"Abilities?" Richard asked before they are to start.
"No need. Your control over your ability is already proven when you were able to disappear from Florence's hearing. We just need to know what your strength is in your swordsmanship," Reuben replied.
Though they heard a lot of things about the adventurer group Astral, they have not seen it for their own eyes just what they are capable of.
Richard nodded his head.
'Maybe thirty minutes?' he thought.
Their core was the one that was injured but it affects not just their abilities but even their physical strength.
Just like how Luna almost collapsed back then, if he over exerts himself at this point as well, he too would collapse. Especially with what happened yesterday with Reuben.
"Are you ready?" Reuben asked the two of them.
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
They said one after another.
Richard took a deep breath, he will have a lot of things to consider in this bout.
Beasts are easier to fight against because they have one goal in mind, to kill the one in front of them.
But humans are very much different. They can plan and they can even make use of different tactics to attack.
The fight with the knights and adventurers in Antlia Kingdom was not even called a battle for they only thought of getting rid of them using their number. There isn't much planning involved.
This time, Richard could tell that Ezekiel is in a whole league entirely.
This person is strong.
Ezekiel brandished his sword and when Reuben gave the signal he went in for an attack.
He could tell that Richard is still thinking at this moment, he took it as an opportunity to attack him by surprise using his speed and strength.
Richard actually looks like he was on a thinner frame while Ezekiel was on a bulkier frame.
One would think that with his strength, Richard would surely be pushed back on this sudden attack.
All the knights present were cheering for Ezekiel.
*CLANG*
That is until Richard parried his first attack.
He looked straight in Ezekiel's eyes and Ezekiel decided to jump at the minute movement of Richard's sword.
That movement was fast and precise that if Ezekiel stayed, his sword would be pushed aside and Richard would be attacking him in his right waist.
Seeing as Ezekiel was able to decipher his movement, Richard chose to rush to him while he jumped back.
Instead of going straight in his attack, Richard jumped up just as he reached the front of Ezekiel and just as Ezekiel was about to defend from his frontal attack.
Instead of attacking in front, he chose to make a turn in the air in order to get behind Ezekiel fast, he pulled his attack from below going up.
*CLANG*
Ezekiel was able to read his movement and parried his attack coming from behind.
But Richard was not yet done.
He actually anticipated that Ezekiel will parry his attack from above that the force that Ezekiel used to parry his attack was instead used to push himself down, sliding beside Ezekiel's feet, kicking his leg.
Ezekiel lost his balance but he was able to make a turn using his other hand before pushing himself higher in order to attack Richard, who just stood up, from above.
It was at this point that Ezekiel knew he needed to do this seriously.
He needed to take this teen seriously.
He is not someone who has only fought against beasts. Having little experience in battle against other people. This teen has more than enough experience to fight in the battlefield alongside those who were already called a veteran.
And just like water that passes through every little crack it finds, Richard makes use of his whole body to adapt to the battle he was in.
He evades if he needs to evade.
He uses the attack of his opponent to give himself a boost in his next attack.
But he was not someone who does not let a chance to attack pass.
He is flexible enough but has enough strength to support his flexibility.
The whole area turned silent and serious as they started watching the battle seriously. All the thoughts about Richard being a simple commoner and adventurer were thrown outside the window on the first few clashes of their swords.
They started watching him closely and started analyzing his attack patterns.
"Hey..."
The rest were very focus when someone spoke.
"His attack patterns..."
"Hmmm," Reuben reacted to the person who spoke.
"You have noticed as well. That's right."
Half of their attention turned to him.
"It seems that this child has no attack pattern at all. He adapts to whatever it is that is in front of him. How his enemy attacks or how his enemy defends. He will move accordingly. Just like how water adapts to the place it was in. A bowl and it will take the shape of the bowl. A crevice and it will follow the shape of that crevice. He is a water ability user through and through."
Then he frowned, remembering the words of his son when he returned from the Dark Forest as a trial period for surveying.
'He killed a bird father. Making use of the water inside the body of the bird, he crumpled it and made it explode. It was truly terrifying and awe inspiring.'
He called for a knight at this thought.
"I need you to get something for me..."
After that, he returned his attention to the battle that is going on in front of him.
After more than twenty minutes, there was a visible drop in Richard's movement.
"Could it be that he is tired?" some knights wondered.
"Okay, that's enough," Reuben announced causing both Richard and Ezekiel to be confused.
"I can see that your performance is declining but there is something I needed to confirm and I need your strength for it."
Richard waited for what he wanted him to do next.
Reuben waved his hand to the knight that he sent to get something a while ago.
He brought over a cage and in it was a crow.
"Are you capable on controlling the water within the body of this bird?"
Murmurs erupted from the rest of the knights, even Ezekiel turned to Richard in astonishment.
Reuben wouldn't ask someone to do something if he does not know or has any clue what the other person is capable of.
Richard remembered that he showed it to Kyle and the rest back so he simply nodded his head.
Right now, this place is their home. So he needed to do everything he could in order to stay in this home. Even if that means that he will have to show this again.
That is what he was feeling at this moment.
He needs to prove that he is capable enough in order to remain in the same place as his group. The only ones he could call his family at this moment, just like the rest of them feel.
They are from a far away time. Everyone they knew and are familiar with are gone.
They are the only ones who can relate with one another right now.
He raised his hand and started the skill he used to show how fearsome water ability users can be.
Dominant hand.
A skill that can manipulate the water inside the body of a living being.
A very powerful skill.
Everyone's face turned from shock to horror when the crow's body crumpled and what followed was it expanding until it exploded.
Reuben was speechless as there was no water ability user in their kingdom who could do this. He does not know from other places but this is indeed the first time he had seen it.
If Richard knew what he was thinking about, he would have thought that the water ability users have surely weakened over time. Because though not many but a number of water ability users are capable of doing this. Those who are strong enough can even use this skill to kill another ability user who was already weakened by them.
Not a full health ability user but a weakened one.
Killing a full health one will cause them a rather strong backlash, it is not advisable.
"How can you-"
Reuben's eyes went wide when Richard swayed and almost collapsed on the ground if not for Ezekiel catching him.
"Does this have a strong backlash?" he asked, rushing to him and checking on his pulse.
Through his heartbeat and breathing, Reuben could tell the condition of another person.
And he could tell now that Richard's condition was not good at all.
"I have to show you what I can do... though this one is a bit difficult for me at the moment... but I succeeded."
Reuben wanted to slap himself, how can he injure this person even more just because of his curiosity.
"Why did you not tell me that you can't do it?"
"Prove myself..."
"You have already proven yourself!!! You should have rejected my inquiry in seeing it!!!"
Reuben ended up feeling exasperated but realized something when he saw the blank look in Richard's face.
It was as if he was never made to say no in whatever it is he was made to do by others.
One of the reasons that he actually did not say no to Spencer and the rest when he was left to baby sit.
Not that it was a very difficult task that he needed to be reprimanded for not saying no.
The case this time is entirely different.
"You..." Reuben was lost for words.
Ezekiel watched the duke's reaction but couldn't understand what he just realized.