The outcome of this sword duel was decided from the very beginning.
That's Fandral winning!
At least, that's what Sif and the others thought.
Fandral, Asgard's renowned swordsman—if it came down to swordsmanship alone, few could defeat him.
Coupled with his age advantage, his physical fitness was also superior to Aaron's.
Logically speaking, there was no suspense in this battle.
However, not long after the duel began, that notion was overturned.
Aaron demonstrated that his swordsmanship was no weaker than Fandral's.
His dazzling swordplay amazed everyone.
It even sparked a strange thought among them: "Is this really Aaron?"
Thor and the others exchanged glances, completely unprepared for the battle to veer in this direction.
Was Fandral holding back?
Thor shouted loudly, "Fandral, did you sneak off with another girl last night? Or did that little bit of wine get you drunk?"
Volstagg didn't hesitate to mock him, retaliating for Fandral's earlier jest in a different way. "Fandral, it's time you trained harder. You were the most skilled swordsman in Asgard back then, but now? With the dazzling title of master, you're being beaten by a magic apprentice in swordsmanship. If word gets out, the girls will fall for someone else."
"..."
"Volstagg, go ahead! Stop making snide remarks over there!"
Fandral, in the midst of the duel, replied angrily. But in that moment of distraction, Aaron's sword nearly broke through his defense.
Fandral muttered silently to himself. Looking at Aaron, who was fully focused on the fight, he felt utterly perplexed.
When had Aaron's swordsmanship become so extraordinary?
Could it be that he'd been spending too much time among the ladies and slacked off?
How long had it been since their last duel?
It seemed like only a month or two.
He clearly remembered winning that swordsmanship bout with ease.
Aaron was indeed diligent and possessed a dedicated spirit, but some things couldn't be achieved through hard work alone.
In swordsmanship, effort was crucial, but talent was even more important!
Yet now, despite giving his all, he couldn't defeat Aaron with pure swordsmanship.
Instead, he was the one in danger, nearly losing several times.
Fortunately, while Aaron's swordsmanship was superb, he seemed to lack practical combat experience and was slightly weaker in strength.
Otherwise, the title of master swordsman might truly have changed hands.
In a flash, the two exchanged several more moves.
Fandral only felt Aaron's offensive growing fiercer.
His swordsmanship level was improving at a speed visible to the naked eye!
As his opponent, Fandral felt it most acutely.
He was going to lose!
"Stop!"
Just as the duel reached its fiercest point, Erin hurriedly arrived from a distance.
Seeing this, Aaron halted his attacks, pulling himself out of the thrill of rapidly increasing proficiency.
Fandral couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The savior had arrived!
A little longer, and this fight would've been over…
"Prince Thor, I have something to discuss with Aaron," Erin said, greeting the group before leaving with Aaron, who still seemed unsatisfied.
In this swordsmanship duel, Aaron discovered something: the higher the skill level, the greater the strength, but that strength still had room to be explored.
It was like an ordinary person and a elite soldier, both wielding identical guns and firing. They're both pulling the trigger, but the former would be utterly dominated by the latter.
The higher the skill level, the more it needed to be honed in real combat; otherwise, its full potential couldn't be unleashed.
Moreover, in actual combat, swordsmanship proficiency improved faster!
"It's a pity that improvements in combat might not translate to magic," Aaron sighed.
After Aaron was taken away by Erin, Thor and the others quickly gathered around, their eyes full of suspicion.
They still suspected Fandral had held back.
Fandral losing to a rookie in swordsmanship?
That would be a huge joke.
It'd be like Thor, the God of Thunder, being overpowered by someone else with lightning. Was that possible?
Absolutely not!
Thor was quite confident about that—he was the God of Thunder!
Fandral didn't perform his usual sword flourishes this time. He sheathed his sword neatly and said in a complex tone, "Don't stare. I gave it my all! Aaron's swordsmanship has surpassed mine. If the duel had continued, I'd have lost for sure!"
"In fact, if I weren't a bit stronger than him physically, maybe… ugh!"
"I'm heading back first. I need to calm down. Let's drink together next time."
From his eyes, they could see that the master swordsman had taken a severe blow.
For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent.
Loki, standing aside, felt a mix of schadenfreude at Fandral's plight and a twinge of sympathy.
They'd both been struck down in their areas of expertise by the same person.
The difference was that Fandral had lost completely, while he still knew other magics.
"Yes, I know more magic than Aaron. Even if he's surpassed me in illusion magic, he can't beat me!"
"The breadth of magic I know can't be matched by him."
"I still have a chance!"
"I haven't lost yet!"
"The number one mage in the Nine Realms can only be me!"
Loki regained his confidence.
At that moment, a spark of light seemed to return to his eyes.
"Fandral's gone. What do we do now?" Hogan, who had been relatively quiet, broke the silence.
"Drink?" Thor asked tentatively.
As soon as he spoke, he sensed the mood wasn't right. Thor scratched his hair and smiled awkwardly, "Uh, I just remembered I have something to do. You guys chat; I'm heading back."
Fandral and Thor left one after another, and the others didn't linger either.
Seeing this, Loki rolled his eyes and turned toward the Golden Palace.
He suddenly felt the need to ask Frigga for some magic advice.
He was, after all, an excellent mage who loved to learn…
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