Celia's Perspective:
For a moment, I just felt safe. I can't say... it was a familiar feeling of safety I've experienced. It was only Kaiser who could make me feel so vulnerable yet safe at the same time...
I could feel the wind and nature around me for a second, yet the world had stopped. And my feelings—my stupid, confusing, irrational feelings—were trying to understand why.
I kept looking up, trying to read his expression. He was smirking. His lips curled slightly, almost like he was proud of something.
"Aldric?" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.
His black eyes flickered down to me, his bandaged face carrying an insufferable smile. "Hey, I told you, little girls shouldn't get violent."
My face immediately blushed.
Did he—did he just say that? Again?!
I shoved him back, trying to get off. "What the hell—I am NOT a little girl!"
But Aldric grabbed my wrist effortlessly, his grip firm but not painful. His smirk deepened. "Hey now, don't get ahead of yourself. You were almost about to die here~"
"I don't need your jack—bandaged—uh—help!" I scoffed, wriggling my arm, but he didn't even flinch.
He tilted his head, amused. "Maybe you do, maybe you don't. But I'm here to do it either way, so be a good girl and listen up."
My jaw clenched. His words were annoying. His stupid face was annoying. His stupid everything was annoying. But before I could snap back, I felt his grip tighten slightly—just enough to keep me in place—as he leaned in, his lips nearly brushing my ear.
"Hey now~" he whispered, voice low and smooth. "I know you're enjoying being close to me. After all, I'm the one who saved and held you close right here."
My breath hitched.
Wait—wait, what?
His free hand trailed down my wrist, fingertips barely grazing my skin. My entire body tensed up as if I had been struck by lightning.
"W-what—what are you—"
His eyes gleamed. "Oh? You're stuttering, Celia~ Does my touch make you nervous?"
I swallowed hard. "N-no, I—I just—"
He chuckled softly, and it sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. "You know, you really shouldn't be so reckless," he murmured, brushing a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. "You keep throwing yourself into danger like this… makes me worried, you know?"
"W-worried?" I repeated like an idiot.
"Of course." His thumb lightly traced over my wrist. "You think I'd just let you die on my watch? No, no… I quite like having you around, Celia."
His gaze locked onto mine, and for the first time, I felt an unease I couldn't quite place. "Besides… wouldn't it be better to have someone strong by your side? Someone who can always keep you safe?"
"I-I—"
I heard a groan in the distance. Aldric glanced to the right, and I followed his gaze—Xander. He was somehow flung against a tree, groaning like he just woke up from a bad nap.
Wait.
I turned back to Aldric, eyes wide. "Why are you touching and holding me like this?!"
He smirked, tilting his head like he was enjoying every bit of my reaction. "Touching you? Celia, I'm just making sure my dear little princess isn't trembling in fear. My arms are warm, aren't they? Comfortable, even?"
I tried to step back, but his grip didn't budge. "S-shut up! That's not—"
His fingers trailed lightly over my palm. "No need to be so defensive. I'm just making a little offer… You want to get stronger, right? Then why not let someone like me take care of you while you do?"
My heart pounded. I hated how smooth his voice was. How easily he was twisting everything. How his words felt… oddly tempting.
I clenched my fists. "I-I don't need you to take care of me—!"
"Mmm, but you need someone, don't you?"
I froze.
Aldric's eyes darkened slightly. "To rely on them. To trust them. You'll feel safe with them." His smirk returned, slow and knowing. "But what if they're not around, Celia?"
I opened my mouth, but the words didn't come.
His voice dipped, a dangerous softness weaving through it. "Wouldn't it be nice to have someone else, just in case? Someone who's always one step ahead, always watching your back?"
He loosened his grip, only to place a hand against my cheek, his fingers cool against my warm skin. "After all… you seemed to like it when I held you close just now."
I couldn't breathe.
My thoughts were all over the place. My heart was hammering against my chest like an idiot. My skin felt like it was burning where he touched me, and I hated how—how natural it all felt.
I wasn't supposed to feel this way.
This feeling… of my heart beating so fast… it was only for Kaiser. But who's he now to make it happen again? I just… don't understand myself anymore.
How can he so easily make me say yes and stutter?
The forest around us hummed with a quiet unease. The trees swayed gently, their branches whispering secrets in the wind. It would've been peaceful—if my nerves weren't on edge.
My fingers twitched slightly against Aldric's wrist, still faintly aware of the way he hadn't let go. The warmth of his grip was persistent, annoying, and yet… somehow grounding. Ugh. I hated that.
Then, a voice broke through the silence.
"Oi, dumbass," the voice had a casual, almost playful sharpness to it. "Told you not to go around fighting people."
