Ethan Goldenveil wasn’t sure yet whether the system would consider Alaric a worthy opponent for a fair duel, since he was injured.
But he wanted to test it anyway.
Ethan was also wounded, and by the end, both of them had expended a great deal of Aura.
’I should have enough to use the Burning Blood Body Enhancent Skill and a single Aura Slash,’ he thought, his eyes fixed on Alaric’s.
Just behind the captain of the Goldenveil guard, if he could still be called that, one of his followers tried to flee.
He barely took three steps before having his throat slit by one of the summoned guards.
"Where did you get these n?" Evelyn asked, impressed.
She was already relaxed, despite the initial confusion that had overtaken her face.
"A man has his secrets." Ethan chuckled. "Now rest a bit. I’ll deal with this pig."
Under Ethan’s gaze, Alaric hesitated.
Nobles didn’t duel to the death against commoners.
At least not normally.
For nobles, a duel to the death was a divine judgnt.
Winning ant, in a way, being declared the chosen one of the gods. After all, the gods wouldn’t hand defeat to one who carries the truth in his heart, would they?
A trial by combat was, too, a judgnt by the gods.
How could a noble, soone whose blood was blessed by the gods themselves, put himself in the position of dueling a commoner?
And yet, there was Ethan, offering Alaric the chance of a duel.
Wasn’t that madness?
A flood of thoughts washed over Alaric’s face, but in the end, all he could do was sigh and prepare his sword.
That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing...
That might be the only chance he had!
If he killed Ethan, everything would be settled, wouldn’t it?
Alaric’s eyes flashed. He didn’t even care that his n were dying one by one as they tried to flee, their screams of agony echoing all around.
Ethan’s summoned guards showed no rcy, but neither would Alaric.
Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword.
"If you want to die that badly, brat... I’ll show you how the real world works!"
"Very well, co on!"
The two roared at the sa ti, and, stepping forward, Ethan activated the burning blood Body Enhancent Skill, swinging his sword to parry Alaric’s descending blow.
A tallic clang echoed as the two blades t, dust rising around them, steel sliding against steel.
"You... what kind of sorcery is this?" Alaric took a step back, feeling a tallic tremor spread through his arms.
Ethan, standing before him, glowed with a terrifying crimson aura, exuding murderous intent.
"A dead man needs to know nothing." Ethan advanced again, stomping hard on the ground before gripping his sword with both hands and launching an upward slash.
Alaric leaned back, striking his sword against the side of Ethan’s, deflecting it to the side and opening the boy’s guard.
"Shit..." Ethan turned to the side as Alaric drew a dagger from his waist with his free hand, maintaining control of Ethan’s sword with the other.
The dagger aid for the heart but struck the shoulder, drawing a pained grunt from Ethan, who planted his right foot on the ground and kicked toward Alaric’s face.
A crash echoed and Alaric’s head was sent flying backward, Ethan’s sword sliding past his as Ethan stepped back.
"Ah... son of a bitch..." Alaric shifted his aura, clearing his vision blurred by the impact and spitting blood onto the floor, two teeth coming out along with the crimson liquid.
He wiped his bloodied mouth with his shirt sleeve, keeping a cold stare on Ethan.
’90 seconds...’ Ethan counted down the ti remaining until the Burning Blood body enhancent technique wore off.
His mana reserves were half gone, and his stamina wasn’t much better either, but fortunately, the sa was true for Alaric.
If they were both screwed, then they were both even, right?
The two stared each other down for a mont before charging forward at the sa ti, blades aid at each other’s necks.
Alaric attacked with a downward slash from left to right while Ethan swung his blade in the opposite direction.
Evelyn, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but close her eyes for a brief mont as the sharp sound of steel eting steel echoed, a burst of tallic sparks scattering in the space between them.
Once again, neither of them managed to gain the upper hand.
’Don’t you dare lose...’ She clenched her perfect, pearly teeth, her fist clenched so tightly that her own fingernail tore the skin of her palm.
Blood dripped onto the floor beneath her as she steeled her resolve.
Suddenly, she understood perfectly how Alice felt.
It was hard to imagine losing a man like Ethan, and even harder to imagine what her life would be like if he were to die there.
Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she prepared to intervene as soon as necessary.
She wouldn’t go ho without her man!
Ethan felt Evelyn’s burning gaze on his back.
He knew what she was thinking, a soft smile spreading across his lips.
It was ti to end this fight.
"You’re strong, kid, but this sorcery won’t last forever! Sooner or later, you’ll go back to being just another pathetic first-stage!" Alaric roared with all the strength in his lungs.
Even as a second-stage warrior, practically every type of aura technique was completely out of his reach, just as Goldenveil’s poverty was.
How could he see that technique that made Ethan’s body explode with power and be engulfed by a crimson aura, if not as witchcraft?
"You talk too much, worm." Ethan shook his head, checking his mana reserve.
One hundred and twenty points.
It wasn’t much, but it was all he needed.
With a long sigh, he took a step forward, the blade slicing through the air and leaving a crimson trail behind, like a crescent-shaped cut spreading toward Alaric, aiming for his chest.
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