“I’m not distracted at any time, am I?”
“You always are.”
The empty eyes gave the impression that the girl’s emotions had all but disappeared. But listening to the heat in her voice made it immediately clear.
Ceria was not Emotionless.
Rather, it was that only one emotion remained, overwhelming all other aspects, making it impossible to see anything else.
Like white paint spilled over a canvas looks like a blank sheet of drawing paper.
I had a guess as to the name of that emotion.
“I’m right beside you, yet your eyes are always looking elsewhere. I understand. Senior Ian is in his prime, and when those vixen-like girls surround him, how can your eyes not wander? Day after day… leaving me behind.”
It creaked,
And as the sound of grinding teeth echoed, a rumbling energy burst forth around Ceria. Even upon a second glance, it was remarkable magical energy.
What on earth had she consumed?
At this level, I also needed to take precautions. Although I held the upper hand in skill and aura power, the output itself was on a different level altogether.
Unfortunately, my own body wasn’t in normal condition either.
As I thought this, I slowly began to draw up my aura.
Even amidst that, Ceria’s anger continued unabated.
“I have always had only Senior Ian… but he is always looking at someone else… Do you know how much my heart has ached? Like a fool, I shed tears, and no matter how long I wait, nothing changes!”
“Calm down, Ceria.”
I gently urged Ceria to settle down, but obviously, there was no way she would listen to me.
The blood-red flames once again rose from Ceria’s sword. As she gradually settled into her stance, it reminded me of my junior from long ago.
The Ceria I had first seen.
Back then too, Ceria had exuded an overwhelming aura. Even though it was just a spar.
“This cannot go on, no, no, no… I’ll live my whole life being robbed… I’ve already lost everything to that bitch! My family, my mother, even Senior Ian! I can’t stand it anymore!”
Her wail was so intense that her voice, soaked in anger and jealousy, trembled. Deep within Ceria’s eyes, panic lingered.
I sensed it instinctively.
Now it was just beginning.
“I have to take it back…!”
With a scream that resembled a howl, Ceria took a step forward, eyes bloodshot.
The sword she raised boasted a grand appearance. The crimson aura, now mixed with Ceria’s blue light, formed a violet pillar connecting the land and sky.
“By any means necessary… even if I have to kill someone!”
And then, a flash of light.
The violet sword strike soared like a rampart.
The aura, which might be several meters or even a dozen meters wide, was enough to erase the distance between Ceria and me.
In contrast, the aura surrounding my sword seemed tiny in comparison.
But I still had my tactics.
Thud,
As if I were being propelled from the slice of time, my body shot forward. No matter how fast the sword strike was, it couldn’t outrun me racing through frozen time.
My sword tip rushed up like a bolt of lightning before Ceria’s eyes. The world, still devoid of color, remained unchanged.
There was only one target I aimed for, seizing this golden opportunity.
Ceria’s shoulder.
It was obvious; arms were like life itself to a swordsman. If even one arm were incapacitated, handling the sword would become a monumental issue.
Since I could not kill her anyway, I would incapacitate her.
My judgment, born from numerous real battles, was accurate. Ceria, overwhelmed as she was, had lost the precision she had before, exposing relatively more openings after swinging her sword.
Her shoulder, which I could not afford to let go of, was wide open.
Thus, if I employed time stop well, it might just be possible to incapacitate her without issue.
Yes, that should have been the case.
Until my sword came to rest against Ceria’s throat.
“Insane…!”
It was an exclamation birthed from meeting her crazed, blue eyes.
It was a close call. My body, having already strained several times, could no longer maintain the halted world, causing time to flow again in that last moment.
But even if that were the case, I would only have a split moment to spare.
Yet, Ceria overcame it with an unbelievable level of durability and reflexes. Grabbing the blade merely by clenching her throat required incredible strength, but it was an even greater feat that her skin remained unscathed.
Truly, a robust physique worthy of the metaphor “steel.”
Looking back, even the hand axe I had thrown at the beginning had failed to deliver an effective blow to the back of Ceria’s hand.
I had no chance to dwell in reflection.
Ceria, who had seized my sword, immediately attempted to kick my solar plexus with her leg. With strength like that, even I would struggle to avoid serious injury.
Right now, contemplating was a luxury.
Clang! My hand axe and her foot collided in mid-air, the sound of the impact impossible to believe as a clash between weapon and flesh.
The outcome too was evenly matched.
Both Ceria and I stepped back a moment, but Ceria released the strength she used on her throat to swing her sword again.
Grasping the falling sword, she unleashed another strike.
This time it was a clash between blades. The flames and sounds erupted late, showcasing the blazing exchange at supersonic speeds.
Once was not enough.
Ceria and I unleashed countless strikes in rapid succession.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
An uncountable symphony of noise burst forth as if to tear everything apart. Azure flames streamed through the air like a downpour.
As the remnants faded, the one pushed back was me.
