Abyssal Awakening - Chapter 922
Chapter 922: Fighting Aldric
The instant Alice stepped into the arena, the boundary of this place was sealed. A fog wall appeared much like her fight in the first zone.
Aldric, noticing Alice’s arrival, slowly stood up and placed his helmet over his head.
The golden helmet covered his entire face. Within the shadow that veiled the eyes, a pair of crimson orbs lit up.
*RUMBLE!!!
The instant his fingers wrapped around the handle of his blade, the world trembled from his presence.
Despite having her body frozen, Alice could feel her fight or flight instincts being triggered.
“What a freak.” Alice mumbled with a forced smile.
This wasn’t a fight or flight that came from the difference of power.
It didn’t matter if she was in her strongest state.
This wasn’t power…
This was technique, experience and his talent.
If they were equal, hell, even if she was stronger, she could tell that he’ll be able to bridge that gap using technique alone.
That’s the feeling she got from this man.
Zone!!!
The instant Alice regained her movement, she activated her Zone as her senses were instantly kicked into high gear.
Her blade unsheathed in one shift motion and she raised it to her left.
“Ha! What a freak.” Alice couldn’t help but laugh.
Had she not reacted, a blade would’ve definitely appeared next to her in an attempt to remove her head.
But because she was able to react in time and even prepare a parry, he conserved his energy and didn’t attack at all.
His intent was enough for her to react.
And despite establishing her Zone, there was no clash. She couldn’t feel the edge of his attack range.
Which could only mean one thing.
‘This entire place is within his grasp. I need to treat him like I’m fighting another version of myself. Hell, since it’s swordsmanship, it might be better to imagine him as Alyss.’ Alice narrowed her eyes.
On her shoulder, a butterfly landed while Alice and Aldric were sizing each other up.
She was being careful about what he could do while he was surprised by this opponent.
“Sir Aldric, Knight of the North. A hero during the times of famine. Within this landscape of white, a streak of red represented the hopes of those who still breathed.
“To him, you are simply another beast that must be slain so that the people he protects can live another day.
“But for you, he’s an obstacle that you must remove.” Monika’s voice echoed out.
Alice furrowed her brows. She wasn’t saying it right now. This was prerecorded. This jovial tone was a mismatch with how they were speaking earlier.
So the likelihood of her still being occupied by the anomalies are high.
‘But that’s something I should worry about later.’
Positioning her blade in front of her, Alice covered as much of her defence as possible while priming herself to activate Pale Lance at a moment’s notice.
Right now, Aldric had the advantage and she had to respect that fact. She had to allow him to expose his cards before she makes her moves.
But Aldric was disciplined, patient.
He took a step forward, just barely out of range from her Zone.
Light on his toes, ready to step back if needed so she couldn’t surprise him by a lunge either.
His stance was stable, perfect. No gaps that she could exploit.
His focus, deadly.
A stalemate.
Each shift would be met with a response.
Each factor would be followed by several simulations on what could potentially happen.
Right now, this arena was a pot of boiling hot oil. One spark was all it’ll take for everything to ignite.
Whoever loses their focus first will lose this battle of patience.
Should she make the first move? Should she wait?
Alice shifted her hand slightly to the right. Aldric adjusted his stance.
Aldric tilted forward slightly, adjusting his centre of gravity. Alice lowered her stance ready to counter or attack if needed.
The two circled each other.
Sweat rolled down Alice’s face.
Her concentration was being tested. Her Zone held stable for now but for how long?
When this entire area is within his reach, how long must she maintain this level of concentration?
A noose slowly tightened around Alice’s neck.
Their blades haven’t touched, yet countless clashes have already happened.
Alice’s back was drenched with sweat.
Her time was ticking. If she kept waiting, this Zone would collapse.
He was controlling the pace.
Therefore, the only choice for her right now was to disrupt this flow!
She held her breath. A lunge.
Sharp, precise, deadly. An arrow being let loose.
She dove down, kept her centre of gravity low and closed the gap in an instant.
Her blade was maintained in front of her, in line with her shoulder.
A thrust to test reaction, not to break his guard.
Yet.
*CLANG!!!
Her blade was parried. Not a single wasted movement from Aldric.
No panic in his eyes, just calculation of her trajectory and ideal blade path.