My head snapped toward the source, just in time to see Zain smacking Xander upside the head. The impact made a small thwack, and I might've found it funny if I wasn't still reeling from everything.
Xander groaned, rubbing his head lazily. "Nah, man… I was doing what you said." He gestured vaguely in Aldric's direction. "That guy appeared and ruined it."
Aldric? Ruined it? I blinked, processing.
The man—Zain, sighed dramatically, rubbing his temples. "I don't remember telling you to go fight Celia."
Xander scratched his cheek, frowning slightly before his gaze landed back on me. "You know her?" He muttered, casting a small healing spell over himself like it was nothing. The light flickered lazily in his palm, like he wasn't even trying.
Zain crossed his arms. "Yeah, I do. She's going to help us against the grotesques. Calm down, she's not a threat."
Not a threat? Excuse me? After all the fighting I just did?! But okay. Sure. Whatever.
Xander tilted his head with a half-hearted sigh. "So I wasted my energy for no reason?" His voice was almost whiny, like this was some mild inconvenience instead of, y'know, a whole battle.
Zain rolled his eyes. "Ugh. I'm going back to the guild. Return soon."
Xander gave a lazy wave. "Yeah, yeah… go, I wanna do something first."
And then—he started walking toward us.
The shift in atmosphere was weird. One second he had the whole Grim Reaper aura, like he was some executioner about to cut me down, and now? Now he just looked… chill.
Almost too laid-back. But somehow, that made it worse. It was like he was choosing when to be dangerous, and I couldn't tell if he saw us as a threat or just entertainment.
Instinctively, my fingers clenched tighter around Aldric's hand.
Aldric, being the obnoxious person he is, noticed. He looked down at me, a smirk playing at his lips. And then—he winked.
Winked.
I nearly choked on my own breath. "W-what—?"
His smirk deepened, amused. "Oh? Getting nervous already, little girl?" he teased, his voice dipping into something smooth, something infuriatingly confident.
"I—shut up," I muttered under my breath, willing my face not to heat up.
Then Xander finally spoke. "Sorry, Celia or whatever," he said, his voice as flat as his expression. "Didn't expect you to be part of Zain's group."
"Oh… uh. It's okay," I replied, still slightly thrown off by Aldric's stupid wink.
But then, Xander's attention shifted.
Directly to Aldric.
The faint glow of magic residue still clung to the ground where Xander and Aldric had clashed just moments ago.
Xander, his posture annoyingly relaxed, lazily cracked his neck before speaking. "Tell me how you did it?" His tone was as casual as if he were asking about the weather.
Aldric, standing beside me, let out a small chuckle. He tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his sharp eyes. "Did what?" His voice was smooth, playful—dangerous.
Xander's eyes narrowed slightly. "Blocked my attack. Flung me into that tree like I was some rookie. That's not normal." He rubbed his shoulder as if remembering the impact. "Not ordinary at all."
Aldric lifted one hand in an exaggerated shrug. "Oh, that?" He waved dismissively. "Bit of luck. Right timing, right movement. Nothing special." His tone was deliberately dismissive, like he hadn't just humiliated an S+ ranked Sword Saint in mere seconds.
Xander let out a short breath, tapping his sword against the ground absentmindedly. "Yeah, no. That wasn't luck." His lazy stare sharpened slightly, just for a second. "Tell me your name and rank."
Aldric hummed, rubbing his chin. "You first."
Xander raised a brow. "Not how this works."
Aldric let out a dramatic sigh. "And here I thought you'd be a gentleman. What happened to introductions first, then small talk, then the stabbing?"
Xander exhaled sharply, almost amused. "Not answering until you do."
Aldric clicked his tongue. "Fine, fine. No need to be so stubborn." He placed a hand on his chest in mock politeness. "Name's Aldric. Not globally ranked yet, but if you must know, you can consider me… E-rank."
E-rank?!
I almost gasped, barely catching myself. No way. That—that couldn't be real. The way he fought, the way he spoke—it was all too familiar. My mind immediately flashed to him. Kaiser. The way he'd always downplay himself, the way he spoke in circles, the way he carried this air of mystery that made people walk right into his web—but this wasn't Kaiser.
And yet… something about Aldric reminded me of him so much that it made my stomach twist.
Xander looked at him for a moment, then gave a short laugh. "Yeah, sure. E-rank. And I'm a D-rank healer." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "You're good at dodging questions, huh?"
Aldric smirked. "Oh, I prefer to think of it as 'guiding the conversation in more interesting directions.' Speaking of which, what's a big-shot like you doing out here, getting smacked into trees?"
Xander's mouth twitched slightly—not in annoyance, but in amusement. "Fine," he said, tilting his head. "I was invited by Levi to fight grotesques. That enough for you?"
