Primordial Heir: Nine Stars

The familiar, heavy weight of four-fold gravity vanished, leaving Nero feeling strangely light and buoyant. He took a deep, grateful breath of normal air, his body throbbing with the satisfying ache of a brutal victory. As he turned to leave the specialized chamber, a figure near the main training grounds entrance caught his eye.

It was a man with a powerful, compact physique that spoke of decades of disciplined training. He wore the distinctive silver and blue livery of the Leclair house guards. The other trainees in the area gave him a wide berth and respectful nods. Nero recognized him—one of Lux’s personal guards, a man who occasionally stood watch during their gatherings. More importantly, Nero could feel the dense, stable pressure emanating from him. This was a Purple Knight, a full stage above Nero’s own official rank.

A competitive spark ignited in Nero’s eyes. With his physical strength now surging past normal limits and his spirit buzzing from his recent breakthrough, the idea of a loss didn’t even cross his mind. He felt invincible. He walked directly over to the guard.

”Excuse me,” Nero said, his voice respectful but firm.

The guard, a man with sharp features and keen eyes, turned. He recognized Nero immediately. ”Young Master Nero,” he said with a polite, professional nod. ”Can I help you?”

”I was hoping to request a spar,” Nero stated, a confident smile on his face. ”Just weapons and skill. No Laws. I’d like to test myself.”

The guard, whose name was Alexis, raised an eyebrow. He had heard the rumors about this young man—the dual Laws, the extraordinary potential. But facing a Purple Knight, even without using his Law of Light, was a bold move for a Red Knight. He saw the unwavering confidence in Nero’s ominous red eyes and found himself intrigued.

”Very well,” Alexis said after a moment. ”A short bout. Lead the way.”

They moved to an open dueling stage, drawing a small crowd of curious onlookers. Nero drew the fine sword Adam had forged for him. Alexis produced a slender, needle-sharp rapier, the preferred weapon of many Leclair knights who wielded the swift, precise Law of Light.

They faced each other and bowed slightly. No signal was given. They simply began.

The clash was immediate and intense. There was no flash of light or crackle of energy—just the pure, sharp sound of steel meeting steel at high speed. Nero attacked first, a testing thrust that was deflected with a minimal, graceful twist of Alexis’s wrist. The rapier shot back in a counter-thrust so fast it was a silver blur.

Nero parried, the impact jarring up his arm. He was shocked. Even without supernatural speed from his Law, Alexis’s physical reflexes were on another level, honed by years at the Purple rank. Nero had to push his own enhanced body to its absolute limit just to keep up.

The fight became a breathtaking display of pure swordsmanship. Alexis was a master of the rapier. He fought with an economy of motion that was beautiful and deadly. His attacks were like the stings of a wasp—incredibly fast, precise, and aimed at the smallest openings in Nero’s defense. He used feints and complex footwork to control the distance, always staying just out of reach of Nero’s more powerful swings.

Nero, in contrast, fought with the adaptable, powerful style he was known for. He used his superior raw strength to deliver heavier blows, forcing Alexis to use deft deflections rather than blocks. He pressed forward aggressively, trying to overwhelm the older knight’s precision with relentless pressure.

Clang! Clang! Ting!

The sounds were a rapid staccato. Nero would launch a powerful overhead chop; Alexis would sidestep and flick his rapier to tap Nero’s exposed wrist. Nero would respond with a wide horizontal slash; Alexis would drop into a low lunge, his own blade aiming for Nero’s thigh, forcing him to leap back.

As the seconds turned into minutes, a flicker of genuine shock appeared in Alexis’s calm eyes. This wasn’t just a talented Red Knight. Nero’s physical speed, strength, and endurance were monstrous. He was keeping pace with a Purple Knight in a pure contest of skill and physique. Every parry from Nero had surprising force behind it, and his recovery from attacks was unnervingly quick. The rumors of his unique constitution were clearly true.

Alexis finally understood. This young man wasn’t just special because of a second Law. His very body was being forged into a weapon of exceptional quality. The spar was only just beginning, but Alexis already knew he was facing someone who defied all the normal rules.

The initial testing phase was over. The shock in Alexis’s eyes had hardened into intense focus. This was no longer just a polite spar with his master’s friend. This was a real challenge.

The pace of the fight exploded. The clang of steel became a continuous, ringing chorus. Alexis stopped treating Nero like a promising junior. He began to fight with the full, unforgiving skill of a veteran Purple Knight.

His rapier became a swarm of silver hornets. He didn’t just attack; he launched combinations so fast they seemed to come from three directions at once. A thrust at Nero’s eyes was a feint, the real attack a low, vicious slash at his ankles. Nero barely jerked his foot back in time, the rapier’s tip slicing through the leather of his boot. He retaliated with a furious series of cuts, using his sword’s greater weight to batter at Alexis’s defense, trying to create an opening through sheer force.

But Alexis was a rock in a river. He didn’t meet force with force. He redirected it. He used the flat of his rapier to slap Nero’s blade aside, then instantly counter-attacked into the space Nero’s swing had left open. A line of fire bloomed across Nero’s bicep as the rapier’s edge found its mark.

The pain was sharp and clean. It didn’t slow him down; it fueled him. Nero’s ominous red eyes narrowed. He stopped trying to match Alexis’s intricate, technical style. He embraced his own raw power and unpredictability.

He began using his environment, forcing Alexis to move. He kicked a loose training dummy towards the knight, forcing him to sidestep, and in that split second of distraction, Nero closed the distance, his sword a blur of heavy, downward strikes. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Alexis parried them all, but each block drove him back a step, his rapier arm vibrating from the impact.

Sweat poured from both men. The air was thick with the sound of their labored breathing and the shriek of metal. Nero took another cut, this time on his thigh. Alexis received a brutal pommel-strike to the shoulder that made his whole arm go numb for a second.

The fight had become like a brutal dance of give and take. Nero was like a storm, powerful and relentless while on the other hand, Alexis was a razor, sharp, precise, and deadly. Nero’s strength was terrifying, but Alexis’s experience and technique were a wall he couldn’t quite break through. For every powerful blow Nero landed on Alexis’s guard, the rapier found a way to slip through and paint another red line on his skin.

Yet, Nero never faltered. His enhanced body, still humming from the night’s refinement, handled the punishment. The cuts bled, but they didn’t weaken him. His muscles burned, but they didn’t fail. He was a machine built for combat, and he was only getting warmed up.

The onlookers were utterly silent, captivated. They were witnessing something impossible: a Red Knight, using only physical prowess, pushing a seasoned Purple Knight to his absolute limits in a contest of pure skill. The intensity in the dueling circle was palpable, a tangible force that had everyone holding their breath. This was no longer a spar. It was a war of wills, fought one lightning-fast exchange at a time.