Seeing that her 50% bloodlust wasn’t working, she increased it even more. But there was no trace of any pressure on Axel’s face as he said in a sneer, "Is that it? Is that the best you can do?"
A subtle smile formed on her lips, which was almost unrecognizable, only he could notice it for being right in front of her. Axel himself did not feel any pressure from her increased killing intent anymore. The rune on his attire, though, which was doing the job of shielding him from the killing of the valkyrie using his own, was heating up more and more.
That rune was the thing that was enduring the pressure of the Valkyrie’s bloodlust instead of himself. He cursed to himself internally, ’Damn it, I should have prepared more, this thing is about to explode.’
But Sophia did not realize that and decided to stop; she thought perhaps bloodlust would not work anymore, so she retracted it, not to mention she could not release the entirety of her bloodlust in front of everyone either. It was something that should not be displayed to anyone; it was too sinister, too dark.
Her stoic expression vanished, it was the first time her peers were seeing her wearing a different expression than her usual cold face, she visibly chuckled, and a black sword appeared in her hand. Her voice had a mocking tone, "Let’s see how long you can keep your false composure, Axel Nomrad."
Axel narrowed his eyes and, in a swift motion, a thin and unique-looking runic sword appeared in his hand. His bloodlust, which formed a cocoon-like shape, broke apart as he also retracted his killing intent that was operating the rune.
In an impossibly fast motion, the valkyrie moved her hand and swung down the sword in a vertical motion. Everyone widened their eyes as if not willing to miss a single moment of the aftermath of the attack from the summoned heroine. Ken and Luther watched on with eager but dark amusement in their eyes. Wishing to see the arrogant bastard named Axel put in his lowly place by her.
Lucien also watched on with interest, wanting to see what his state would be after one strike from her. Lumina, on the other hand, was extremely worried; she wanted to do something, but she could not.
Heinz, on the other hand, watched on with a neutral look on his face; there was no worry in his eyes, he had come to know his closest friend well enough by now. He would not go into something willingly if he didn’t have preparation for the eventuality of things going totally wrong...at least most of the time, that is.
As the sword of the valkyrie moved downward, the sound of air cutting through could be heard in Axel’s ears. He could easily see how the valkyrie was looking at him dead in the eye while slashing down, as if she would cut him into two pieces by the strike. He had already activated his magic circuit, the passive effects of his runic eyes allowed him to capture most of the details, as he also moved his body at an impossible speed, matching her own.
Swinging his sword horizontally with almost all the power he could muster, his sword clashed with the Valkyrie’s, and the moment both weapons met....
Everyone was forced to close their eyes, as a small explosion occurred at the point of their impact, The ground beneath Axel’s feet almost cracked, which was made out of unbreakable marble as he gritted his teeth, multiple of his bones of were likely broken at different places, he was forced to step back from the sheer force of the impact.
When everyone opened their eyes again they saw that Axel only took a few steps back, but the place where he was standing had the floor cracked, meanwhile Sophia remained in her place, nonchalant as always, but there was a subtle frown on her face, that a very select few who knew her, were able to notice.
Axel looked back at her, smiling defiantly while wiping the small trickle of blood that escaped his lips. Everyone was shocked beyond belief. Lucien, Lumina, Ken, Luther, Thorian, and the third princess gazed at Axel with a deep frown.
They all clearly felt how powerful the strike of the valkyrie was, how was it possible that Axel, who was but a mere runecaster, took only a few steps back from that and was barely injured. That simply didn’t make sense, even if he was a particularly special runecaster, this was something that simply should not be. Because this was but a clear violation of the balance created by the world will.
Meanwhile, Heinz only smiled in pure satisfaction, and stated to himself, ’Attaboy, show the bitch what you’re made of.’
Lumina, on the other hand, who was more perceptive of her friend and knew more than anyone how truly strong Sophia was, her eyes zoomed in on Sophia’s hand, and there was a small cut on it. Her eyes widened, and a wave of shock traveled through her entire body as she almost stammered. She was actually injured, but how?
Axel felt his insides were a mess; the valkyrie knew that as well, but at least he needed to maintain a facade on the front. He could see her hand was slightly injured, but it was already healing at a rapid pace. He smiled in satisfaction seeing that, there was a reason why he was able to endure her attack, and she was slightly scratched by her own attack as well.
The sword he had used to block her attack wasn’t just any sword; it was something that redirected 50% or more power of the attack, depending on how fast and powerful the attack on it is. So, Axel only had to endure less than half the power of her actual strike, and she herself received back more than half of her own attack; that was the only way she could be injured.
Axel himself knew very well from the story how terrifyingly strong her body was, despite her smooth, fair, and soft skin. In terms of physical prowess, she was a monster even in front of a bloodline holder like Lucien. Axel was looking at her with a defiant smile, while she was looking back at him, a subtle frown on her face.
But then her frown vanished as she gave out a beautiful and genuine smile towards him, Axel tensed immediately seeing that, damn it, if this bitch still decides to continue, he would be no match for her. She stated with a chuckle, "Well, at least, there is one person with an actual spine here, who can stand up for himself if need be."