Aldric gave him a slow nod. "Mm. Invited by Levi, huh? I hear he's pretty picky about who he calls in."
Xander just hummed in response.
Aldric's eyes gleamed. "And let me guess, you're not just some random swordsman, are you?"
Xander sighed, stretching his arms behind his head. "S+ ranked Sword Saint of Mastery. There, happy?"
I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. S+ rank. My fingers curled slightly. The sheer gap in strength between us—it was suffocating.
But Aldric? He just grinned wider. "Ohhh, so that's why you're so confident. I mean, I get it, power like that? Must be nice. Having people listen to you just because you exist." His tone was light, almost playful. But something in the way he said it made me feel like he was pulling at something.
Xander rolled his shoulder. "Yeah, well, not everyone listens."
Aldric was toying with him. Slowly tightening an invisible rope around Xander's thoughts, leading him deeper into his pace.
"That's why you picked a fight with Celia, then?" Aldric continued smoothly, tilting his head. "What happened there? Some kind of misunderstanding?"
Xander scoffed. "Not really. She didn't listen to my orders."
The atmosphere shifted.
Something about the way he said it. Casual. Like it wasn't even a question—just a fact. A reason that should be enough.
Aldric's smirk stayed, but his fingers twitched again.
I felt it.
"Ohhh," Aldric dragged the word out, nodding in exaggerated understanding. "Right. Of course. Because obviously, the proper response to someone not listening to orders is to nearly kill them."
Xander narrowed his eyes slightly. "She got in my way."
Aldric exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Right, right. I get it. Authority is important. When people don't listen, it throws everything off. Makes you look bad, doesn't it?"
Xander gave the barest nod. "Exactly and I don't wish to waste my energy over it."
Aldric took a slow step forward.
"But see, Xander…" His voice was smooth, just slightly amused. "You're not mad because she got in your way." He let the words settle, like a drop of ink in water, spreading slow and deliberate.
"You're mad because she made you look weak."
Xander's eyes sharpened—just barely.
I felt it.
Aldric had dug in.
"Not at all," Xander said smoothly, but there was something slightly off in the way he said it.
Just a little too quick.
Aldric chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't have to lie to me, man," he said, his tone easy, reassuring. "I get it. You have a reputation. You can't just let some random girl—especially an unranked girl—stand in your way, right?"
Xander didn't respond.
"That's why you reacted so… harshly," Aldric continued, sighing dramatically. "Honestly, I don't blame you. If I were in your position, I'd be pissed, too."
Flattery. Understanding.
"But that kind of reaction…?" Aldric's voice softened slightly, almost thoughtful. "I mean, come on, Xander. Nearly killing someone over that? That's not strength."
Xander's fingers twitched again.
"That's insecurity," Aldric finished, his smile still in place.
Silence.
For the first time, Xander hesitated.
Aldric didn't give him time to recover.
"But I'll tell you what," he said, tilting his head with a grin. "I like you, Xander. You're smart. Strong. We don't need to fight over something this petty, right?"
Xander exhaled through his nose. "What are you getting at?"
Aldric shrugged. "Simple. You don't hurt Celia again." His tone was casual, like it was just a small request, nothing too serious. "I mean, you're above that, aren't you? A man of your skill doesn't need to waste his energy proving himself to an unknown rank girl, right?"
Xander watched him carefully.
Aldric smiled wider. "Right?"
A long silence.
Then—finally—Xander sighed. "Fine."
But… Aldric's smirk faded.
For the first time, he wasn't smiling. Because that was when it finally hit him.
The reason.
Xander had almost killed me—because I didn't listen. Because I didn't obey.
Aldric didn't move.
But I saw it.
The way his fingers twitched, just slightly. The way his smile had completely disappeared. The way the air around us shifted.
I turned to him.
He was still looking at Xander. Still wearing that neutral expression. But I felt it.
My emotions and cursed energy told me everything, he couldn't hide it anymore.
Aldric wanted to kill him.
Right here. Right now.
Xander's Perspective:
Why am I even bothering?
I exhaled slowly, staring at the ground as I leaned back against a broken tree, my arms crossed. This was so much more effort than I signed up for. I came here for a simple job—fight grotesques, maybe mess around with Levi a little, then head back. Instead, now I was stuck thinking about him.
Aldric.
A no-name bandaged man who, in the last second, had dismantled my attack like it was inevitable. Like he had already seen every possible way I could've struck before I even moved.
Even with my mastery, I didn't understand what kind of move that was.
A moment ago, my blade was inches away from her throat. The next, I was somewhere else, my stance completely broken, my momentum gone.
I clicked my tongue.
It wasn't just speed. It wasn't just strength. It was something else.
And that annoyed me.
