The two boys stared at each other. One had a wild, excited grin. While the other had a detached lethargic expression. The difference in their demeanors was great.
But not the difference in their Martial prowess.
At the very least, no difference could be spotted in the mental pressure they exerted on all sentient life around them.
"Take your stances." The supervisor instructed.
"Hehe..." Nel took crouched, letting his arms dangle down. "You're not escaping me, vanish boy."
"Hmph." Kane snorted. "Catch me if you can."
The two concentrated, tying up the atmosphere in knots.
Many had gathered to spectate this fight. As two titans of the Academy, both Nel and Kane had drawn an immense amount of attention.
Every single person in the facility was curious.
Not a single person even blinked.
Nobody wanted to miss this fight.
"Begin!" The supervisor commenced the fight.
Nel soared forward at an incredibly high speed!
"HYAAH!" He swung a haymaker at Kane.
The attack collided with empty air where Kane was once standing.
He had already disappeared
Yet, by now, people had grown accustomed to this. There was only one thought in everyone's mind.
What was Nel going to do?
Rui observed the battle not just with his eyes, but with Primordial instinct and Seismic Mapping as well. He was more curious than anybody else.
He was standing at the center of the ring, while Kane circled around him.
Suddenly, Kane rushed in. Launching an attack at his back.
And that was when it happened.
"HAH!" Nel snarled as Kane approached throwing back swing at Kane.
Kane stepped back, shocked!
This was the first time!
For the first time in the preliminary contest, Kane had been seen through!
Kane genuinely did not expect this to happen.
What was worse was that he inevitably needed to pause before moving back to avoid the attack, causing the Void Step technique to be inactive for a second, confirming Kane's position to Nel for just a second.
Nel's grin grew wider as he launched himself where he just sensed Kane.
Down outside, Rui equally shocked. Nel hadn't even mastered a single Apprentice-level technique, how the hell was he sensing Kane?
('Wait.') He realized. ('Could it be he's born with more than just superhuman physical prowess?')
If Nel was born with extraordinary senses, then that would explain why he's able to vaguely sense Kane.
Rui was able to judge the direction Kane was in at all times, and was just able to sense an impression of the distance Kane was at.
This was due to him mastering Primordial Instinct and Seismic Mapping, as well as a boost from Rui's reincarned mind.
If Nel's senses were as superhuman as his physical prowess, then he might be able to sense Kane vaguely.
Up in the ring, Nel glanced around. His sharp instinct told him Kane was somewhere in front of him, every time his nerves tingled, he simply launched the widest swing he could to cover as much area as he could.
But it wasn't enough.
Nel's body jerked from invisible impacts.
Kane was an evasive maneuverer. Dodging attacks while simultaneously launching his own was child's play at his current level
He was merely caught off-guard earlier.
('But there's caveats to that.') Rui realized. Kane's offense was mediocre. By Nel's standards, it was downright garbage. Even if he pummeled Nel's body for hours, it was doubtful whether he could take him down.
Furthermore, his body was built for speed, agility and mobility. He was not built for defense. If even a single attack from Nel landed on Kane, it would do considerable damage, it would also lower his performance parameters, significantly increasing the probability of getting hit again.
Meaning, he could not afford to get hit even once.
The conditions of this battle reminded Rui of Kane's fight with Fae. But there were a few important differences.
Nel could sense Kane. His compatibility against Kane was far higher than Fae's compatibility against Kane.
Nel swung at empty air.
('Close.') Rui noted.
His upper body jerked, he stepped back, rubbing his throat.
('Kane is focusing purely on the most vulnerable parts of the body.') Rui realized, nodding in approval. This was a good way to maximize damage. This was normally not a good idea, since focusing on only three or four specific spots greatly reduced their options and made them much more predictable.
However, this caveat no longer existed for Kane. Nel was just barely vaguely sensing him, he was far removed from normal conditions.
Rui gazed at the fight with intense concentration.
To others, this fight may not have been as engaging since no one knew what the hell was happening. But to Rui, this was incredibly suspenseful.
He swung, and wasn't too far off.
A slight impact on Nel's jaw wobbled his head.
"RAAH!" Nel swung again in the direction the attack came from.
Kane appeared as he paused for the briefest of moments.
Nel launched himself towards him with him in an instant.
And, as expected, he hit air.
So far, every single attack he had launched had missed. But Rui didn't think Kane was dominating. All it took was one blow. As far as he knew, Kane had only mastered Elastic Shift. This technique was basically paper in front of Nel's physical prowess. In the worst-case scenario, a single attack from Nel could put Kane in a critical state!
Rui sensed Kane knew this. Not through Primordial Instinct or Seismic Mapping, but by the fact that Kane's movements were far more cautious than usual. This was probably the first time in the preliminary contest he was feeling a sense of danger.
The strange stalemate between the two of them continued. Nel struggled to get a hold of Kane while Kane struggled to damage Nel to a significant degree. Currently, it was shaping out to be more of a race than a fight.
Rui wasn't sure how this battle would unfold.