Chapter 103: Bella Vs. Oliver
Chapter 103
‘Oh no, I used too much force—’
Bang!
The fists collided, and both were flung backward due to the sheer impact of the collision.
‘Urk!’
Bella’s expression shifted as she inspected her fingers in surprise. It was an expected reaction, after all.
‘They are numb.’
Moments ago, she had exerted a significant amount of force unintentionally due to the sudden situation. She intended to apologize, but who would have expected that he would not only counter her but emerge unscathed?
And since her fingers felt this way, didn’t that indicate the force behind his counter was equal to or greater than hers?
Oliver appeared as calm as before, as if he did not even feel any pain or numbness from the previous collision.
‘This guy…’
Bella’s face broke into a wide smile. She could tell from his expression that he did not feel anything from the previous impact, but her fist was burning as if she had hit a heavy boulder.
‘He is not weak at all.’
She had to admit this one thing.
Earlier, when she tried to gauge his strength, his espera was barely above average, so she had underestimated him a little. Despite being taught not to disrespect her opponents, she still did it inadvertently.
And she paid the price. Had he wanted to, he could have easily injured her with her guard lowered.
She had not given it her all and held back in case she might injure him accidentally.
She had just witnessed his sister’s strength, and it was her mistake to underestimate him even after that.
Was she becoming arrogant due to her background? She should not forget that the person in front of her was not of any inferior background either. Just in terms of background alone, he was on par with her.
She let out a laugh while looking at him, “I am sorry for underestimating you earlier. I will not hold back anymore.”
Oliver stared at her with calm eyes. He didn’t understand why was she apologizing.
Bella cracked her knuckles as she rushed forward, but this time with greater speed and strength.
Oliver parried her with ease, his eyes showing a calmness like never before. After practicing continuously and having obtained a ten times stronger espera talent, he was naturally not worried about being defeated.
This was why practicing skills was always important. It was good that he had never slacked off his training just because of the presence of a system.
He would never have gained this confidence if he hadn’t put in the effort.
Strength and achievements you never worked hard for would never give you the confidence a person who toiled to obtain them would have.
He knew this very well.
Those main protagonists would suffer from an inferiority complex every moment of their life and always be doubtful of themselves just because they knew they never worked hard for their power.
He was the same, but he felt that he deserved it after putting in all that effort since the beginning.
Bam!
Bam! Swish!
Oliver repeatedly blocked all of Bella’s strikes. He could feel the force behind them, but compared to his Level-5 strength, she was definitely lacking.
Bella became more and more desperate with each move that was getting blocked by him.
She could not understand…
She could not understand how she was not able to land even a single hit on him!
It felt as if she was hitting a wall. Her hands had a numbness to them that was not there before. She felt that his skin was as tough as metal.
Of course, she was not using her espera since she could tell that Oliver had not used his either.
This was frustrating her. Looking at him, he was as calm as water, as if her attacks couldn’t even cause a ripple in his emotions.
And what infuriated her even more was the fact that he had not attacked her even once. He was simply blocking her swings or dodging.
Gritting her teeth, she asked, “Why are you not attacking back…?”
Oliver blinked. He was busy thinking about her fighting style. From the beginning, he had been observing her stance, trying to decipher the martial arts she was using, but it seemed that he was not skilled enough to do that.
The Celestial Paradox Clan had great techniques, and Bella’s movements were all unpredictable to him.
However, when she was close enough, he could still dodge or block her. He had to admit that she was consuming a lot of his energy to keep up.
Had he been a normal Rank-1 exorcist who had just broken through, he might not have been able to keep up with her.
In the novel, it was mentioned that the sister of the main protagonist was very talented as well. She was just later overshadowed by the main protagonist and her achievements, but the fact remained unchanged that she also had the same blood as that of the protagonist running through her veins.
Oliver’s eyes honed as he saw another punch coming towards him. He dodged, but it turned out that it was a feint attack.
He hurriedly turned around and jumped to the side, dodging the kick to his side by a hair’s breadth.
His left ear felt a ringing sensation as the wind generated by the kick went past him.
He looked at the opponent and saw she had a frown on her forehead.
He did not indulge her any longer. It was time to finish this. Since he knew if he stalled her any longer, she might truly get pissed off.
The only reason he had been delaying this was to get some hints about her martial art technique.
He didn’t want her to awaken some broken ability in the middle of the fight due to him.
Bella looked at him and saw his eyes suddenly turn sharp. She knew that he was going to attack for the first time now.
So, instead of rushing at him, she quickly assumed a defensive stance.
There was an eerie silence around them except for the rhythmic tapping of Oliver’s footsteps as he walked towards her like he was taking a stroll in the park.
Tap Tap Tap
Bella tensed. She was expecting him to surprise her again with his blinding speed. She was keeping an eye on him while also being ready to counter if he sneaked up behind her.
Her heart pounded in her chest, the sound almost deafening in the silent arena. The anticipation was like a coiled spring inside her, ready to snap at any moment. She knew better than to underestimate him again, and the stillness around them only heightened the tension.
But contrary to her expectations, he did not do that. Rather, he was simply walking up to her.
His movements were unhurried, almost casual, yet every step he took seemed to echo with purpose. He appeared to be full of openings that even a kid could attack him, but Bella knew better.
He was a walking bait, enticing his opponents to pounce on him only to realize that he was the predator in bait’s disguise.
Tap Tap Tap
The distance between them closed, and Bella could see the minute details of his face, the slight narrowing of his eyes, the controlled breath, each signifying an underlying strength.
Not to mention, she found his eyes quite beautiful… they looked magical and hypnotic.
Oliver was now very close to Bella. The distance between them was minimal. She was still in a defensive stance, not moving an inch.
Oliver stretched his hand back, and under Bella’s narrowed gaze, at an insane speed, attacked her directly.
Bella was amazed at the speed, but she was prepared.
BANG!
‘Ugh-!’