Return of the Woodcutter
Chapter 144 - "Friendly" Sparring Session (part 2)

A silent crowd gazed at Aito standing tall at the center of the ring. His demeanor was calm and imposing.

No more applicants dared challenge him. Even George, despite his strength and desire to spar with Aito, was hesitant.

Aito's previous display of power had washed over him like a basket of cold water. He had known from the start he was no match for the black challenger.

'But still…, I want to feel it. The limit between our levels,' George thought, clenching his fist to give himself courage.

Aito's gaze was fixed on George that grabbed his giant club, advancing to the center of the ring, dressed in his full plated armor with some dents. It appeared to have suffered quite a bit during the Lunar Eclipse.

"Mind having a spar with this good ol' George?" He said, settling his huge weapon on his broad shoulder.

"I was thinking you wouldn't ask," Aito replied, unsheathing his ax, deploying his shield steel side, and returning his equipment to their original weight. Against George, he did not dare have shackles impeding his movement.

Although, he forbade himself from using his ainium shield and hammer. They were useful tools, but relying on them too much would dull his senses. So unless he had no choice, he'd prefer sticking to a more common approach.

Aito might be overestimating the bear-like man's capabilities, but according to what he had seen that night, Aito seriously doubted he was wrong.

In his opinion, George was probably a match for Aito before his level up.

Coating his entire armor set and weapon with Durability, Aito said, "Ready when you are, good ol' George."

George simply smiled in response and manifested three water bullets that flaunted atop his right shoulder.

—Active skill: Water Bullets Lv3—

The three wet projectiles darted towards Aito at high velocity. He sidestepped, dodging one that created a hole in the ground. Two others rammed onto his shield. Although they didn't manage to pierce through his Durability coating, Aito could feel the power hiding behind those water balls.

Plus, it dusted off the dirt that had accumulated with the two other fights.

"Thanks for the cleaning," Aito said as he dashed towards George, whose brain couldn't exactly process the speed.

However, having observed that absurd acceleration before, George already knew Aito couldn't control it perfectly yet, that much was evident. Moreover, the linear path made it predictable, when you were expecting it, at least.

When Aito entered George's range, water gushed out from beneath him like a fountain, forming a water wall with such pressure it lifted him a few centimeters off the cobblestone and impeded his movements.

—Active skill: Aqua Wall Lv2—

Without solid ground underneath his feet, Aito couldn't properly exert his strength, creating a small opening.

George immediately cast five water bullets this time, that looked different from before. Smaller, denser, as if they've been pressurized.

—Active skill: Aqua Pressurization Lv3—

It was a skill George had leveled up, thanks to the previous rewards from the Lunar Eclipse. It affected all his water element skills, adding extra power to them. 

'This isn't good,' Aito thought, immediately increasing the weight of his equipment by eight times. His feet touched the ground once again, barely leaving enough time for Aito to shield himself from the five high pressured water bullets.

Unbalanced due to his previous levitation, Aito was pushed back, his shield slightly dented by four water projectiles, digging tiny round craters, barely visible.

The last water bullet struck his helmet, adding another dent to its growing collection. 

Seeing an opening, George sped up forward while summoning a water wall behind him, pressurizing it further with Aqua Pressurization.

Water gushed out from the ground, aligning its angle with George, pushing him towards Aito. A neat combo he had picked up while running away from hobs.

Aito slightly widened his eyes when he saw the bulky man rushing at him at full speed, then smiled while rapidly lengthening his ax. His feet dug deep into the ground, cracking the cobblestone as he regained his balance and closed his shield.

One single thought passed through his mind while activating Impact on his ax blade, 'Not bad at all.'

"WAAAH!" George shouted, bringing down his massive club on his sparring partner, gathering every iota of strength he had, using a physical skill.

—Active Skill: Smash—

However, it wasn't enough.

Aito deviated the downward smash with a side slash. His morph ax bit into the club's flank, activating Impact that pushed George's weapon away using its own momentum.

BAM!

George's club shattered the ground in a thundering noise, sending broken pieces of stones flying in multiple directions.

The bear-like man hadn't said his last word yet; highly pressurized water bullets materialized above his shoulder.

Before he could cast it, Aito rapidly closed the distance between them. Applying Impact to his left hand, struck George's solar plexus through his armor. Stopping his casting, violently pushing him backward, a fist dent on his breastplate a bit beneath his chest. 

To try to destabilize George, Aito sent an illusion running towards him, as he himself took another path.

However…

"I… forfeit," George declared, lifting both hands in the air, short on breath because of Aito's previous blow.

By now, he was satisfied with his performance. Even though he knew the black challenger was still holding back, George knew he'd never be able to draw out his full strength.

He had shown all his cards and lengthening the spar was useless at this point. The black challenger wasn't stupid to the point of falling for the same tricks again.

Aito suddenly halted his steps, dispelled his illusion, grabbed the club, and walked towards George with clear satisfaction on his face.

"Impressive," Aito said, handing over George's weapon. "You even managed to destabilize me by taking into account my predictable trajectory. Not only did you use your head, but your mastery of your skills is very potent. And now that I think about it, my team lacks a mage."

George grinned, "You have a weird way… of saying I passed... black challenger."

Aito shrugged, "Haha, let me rephrase it then. George Melbourn, will you join my team?"