But the short standoff didn't last for long. Both sides could not waste a single second or they would lose their life.
As Bayard had thrown away his weapon for being too heavy, he had no choice but to charge towards the skeleton. He wasn't a mage. The earth was also being restricted. Did he have a second choice? It certainly seemed not.
The earth stopped writhing sluggishly as Bayard ceased his control over it and pressed forward. The force continuation would result in more internal injuries that he couldn't afford.
Ed on the other hand still held his Vient. His moves might not be quite up to standard but he still seemed to hold an advantage. Not to mention…
Ed pulled out a crystal. He wasn't confident in his close-quarter sword combat so why force it? He didn't have the earth pressing against him anymore.
The crystal had a white hue. It was an ice-crystal, the one he had used to seal the end of the corridor. He passed the mana through his dragon sword and released a wide horizontal slash.
A sharp frosty gale seemed to blow towards Bayard's direction. He only looked at it without a shred of worry. The earth from the ceiling fell at his will. It converged around his body to take the full brunt of the attack.
The improvised armor only turned icy but it didn't matter as the earth broke apart and fell simply. The only part that didn't break down was Bayard's fists. He planned on improving his blunt damage by covering his knuckles with hard rock.
Ed whose original plan was to slow down Bayard's movements to allow for his amateurish moves to land switched over to another crystal. It was a lively red crystal.
Bayard was only a couple of odd meters away! Ed really wanted to gain some distance but if he did he wouldn't be able to promptly finish off Bayard.
[<Thought Manifestation> is in effect]
With thought manifestation in effect, he used his mana manipulation to promptly summon the crystal's flames and formed a flaming lance. The lance flew flashing forward and Ed grabbed his sword with both hands to follow after it. He wouldn't let up!
Bayard didn't panic. He dodged sideways, the flame lance flew pas- no, Ed manipulated the far-away elements and showered Bayard in flames! Bayard was forced to guard his entire body as he commanded the earth to quickly cover him for protection.
His mana had already been expended meaning that he couldn't reinforce his body. His armor wasn't fire-resistant. At least not to a sufficient extent. The flames were still more than capable of entering the armor through any gaps effectively cooking him alive.
But he was only akin to an ordinary person at the moment! Such a thing would be fatal! Even if he was an ordinary person with great athletic abilities, a strong will, and the power to command the earth.
[You are burning. -1hp]
Ed ran into the flames which he controlled to smother Bayard. His goal had been a swift finish and the sword was his best bet. He lifted his blade above his shoulder and cleaved down onto a human-shaped mass of rock.
[You've been dealt damage. -33]
[You've been dealt damage. -37]
[You've been dealt damage. -32]
The figure suddenly exploded as Ed's sword cleaved down towards it, however. The fragments burst at high speeds and hit Ed on various parts of his body through the robe he wore.
Still, He hadn't stopped his swing. Any fragments that came close to the blade would be sliced apart. Ed's constitution also allowed him to maintain his stance even after being hit by the explosive force.
Bayard was still an adept fighter though. He rolled away before promptly standing up. He lunged towards Ed's predicted location while the flames still burned brightly. Ed intercepted with his sword.
Bayard's earthen fist was dug into by the sharp weapon. His fist was also nearly caught but the compact earth that made up his fist protected him.
[You've been dealt true damage. -10 hp]
Ed was just about to pull back his blade and perform a fierce follow-up but his mind was sharply stung. Instantly, it felt as if the mental fort he built started to collapse.
The mana he was controlling as an extension of his limbs was no longer there. The fire started to fade and Bayard threw a sharp jab with his other fist.
'F*ck!' Ed cursed inwardly after noticing too late. He was still dazed from the stinging pain.
[You've been dealt a direct hit. -70 hp]
The punch hit Ed with powerful momentum. It was rather impressive considering that Bayard's movements were not being reinforced by mana. Ed was pushed back slightly and a second jab came at him.
