“I-I am sorry, guys.. I failed…” said Chumo in a weak tone, as Klea and the others came to help carry his exhausted body back to the terrace area. A resigned look was seen on his face as he spoke those words.
“Don’t worry, man. It’s already happened. What’s more, you did well.” Thrax said with a big smile.
“That’s right! You have fought valiantly against someone in the top 20, Chumo. You should be proud of yourself instead,” said Klea with an encouraging smile.
Hearing the words of comfort from his friends, Chumo only heaved a sigh before he silently sat down in the corner of the area with his eyes closed as he tried to recover his depleted stamina and spirit pool back.
Klea wanted to help him recover, but was unable to because it was her turn to fight next.
“Next! A match between Kleopatra and Jinkan Nephilim!”
The moment those words sounded in the air, discussion broke out among the crowd. Any mentions of the famous Nephilim would always bring whispers, and this time almost everyone talked about it as they knew that the one that came out to fight today was the one of the Nephilim royalties.
The girl was, arguably, the most prestigious figure among all the acolytes who participated in the tournament.
As Klea stepped into the arena, she saw that her opponent was already there. A beautiful young woman with short golden blonde hair stood on the other side of the arena, as her intimidating presence seeped through her charming smile.
The first thing Klea did was to probe and test Jinkan’s mental defense. But then, not only she wasn’t able to enter her opponent’s mind, she heard an amused voice inside her head instead.
“You don’t really think you will be able to use a spirit attack on me, right?”
Klea flinched for a second, but quickly recollected her bearings as she shrugged nonchalantly.
“Well, there’s no harm in trying.”
Jinkan smiled hearing the response and spoke to her head once again. “I actually like you girl…”
Klea didn’t respond verbally when she heard that. She only showed a reaction that she was amused and Jinkan continue to explain,
“Kleopatra the third, a princess who managed to usurp the throne from her brother and sister, eventually becoming a queen of a nation.. Such an inspiration, don’t you agree?”
Klea was startled when she heard Jinkan’s words, and couldn’t help but wonder if the latter had probed her memory. The suspicion however only lasted for a second as she soon realized such a thing was not possible since the mental defense she put up was still intact.
As if knowing her thoughts, Jinkan once again spoke to her mind. “Are you wondering how I got to know this story of you? Well, of course it’s from none other than the newest member to our family.”
“Julian?! What’s he doing by giving out my information?! Why?” She said in her thought
Jinkan spoke again, the wicked smile on her she added “You truly are a smart person. With the power you have, you don’t have to worry about letting your sister take the throne. She will do all the hard work while you go out looking for love.. How romantic.”
Klea was about to respond when she suddenly fell silent. In that moment, she snapped from her thoughts as she finally realized that Jinkan was trying to mess with her mind. After all, anger was one of the easy ways to allow spirit attacks go unobstructed.
She calmed her emotions as she also fell into contemplation. With the status that Earth had, it would not be difficult for Jinkan who was an important figure of the Nephilim faction to get information about the sovereign status of one of the biggest kingdoms on the planet.
At this time, Jinkan’s voice sounded in his mind again.
“Ah!, you don’t believe me.”
Klea cast her gaze upon the Nephilim girl and said while gritting her teeth. “You are messing with the wrong girl..”
Taking out her new Tier 5 Lavender Sword, Klea assumed her swordsmanship stance and didn’t say anything else. It was clear what her intention was.
“Hahaha, alright. I will play with you a little bit.”
The Nephilim took out a silky transparent glove and slipped them through her fingers, stretching them completely until they covered her arms up to the elbow. Then, in response to Klea’s action, she assumed what seemed to be a hand-to-hand fighting stance.
This was certainly a surprising sight for all, something unexpected for someone who hailed as the Nephilim Princess.
“I am ready. Come at me.” She said with a smile.
Despite her illustrious reputation among the privileged acolytes, Jinkan was actually considered one of the most mysterious among the top privileged acolytes. She had never accepted a duel, and when she fought Emery last time she also decided to surrender before the fight even started.
The girl also never showed her ability during the Andora battle, while in the previous matches she won by using the same artifact Soaring Shuttle that the other Nephilims used. However, Klea knew better than to think that the girl’s abilities were all that.
Knowing from the information she gathered that the Nephilim achieved rank 15th in the test ranking, Klea decided to give her all before charging in. One hand holding the sword, while the other cast spells onto herself.
To increase her physique, Klea first cast her [Immortal Gate – stage 5] which boosted her battle power by 32 points, and then the lightning spell [Energize] which added more battle power to the equation.
[20 battle power increased]
After that, the water element [Slipstream] spell and ice element [Frozen Skin] took effect. The former increased her movement speed while the latter was for her defense.
[Agility increased]
[Endurance increased]
Lastly, clusters of wind began to gather around the Lavender Sword before enveloping the blade as she cast the [Wind Infusion] spell, increasing the lethality of her weapon.
One battle art and four buff-type spells were used at the same time. It was an ability that an acolyte could rarely perform, so it was no wonder the sight sparked some reactions among the knowledgeable onlookers.
“Here I come!”
Klea shot forward, streaking across the arena towards Nephilim with [36 Divine Sword Technique] in full motion. Even though she was not as skillful as Emery, it was still an advanced sword skill that couldn’t be underestimated.
Clank clank!
Sounds were heard as Jinkan swiftly blocked all the strikes Klea threw with her palms. What’s more, she still looked calm and confident as she always has been. The crowd quickly became animated as the fight started and the two beautiful young women clashed with each other.