Chapter 229: I Will Test That Life of Yours (4)
It doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t know the location of the shadows connected to him just because he can’t see them. However, Aila’s illusions disrupted even that recognition system, directly confronting and hindering his will.
What is the commonality between superpowers and sorcery? In short, it can be said to be the manifestation of will through concentration. Silvan, realizing that it was ultimately a battle of willpower, quickly sharpened his mind.
The willpower contest between Silvan and Aila manifested in the world as a confrontation between the shadowy tentacles and the illusions.
A bright red boa constrictor swallows the tentacles wrapped around the jungle monkey’s body, and a herd of bright yellow elephants marches over the tentacles piercing the boa constrictor’s body. A flock of rainbow-colored kingfishers dives into the surface of the shadow that swallows the herd of elephants, and a swarm of snow-white hornets bites the tentacles.
The sight of the shadow tentacles and all sorts of bizarre animals engaged in a grand battle was something that would easily be dismissed as the ramblings of a madman if told to another person.
Silvan was flustered. He never thought that a woman in her early twenties would possess the willpower to stand up to him.
It’s understandable that he wouldn’t know. After all, Aila is a skilled superpower user capable of traversing parallel dimensions. Her willpower wasn’t just on par with ordinary people or slightly higher.
The scene continued, resembling a landscape painting by a mad artist, with shadows and illusions devouring each other. If a surrealist painter saw it, they would likely be able to effortlessly paint ten pictures of this bizarre and endlessly continuing spectacle.
If Silvan had snapped out of his bewilderment and decided to target Lucy, Aila would have had to consider a different approach.
However, he was a proud Shadow Manipulation user, and Aila, who had been gathering such information for a long time, had already grasped his personality.
She anticipated that if she provoked him and engaged in a head-on confrontation, he would undoubtedly focus on proving the superiority of Shadow Manipulation.
Collecting information and predicting correct outcomes has been her hobby and specialty since long ago.
Silvan’s downfall was his negligence in gathering information about his opponent.
Thus, when he realized that Aila was merely aiming to buy time, it was a belated realization, just like with those of his kind.
Aila smiled faintly and raised her hand, snapping her fingers lightly.
“Stop!”
Snap!
At that sound, the illusionary animals that were desperately fighting the shadows all disappeared at once. What came into Silvan’s view were the clumsily scattered shadow domain and tentacles.
At the same time, he saw Lucy holding Magbranz and grinning.
“Th-This……!”
The Spatial Mage raised Magbranz and shouted.
“Thank you for waiting! Lucy’s 3-minute magic! A rendezvous with a sun hotter than the scorching sun! Look forward to it! Direct Sun Ray!”
The sun in the sky sends its heat and light from an unimaginable distance. What if that were pulled impossibly close?
Lucy connected a spatial rift at about half the distance between the sun and their current location. As proof, a dark hole was pierced above Magbranz.
Light flashed from the spatial rift in the air.
Silvan almost instinctively summoned all his shadows and created a defensive wall in front of him. Simultaneously, terrifying heat and light headed towards him.
A storm of light and heat!
The grateful light that nurtures life and provides warmth revealed its sinister side as the distance closed. The intensity of the sun, devoid of mercy, engulfed Silvan’s shadows and aged body.
“Kwaaah―!”
A high-pitched scream echoed, and the shadows scattered without putting up much resistance. Even his Shadow Manipulation, honed through long training, couldn’t withstand the direct sunlight.
Exactly 3 seconds.
Silvan Harcian couldn’t endure those 3 seconds.
Aila, looking at the steaming Silvan and the scorched carpet, opened her mouth wide. Even she, who had experienced all sorts of things, had never seen such brutal magic.
“Whoa, that must be hot. Did you kill him?”
“No, he won’t die. The old man has some resilience. Tsk.”
Lucy shrugged. For some reason, she didn’t feel like killing him. More than anything, she had become quite interested in his Shadow Manipulation, and she also felt that he had something in common with her.
Except for priests, anyone who uses mana wants to be the best.
A sense of camaraderie felt between those who willingly dedicate their lives to the essence of power unattainable by ordinary people.
Lucy spared Silvan’s life because she somehow felt that connection.
He shrugged and said,
“The old man’s stamina is questionable, but he won’t die that easily. It’s the era of respecting the elderly.”
“It’s more like attacking the elderly. Really, what the?!”
Rumble rumble rumble……
Aila, about to retort to Lucy, suddenly wondered if the Imperial Palace building had contracted malaria. The ruthlessly violent shaking and the tremendous noise gave credence to her suspicion.
Lucy, using her two staffs for balance, shouted,
“Wo-Whoa! What’s happening! Is the building having a seizure?!”
“Physical Skip! Level 1 activated!”
Aila erased the physical forces acting upon her and lightly pushed off the ground, rising into the air.
Freed from the vibrations, she looked at the shaking building with a dumbfounded expression.
“What in the world……? Huh?!”
When she inadvertently glanced out the window.
The sky was dyed red.
***
Baius liked Al. He truly liked his serious attitude towards the match and his movements, which eloquently displayed his countless real-life battle experiences.
He had the qualities of a good martial artist, just as he had thought. And a practical combat type at that.
Thud! Crack!
He kicked off the ground and aimed a kick at Al’s temple. His seemingly gaunt body, seemingly devoid of even a single ounce of fat, was composed of pure muscle, boasting unparalleled agility and elasticity.
Baius thought that this must be the young man Al’s true fighting style.
He dodged the kick while stepping back and swung his short-held halberd upwards. At that moment, Al displayed movements that surprised even Levidian, who was watching.
Al, using the momentum from his attempt to strike Baius’s temple, rotated once and lifted himself using only the ankle strength of the leg that served as his axis. Simultaneously, he swiftly moved his retracting leg to step on the shaft of the upward-swinging halberd.
