Tamar had summoned her zweihandler, while Keth had selected a more traditional sword and shield. If he wanted to play the part of a knight of Valor, he couldn't have selected a better image.
In suits of armor, the two Sleepers circled the ring.
The professor and technician took a spot a quarter of the way around the ring from either of the combatants' friends. Noble didn't want to look like she had taken a side. That didn't mean she was hoping for a neutral outcome. Far from it!
Noble opened her mouth to speak, only to clamp it shut again.
"Struggling not to give advice." Daiki chuckled softly as they waited for the action to begin.
"Is it that obvious?" The professor cut her eyes to the side.
"I don't have a choice but to notice," the technician tilted his head. "On the plus side, it's the forced attention to detail that helps make all this."
Daiki pointed toward the ground with a sense of pride. The stone arena seemed to shimmer under his watchful eye.
"When you monitor the simulations, do you ever want to give the students advice on how to do it better?" Noble rested her hands on the pommel of her sword.
"Do I want to tell students that they are doing it all wrong and will likely end up dead if they keep it up? All the time!" Daiki nodded.
"What do you do?" Noble's earnest question caught the man off guard.
"I stay quiet. Experience is the best teacher, and this is an illusion. If anywhere is the place to make mistakes, it's here."
The professor could see his point. This was a low-risk situation. Other than Saint Thane himself, Noble had never heard of anyone's injuries in the illusory world carrying over into the real world.
That was comforting.
Whatever happened here would be only temporary. Hopefully, it would be the end of this once and for all.
The pair continued to circle, and Noble began to wonder if Keth had thought the better of his choices. Had the rules been the same as the last time the two met in an arena, he knew how to win.
Now he had to contend with a whole new set of unknowns, and the young man was understandably cautious.
Beric of Valor scoffed. Noble could hear his snide remark.
"If I had wanted to go to a dance, I would have chosen a different partner."
Keth heard it too, and his brow furrowed. His pride was pricked, and he knew he could not wait any longer.
Sword blazing, he dashed forward, ready to cut down Tamar and end the battle before it really began.
The sword seemed to slice the very fabric of the illusion as it came down against the ashen-haired lady. Tamar sidestepped the hit, causing the sword to crash into the ground. It hit the stone arena, cracking the beautiful pattern.
Beside Noble, Daiki frowned. He could not let his masterpiece be marred. The floor was healed before either combatant even registered the damage.
Keth continued his forward momentum and shoved his shield toward Tamar's chest. The zweihandler crashed against the polished steel with an ear-piercing clang. The shield was pushed aside, and Keth's arm with it. That had been the young man's goal all along.
'Watch out!' Noble wanted to scream, but her mouth barely managed to remain shut. It was the metal of Fraudulent Facade that reminded her to hold her tongue.
The insidious charm on Keth's elbow shimmered in the sunlight. It aimed directly for Tamar's shoulder. The Memory was meant to siphon her essence, which would cause the Sleeper fatigue.
"Tamar!" Fleur did not have the same reservations as the professor and called out the warning to her friend.
Fortunately, Tamar had already recognized the man's intention. Before his left elbow landed, Tamar hopped backward to disengage.
Kent tumbled into his shield, causing the edge to slam under his helmet against his chin. The man righted himself before hitting the ground. He growled and spat blood.
"She warned you!" Keth pointed to the red-haired bystander.
Tamar frowned, "She did not need to."
"Lady Changing Star and Lady Morgan would never stoop to such tactics!" Elric crossed his arms.
"Probably because they are smart enough to know not to listen to you wannabe knights." Ray raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Why you little…" Beric stepped into the ring only to be lifted and placed back on the sideline.
"Just like in the Dreamscape, the audience may interact but may not participate." Noble held back the other spectators before they could try to join the fray.
Daiki took the cue. His thoughts influenced the illusion, and a protective dome formed around the stone circle.
The duel would continue uninterrupted, as promised.
Tamar thrust her blade with an angled strike. She slipped between Keth's blade and shield, sliding past his guard. He slammed his shield against his sword, trapping Tamar's weapon.
He twisted his arms ninety degrees to wrest the zweihadler from the woman's hand.
Tamar remained firm, planting her feet against the stone and pushing her body into the hit. Keth was forced to abandon his attack before the blade met his breastplate.
The graceful daughter of Sorrow followed it up with a sweep across the center, throwing Keth onto his back foot.
"Don't let her control the battle!" Beric slammed his fist into his palm.
"Are you a man or a mouse?" Elric goaded.
"Hey! Some mice are cute, don't insult them by comparing them to Keth!" Fleur shook her head. "You've got this, Tamar!"
Holding her blade low, the ashen-haired woman intercepted the next strike. Noble had to admire the girl's form.
Keth was overly emotional and letting his companions influence him, but he was still a solid combatant. Like Tamar, he had been trained from a young age to compete and overwhelm the enemy. While his poise and technique made him look almost regal, Tamar's quick, cutting motions were crisp and clean. Keth's moves looked intricate while his opponents looked deceptively simple and straightforward.
As a student of different techniques, Noble could appreciate the value of both. However, there was one glaring issue with Keth's stunning display of power and strength.
It was his bulk. Keth was not a small man, and the sword and shield served to make his frame bulkier. While he was stronger than a mundane human, he still had to obey basic physics.
His size and weight made him less agile than his lighter counterpart.
Tamar spun her sword, hitting Keth's shield twice as he adjusted to counter her. If he wanted a better offensive strike, Keth would need to abandon his defensive cover, but the young man wasn't quite willing to take that step just yet.
That did not mean that Keth was without an offense. Between the chain of Tamar's strikes against him, Keth's sword jutted out like a serpent's fangs.
Trying to get past the man's guard, Tamar swept low. The blade stuck against Keth's legs, knocking them from underneath him.
However, Tamar was not fast enough to escape the collision. Keth came crashing down on her, ramming his elbow against her back as she hit the ground first.
Noble felt Tamar's pain as her strength left her at terrifying speed to fuel Keth.
There was only one problem.
Keth had used the wrong elbow.