I finally sighed, tilting my head lazily toward him. "Hey… how'd you do it?"
Aldric, standing a few feet away, smirked. "Do what?"
I frowned slightly. "Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."
His smirk widened. "Oh? You mean how I stopped your 'I'm gonna kill her because she didn't listen' attack?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "C'mon, Xander. A genius like you should be able to figure it out, no?"
I clicked my tongue again. Troublesome.
"Fine," I sighed. "You were fast. Too fast. Near god-speed, at least. The way you blocked—almost godly technique. Reflexes… ridiculous." I gave him a lazy glance.
"There. I said it. Now tell me."
For a second, Aldric just looked at me, amused. Then, finally, he let out a small, cold chuckle.
"Simple," he said.
I raised a brow.
"I used basic earth magic beneath me to adjust my footing. A little nudge to alter my momentum—nothing flashy. Then I used wind magic to move." He shrugged, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "That's how I got in front of you."
My brow furrowed slightly. Earth and wind?
"Alright. And next?"
Aldric exhaled, his tone completely detached. "Close-range jujutsu. I diverted your strike while holding Celia in my other arm. Simple weight distribution." He glanced at me.
"You were too focused on your attack, so I just shifted your blade to the right."
I blinked.
He made it sound like I was a child swinging a stick.
"Then I used my right leg to hook-kick your ribs." His voice remained cool, clinical. "Boosted it slightly with amplification. Nothing special. Then wind magic to crash you into the tree."
Silence.
I stared at him.
That's it?
I expected something grand. Something absurd. Some hidden, ancient sorcery or secret technique. But this—
I narrowed my eyes. "You mean to tell me… you stopped me with basic elemental magic?"
Aldric let out a short laugh. "That's what I did."
I exhaled sharply, staring at him.
"Basic elemental magic?" My voice came out slow, drawn out—unbelieving. "You mean to tell me that you—" I gestured lazily with my hand, "—stopped me, redirected my sword, kicked me across the field, and crash me down… with basic, useless elemental magic?"
Aldric's smirk widened.
"That's what I did," he said simply.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Then what are you?" I muttered. "A hidden sword saint? Some high-tier sorcerer playing pretend?"
Aldric let out a sharp, amused laugh. "Oh, please," he said, waving a hand. "That would be too easy, wouldn't it?" He tilted his head, grin sharp.
"You'd like that, huh? If I was secretly some grand, untouchable existence, it'd make you feel better. That way, you wouldn't have to accept the truth."
I frowned slightly. "And what truth is that?"
Aldric's smirk faded slightly, his voice dipping into something colder.
"That you were just too weak to understand it."
My fingers twitched.
Aldric's eyes held mine, his tone turning razor-sharp. "What? Mastery wasn't enough? That precious, overhyped gift of yours couldn't comprehend something so simple?" He let out a mocking hum.
"Embarrassing."
Something inside me stirred.
"You think you're untouchable, don't you?" His voice was smooth, sharp as a scalpel. "Lazy genius. A prodigy. That's what they all call you, right?" He scoffed.
"And yet… when something outside your little world of understanding happens, you freeze. You can't accept it. Because deep down…" He leaned in slightly. "You know."
My grip tightened.
Aldric's eyes gleamed.
"You know that for all your talent, all your mastery, you're still nothing but a child swinging a sword, hoping it makes you look bigger than you are."
A crack of anger formed in my body.
Celia took a step back.
I didn't turn to look, but I could feel it—her hesitation. Her uncertainty.
Because she could sense it.
The air around me darkened, thickened—turning black.
The ground beneath me seemed to distort, shadows stretching unnaturally as a deep, abyssal aura bled into the surroundings. It moved like smoke, curling at my feet, rising like an inescapable fog.
And then—
It spread.
The Grim Reaper I always try to hide within myself, the aura.
I could feel it pressing against the world, sinking into the bones of everything living—pulling.
Because they saw it now.
They saw their own death.
That was what this aura did.
It didn't just exist. It forced those caught in its grasp to experience their end before it had even come.
And yet…
I met Aldric's gaze.
Nothing.
No fear.
Not even the slightest shift in expression.
Then, in a harsh, bored voice, he spoke.
"Certainly just lowly aura isn't your means to threaten me?"
Celia's Perspective:
How… how did Aldric just say that casually?
I could feel it—the thick, suffocating aura pressing against my skin, crawling up my spine like an icy whisper of death itself.
I didn't need to imagine it.
I saw it.
The Grim Reaper.
Standing behind Xander, mirroring him, gripping its scythe as tightly as Xander gripped his sword.
It wasn't just an aura. It was a presence.
One that screamed death.
And yet… Aldric stood there. Unshaken.
How?
