Chapter 88 Tough Fight

"You! Found! I Pain You!" the young man shouted at Duncan and started advancing towards him menacingly.

Duncan furrowed his brows and backed up a little. The young man's strength was clear for him to see. The young man was obviously way stronger than Duncan, and the only logical thing for Duncan to do would be to escape. But, the problem was, Duncan didn't know if he could escape.

So, before he could figure out the speed of his enemy showing his back to him would be a really stupid idea. So, Duncan stayed put and decided to engage the enemy first and see how far apart they were in strength.

"Her You Same! Her You Different! Her! Pain I! I Pain You!" the young man said angrily causing Duncan to be baffled.

He didn't know what the young man was getting at with his words. But, he could understand the gist of his speech from his body posture. This cannibal had come with a purpose. And unlike other cannibals that looked at him with hunger, this one had madness in his eyes, as well as some form of hatred. So, it wasn't that difficult to figure out that this cannibal had targeted him specifically.

But, the thing that baffled Duncan was why he was being targeted. This cannibal was obviously more powerful than him and it didn't seem like he had offended him personally. But, the cannibal was making a beeline for him and looked like he was going to take out a personal grudge. This dichotomy confused him a lot.

Still, it didn't matter what the cannibal's reasons were. The only thing that mattered to Duncan was getting out of this situation alive. If the cannibal's speed was similar to his, then he would flee without much thought. If not, then he was fucked…

As Duncan readied himself, the young man vanished from his spot and reappeared before him causing Duncan's eyes to shrink in surprise. He hastily blocked the young man's punch with his sword and found himself sent flying like a ragdoll into the distance.

Duncan groaned in pain as his back once more slammed into the walls. He had actually lost count of how many times his back slammed into walls today. It was beginning to look like a recurring occurrence.

The thing that worried Duncan more was that the young man in front of him was way more powerful and faster than him. A simple punch from him had sent Duncan flying and Duncan could barely catch his actions.

Duncan rose as he watched the young man vigilantly. He knew that he had to give his everything in this fight. The chances of escaping from this enemy were way too slim for Duncan to gamble on that. Showing his back to him would only expedite his demise.

Gritting his teeth, Duncan once more assumed a guard stance and looked at the young man vigilantly, not willing to miss any of his actions. The young man smiled in a satisfactory way, while his eyes gleamed in sadistic pleasure. It was clear to Duncan that this young man was enjoying hurting him.

The young man vanished from Duncan's sight the next moment. On instinct, Duncan pivoted to his left and blocked with his sword. The young man's claw-like hand emerged out of nowhere going for Duncan's side.

CLANG!

Duncan's sword clashed with the young man's claw in a resounding manner. The impact jarred Duncan's body and made his bones shake. Duncan gritted his teeth and held on.

But the power behind the blow was too much for him to withstand. He was sent skidding sideways from the impact. Duncan's heart palpitated as he imagined what would have happened if he hadn't blocked on instinct.

The young man frowned a bit but shook his head the next moment. A playful smile emerged on his face and he looked at Duncan with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. He once again disappeared from Duncan's sight.

Duncan didn't have much time to think. He knew the next attack was coming. While he couldn't see the young man, he listened to his instincts and blocked the young man's attack once again. This time he stumbled backward and his arm felt heavy from the impact.

Duncan's heart sank as he realized that this was going to be the toughest fight he had fought so far in his life. Every blow that the young man delivered to him managed to rattle his insides despite Duncan blocking the majority of the force with his sword.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Duncan repeatedly blocked the young man's attack solely based on his instincts alone. And every time he blocked, his hands would turn numb and his insides would revolt a little.

Unlike Duncan who had been using his sword, the young man was alternating between punched and claw attacks in a relaxed manner. He looked as if he wasn't in any hurry and was content to watch Duncan suffer under his attacks. He never once went for a vital spot or increased the power of his attacks.

Duncan knew that this was not the full power of the young man. He was already having trouble coping with these. He shuddered to even think about what the young man's full power would look like.

He also noticed that even when his sword made contact with the young man's skin, it failed to pierce through his skin. It made his heart go numb as he realized that his chances of injuring this young man were little to none. It was clear to Duncan that the enemy he faced was far above his caliber and he was only playing around with Duncan for his perverse enjoyment.

But, Duncan was helpless to do anything about it. He didn't have enough time to use any of his martial arts. He was barely fending off the young man as it is. He didn't think the young man would give him enough time to use his martial techniques.

Unfortunately, Duncan hadn't attained full mastery in any of his martial techniques. Attaining full mastery meant being able to use the technique whenever he wanted in whatever manner he wanted. If he had attained full mastery in his sword arts, he could change the blocks he did into cuts. That was the difference between experts and amateurs like him.

It was not as if attaining full mastery was an easy prospect. One must have understood the technique on a deeper level and should also be proficient enough to use it at a moment's notice.

Duncan was obviously not at that level in either of his techniques.

Duncan blocked desperately as he tried to fend off the attacks from the young man. The rate at which the attacks came towards him was increasing slowly but surely. It was clear that the young man was slowly increasing the intensity of his attacks. Duncan was akin to a frog atop boiling water.

Even though he knew that there was no use in fighting against this opponent, he refused to give up. He kept on blocking the attacks from the young man in a desperate manner.

As the intensity of the attacks increased, Duncan forgot about everything else and concentrated solely on the incoming attacks. With each attack, he felt his insides jar and blood started leaking out of his mouth from internal injuries.

Despite all this, Duncan held on. He didn't waver. He maintained a stable footing despite the impact of the attacks. His legs, which wobbled initially after taking each attack, now stood still like a pillar and tanked the impacts admirably.

Duncan minimized his body movements and only used the minimum amount necessary to shift his balance and guard. With the increasing ferocity of the attacks, Duncan had little time to stabilize himself after each attack.

So, Duncan abandoned the notion of stabilizing himself after each attack and dug his feet into a single spot. He planted his feet firmly and pivoted his upper body in different directions trying to guard himself. This action put tremendous pressure on his hips and lower body.

Duncan's face was now like a stone mask. He acted solely on instinct alone and blocked the attacks in an increasingly rapid fashion. Despite the blood leaking out of his nose and mouth, Duncan didn't even utter a single sound and stalwartly defended himself from the young man's frenzy.

Seeing Duncan holding on for some time without any apparent injuries in his body, made the young man angry. He wanted to see Duncan bleed, moan in pain, and grovel on the ground. But, Duncan wasn't giving him that satisfaction. It drove him insane.

Snarling angrily, the young man increased the strength he put behind each blow causing blood to leak out of Duncan's mouth, ears, and nose more and more. It was clear to anyone else that the internal injuries Duncan suffered were getting worse with each passing minute. But, Duncan stubbornly refused to make any sound.

This infuriated the young man to no end.

The cycle continued for a while. But, all things must come to an end. It was neither Duncan nor the young man who broke this stalemate. It was the sword in Duncan's hand that put an end to this.

One particularly vicious strike from the young man's claw-like hand was the final straw that broke the sword. The moment the attack connected, Duncan's sword shattered into pieces and fell off.

The sound of the shattering sword was entirely different from the constant clangs that had echoed until now. It made the young man pause in his actions and look at Duncan.

Duncan, for his part, blinked uncomprehendingly at the shattered sword in his hand.

*****

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