Chapter 14)

The two gladiators made contact. 

The gladiator with the spear thrusts his weapon, the sharp blade edging closer to the small gladiator's body before being swiftly dodged, the small gladiator now behind the warrior.

Before twisting his head to find where the small gladiator had gone, he moved the handle of his spear in an attempt to hit him. The small warrior jumped back, allowing the other warrior to regain his composure. 

The crowd was roaring at their battle, there wasn't a single person in the arena who could accurately tell who would be able to win this battle. They could only watch and wait for the first drop of blood to fall.

The small warrior was the one to attack first this time, his sword retaliating against the warrior's spear, it would be troublesome to find a point of attack, but unforeseen to even the opposing warrior, he grabbed the handle of the spear, lowering it just enough to be able to stab his sword towards the gladiator's stomach.

The spear wielding warrior retaliated, kicking him back with his foot before he was able to cut him on his stomach. The kick landed a solid blow to the man's lungs, leaving him gasping on the floor before getting back up, panting as he held his sword. 

The gladiator held his spear backwards, the blade now facing backwards and the bottom of the handle facing forwards. He moved forward slightly, testing the small warrior as he studied his movements. 

His slight movements turned into a jolting sprint, as he lunged his spear towards the warrior, gripping the handle with two hands so the backwards spear would cut the warrior's body. 

Keeping the sword in front of his body, the small warrior was able to reflect the man's spear, the fury of attacks would be repeatedly parried, the clashing of the blades could be heard all across the arena. 

The warrior's spear swung with heavy might, the small gladiator would not be able to dodge the attack in time, so he had to meet the attack head on, the screeching sound of steel echoed as the sword and spear collided.

The colliding force from the two weapons formed sparks, as the increasing pressure from both gladiators made them lose more and more stamina. 

The crowd was riled up more than ever, practically leaning from their seats at the marvel of a battle. Ogata watched with a gleam in his eyes, being able to see a proper battle of two battle hardened warriors. Barsanti and Iris watched patiently as though this was nothing more than a simple spar.

The small warrior began to lose his holding during the clash, the spear began to slowly creep towards his body, as the great pressure was too much for him to resist. With little options to withdraw from their duel, he decided to let the spear reach it's destination.

The gladiator with the spear smirked, believing it was his battle to win. As soon as he could feel his spear move forward, he thought that the battle was over. His smirk faded as quickly as it had formed, as he saw what the small gladiator was doing.

Letting the spear fall, the small gladiator was allowed the small chance to slide his sword across the spear's handle, being able to move his body behind the other warrior. His agile movements left the spear wielding warrior confused for a split second, before realizing what he had done.

The small warrior, now smirking himself as his blade proceeded to reach gladiator's body, thought to himself that he had outsmarted him, that his quick movements and techniques were enough to be able to get the better of the man, but he was soon left with wide eyes as he saw the tip of his sword countered by the spear.

In an act of temerity, the gladiator twisted his spear backwards, not knowing where the small warrior's sword would land, he had guessed right and was able to successfully block his chance of winning. 

The two warriors were struck with fatigue, normal battles did not usually last this long between two opponents, and they were not trained to have long battles. This did not upset the crowd however, as they continued to watch their battle with crazed excitement.

Withdrawing from each other, the two warriors held their weapons with a sudden shift, this final clash would be their strongest, and their last. They had to use up all their energy to be able to conquer and defeat the opponent.

They planted their feet, lowering their bodies as they kept their focus on the other gladiator. Slowing their breaths, they jolted from their stance, as the two gladiator's blades made contact.