Maybe he didn't realize how strong Xander truly was. Maybe he was just acting tough. Maybe—
My thoughts shattered.
In the blink of an eye, Xander vanished.
And then—
CRACK—!
Wind exploded outwards, slamming into my chest as I stumbled back. My hair whipped around wildly, the ground trembling beneath me.
Xander's sword—mere inches from Aldric's face—was frozen in place.
Aldric had caught it.
With his bare hand.
The sheer force of the impact rippled through the air, the sound of steel meeting flesh echoing like a thunderclap.
Xander's grip on his blade tightened. His voice was low, but filled with something I alone heard from him—rage.
"I'll make you regret saying that."
Aldric's fingers uncurled from my wrist, freeing me from his grasp. He tilted his head slightly, his usual smirk curling wider, almost as if he was enjoying this.
"I'd love to see you try."
And then—
They vanished.
A blur of movement—so fast my eyes barely registered it—before an earth-shaking boom tore through the battlefield.
I whipped my head to the right, my breath caught in my throat.
They were fighting to the death.
I saw it, but I could barely process it.
The world cracked beneath Xander's feet as he lunged forward, his sword becoming a streak of silver light. The sheer pressure of his swing split the air apart, a forceful boom echoing through the battlefield.
Aldric—
He moved.
With a tilt of his body, he let the sword graze past his cheek, slipping through the attack with fluidity that almost looked effortless.
CLANG!
Xander's second strike came instantly, a downward arc aimed to split Aldric in half.
But Aldric wasn't there anymore.
He had twisted mid-air, one hand pressing against a broken tree trunk, using it as a pivot to somersault backward—barely dodging the edge of Xander's blade as it carved the ground in half.
Xander didn't stop.
The instant Aldric's feet touched the ground, a wave of jagged rock erupted beneath him. Xander had seamlessly transitioned into earth magic, forcing a row of sharp spikes to shoot up like spears aiming straight for Aldric's spine.
But Aldric, with a light tap of his foot, leapt—
No—
He glided, flipping sideways, his coat barely brushing against the rising spikes.
A dodge so perfect it almost looked rehearsed.
Xander's eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened.
Water.
A surge of liquid spiraled through the air as Xander slashed his sword in a crescent arc. A torrential blade of water shot forward, twisting unnaturally fast, aiming straight for Aldric's midsection.
Aldric's foot dug into the earth—
And at the last possible moment, he sidestepped, spinning behind a broken tree just as the water scythe split it in two. He reappeared instantly on the other side, still smirking.
"You're fast," Aldric mused, his voice light, amused.
Xander's sword blurred—
Aldric ducked—
CRASH! The blade carved through the remains of the tree behind him.
Then—
Wind.
Xander vanished—a sudden burst of air magic accelerating him like a bullet. He reappeared right in Aldric's blind spot, his sword already mid-swing—
Aldric leaned back—just enough—dodging it by millimeters.
He was playing with him.
Xander's attacks weren't just random slashes. Each movement flowed into the next, perfectly chained. It was like watching a deadly dance—a swordsman who had mastered the art of battle.
Xander's sword lashed out in a vicious diagonal arc, the blade whistling through the air. Aldric ducked, his coat brushing against the steel as he twisted low, sweeping his leg back to pivot.
Xander instantly followed up, reversing his grip and stabbing forward—Aldric barely swayed aside, the tip slicing past his ribs as he twisted mid-motion.
A downward slash—Aldric leaned back, the blade slicing just above his nose. Xander flipped the sword in his grip, spinning into a sideways cleave.
Aldric hopped back—just enough—his body shifting with unnatural precision. Xander blurred forward, a feint, then a sharp thrust. Aldric parried with a flick of his wrist, redirecting the blade off-course as he sidestepped, his boot skimming over the cracked earth.
Xander's sword became a silver blur. Aldric flowed around each strike, shifting his weight effortlessly. He kicked off a rock, flipping over a horizontal slash, landing just as Xander spun with a backhanded strike—Aldric ducked under it, his smirk widening as he barely avoided the edge.
A burst of wind magic—Xander accelerated. His sword came in a blinding arc—Aldric twisted, letting the blade scrape against the edge of his coat as he shifted his center of gravity.
Xander reversed into a rising slash—Aldric leaned back, the sword missing by a hair.
Another swing. Another dodge. A deadly rhythm of speed and precision—
And Aldric hadn't been touched once.
Not even grazed.
I could see his hand glowing faintly—his fingers flexing as he casually healed himself mid-fight, his mana usage so precise it barely cost him anything.
Another strike. Another dodge. Another step—
Aldric flipped backward, using a stray boulder as a springboard. Xander sent a howling gust of wind after him, but Aldric twisted mid-air, barely avoiding the gust, landing smoothly onto a slanted rock.