Due to the nature of the weapon, upward swings were difficult, so Baius was performing an upward swing using the shaft.
Al’s body, riding that force and momentum, soared upwards, stepping on Baius’s halberd. He then performed two more backflips and lightly landed on the ground.
Baius was impressed.
“Whew! Amazing! To be capable of such movements! Where did you learn such a thing?”
“The Gray Forest.”
“Good heavens! To think there are still people who train in that place! I see. Unconventional and adaptable quick movements honed to deal with monsters! Impressive!”
Levidian also agreed with Baius’s words. However, she was certain that Al had been able to achieve his current accomplishments because he frequently got lost in the Gray Forest.
Al didn’t react to Baius’s praise. His mind was calm, focused solely on defeating Baius. So, he almost mentioned that he got lost in the Gray Forest about fifteen times before reaching this point, but he closed his mouth and lightly stepped.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of his bouncing steps resembled the ticking of a stopwatch. Al gauged the distance between himself and Baius.
At some point, his eyes flashed.
Dash!
It was a sound so faint that one had to listen carefully, yet his body had already closed in on Baius. His speed was enough to surprise even Levidian, who valued speed and decisiveness.
Literally as fast as lightning. Al’s fist now aimed for Baius’s solar plexus. And then he targeted all the vital points, such as the philtrum, temples, neck, armpits, sides, and navel.
Baius blocked or dodged all the deadly punches flying at him with the shaft of his halberd and his movements.
The punch aimed at his abdomen carried the momentum to rupture his liver, and the punch aimed at his solar plexus carried the momentum to simply kill him.
It was a series of attacks that couldn’t be more ferocious and murderous, and therefore thrilling.
The occasional kicks and knees that flew in carried even greater force than the punches. Al, as if having grasped all the vital points of the human body, moved his position regardless of front, side, or rear, and delivered all sorts of deadly attacks.
If it had been a half-baked mercenary or a monster standing before him, they would have died a dozen times already.
‘Oh my god……?! All of that in one place?!’
Levidian was astonished.
She had thought that their duel would mainly consist of hit-and-run tactics, gauging the distance and closing in and retreating. However, Baius’s style wasn’t reliant on speed.
He stood firm like a fortress, facing Al head-on wherever he went. The halberd, as if alive, moved around his body, deflecting Al’s gauntlets and sparking flames.
And judging by the twitching of his lips, it was clear that he was enjoying this duel.
Then, her sharp eyes caught an astonishing fact.
‘He’s analyzing Al!’
Fighting style, attack patterns, the force behind the attacks…… Baius was analyzing Al’s fighting style, just as Levidian had thought.
Having thought this far, Levidian realized another fact.
‘What about Baius’s fighting style?’
She hadn’t clashed with him many times. Perhaps only once during the Narvilt conquest? And even then, it was a joint attack, so it wasn’t enough time to discern his style.
Did Al even know his fighting style?
She asked herself and arrived at a negative conclusion. Baius wasn’t staying still. He was just not moving until the analysis was complete.
Levidian tried to shout this out but shook her head. It was something that Al and Baius had to do. Her intervention would only be a hindrance. So, she watched Al’s onslaught with anxious feelings.
At some point, after dodging Al’s fist aimed at his face and blocking a leg sweep with the shaft of his halberd, Baius finally completed his twitching smile.
At that moment, the tide turned in an instant.
The halberd is a polearm. Therefore, the common sense that one would be unconditionally disadvantaged in close-quarters combat didn’t apply to him.
Whirr whirr whirr whirr―!
The halberd was rotating menacingly around his body. Thanks to the weight of the blade, it gained momentum and spun even faster.
If one were to be hit by the rotating blade, they would lose a limb, and even if they were hit by the shaft, their body would stagger. Al thought so and retreated, but……
Thwack!
As if anticipating it, Baius charged in the direction Al was retreating. Their speed and timing were almost identical. To Levidian, it looked as if they were standing still and the background was moving.
“Haaap!”
As if trying to transfer his heavy shout, the tip of the whirling halberd pierced towards Al. Since he had removed all his armor, if Al were to be hit by this attack, it would lead to a fatal wound.
Al felt a chill down his spine for the first time in a long time. He hadn’t realized it when he was covered in sturdy armor, but feeling the air with his whole body heightened his senses.
Feeling a sensation akin to the reunion with a runaway pet, Al followed his instincts. Or perhaps his body moved on its own.
Clang!
Al slapped the blade of the halberd sideways and twisted to the right using only the strength of his left ankle. While smoothly pivoting half a turn on the spot, Baius, who had stepped forward, passed in front of him.
Baius felt a pang of regret when Al slapped away the halberd. People with such keen eyesight and reflexes to act on what they see are rare.
He had tensed his muscles as much as possible, prepared to take a hit or two, and Al happened to twist to the left.
Thus, a secret unknown to everyone here except Baius was revealed.
As Al turned right to attack Baius’s exposed body from his left side, Baius’s left hand let go of the halberd and struck Al’s face directly.
Smack!
With a dull thud, Al’s body was sent flying. It was an unexpected attack, so he was unprepared.
Baius dusted off his left hand and said,
“Sorry. Actually, I’m left-handed.”
Levidian covered her mouth and suppressed a gasp. Baius’s posture had been that of a perfect right-hander. When holding the halberd, when blocking attacks, he had maintained the posture of a right-hander.
That’s why Al had moved to his left side. Right-handers are generally vulnerable to attacks from the left.
Al and Levidian had been completely deceived by Baius from the beginning of the duel.
“Tsk. A Switcher, huh.”
Al spat out blood-tinged saliva and muttered in frustration.
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