Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Winner
Rael could see that she intended to end the duel this time around, so he took note of his aether reserves and saw that all that remained was nine percent. That would only be enough for him to perform his trump card four times at most, meaning he had to be careful. For the most part, he no longer considered it a trump card anyway. She already seemed to have a countermeasure to it, which was getting into his personal space, something made even easier by the fact that he was using a greatsword that limited his maneuverability.
’I’ll have to catch her off guard, make sure she can’t see it coming,’ he thought, beginning to run through battle scenarios in his head, searching for the perfect chance to land a precise attack. He knew her technique was strong enough to block Blood Rend, and even if he put her in a situation where she couldn’t block, there was still that ability of hers that seemed to let her teleport.
Rael cut off his thoughts as he saw she was preparing to attack, he shifted his focus entirely to his warrior senses. Though incomparable to his dominion senses, they always came in handy in battle.
He crouched slightly, sending threads of aether down his legs as he tightened his grip on the greatsword. His eyes locked onto Iyvre’s figure, which seemed to have grown heavier. Clearly, his territory had granted him multiple buffs, enough to let him ignore most of her tier suppression while he was in it,but now , though not entirely he could feel it.
Swoosh.
Before Rael could think any further, Iyvre blurred forward, rushing at him as she twirled her blade in an acrobatic dance that easily confused his eyes. Still, he reacted in time, raising the greatsword above his head as a swooshing strike came down toward him. Her glowing white blade slammed into the greatsword, sending a violent tremor through Rael’s arms and forcing him to stumble back. He brought the sword down to his flank, parrying another strike. Without time to adjust the blade’s direction, he dashed to the side, narrowly dodging a piercing thrust aimed at his wrist.
Clang, clang, clang.
Dodging and parrying six attacks in a row, Rael realized just how disadvantaged he was. Iyvre moved like a phantom, layering feints upon feints, making it difficult to distinguish real attacks from false ones. Worse still, she stayed so close that he couldn’t even swing the greatsword properly. His arms had begun to tremble from the heavy clashes, her technique not only making her blade hotter and sharper, but heavier as well.
Growling, Rael grabbed the sharp edge of the greatsword with his left palm while his right hand stayed on the grip. He positioned the blade horizontally and shoved forward, forcing Iyvre to pause her assault to avoid being bashed into. Rael seized the opening, dashing backward toward an oak tree he had noticed behind them. He leapt, using the tree’s trunk as a foothold, then sprang upward just as she followed.
Rael tightened his grip on the blade’s edge, the steel biting into his palm as blood spilled free, just in time for him to perform his technique.
Whoosh.
A red arc burst forth, shooting toward Iyvre at astonishing speed. She reacted just as fast, twisting her body and performing a backward handspring, narrowly dodging as the attack slammed into the ground.
Boom.
A small crater formed as Rael landed nearby and rushed toward her,giving her no time to regain her bearings. He swung the greatsword in repeated wide arcs, forcing Iyvre to rise and parry as she stumbled backward under his brutish yet rapid assault.
Seeing his attacks repeatedly blocked, Rael growled and suddenly drove the sword’s tip toward Iyvre’s leg. She dodged and attempted a counter, but aborted it midway as Rael had used the greatsword as a faint to hide his incoming leg, which slammed into the arm she had raised to guard her solar plexus. She skidded across the ground, stopping herself just in time to slash downward with all her might.
A red arc materialized in front of her. She sliced through it cleanly, splitting it in two as it continued on to cleave through two trees behind her.
Rael squinted, noticing something that sparked an idea. There was only one way to end this duel quickly, and he finally saw it.
He went on the offensive.
Rael charged forward, aiming a thrust with the greatsword. Iyvre remained still, her cold gaze locked onto him. He leap twisting and adjusting his grip, turning the thrust into a heavy downward slash. Iyvre twirled her blade and met him head-on. To Rael’s surprise, she didn’t dodge. Instead, a flash of light erupted and she vanished.
His sword slammed into the ground, rupturing grass and dirt, meeting no resistance at all.
Still airborne, Rael’s warrior senses screamed.
’Shit’.
Slash.
A blade swept past his right shoulder, spilling hot blood as Iyvre appeared above him, striking precisely at what she believed to be his dominant arm. Rael used the momentum from his impact to roll across the ground, evading any follow-up as he ignored the burning pain from the deep gash across his shoulder.
Feeling the burning pain,he smiled to himself
Iyvre landed, her blade sizzling as she stared at him with a stoic expression. Rael wasn’t going to lie ,he was liking the pain , though it hurts badly, it felt thrilling mostly when he was in battle.
He tightened his grip, stopping his trembling arm , and biting down on his lip as a plan rapidly formed.
Without hesitation, he charged again.
Iyvre was surprised,with his dominant arm injured, the duel should already be over. Still, she chose to indulge him.
Rael rushed forward, then abruptly paused, unleashing another red arc. Iyvre leapt upward, easily dodging it but midair she whipped her blade around, clashing with a second red arc that swept toward her.
Sparks exploded as she cut through it, but the force blasted her backward.
Exactly as Rael intended.
Before she could land, he followed, pouring the last of his aether into his arms. Tightening his grip, he slashed toward her chest. Iyvre narrowly blocked it with her blade.
Clang.
She was driven back, slamming heavily into a tree trunk as Rael brought the sword down again.
Clang.
She blocked it again, already planning her counter.
Rael struck again.
Clank.
She twisted her grip and thrust forward, intending to rest her blade against Rael’s neck only for shattered fragments of steel to scatter across the ground.
Causing her to widened her eyes in shock.