[You've been dealt damage. -15 hp]
Were it not for the slight headache he felt, he would've likely dodged in a more timely fashion.
'Damn it!' Ed felt horrible. It wasn't because of the pain from overusing thought manifestation, it was from what the loss of the effect signified. He wouldn't be able to defend himself against Bayard's earth! He could only pray for the latter not to notice this point or he would be instantly eliminated.
Extinguishing that possibility implied continuing the close-quarter engagement and Ed wasn't sure if he was up to the task. Of course, there was also a chance that not using more mana crystals would tip Bayard off just as much as poor handling of the mana would.
He swung his sword with one hand to slice at Bayard's arm. The rock that covered his fist moved down to intercept it however and Ed was forced to take the chance to retreat instead.
'My only other resource is the skeletons' The issue with calling them over would be that they could be easily crushed. If they were, it could also give Bayard some negative ideas.
To Ed, the battle had just become ten times harder. He now needed to play mind games. He needed to orchestrate every step of the fight so that his opponent did not notice anything amiss. It was a tough task to improvise to such an extent even for Ed.
A powerful hook followed after Ed even after he retreated. Bayard did not intend to let up the pressure whatsoever.
Ed swung his blade with one hand with the intention of cutting off the man's arm again. His other hand went towards a crystal.
Bayard pulled back.
"...Argh" But it seemed Ed wasn't the reason… He spit out more viscous red blood. It was so much that some seeped past the helmet that covered some of his face.
That was when Ed's eyes glistened with understanding. Bayard's condition was not at all stable. The main reason as to why he held back his control over the earth before was not that he found it futile but rather that he found it wasteful! It would waste too much of his strength!
It was also the main reason why he stuck to Ed and tried to pummel him so badly. His body couldn't keep up with his demands and was starting to fall apart. In such a case, he could help him self destruct.
'Mages, continue your firing.' Ed transmitted at the mages. He had kept them at a distance for good measure but it was best to continue the pressure.
Soon after, the walls that Bayard had created to isolate both of them started to shake and rumble. Bayard seemed to have noticed the change as well.
His stoic expression finally showed signs of despair. The skeletons would interrupt the battle if he didn't have the earth reinforce the walls. He was still unwilling but it seemed he would surely face demise!
"Damn demon! Did you really kill young master Felix!?" This short burst of emotion caused him to blurt out such a question. It was a question he knew the answer to.
Ed was amused by the query and answered with a sneer.
'That's correct!' He then lunged towards Bayard while the psychological effect hopefully took place. He now understood why he was so suddenly onset by multiple knights. It had turned out that one of the people he killed was a young heir!
Ed's transmission was indeed nailed into Bayard's head. It resonated continuously until he grew tired of it. It all happened in an instant, Instead of breaking down, however, Bayard doubled his resolve.
"I will kill you. It doesn't matter how many times you revive. I will kill you at least once today so that you will never forget me." Bayard declared as he watched Ed's sword approach.
He didn't decide to run when facing despair. He vowed to kill Ed even at the cost of his own safety. Yes, that was what it meant to abide by the knight's code. To strive to complete one's duty until they drew their last breath. If it was for their lord it would be alright to do so.
The sword dug past Bayard's armor and into his shoulder. That was obviously not Ed's initial target.
[You've been dealt a direct hit. -83 hp]
Ed was struck by a sharp hook. Bayard's fist for some reason seemed to be even stronger than during his previous attacks.
[Fracture. -17hp]
The cracks from being crushed still existed. Those cracks were a weakness that Ed couldn't cover-up and that Bayard's blunt force could easily exploit.
Ed now knew that his psychological attack had the opposite effect. The man before him was not a normal individual.
A loud explosion then sounded as the wall that isolated the mages from Ed and Bayard were blown away by a ball of fire.
Ed's health was likely only a third of its maximum at this point but Ed still felt he had a high chance of winning.