King Aldric leaned back in his ornate throne, his fingers clenched tightly around the armrests as he watched the fierce duel unfolding before him. No longer was he smiling; now his brows were furrowed in anxiety.
'The paladin class... that holy energy is the counter to the Sun Knight class,' King Aldric thought, a dark expression on his face. 'The holy energy is on par with the sun energy. This fight won't be as easy as I thought.'
Most people didn't know, but the holy energy could nullify the attacks of the Sun Knight class. The royal family had made sure this weakness didn't spread throughout the kingdom, but experienced Awakened like the Big Four, Nathan, and Brawn knew this secret.
King Aldric glanced at Ainsworth, whose golden armor glinted in the sunlight, his confidence radiating like a beacon. Yet, even from his vantage point, Aldric could see the flicker of uncertainty in his prince's eyes through the visor.
In the dignitary seat, the leader of the Silent Whispers couldn't help but glance at Nathan, who had a smirk on his face.
"You—is this the reason for your earlier confidence?" he asked softly, to which Nathan nodded, his eyes never leaving the fighting platform.
Nathan had figured that Prince Ainsworth would definitely follow the steps of his ancestors by choosing the Sun Knight class, also known as the Sunblade Paladin class. He had been worried at first, knowing the powerful nature of this skill; however, he then recalled the natural counter to the skill.
This was the reason he was confident that his granddaughter would come out as the winner in this fight.
Back on the stage, the two clashed. A blinding golden light and a pure white energy collided.
A thunderous shockwave, as if a bomb had gone off, reverberated through the surroundings as a shockwave swept out from the point of contact. The two stumbled back slightly, both struggling to regain their footing.
Ainsworth's expression shifted more and more. When they had clashed, he had felt the shockwave rattling through his veins like an electric current and had actually thought he would be swept off the fighting platform.
His golden eyes flashed briefly as a sense of realization washed over him. He realized that with the help of the holy energy, the gap in their strength wasn't as massive as he had thought.
Before the golden prince could gather his thoughts, Nyx charged forward.
"Phantom Slash!" she uttered, and a series of countless strikes flashed through the air, each attack leaving a mirage in its wake, creating tears in the air.
"I only have some time left; I'll make use of all the chances I get," she declared.
Phantom Slash was a technique meant to deal with opponents at astonishing speed. Nyx's slashes were countless times faster, and the prince had a difficult time deflecting each and every one. In the end, he was left with some internal bruises.
"Gasp!" Someone from the audience gasped in shock
"This girl isn't bad," Another person commented. "Maybe... just maybe she could beat this prince."
"From the look of things, the prince is a high-level Awakened... I doubt this girl has what it takes."
Seeing the light pool of blood underneath his fist, Prince Ainsworth's arm, which was holding the sword, trembled slightly. He had underestimated this girl! She wasn't just sharp-tongued; she actually had the strength to back up her attitude.
Still, Ainsworth remained confident... after all, he still hadn't used that skill. He clenched his fist, though he had been planning to use the skill from the beginning. He hadn't envisioned it .
The plan was to use the skill after beating Nyx brutally... He never anticipated that he would need to use it to save himself.
While he was pondering, Nyx activated another of her skills again.
"Holy Speed!" she shouted, her voice slicing through the tension like her blade through the air. With a burst of energy, she launched herself toward Ainsworth, her sword gleaming with holy light. The holy energy's duration would soon be over, but before that, she wanted to injure the prince as badly as she could.
Ainsworth barely had time to react. He pivoted, raising his sword in defense. The impact sent shockwaves through his body as Nyx's blade met his own.
"You've gotten faster, but speed alone won't save you!" he retorted, trying to mask the surprise in his voice. He went for a strike of his own, targeting her midsection, but with Holy Speed still active, Nyx was like a ghost, flickering away from the direction of the attack to Ainsworth's frustration.
Then she closed the distance once more, engaging the armored prince in an intense display of swordsmanship. The audience watched in fascination as golden and white energy clashed repeatedly, electrifying the air.
The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers to the frustration of the king, as they saw the unknown girl winning against the tyrannical prince.
"She's really holding her own against the prince."
"I wonder how strong she'll become when she grows up."
"Who is she? Is she also a noble?"
"Damn it, the referee didn't even announce her name."
The spectator seats became noisy as everyone speculated about who Nyx was. They were coming up with wild theories.
"Maybe she's a secret daughter of a fallen noble," suggested one onlooker, his eyes wide with intrigue. "You know, someone from a family that was wiped out in the last war."
"No way!" a woman countered, shaking her head. "She's too strong to be just any noble's daughter. Look at how she's holding her own against Ainsworth! She must be a trained warrior from a powerful lineage."
Another voice chimed in, "What if she's the granddaughter of a legendary hero? That would explain her skills!" The crowd murmured in agreement, and a few even began to speculate on the details of this supposed hero's epic battles.
Hearing these theories, King Aldric grew more restless and anxious. 'If they learn that she's the daughter of Arthur, it won't be good. Why isn't he using the skill yet? End this already!'
Sensing the king's restlessness, Nathan suddenly thought of something and whispered to Brawn, who was beside him. Brawn's eyes lit up for a brief moment, and he pulled out a communication crystal, contacting someone amidst the crowd of spectators. That person nodded and put his communication crystal away.
Amidst the speculation, a tall man in fine clothes suddenly chimed in. "I heard from a reliable source that that girl has quite the background."
"What do you mean?" Several people turned to the man, who looked out of place in the midst of the commoners.
The tall man only grinned. "I heard she's none other than the daughter of Arthur Aegis Cromwell, the Human Champion!"
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