He stepped forward, following the motion of his parry into an upwards swing towards her face.
Alice leaned back and flicked her wrist, a strike to allow her thin blade to bend and slash against his face.
But Aldric didn’t stop his attack.
Alice could feel the cold wing biting at her skin from the force of his strike. A shallow cut from the pressure ripped her chin despite the blade missing.
Aldric tilted his head to prevent Alice’s blade tip from piercing his eye.
An exchange that Alice lost.
Putting strength into her legs, Alice flipped back and released a pulse of energy.
Pale Lance!
A strike forced from the snow that was kicked up, hidden and perfect for a sudden attack.
*CRACK!!!
‘F*ck.’ Alice cursed inwardly as she landed her jump and created some distance between them.
In front of her, Aldric had caught her spell mid flight and crushed it with his hands.
He stabbed his sword into the ground and rested his palms against the pommel.
Alice’s smile twitched.
He wasn’t impressed with what she had just tried to pull.
A provocation?
Narrowing her eyes, Alice started to take notes of his reaction speed.
Based on how long it took for her cast to reach him, trying to attack him that way wasn’t realistic.
It’ll just result in her wasting energy.
So unless she could set a trap using her spell similar to the casting method she uses outside of the Nightmare, this’ll be a battle of swordsmanship rather than tricks.
Adjusting her stance, Alice took a deep breath and blinked.
“!!!”
Aldric disappeared from view and Alice immediately lowered her centre of gravity before supporting the face of her blade using her palm.
*CLANG!!!
From behind, Aldric’s sword slammed into her rapier.
But because Alice had supported her blade and slanted it to the side, his blade slid off and she managed to avoid having her weapon broken in half.
Gritting her teeth, Alice twisted her body in order to follow up with a downwards slash but Aldric had already recovered from his strike!
Using his sword as a shield, he spun himself around and slammed his foot into Alice’s stomach, sending her flying backwards.
Even with that giant sword, Aldric was fast!
Using it as a vault, he lunged into the air and dropped towards where Alice would stop.
Pale Lance!!!
Throwing her own flight off course, Alice managed to avoid the plunge from above but his string of attacks was far from over.
From the snow, his blade tore through with a wide arc that Alice ducked under.
Anchoring his sword into the ground to use as a pivot, Aldric threw his body towards Alice who countered with a Pale Lance!
*CRACK!!!
The lance was shattered in half as he landed an uppercut at the perfect moment to destroy the spell.
But during this gap where both his hands were occupied, Alice lunged!
Three rapid thrusts!
In order to win, she had to use every advantage she had.
And as someone who’s using a rapier right now, speed and precision was key!
Stab towards the gaps of his helmet, the bundle of nerves running from his neck, through the armpit and into the arm.
Then lastly, a cut towards the inner thigh in order to induce as much bleeding as possible!
But…
The first thrust was dodged.
The second, he abandoned his blade and flicked the tip of Alice’s rapier away.
The last thrust he trapped between the elbow and his knee.
With her blade trapped, Alice didn’t hesitate to do the same.
Abandoning her weapon, she kicked upwards, aiming her heel at his neck.
Widening her eyes, she watched as Aldric caught the attack between his teeth.
Unable to pull her foot back in time, Alice was left open!
With a light lick to the back of her knee, Aldric was able to break her stance immediately as her defences crumbled.
Grabbing her ankle, he swung her over his head and slammed her into the ground!
*CRACK!!!
Feeling her bones giving up under the pressure, Alice held back a cry as she quickly stuffed some healing grass into her mouth.
Pale Lance!
A spell aimed precisely at his arm in order to force him to let go!
As Aldric leaned to the side to avoid the spell, Alice managed to break free and grabbed her rapier.
Sliding back to create some distance, she winced from the pain she was feeling.
She had lost that series of exchanges. If this continues…
Her death was unavoidable!
Dusting the snow off his armour, Aldric reached out with his hand and his great sword was recalled.
*BANG!!!
Catching his blade, the snow around him was pushed away as Aldric took an offensive stance.
Alice’s smile twitched.
That entire exchange… He was simply gauging how strong she was. But now, he was going to take the initiative to kill!
‘Freakish b*stard.’
Clearing her mind, Alice lost her smile and took an offensive stance as well.
After a moment of silence, both fighters lunged towards one another.