.

"But I won" Mia muttered.

"Yes, with a skill, without the skill you wouldn't have won, I said the training is about using Mana to fight, not advanced skill, 2,000 swings," Laura spoke and I chuckled, "Add a thousand more swings to yours too"