‘Shckkk’
Aether placed a hand on his chest, feeling the card return to its place without the need for a summon, “I suppose it returns to the user and… no one could steal it,” Aether muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on Blake, who was still recovering from the sudden attack.
“Are you okay? Don’t die on me now… I still have a score to settle,” Aether remarked with a sly grin, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
“YOU!!” Blake snapped, his eyes filled with hatred as he glared at Aether.
“That’s more like it. Come at me now,” Aether nodded in satisfaction, observing Blake seethe with anger.
Blake clenched his Arcane Card tightly, and in a swift motion, the card dispersed into shimmering particles of silver before coalescing into a long, slender sword.
With determination in his eyes, Blake lunged toward Aether, the sword gleaming as it sliced through the air, his intent clear…. to defeat his opponent once and for all.
“Increase Agility,” Aether muttered under his breath.
!~Ding~!
[+1 Agility]
[Agility: 11↑]
‘Shhh’
Just as Blake’s sword was about to connect with Aether’s neck, Aether dodged it with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike.
“What the…” Blake was momentarily taken aback, his confusion evident as he struggled to comprehend Aether’s sudden burst of speed. Despite having analyzed Aether’s movements and speed beforehand, he found himself surprised by the sudden increase in Aether’s agility.
“He’s improving…” Empress murmured quietly, her gaze fixed on Aether’s now more intriguing eyes, which seemed to hold secrets beyond comprehension.
“Yes…” Archpriestess nodded in agreement, noting Aether’s newfound confidence and careless demeanour, a stark contrast to his earlier cautiousness.
“BAM!!”
Aether swiftly countered Blake’s momentary distraction with a powerful punch to his gut. Blake staggered back, coughing up blood as the force of the blow took its toll. With a defiant glare, he locked eyes with Aether, his gaze burning with determination.
“Yes… I quite like those eyes,” Aether remarked with a smile, his expression a mix of drunken and delight.
‘Tsk, He’s clearly concealing his true strength,’ Blake thought to himself, his resolve hardening as he prepared to launch another assault on Aether, this time with heightened caution and vigilance against any potential blind spots.
“Hmm…” Aether’s smile widened as he once again muttered,
“Increase Agility”
!~Ding~!
[+1 Agility]
[Agility: 12↑]
‘Shhh’
‘Too fast!!’ Blake’s eyes widened in disbelief as Aether effortlessly evaded his attack once more. Reacting swiftly, Blake attempted an unexpected blade swing, only to have it redirected to the ground by Aether’s agile manoeuvre. However, before Blake could fully comprehend the situation, a voice echoed from behind him….
“That’s a mistake many make…”
‘He’s behind me!!’ Blake’s realization came too late as Aether’s swift kick connected with his body.
‘Thud’
‘Thud’
‘Thud’
Blake tumbled across the ground, his body rolling several times before coming to a stop.
‘Thu’ Spitting blood from his mouth, Blake’s lips twitched in pain. The impact from Aether’s kick had taken its toll, leaving Blake to acknowledge Aether’s strength and agility, ‘He’s not just strong… he’s faster than I anticipated,’ Blake acknowledged inwardly, his mind racing through any potential opening.
Blake knew he needed a magician to back him up. He glanced at his party members, who looked at him with worried expressions.
‘N-No, I mustn’t fall now. I need to win this tournament and earn the money that Empress promised us,’ he thought. When they arrived to compete in the tournament, they received an unexpected visit from the Empress’s Maid. She informed them that they only needed to defeat one opponent to receive a generous reward, and without hesitation, Blake and his team agreed.
Aether observed Blake, pondering, ‘Did I really get beaten by this guy…?’ He followed Blake’s gaze, wondering what had caught his attention.
“OH! Oh!…” Aether’s smile widened as he addressed Blake. “I suppose you are nothing without your group.”
“What are you babbling about?” Blake asked, his annoyance evident as he slowly stood up and readied his fighting stance.
“Let’s see… 1 vs 7….” Aether paused, adopting a contemplative expression before turning back to Blake with a mockingly pitiful look, “Oh, my apologies…. hehe… 1 vs 6, isn’t it? I mean, that red-haired bitch you abandoned, crushed like a tomato… am I right?”
Blake’s eyes widened in realization, “I-I didn’t abandon h… wait!!! Y-You…” It finally dawned on him what Aether was implying.
Aether’s smile widened even further as he mockingly bowed like a gentleman and introduced himself officially, “Heh… Yes, Yours truly… My true name is Aether. The Stray Slave whom you and your companions once tried to eliminate, along with a little girl!”
Empress exchanged a meaningful glance with the Archpriestess, who had expressions of simmering anger as she watched the unfolding confrontation…. Her eyes burned with anger when she saw Blake.
‘This is getting interesting…’ Empress thought, her eyes glinting with amusement as she observed her daughter’s surprised reaction.
“Is something the matter?” Empress asked Princess with a knowing smile.
“H-Huh? No,” Princess quickly shook her head, her attention now fully on Aether as she pointed at him. “Who is he?…. I can feel the Arcane connected to him, just like with Kai’s… but his….. is even stronger.”
“That’s for you to find out,” Empress replied cryptically, her gaze lingering on Aether with a hint of intrigue.
Delphine remained seated behind Velc, observing everything with a calm demeanour as she sipped her drink. Her eyes were fixed on Aether, studying his every move intently. Even the Snow peeked out from her cleavage, its eyes glittering as it followed Aether’s fight with keen interest.
“M-Master, why is he so strong?” Alfred couldn’t contain his worries and directed the question to Velc.
“I don’t understand it either…” Velc muttered, his frustration growing as he glanced at Delphine, who discreetly pushed Snow back into her cleavage.
“You said he’s only level 1, right?” Velc’s voice carried a hint of disbelief.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then can you explain what we’re witnessing now?” Velc’s tone betrayed his rising anger as he pointed at Aether and said, “There is no way in hell a Level One could do this!!”
“I don’t know,” Delphine replied simply, her expression unreadable.
“Ggrrr” Velc gritted his teeth in frustration, “I’ll have to report this to Father.”
“Sure, go ahead… Even the old man will know I didn’t lie,” Delphine waved dismissively.
“Ggrrr” Velc could only clench his teeth tighter in frustration. Alfred glanced at his son, a worried expression crossing his face as he feared his son might lose his position due to this unexpected turn of events.