Untouched.
Xander gritted his teeth. He slashed upward, sending a burst of compressed air in an unpredictable, jagged pattern—
But Aldric moved with it, weaving through the wind currents like they were merely a breeze.
Xander was fast. But Aldric—
Aldric was untouchable.
And the worst part?
He enjoyed it.
The smirk never left his face. He dodged with an almost lazy amusement, as if this was all just a game to him.
Then—
He stopped.
His hand had finished healing.
His smirk widened.
"The real game starts now, Xander."
And just like that—
The real battle was about to begin.
Xander's Perspective:
The hell? How is he dodging all of this?
I swung again, my sword cutting through the air with precision, the wind crackling as I poured a bit of wind magic into the strike to give it some extra push. It sliced toward Aldric from an angle he hadn't seen, my movements sharp and deliberate.
But then, in the blink of an eye, Aldric shifted his weight, his body already moving before I could even process it. The wind sliced harmlessly through the air as he dodged with a fluid, almost unnatural ease.
A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You'll need god-speed to hit me once," he taunted, his voice almost too calm, too carefree.
I let out a breath, irritated. I'm getting tired of this. Why was he playing with me like this? I wasn't some random weakling. I was a Sword Saint, damn it. I should be able to land a hit.
The bastard was too calm, too sure of himself. I grinned, the thrill of the fight bubbling up in me. Time to turn the tables.
I gathered my magic—wind magic, quick and precise. A sharp slash of air, coming from an angle he'd never expect. My sword moved with the fluidity of a whisper, the wind following its path, and I could already see it slicing toward him.
But then...
Aldric's body shifted, almost imperceptibly. His reflexes were damn near impossible. He moved just fast enough to dodge, the wind barely grazing the side of his cloak. It was as if he'd known the attack was coming before I even made the move.
What the hell?
For a split second, I couldn't help but compare him to someone. To her. Navia, the Sword Saint of Reflex. The way she could read the battlefield like no one else, anticipating every strike, every shift in the air. The way she moved was fluid, graceful, almost inhuman.
Aldric... was doing the same thing.
He dodged my strike like it was nothing, as if he was dancing with my sword.
This guy...
I couldn't help but respect it.
I tightened my grip on my sword and pressed forward, getting closer, determined to land a blow this time.
My footwork was precise, every step calculated. This time, I infused water magic into my strikes, the magic amplifying the weight and speed, making them harder to dodge. The water magic was supposed to slow his footwork, pin him down just enough for me to strike.
But... once again, he didn't even flinch. He moved past me with almost no effort, his speed nothing short of impossible. God-speed. My breath caught in my throat as the realization hit me—Aldric wasn't just fast; he was unnervingly fast.
He was moving with the grace and speed of Levi, the Sword Saint of God-speed. I felt the sting of comparison. Levi's speed had always been a challenge for me, but Aldric? Aldric made Levi look like he was dragging his feet.
I gritted my teeth. This is getting ridiculous.
I used subtle wind magic to vanish from his sight, creating afterimages that blurred and shifted around him. My body shifted with purpose as I moved behind him in an instant, the wind leaving a trail of motionless air behind me. I swung my sword in an arc, aiming for his back.
But of course, he was already there. Behind me. My sword met empty air.
Before I could react, Aldric used some kind of expert technique to parry my strike—bare-handed, no less. My arm went numb from the force of the deflection, and before I could even recover, he landed a solid kick to my ribs. The air left my lungs in an explosion of pain, and I staggered backward, trying to regain my stance.
What the hell? I thought bitterly. How did he—
In that moment, I couldn't help but compare his technique to Alina's. Alina, the Sword Saint of Technique, was known for her flawless, calculated movements.
Aldric's style was... unnerving. Clean. Efficient. But it didn't just mimic Alina's—it improved upon it. It was like watching a master of technique who had taken the best parts of every style and made it his own.
I stood up straighter, finally getting some space between us. I wiped the blood from my lips, trying to ignore the bruises already forming. "I don't know what the hell you are, Aldric," I muttered, my tone still lazy, but there was an edge to it now. "But you're getting on my nerves."
He smirked, that same damn smirk that I could already see in my mind. "Oh? Didn't think I'd give you a challenge, huh?" He didn't even look tired. The bastard.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself. "I'm not done yet," I said, the grim reaper aura that had started to take hold of me flaring just a little, enough to make the air feel heavier.
Aldric's eyes glinted. "Really now? Well, let's see how long you last then."
As I rushed toward him again, sword raised, I couldn't help but ask myself—What is this guy?
