Chapter 577: Jealousy is My Power (77)
Chapter 577: Jealousy is My Power (77)
“When did I ever look away?”
“You always do.”
Her empty eyes gave the fleeting impression that all the girl's emotions had vanished. However, listening to the heat contained in her voice, one could quickly realize the truth.
Seria was not emotionless.
On the contrary, she had only one emotion left, and because it overwhelmed every other element of her being, she simply couldn't see anything else.
It was like pouring pure white paint over a painting until it looked like a blank canvas.
I had a hunch what that emotion was called.
“Even when I’m right beside you, your eyes are always looking elsewhere. I understand. Senior Ian is a man in his prime, and when those fox-like bitches cling to you and wag their tails, your eyes are bound to wander. Just like that, every single day… leaving me behind.”
Grind.
The sound of teeth gnashing echoed, and simultaneously, a humming wave of energy erupted from Seria. Seeing it again, her mana capacity was truly terrifying.
Just what on earth had she eaten?
It was at a level where even I had to be fully prepared. Although I held the upper hand in terms of technique and the power of my Aura, her raw output was in a different league entirely.
To make matters worse, my own body was far from normal.
With that thought, I began to slowly draw up my Aura.
Even then, Seria’s rage continued to pour out.
“For me, it’s always been only Senior Ian… but you are always looking at someone else, never me… Do you have any idea how much my heart ached? Crying like a fool, but no matter how long I waited, nothing changed!”
“Calm down, Seria.”
I tried to dissuade her in a low voice, but of course, there was no way she would listen.
Blood-red flames surged from Seria’s sword once more. As she slowly took her stance, she reminded me of the junior I had seen a long time ago.
The Seria I first met.
Even back then, Seria exuded this same overwhelming presence. Even though it was just a spar.
“I can’t… I can’t let it go on like this… I’ll spend my whole life having things stolen from me… That bitch has already taken everything, hasn't she? My family, my mother, even Senior Ian! I won’t take it anymore!”
Her outcry was so intense that her voice, soaked in rage and jealousy, trembled violently. A thick murderous intent dwelled in the eyes of the panicked Seria.
I had an intuition.
It was starting now.
“I have to take it all back…!”
Letting out a scream-like cry, Seria took a step forward with bloodshot eyes.
Her raised sword boasted a magnificent presence. Her blue light mixed into the previously crimson Aura, forming a purple pillar that stood tall, connecting heaven and earth.
“No matter what I have to do… no matter who I have to kill!”
And then, a Single Flash.
A purple sword strike soared like a fortress wall.
The Aura, reaching several meters—perhaps even over a dozen—was enough to erase the distance between Seria and me.
In comparison, the Aura gathered on my sword was meager.
However, it wasn't as if I was out of options.
Thrum.
My body shot forward as if springing out from a cross-section of time. No matter how fast a sword strike was, it could never be faster than me running through stopped time.
Dashing at high speed, my sword’s point surged like a lightning bolt before Seria’s eyes. The world, which had yet to regain its color, remained frozen without a single point of change.
Riding this golden opportunity, I aimed for only one spot.
Seria’s shoulder.
It went without saying that for a swordsman, their arms were their life. If even one arm was neutralized, it would inevitably cause significant problems in wielding a sword.
Since I couldn't kill her, I would suppress her.
My judgment, honed through countless real battles, was accurate. As much as she had gone berserk, Seria had lost her previous precision, and because of that, she exposed a relatively large opening after swinging her sword.
To the point where her shoulder, which she should never have surrendered, was wide open.
So, if I utilized Time Stop well, suppressing her might be possible without much trouble.
Yes, that’s how it should have been.
Until my sword was caught in the crook of Seria’s shoulder with a dull thud.
“Crazy…!”
The exclamation burst out as I met her blue eyes, which harbored a sinister light.
It was a close call. My body, which had already been pushed to its limits several times, couldn't maintain the frozen world for long, and because of that, time began to flow again at the final moment.
But even so, there should have only been a margin of a split second.
Seria had overcome it with absurd durability and reaction speed. The physical strength she used to catch the blade just by tensing her shoulder was one thing, but it was also a miracle her skin hadn't been shredded.
Truly, her body was so robust that the metaphor of 'steel' was not a waste.
Thinking back, hadn't the hand axe I threw at the beginning also failed to inflict any significant damage on the back of her hand?
I had no time to be lost in reminiscence.
Having caught my sword, Seria immediately attempted to kick my solar plexus. If I were kicked with that kind of strength, even I would find it hard to avoid a serious injury.
At this moment, even hesitation was a luxury.
Clang!
My hand axe and her foot collided in mid-air. It was a clashing sound unbelievable for a collision between a weapon and a human body.
The result was also a stalemate.
Seria and I each took a step back, and Seria released the strength in her shoulder to swing her sword again.
Catching the falling sword, she delivered another strike.
This time, it was a clash of blade against blade. It was an exchange at supersonic speed, where even the sparks and sound occurred with a delay.
A single exchange was not enough.
In an instant, Seria and I unleashed dozens of sword flashes.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Countless noises erupted as if they would tear our eardrums. Bright blue sparks were raining down from the air like a downpour.
At the end of the duel where only afterimages remained, I was the one pushed back.
