An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Carter smirked while looking at the spear thrust toward him. With a swift motion, he faced the attack head-on with his sword.

Their weapons collided and created a shockwave of energy.

The waves rippled outward like a tide, and it caused their robes to flutter and their hair to stand on end.

Both combatants stood firm. They were locked in a tense standoff as neither was willing to back down.

Brandon gripped his spear with both hands as he channeled his true energy while he tried to overpower Carter with his strength. But no matter how hard Brandon pushed, Carter held his ground.

The spear clashed with the sword, and the two were locked in a fierce struggle.

The air crackled with bursts of energy as their weapons strained against each other.

"Hmm?" Brandon's brow furrowed with surprise.

As one of the top ten talents of the Celestial Alliance, he should have easily dominated his opponent in Group C. However, he hadn't anticipated this relatively unknown figure to match him so evenly.

"Celestial Glide!"

As Brandon realized he was losing ground, he swung his long spear and knocked Carter's sword aside. Then, he swiftly unleashed a fierce sweeping strike aimed at Carter's waist.

In the end, every inch mattered. The long spear's advantage lay in its wide-reaching attack range. It could strike before the opponent's sword closed in.

Brandon had made up his mind. Since he could not overpower Carter with sheer strength, he would rely on his marksmanship and extensive combat experience to defeat Carter.

As the spear swept toward him, Carter leaned back. He narrowly dodged the attack like a falling plank.

"Serpentine Evasion!"

Brandon swiftly thrust his spear again and aimed toward Carter's chest. The timing was perfect, just as Carter's body was about to touch the

wouldn't have been able to react in time if they were

seemed to anticipate Brandon's move. As the spear came at him, he slammed his

spear jabbed into the ground and created a hole. As Carter regained his footing, he utilized the spear shaft as a

aimed straight for Brandon's

steps back. Using his spear, he deflected Carter's attack. However, the force of the blow sent him staggering back several

shock at the sight.

Why is Brandon being pushed

opponent is just a nobody. Brandon can't be losing, right? I've bet

calm down. The match has just begun. Brandon hasn't shown his true strength yet. I believe he'll turn the

Let's not freak out and

performance left the

expected Brandon's skill

after just a few exchanges with Carter?

do you think there's something unexpected going on in this match?" Ruby

winning would bring a huge reward, but she also realized that losing would

worry. It's just a minor hiccup and won't affect the overall result," Miles

So, he figured Brandon might have been a

defeating Carter would be a breeze

expression turned grave. At first, he had underestimated Carter, but their recent exchange showed him that Carter was just

victory might slip away if he didn't give his

than I thought," Brandon

stance with a piercing gaze. "I underestimated you earlier and almost paid the price. But I

it," Carter

He drew back his spear before thrusting forward with a mighty