I sighed, already feeling the burn of exertion. Ugh, why did I have to make this more complicated than it needed to be? But no matter how much I wanted to avoid it, Aldric was still standing in front of me, looking all smug like he was the one who was going to win.
I amplified my speed and unleashed a strike, my sword slicing through the air with an effortless grace. The wind cut behind it, adding extra force. He has to dodge this. Right?
But no. Aldric just kicked a rock.
It wasn't even a big rock, but he kicked it like it was nothing, shattering it midair. I barely had time to process that before he leaped into the air—like, seriously, how fast was he moving?—and started kicking the rocks at me.
He wasn't just throwing them, he was sending them at me with enough power to flatten a wall.
I had to twist my body mid-strike just to avoid getting hit. Damn it, he was fast. The rocks came at me like missiles, and I saw one smack into a tree with enough force to send splinters flying.
This guy...
I landed a few meters away from him, just outside of striking range. But before I could even plan my next move, Aldric grinned, like he already knew what I was going to do. He stomped the ground—hard—and I felt the earth tremble beneath me.
Suddenly, the ground cracked wide open, tilting towards him like the world itself was trying to swallow me whole. The shift in terrain was too sudden, too fast, and before I knew it, I was lifted into the air, spinning, disoriented.
Aldric grabbed my leg with ease, his grip tightening like an iron vice. Without hesitation, he threw me straight into the same damn rock I had avoided earlier, slamming me into it with a sickening thud.
"Ugh..." I groaned, pushing myself up from the ground. That hurt. A lot. But whatever, it wasn't like I hadn't taken worse hits before.
I wiped the blood from my lip with the back of my hand, looking back at Aldric, who was just standing there, smirking like he'd already won. Damn it. I thought I had him. That's gonna sting for a while.
"Alright, I'll give you this," I said, voice slow and laced with sarcasm, "You're not half bad. You've got all the traits of a sword saint in one package—power, reflex, speed, technique. And yet… you don't even have a gift."
His smirk deepened, and he raised an eyebrow at me, obviously amused by my observation. "What about mastery?"
"Mastery?" I let out a slow, amused sigh, raising my sword. "You've used it to master every little thing, haven't you? You don't need a gift to kick my ass—you just need to master everything else."
Aldric's smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with something almost dangerous. "And what if I have?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What are you, some god? Some unknown being who just happened to capture everything a sword saint is capable of without needing the gifts?"
His smile was almost too playful. "Oh, nothing like that. I was born without gifts or talents."
I paused, raising an eyebrow. "So?"
His tone shifted, growing cold and distant. "I became the monster that stops geniuses. Because their gifts end the moment they meet me."
I blinked, trying to process his words. But just as I was about to speak again, something changed in his eyes. They flickered—his black eyes... they turned blue. For just a split second, I saw it—blue. Why was that so familiar?
It was as if the mask he'd been wearing slipped for just a moment, revealing something deeper.
Who is this guy?
I could feel a sudden chill run down my spine.
How is he so strong?
I stood there, breathing heavily, the cold of the wind stinging my face as I glared at Aldric. This guy... There was something about him. Something that gnawed at the back of my mind.
All his tricks, all his moves, and yet he was barely trying. It was frustrating. His calm demeanor only added to the tension, making everything feel unfair, like a mockery of what a real fight should be.
"You know," I said, my voice dripping with impatience, "this is getting boring. It's like you're not even trying. And it's annoying. You have all that power, all those skills, and yet you're holding back. That's just not fair."
Aldric's smirk widened, that same infuriating, unbothered grin. He looked almost... too relaxed, considering how much energy I'd already wasted trying to land a hit on him.
"I don't want to kill you right now, Xander. It'd ruin the fun."
Fun? This was far from fun.
I tightened my grip on my sword, my gaze narrowing. "The more you hold back, the more it pisses me off. The more I want to make you try."
A cold wind swept past me, and suddenly, a strange pressure filled the air. My body tensed, the intensity of the moment seeping into every bone. I could feel it now.
That pull, that pressure from him—something deep and dangerous that made the atmosphere feel heavy. The darkness around us seemed to deepen, swirling with a sense of finality. This is the moment. The moment it ends.
My eyes glowed, white and black, the aura around me thickening into something darker. The Grim Reaper.
My own manifestation.
The aura around me turned grim, black and white swarming like a storm, swirling in chaotic energy.
I could feel my very essence calling out to the power I rarely used. When I allowed myself to get serious, when I allowed myself to try, there was no one who could stop me.
"Fine," Aldric sighed, clearly uninterested but willing to indulge me. "I'll try for you... just this once."
I let out a slow, smug breath. "Good, because now I'm not holding anything back either."
I blitzed forward, the air thick with the weight of the moment, my muscles burning, my blade ready. But Aldric just stood there.
