Boom!
A loud noise thundered in the quiet forest path without a foretelling sign. Gale blasted, curling up dust and sand to make them dance in the air, and made an impressive picture.
Then, two shadows darted out of the strong wind, respectively.
“Ha!” Laixia skidded back like she was flying backward. While she did, her hand was stretched to the front in releasing mana with a soft cry.
The mana turned into a palpable gravitational wave, like an invisible undercurrent that surged from a black hole, as it was cast at Xi En, who was also flying over.
It was inevitable that Xi En was unable to see the invisible gravitational wave. Perhaps this was the tricky part of magic—one could hardly avoid it.
However, it did not matter to Xi En that he could not see the force wave. He had Deflect and the instinct of battling from God of Military. He did not have to do much, and his body was already tilting to the side in reflex, avoiding the magic bolt that he couldn’t see.
Pang!
The powerful gravitational force hit air, brushing past Xi En, landing on the ground, and blowing the area up.
Xi En leveraged on the explosion force and sped up in the storm of sand and dust to catapult to Laixia.
The next instant saw Xi En’s broadsword drawing an icy gleam like lightning before thunder as it was hurled mercilessly toward the young maiden.
Clank!
The blow was a clear resonant sound like the bell, happening between the fighting young man and maiden.
Laixia’s thin and pretty arm blocked Xi En’s unforgiving blow. She countered the attack empty-handed, making the collision peal like a bell.
Xi En could feel his strike sinking into nothing as if he had cut into a pool of water. There was somehow actually a pool of swirling mana in front of Laixia’s raised palm when he looked carefully.
The mana turned into a gravitational force as well, like countless streams of the same force blending into each other disorderly and forming a gravitational turbulence.
Xi En’s chop did not land on Laixia’s hand or arm, but it landed on the gravitational turbulence instead. Like a rock that was caught in choppy water, his sword was unable to drop nor float—it could not drift to any other direction but vibrate in its spot.
The ringing noise was not the sound of a collision. It was the sound from the broadsword’s blade vibrating in a high frequency amidst the gravitational turbulence.
It was only imaginable what astonishing magic Laixia was using.
In spite of it, the girl herself wore a look of bafflement.
“Are you really a Lv. 10 newbie Adventurer?” Laixia exclaimed, “How did you get this level of strength without using the Sacred Sword?”
Xi En replied with a smile that was more just a tug of his lips.
“I should be the one asking this?” Xi En said with a plastered smile, “Isn’t magic applicable only after chanting a long stretch of spell? What’s up with you simply casting magic with a raised hand?”
Without waiting for Laixia’s answer, Xi En freed one of his hands and grabbed the wrapped parcel he carried, taking it as a blunt object, to swing it toward Laixia.
Laixia removed the gravitational turbulence calmly while she slid away like a piece of fallen leaf, or like a kite when she changed the gravity of herself and around her to put distance between them.
“As long as Chanting’s level is adequately high, one can forgo chanting and cast magic directly to a certain extent.” Laixia said with a grin, “Of course, no matter how high one’s level in Chanting is, one usually has to chant the name of the magic to trigger it. Mine is an effect due to my exclusive skill. I don’t even have to chant the name of the magic. With sufficient mana, I can cast magic with just a thought.”
So she meant she could cast magic to her wish as long as her mana sufficed?
“Hmm. This often happens, anyway.”
Xi En carried the parcel back on his shoulder and raised his broadsword to point it at Laixia.
The latter was still wearing a light smile.
“Speaking of which, a Warrior also has a superior exclusive skill other than the Sacred Sword, right?” Laixia watched Xi En and asked with interest, “Could you being so powerful at Lv. 10 be the effect of your exclusive skill?”
Before her question was answered, Laixia’s expression froze as she abruptly soared and hovered in the air.
Bang!
The heavy broadsword cut through the air and landed harshly on the spot Laixia was standing at a second ago. The weapon hit the ground, breaking a laccolith there, and caused a loud crack as it embedded inside in the flurry of shattered rocks and sand.
Xi En had actually thrown his weapon and nearly gotten Laixia.
“Hey! That’s dangerous!”
Laixia, who was floating in the air, grouched at Xi En, who maintained a throwing pose.
“Were you anticipating me to explain my abilities seriously like you do in a battle?” Xi En looked at Laixia like he was looking at an idiot. “Don’t you know you don’t talk when you can act on it? That the bad guys usually die because they have too much to say?”
As he spoke, he raised his brow and skipped to the side.
Boom!
The same loud crash rang and resounded.
An invisible gravitational force hit where Xi En was at previously, blasting the soil there as well.
“Cunning!”
Xi En, who avoided by sidestepping, could not help complaining.
“Excuse me, what right do you have to call me that?”
Laixia grumbled in the air as well.
Both of them looked like they were playing as their conversation did not sound like it had tension built. In spite of it, as they conversed, their attacks were merciless.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The continuous loud noises came from countless gravitational waves dropping down like bombs, erupting explosion after explosion, and swept up the sand and gravel coupled with a gale.
Faced with the ceaseless attacks, Xi En moved speedily like a phantom, successfully avoiding all of Laixia’s blows and even picking up his broadsword. He sprang up toward the air, swinging it like a meteor at Laixia.
Depending on the manipulation of gravity from her Gravity Magic, Laixia, too, avoided Xi En’s blade waves. When she was unable to, she pulled up a gravity turbulence to either disrupt Xi En’s form so he could not come close or fling his sword away to parry his blow.
The ripples of mana tremored aggressively while the gleam of the broadsword flashed in flickers. Both of them battled vigorously but failed to do anything to the other.
“I said that you wouldn’t be able to fight me without using the Sacred Sword with your current level,” Laixia declared. “Although I didn’t expect this extent of capability from you without the Sacred Sword, this isn’t enough if you want to win.
“Aright, unsheathe your Sacred Sword.
“Let me see how powerful the Warrior after a millennium is.”
At that, Xi En retorted, “Do you think I look like a nice protagonist?”
Why must he use it just because he was told to?
There was the issue of ego, but even without that, one should be hesitant and ponder if there was a trap or conspiracy laid within.
Xi En had always thought that protagonists who did exactly what their opponent said from a little provocation or triggering were not very sound in their head.
Therefore…
“No way!”