I was still injured, while Seria’s body had become more robust than ever. Naturally, if it turned into a contest of raw strength against strength, I was bound to be overwhelmed.
As I stumbled back, losing out in physical power, Seria’s eyes gleamed ominously as she lunged forward.
“Not yet…!”
Once again, the purple Aura surged. It was a declaration of her will that she would never let me go, even if I leaped backward.
It was certainly a checkmate.
If I were someone who only knew how to handle a sword, that is.
Just before Seria completely closed in on me, a faint blood-red light began to reflect in her retinas.
The air itself bled, drawing bizarre characters. Throughout the entire continent, there was only one technique with such characteristics.
Dragon Blood Runes.
Seria’s eyes widened, and that was the signal.
Boom!
With an explosive roar, a storm of heat and light swept the area. I wasn't free from the aftermath either and had to be blown back, but that was actually what I wanted.
The power of the Dragon Blood Runes is difficult to endure even with an enhanced body. Even Seria, who hadn't been pushed back once until now, staggered and retreated.
Even so, it was only a brief respite.
For me, that moment was more desperate than ever.
I grit my teeth and circulated mana throughout my body. Once again, the light vanished from the world, and my body, now making creaking sounds, began to dash through the stillness.
Please, please reach her…!
However, this time too, it was agonizingly short. Just before the blade could cut her thigh, Seria narrowly escaped the frozen time and parried my blade.
“Ugh…!”
Perhaps because her posture had been broken once, she couldn't properly counter my sword.
And so, the exchange continued for a long time.
I would dash through the stopped world, Seria would counter, then I would retreat and lunge again.
With each repetition, the amount of time I could stop was becoming shorter and shorter.
0.9 seconds.
0.5 seconds.
0.3 seconds.
In the end, it was an extremely short time, not even reaching 0.1 seconds.
Before I knew it, my vision was blurred. Panting, I inhaled deeply, my upper body bent as if I were about to collapse onto the ground.
The wound I received while fighting the Vampire Kin held me back until the very end. It wasn't a fatal injury, but the strange wound, which wouldn't heal even with a healing potion, induced continuous bleeding.
When that happened, it was bound to come eventually.
The limit of my stamina.
Against a monster that never tired, it was a phenomenon no different from a death sentence.
However, Seria wasn't unscathed either.
“Hehe, aha… ahat, ahahahaha!”
Her clothes were torn in various places, and there were wounds scattered across her body. Among them were injuries to critical areas for a swordsman, like her arms and legs.
Nevertheless, the gap between Seria and me was clear.
Seria stood tall on both legs, while I was struggling even to move, out of breath. Realizing this, Seria looked over her own appearance and burst into laughter.
“Senior Ian, you’re too kind… You had opportunities to aim for my neck more clearly, didn't you?”
At those words, I swallowed a hollow laugh.
Seria was right.
No matter how short the time I could stop was, I wasn't an idiot. Naturally, I had put in a lot of effort to somehow suppress Seria within that short window.
For instance, by risking my life to buy time at the closest possible range.
Of course, there were limits. As long as I held a sword, I couldn't avoid Seria’s vigilance, and because of that, no matter how close we got, a gap always remained between us.
Even so, opportunities inevitably arise. Furthermore, Seria had not yet seen the 'Boundary,' so wasn't the difference in skill between us even obvious?
Yet, I failed to suppress Seria.
Why?
Because I wasn't cold-hearted enough.
How could I cut down my beloved junior with my own hands?
A moment of hesitation was fatal in a duel. The result was now being revealed in the dynamic between Seria and me.
Seria seemed deeply pleased by the fact that I couldn't bring myself to cut her.
The gaze she directed at me was overflowing with lust.
“Ah, so kind. So kind. So kind… That’s why you can’t cast anyone aside. I know, Senior Ian… You actually couldn't choose, could you?”
One step, two steps.
The girl began to move with light, airy steps. Instinctively, I tightened my grip on my sword, only to let it go.
It was useless.
After dozens, hundreds of exchanges, I had realized one thing. It was the fact that Seria’s Aura was interfering with reality.
Whether it was mana or phenomena, they were physically shredded before that Aura. As if an amorphous existence had become a solid object.
Was this the characteristic of the Aura Seria possessed?
There was a reason why the Time Stop had been broken so narrowly. It was likely a problem caused by our Auras colliding with each other.
In a situation like this where I was the one lunging in, there was no chance of victory.
At least, not unless I was in perfect condition.
Seria took another step, taking advantage of my silence.
“That’s why you couldn't cast that bitch aside either. Because you’re too kind… But don’t worry anymore, Senior.”
Her voice was dazed, as if she were dreaming.
I steadied my ragged breathing and tried to stagger to my feet.
My thoughts were clouded. As memories merged with other memories, unfamiliar landscapes kept flickering before my eyes.
It seemed the effects of the medicine were kicking in.
But not yet, not quite yet.
“From now on, I’ll cast them aside for you. So that Senior Ian can look only at me… I’ll kill those annoying females one by one, and we’ll create a world for just the two of us. Right? You didn't cut me because you wanted that too, didn't you, Senior Ian?”
I composed my breathing, and only then did my vision clear up a bit.
Before I knew it, the distance between Seria and me was only a few meters.
It was then, as Seria took another step.
Clang!
A clashing sound, one of many today, rang out once more.