Calm.
With every step, I closed the distance, feeling the rush of power coursing through my veins. But then, in a split second, everything changed.
Out of nowhere, he was in front of me. His face—once wrapped in bandages—was now exposed. His skin was blacked out, covered in an aura so dark it seemed to absorb the light around us. His eyes—blue. Glowing blue, like shards of frozen hell itself, staring directly into me.
Instinct took over. My sword shot forward, an attack born from reflex, a desperate attempt to force him back, to make him move, to do something. But the moment I swung—that was the mistake.
Time froze.
The world around me vanished into darkness. It wasn't a blur. It wasn't just fast. It was like I was trapped in a slow-motion nightmare, watching my death approach, knowing I couldn't stop it. I felt him—felt him move, but I couldn't react in time.
He wasn't in front of me anymore.
He was to my right.
In the blink of an eye, the impossible happened. His form appeared, cloaked in a void-like aura, holding an ice sword—crafted from the weakest of ice magic, yet it radiated a chilling deadly precision. The blade, sharp enough to sever anything in its path, was now aimed at my neck.
I couldn't move.
My body screamed at me to react, but everything was too slow. His sword edged closer, closer, until I could feel the cold of it brushing my skin.
This was it. This was death.
Then, as if mocking me, I felt his presence again—this time to my left. His form was there, identical to the one on my right. Two weapons. Two threats.
No escape.
Both ice swords raised, each hand deadly. His right hand was ready to slice through my throat from the front, his left aimed at the back of my neck.
A perfect execution.
There was no mercy here. Only pain.
I could feel it now—drowning in the weight of it all. The blackness around me deepened as I realized the extent of my failure. I was caught. Trapped. His blades were closing in from both sides, and there was no way out.
I can't escape.
The cold sensation of death filled my entire body. His swords were moving.
This was my ending...
My own heartbeat was deafening in the silence, growing louder and louder until—
A flash of black, the feeling of sharp, biting cold on both sides of my neck, the ultimate, torturous death awaiting me as I stared into the void.
The way that would make every moment feel like an eternity.
I was drowning in it. The blackness around me closed in, suffocating. I could feel my heartbeat quicken, my breaths shallow as he got closer.
I saw myself then, standing in the void, my Grim Reaper counterpart. My vision shifted, and in front of me, there was a figure—an entity that shouldn't exist.
Its presence alone felt beyond godly, overwhelming, as if this being had the authority over even the gods themselves.
The Grim Reaper in front of me—my Grim Reaper—tried to raise his scythe. But before it could even make a move, it shattered, a violent explosion of dark energy scattering the pieces into dust. The force was too much, like something far beyond the realm of comprehension.
I could feel the dread settle in, seeping into every part of me. The fear wasn't just for my life—it was the understanding that even the embodiment of death, the very god of taking lives, couldn't stand against this entity.
It was more than a mere being. It was something otherworldly.
The void entity before me, clad in a dark aura that swallowed the light, stood taller than anything I had ever seen. Glowing blue eyes pierced through the blackness, and atop its head, a crown gleamed with an emperor's authority. Its presence was overwhelming, as if the very fabric of existence bent to its will.
My vision was dimming, slipping into black and white. The ice swords pressing against my neck were a cruel reminder of how close I was to death. The cold was unbearable—sharp, final. The weight of it all pulled at me, and I knew that my end was near.
But then, something... unnatural happened. The entity's gaze flicked to the Grim Reaper, and what happened next was beyond anything I could have imagined. The Grim Reaper, the god who had claimed countless souls, the very personification of death itself, knelt.
Slowly. Reluctantly. But he knelt before this... this thing.
And in that moment, I understood.
I was no longer just facing a force of death. I was facing something beyond it.
A being that stood at the pinnacle of existence, transcending even gods themselves.
The presence of this entity dwarfed everything, crushing me beneath its weight. It was as if the universe itself bent its knee to this being, this god who existed to surpass all.
There was no fighting it. There was no escaping it.
I felt the swords again, their cold edges biting into my skin, the sharpness threatening to tear through my very soul. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think, my mind paralyzed by the sheer overwhelming force of the being before me.
And then—it came. The moment I had been waiting for, yet dreading with every fiber of my being. The ice swords sliced through the air, one coming down from the front, the other from the back, and then...
The world stopped.
The pressure against my neck became unbearable, but it was the final, chilling sensation that told me everything I needed to know.
I was dead.
Time seemed to slow as I felt my body succumb to the cold, the ice slicing through, claiming my life with an almost clinical precision.
And in the blackness of death, the last thought that crossed my mind was this:
I had just faced the beginning and end of everything.
To Be Continued: Chapter 50 - Last Hope