"At last! I've been waiting for this for so long..." the unknown warrior wearing full plate armor said, short of breath, as if they were salivating inside the helmet.
Astrid changed her glacial glare for a puzzled look. "Do I know you?"
"Never met. But I know all about you," the warrior replied, making Astrid snicker. "Yes, yes. I bet you've heard that line a million times by now, but I mean it," the stranger continued. "I've been a big fan of yours long before you got notoriety. So what if I'm just here to challenge you like everyone else? Or what? Now that you're at the top, you no longer fight puny non-rankers, like the other 'Astrid' said?"
"We're not in the top rankings anymore," Astrid said, looking at her surroundings.
"Ah, sorry. I haven't caught up on the news yet," the warrior said, panting with anticipation. "I came here from a faraway land as quickly as possible, and couldn't think of anything more than to meet you."
The collapsed buildings, the rain pouring over burning houses, the craters, and ruined pavement looked like they were straight out of a war zone.
Astrid had seen her fair share of ruined environments before, but never inside a city. At least not in The Novus.
She sighed. "If you came to Londorus only to challenge me, congratulations, your little skirmish caught my attention. But why do it here, in the middle of the city? Your rank won't raise a single position if you beat me, and you're only making new enemies out of this."
As the warrior strolled towards her, they let out a quiet laugh. "You wouldn't have taken me seriously if I didn't create some ruckus first, and you're assuming I'm out in public regularly. Fu-fu-fu. But most importantly, I'm not here to become famous by beating you. I'm just here to learn from you."
Once the warrior stood in front of Astrid, the height difference became enormous. Astrid's gaze pointed directly to their breastplate, whose convex shape could easily protect a pair of breasts.
"Yes, I'm here to learn from you." The warrior stretched out their hand. "I can only learn up to a certain point by just watching your Battle Streams. So I really need this."
Astrid observed that big hand covered by a red gauntlet and chuckled. "You're kidding me."
"I'm dead serious. I want nothing more in this world than to spar with you. I'll improve ten times—no, a hundred times faster this way." The warrior paused while maintaining their stretched-out hand toward Astrid. "Could you at least give me a friendly handshake? Come on. What are you so afraid of?"
Astrid half-smiled and complied. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, then."
"Couldn't say it better..."
Both Users shook hands as the gravity around them increased. Then, a fire aura encircled them, evaporating every single raindrop falling over them. Astrid's calm expression was replaced by a shocked frown, which made the warrior sneer.
"Did you think I was just a pushover?!" The warrior laughed out loud as their grip tightened.
Astrid's right knee kissed the ground as she finally succumbed to the heavy aura. The very earth shook in a 300-feet radius, crumbling every remaining wall or still-standing structure inside the zone.
It was only a matter of time until they heard the sound of bones getting crushed.
"Come on, Comet! Show me what you got! The ride to get here was really windy, and I hate flying, so make it worth it!"
"W-what's this? Y-you're-not... b-being... repressed..." Astrid said as the mana pressure forcibly pushed her head down.
"That's right! The Safe Zone's restrictions are not affecting me! But you're not going to cry foul, are you?! That'd only stain the precious image I have of you!"
"I don't care, and I won't," Astrid said, before looking up, showing that her eyes had an electric silver glow. "And as a matter of fact, this is perfect! Consider this my handicap!"
The warrior felt it right away. As if a sudden gust of wind had pushed the flames she had just ignited, burning her face.
Astrid's grip suddenly tripled in strength and kept increasing. The Warrior groaned as they applied all of their force to counteract it.
"Fire Boost, Valor!" the warrior cried, enhancing their strength. An overwhelming red aura emanated around their body.
But it did not matter.
Astrid slowly rose as her hair floated above her nape. A wicked grin adorned her face. "If you wanted to see whose dick is bigger, you got it!" She then giggled like a child. "I'm metaphorically speaking, by the way. Tee-hee."
Astrid finally closed her fist, breaking the enemy's hand. A second of silence followed as their battle auras disappeared, letting the rain pour over them again.
The Warrior backtracked, watching what seemed to be a folded glove replacing her right hand.
Astrid had seen that scene before.
Either they retreat or attack with everything they've got in a last attempt to... But her train of thought got interrupted by the warrior's maniacal laughter.
"HAHAHA! I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T LET ME DOWN!"
"That's new," Astrid muttered, as she saw the warrior get into a known stance.
After the enemy separated her legs and bent her knees, they formed a fist with her left hand, as if they were charging a punch.
But no... That couldn't be 'it', right?
"Fire Style!" the Warrior proclaimed, exerting a dense, red aura.
Following her instincts, Astrid performed the same stance in a heartbeat. A battle stance that she had developed during her time in The Novus.
"You know what?! I won't even get upset that you're copying my moves, since people do it all the time!"
"THAT'S RIGHT! There's nothing more beautiful in all The Novus than your fighting style! So, come on, love, help me reach perfection!" Newest update provided by novel fire.net
Astrid clenched her teeth and began charging mana too. "Gah! Bloody arsehole! Fire Style!"
The ground cracked, and the surroundings got filled with tiny blue ascending sparkles. As their power increased, everything got obscured for a second, before a blinding light bathed the battleground.
"EAT THIS! METEOR PUNCH!"
Any User level 30 and below would have evaporated if they had stopped to see the show. Users close to level 50 would get fatal burns, no matter what kind of armor they were equipping. Only Users 80 and up could live to tell the tale with a few scratches after being knocked down by the shock wave.
In the aftermath of this interchange, the area got leveled, except for the very ground they were standing on, which turned into a concave-shaped, 20-inch deep hole.
Every fallen brick disintegrated. The resulting light could be seen from anywhere in the city, catching the attention of Tamara, Astrid's right hand who was atop her Flying Mount, and some members of the Titan Hunters guild, currently fighting the two-headed dragon.
Astrid's ears still buzzed moments after she recovered her sight. A true sign that Londorus' Safe Zone works as intended. But why is this stranger...?
She let her frown show her concern one last time before correcting her posture and striding toward the enemy. The Warrior was found kneeling, 100 feet away. Their left arm dripped blood, looking useless.
"Splendid. Truly splendid," the warrior said, panting. "I did everything right. It was a true replica of your signature move, executed perfectly. But I clearly lacked strength." They chuckled, as Astrid maintained a blank expression. The Warrior then stood up and tilted their head left and right, cracking their neck. "Oh, well. I won't hold back next time."
Astrid observed their hands, suddenly forming fists. "Healed already?" she muttered, as a grin slowly formed on her lips. "Sure, why not? What's your name, stranger?"
"Ah. I finally piqued your interest, eh? Well, unfortunately, I can't tell you. I'm nameless. But you can call me 'The Embodiment of Progress'."
Astrid pursed her lips while imagining the smugness inside the warrior's helmet.
My hunch was right, Tamara. Despite the threat that dragon poses, I knew there was something disgustingly strong around this area.
Astrid used her 'Eye of the Sage' Active Skill to read the enemy's status and found an increase in their strength. That rampaging dragon is a menace, yes, but something tells me that if I don't take down this wanker, we'll all bloody regret it...