After finishing the last of the fish, Zaefal stood up and stretched his stiff body. He turned to Rasie, a sly smile etched on his face. "Let’s see how long I can last this time,"
Zaefal had deliberately not told his party members about his level increasing to 29. He wanted to see Rasie’s surprised expression firsthand during their fight. In their previous duels, he had always been soundly defeated due to the level difference. This time, at the same level, he was confident he could easily turn the tables.
Rasie chuckled at the challenge. She also stood and picked up her sword, which was leaning against a tree. "I’ll be very disappointed if you can’t even last two minutes against me," she retorted with a small laugh.
They both walked to the center of the clearing and took their positions.
Rasie immediately settled into her stance, her gaze sharpening and focusing entirely on Zaefal. She took a deep breath, then murmured a single word in a low voice. "Flaw."
Instantly, the air pressure around them grew heavy, pushing dust and dry leaves in all directions. The birds perched on nearby branches took flight in a panic. The blade of Rasie’s sword changed color, emitting a deep red glow, similar to iron forged in extreme heat for a long time.
Fyar was startled by the drastic change. Is that woman serious about killing him or what? This was the first time he had seen someone use magic directly since arriving in this world.
Zaefal, however, was completely unintimidated. He just gave a slight smile, then drew his sword and settled into a solid stance.
Zaefal exhaled, his voice sounding deeper than usual. "Vior."
A strong gust of wind swirled around him. Zaefal’s blade was enveloped in a pitch-black aura that absorbed the light, with faint purple flickers running across its surface.
What kind of power is that? The question immediately popped into Fyar’s mind. Are the powers of Hunters different for each person, or is it a natural ability from birth? He had assumed all Hunters possessed the same type of power, but the difference between Rasie’s fire magic and Zaefal’s dark energy shattered his theory.
He shifted his gaze to Illya, who was smiling calmly as she watched the preparations. "Are they trying to kill each other? Why do they look so serious?" Fyar asked.
Illya covered her mouth with her hand and let out a small laugh. She shook her head gently. "Mmm, no, not at all. They’re always like this when they train," she answered. She paused for a moment before adding, "Besides, if anyone gets seriously hurt, I can heal them."
Fyar placed a hand on his chin. "Oh, I see," he muttered. Considering Rasie’s personality, she was indeed the type to go all out even in practice.
But Zaefal... Fyar hadn’t expected it. His initial impression of the young man was that of a calm person who didn’t enjoy fighting as much. However, seeing his expression now, he realized his assessment was wrong.
"Come on," Rasie said, her voice deep and resonant.
The next second, she shot forward, leaving a trail of heat on the ground she’d stepped on.
Shhht!
Zaefal moved almost simultaneously, his figure blurring as he suddenly appeared right in front of Rasie to meet her attack.
CLANG!
Two swords met, creating a loud metallic crash. Zaefal attacked with a flurry of rapid slashes, each movement leaving a trail of black and purple energy in the air. Rasie managed to block them all, sparks flying every time her red blade clashed with Zaefal’s black one.
Feeling her attacks were ineffective, Rasie leaped back to create distance. She raised her sword to the sky, then swung it in various directions. With each swing, flames erupted from her blade. She then slashed it straight at Zaefal. That single slash split in mid-air, becoming six sharp blades of wind cloaked in fire that sped towards Zaefal from different angles.
Zaefal didn’t dodge. He charged forward into the attack, slashing back with his own sword. One by one, he parried the six fiery wind blades. As the black shadow of his blade made contact with Rasie’s flames, the fire didn’t extinguish or scatter; instead, it was completely absorbed into the black blade.
Awesome! Damn, this is so cool! Fyar was thoroughly entertained. Magic and a sword fight of this magnitude were actually happening right in front of him.
Giving no quarter, Rasie leaped high until she was directly above Zaefal. A feral grin was plastered on her face as she spun her body rapidly in the air. The flames from her sword grew larger, forming a vicious vortex of fire. She then dove down, aiming for Zaefal at high speed.
Zaefal knew he didn’t have enough time to dodge. He braced his feet, then spun his sword rapidly in front of his body until the motion formed a circular shield of black and purple energy.
BOOM!
Rasie’s spinning attack slammed into Zaefal’s shield. A deafening impact rang out, and the ground beneath Zaefal’s feet cracked from the immense pressure. The fire from Rasie’s sword raged wildly, but it was all contained and absorbed by the black shield. Zaefal grunted, the muscles in his arms straining as he held against his opponent’s full power.
"Is this all?" Zaefal taunted through his effort, his smile still in place.
Rasie’s eyes widened in shock. Normally, this attack would have been enough to send Zaefal flying. But now, he was able to withstand it.
Taking advantage of Rasie’s surprise, Zaefal channeled the energy his sword had absorbed. The black shield suddenly erupted outward, violently pushing Rasie back into the air.
Rasie landed deftly several meters away, her expression now serious. "You’ve gotten stronger," she hissed, more a statement than a question.
"You’re just noticing?" Zaefal retorted.
The fight resumed, but now at a much faster pace. They exchanged blows, their movements so quick they left only blurs of red and black clashing against each other. The clang of swords was incessant, punctuated by the hiss of fire and the rumble of dark energy. Zaefal was no longer just defending. He could now match Rasie’s every move, even forcing her to dodge on occasion.
Rasie growled in frustration. She swung her sword in a wide arc, releasing a wave of fire that swept across the ground. Zaefal leaped over it, and while airborne, he swung his sword downward. A slash of dark purple energy shot towards Rasie.
She parried it, but the force of the slash pushed her back slightly. Enough was enough. She decided to end this. She activated "Flaw" again, causing her fire aura to burn even more intensely until the air around her felt dry and hot.
Seeing this, Zaefal did something unexpected. He stopped attacking and just stood still, holding his sword with two hands and planting its tip lightly into the ground. The pitch-black aura from his blade began to spread, creeping along the ground and creating a circle of darkness around him.
"What are you—"
Before Rasie could finish her sentence, Zaefal whispered one word. "Void."
The circle of darkness instantly expanded, swallowing all light and sound within it. For a moment, Fyar and Illya could see nothing but a silent field of blackness.
From within the darkness, there was a very loud clang of metal, followed by the sound of something falling to the ground.
The darkness then receded, sucked back into Zaefal’s sword.
The sight that was revealed made Fyar hold his breath. Rasie was kneeling on one leg, her sword lying a few inches from her hand. The tip of Zaefal’s black sword was now stopped right at her neck.
Zaefal took a ragged breath, sweat dampening his temples. He then grinned, smiling as he said.
"Round 2?"