I was wounded, while Ceria’s body was stronger than ever. Naturally, it meant I couldn’t hold my ground in a contest of strength.
As I staggered back from being overpowered, Ceria glimmered with a menacing look and stepped forward.
“Not yet…!”
Once again her violet aura surged forth. It was a clear declaration of will, stating she would never miss me, even if I jumped back.
Indeed, I was in a tight spot.
If I were just someone who could handle a sword.
Just before Ceria could completely close in on me, a flash of red appeared in her retina.
The air bled, inscribing bizarre letters in mid-air. Such a technique featuring this attribute could only be found once throughout the entire continent.
Dragon Blood Script.
Ceria’s eyes widened, and that was the signal.
Boom!
With an explosion, a storm of heat and light engulfed the area. I, too, was not free from the aftereffects and fell back, but that was precisely what I had hoped for.
The power of Dragon Blood Script was hard to withstand even with a strengthened body. Even Ceria, who had never faltered before, staggered back in retreat.
But that short reprieve was everything.
It was more essential than ever for me.
I gritted my teeth and rotated the magic around my body. Once again, the light faded from the world, and my body creaked as I sped through the gap.
Please, please reach…!
Yet again, it was just out of reach. Just before the blade could slice through her thigh, Ceria barely escaped the stop in time and deflected my blade.
“Kuh…!”
Due to my stance collapsing once, I failed to fully counter my sword.
Thus, our back-and-forth continued for quite some time.
I sprinted through the stilled world, Ceria retaliated, then fell back again and surged forward.
Each time, the time I could stop was gradually shortening.
0.9 seconds.
0.5 seconds.
0.3 seconds.
In the end, it was reduced to almost below 0.1 seconds.
Soon my vision became blurred. I was panting, hunched over at the waist as I gasped for breath.
The wounds from fighting against the vampire’s bloodline clung to me until the very end. While they weren’t fatal, the bizarre injuries that even a healing potion couldn’t remedy resulted in continuous bleeding.
Such a condition was inevitable.
It led to the limits of my stamina.
Facing off against an unyielding monster felt akin to a death sentence.
But Ceria was not unharmed either.
“Ha ha, ah… ahah, ahahahaha!”
Her clothing was torn in many places, and she bore wounds all over her body. Among those were areas critical for a swordsman, like her arms and legs.
Still, the disparity between Ceria and me was clear.
Ceria stood strong on her own two legs, while I struggled to catch my breath. Realizing this, Ceria looked down at her condition and burst into laughter.
“Senior Ian, you’re too kind… There were better chances to go for my throat, weren’t there?”
I swallowed a hollow laugh at her words.
Ceria was right.
Despite how short my time to halt was, I was no fool. Naturally, I had made numerous efforts to subdue Ceria within that brief window.
For instance, I had risked my life to buy some time as close as possible.
Of course, there were limits. As long as I had a sword in hand, I couldn’t evade Ceria’s vigilance, which meant there was always a gap remaining between us, no matter how much I closed in.
Nonetheless, opportunities inevitably presented themselves. Especially since Ceria had yet to encounter ‘vigilance’; there couldn’t be a more apparent skill disparity between us.
Yet, even then, I couldn’t subdue Ceria.
Why?
Because I couldn’t be ruthless enough.
How could I bring myself to kill my beloved junior?
The moment’s hesitation was fatal in this battle. The result was now glaringly evident in my current standoff with Ceria.
Ceria seemed genuinely pleased that I couldn’t bring myself to strike her down.
Her gaze towards me overflowed with desire.
“Ah, so kind. So kind. So kind… So, you can’t strike anyone down. I know, Senior Ian… you really couldn’t choose, could you?”
One step, two steps.
The girl began to tread lightly. Instinctively, I tightened my grip on the sword, then quickly loosened it again.
It was useless.
After countless exchanges, I realized one thing: Ceria’s aura was interfering with reality itself.
Whether it was magic or phenomena, it was as if I was being physically torn apart in the presence of her aura. As if an amorphous being had become solid.
Was this the characteristic of Ceria’s aura?
It was clear why time stop had barely released. It must have been due to the clash between Ceria’s aura and mine.
In the situation I was racing towards her, there was no way to win.
At least, if I were at full capacity.
Ceria moved forward another step, riding on my silence.
“That’s why you couldn’t defeat that bitch either. You’re just too kind… But don’t worry anymore, Senior.”
Her voice was drowsy, like a dream.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my wavering body.
My thoughts had become muddled. Memories collided, and strange landscapes kept resurfacing before my eyes.
It seemed the effects of the potion were kicking in.
But still, it wasn’t time yet.
“I’ll take care of everything from now on. So that Senior Ian can only look at me… by killing off those bothersome females, we will create a world just for the two of us. Okay? You wanted that too, didn’t you, Senior?”
Taking a breath, I finally found some clarity in my vision.
We were now mere meters apart.
Just as Ceria took another step,
Clang!
The sound of impact rang out once more, perhaps for the hundredth time today.
