"Good morning, Nexar," I said, stretching my arms wide as the cool dawn air swept over me.
[Some had fun last night!]
I scratched the back of my neck, looking away. "Well… umm… she fainted again."
[She really needs to build tolerance to Soft Touch, or she's going to keep passing out.]
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I muttered, blowing out a breath.
I rolled my shoulders and let the breeze wake me up properly. The horizon was starting to glow faint orange.
"Sun's almost up."
[Is that Lydia?]
I narrowed my eyes, squinting toward the cliff's edge. A lone figure stood there, the wind tugging at her long black hair.
"Oh yeah. That's her."
[Yeah, I could tell from her curves.]
"Pervert." I snorted, already heading toward her.
[Look who's talking.]
I ignored him, brushing the faint shimmer of his words away as I walked up to Lydia.
She was staring out into the open, her back straight, hands clasped behind her as though she belonged to the horizon itself.
"Good morning, Commander Lydia," I greeted, stepping up beside her.
The view stretched out endlessly from here. The dawn light spilling slowly over the mountains, painting the clouds in strokes of fire and gold.
The breeze carried the chill of night but promised warmth soon.
She turned her head toward me, her expression calm as always.
"Rune. Good morning. You're awake early."
I nodded, stretching again.
"Well… today's the day I get my sword."
Her lips curved into a faint smirk. "You seem confident we'll clear the dungeon."
"What do you mean?" I shot back with a grin. "We've got Commander Lydia with us."
Damn, I am really getting good at this.
She laughed lightly, shaking her head.
"Flattery gets you nowhere."
I smiled back at her, a little proud of myself.
But then Lydia's expression shifted. Her smirk softened into something more thoughtful. Out of nowhere, she said, "Hey Rune… let's have a duel."
"Huh?" I blinked. "Miss, I just got up."
She smiled faintly, like she'd been waiting for that answer. "It's not official. Think of it like a morning stretch."
Her hand slid casually down her skirt, and in the next second, a dagger came flying at me.
I caught it by reflex, staring at it in disbelief.
Seriously… where is she even hiding these daggers? There isn't enough cloth on her to cover them.
She pulled another out for herself, taking it like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"...We're doing this with steel?" I asked, raising a brow.
She nodded. "Why? Are you afraid? Didn't you once possess the Emperor's Aura?" Her tone had that mocking lilt, sharp enough to poke.
"You actually believed that?" I turned the dagger in my hand, testing its balance.
"Was it a lie?" she asked, sliding effortlessly into stance.
I smirked. "I can't prove it."
She snorted, unimpressed. "Who do you think will win this duel?"
I didn't even hesitate. "You'll win. No to low-diff."
Her eyes widened a little, like I'd just said something absurd. "Woah… you have an awfully confident evaluation about yourself..."
I shrugged and smirked again. "I just stated the facts. No amount of trickery could cover the difference between a novice and an intermediate aura user."
Her face relaxed, and she nodded. "True." Then her gaze sharpened, challenging.
"Let's say we both don't use aura. Who do you think would win?"
I tilted my head down at her, matching her look with my own grin.
"I'll win. No to low diff."
Her brow twitched, though her smile stayed. "Wow. There's a thin line between confidence and arrogance."
"Ohh?" I twirled the dagger once and slipped into stance. "Then let's test that "thin line" out."
The next thing I knew, Lydia's dagger was right in front of my eyes.
Instinct took over. I jerked my arm forward, steel meeting steel with a sharp crack.
Sparks lit up between us as my blade angled hers upward, just barely redirecting the strike.
Who the hell loses their weapon as their first move?
My grip tightened around the hilt.
I decided it was my turn to push back. But before I could move, she was gone.
"What..!?" My head snapped around, scanning.
Then my senses flared. My instincts screamed at me. I ducked without thinking, and a gust of air brushed the top of my hair where my skull should have been.
Lydia's leg sliced through empty space as she landed smoothly. She hadn't gone for a feint, she'd gone straight for the knockout.
"You move like an animal, Rune. Pure instinct," she said flatly.
I pressed my palms against the ground, swung my body up, and lashed out with both legs toward her solar plexus.
She caught the attack, palm meeting palm in a block that should have stopped me cold. But instead of resisting, I used her resistance. The impact gave me leverage to push higher.
My torso twisted mid-air, and I kicked again. This time a sharp upward strike aimed for her chin.
Her eyes widened, but she managed to slip back just in time.
I landed, sliding back across the dirt, putting some distance between us. My chest rose and fell with adrenaline.
Damn it. I completely forgot about her Phantom Cloak(S). Even now, she was vanishing and reappearing, her presence erased so perfectly that it made my skin crawl.
Phantom cloak was an S-rank skill. If this was what S-rank could do, what the hell would its S+ variant look like?
"I don't know if being called an animal is an insult or a compliment," I said with a grin, wiping the sweat off my brow.
"Neither," she replied curtly, adjusting her stance. "It just slipped out."
Water suddenly coiled around her hands, spiraling into a thin armor over her frame.
I pointed at her. "Wait, wait, this is supposed to be a friendly duel!"
"Who's to say you can't use mana in a duel?" she shot back, smirking.
Damn! That output is easily a second cirlce...
The water spread, coating her body like a glistening second skin. My gut told me she was about to throw something big at me.
"What? Weren't you the one who said you'd win no to low diff?" she teased, circling me.
I twirled the dagger between my fingers and smirked. "Yeah, well, I take that back. It's low to mid diff now."
Her eyes narrowed. "Such arrogance." She rolled them dramatically, but her stance tightened.
A sharp whish sliced through the air.
Before I could blink, she appeared above me, her leg descending in a vicious sweep.
Shit. If I blocked that without aura, my bones would shatter.
So instead, I moved into her.
I caught her thigh midair, her leg still hanging above ground. Shock flashed across her face as I locked onto her, forcing her balance onto the other leg.
But Lydia wasn't the type to panic. She used that single leg as an anchor, leaping higher and twisting, her free leg whipping toward my skull.
I spun with her motion, slipping past the strike. At the same time, my twist wrenched the leg I was holding.
"Ughh!" she let out a sound between pain and frustration.
She tried to jerk her limb free, but I tightened my hold. Her other leg hit the dirt, anchoring her again as she attempted to break away.
I smirked at her, dagger still firm in my other hand. "I hope you've got potions ready."
Her eyes went wide as she realized what I meant.
Dark beams surged from my fingers, snaking into her leg. They pierced through, bursting out the other side and embedding themselves into the ground.
"Ughhh!" She clenched her teeth, holding back a scream.
Impressive. Do covert units actually train to endure torture like this? Or is her pain tolerance just freakishly high?
She finally managed to limp back, distance growing between us. Her stance wavered slightly, the leg I'd struck clearly damaged.
"I took your mobility," I said, letting my dagger lower. "So… shall we stop the duel here?"
Her breathing was ragged, but her eyes were still sharp. "A duel only ends when I surrender." Her voice cracked faintly on the last word.
I sighed, trying to reason with her.
"Hey… I didn't tell you this before, but I was a warlord in my last life. If you don't use aura, you're basically just a twenty-two-year-old kid trying to fight an expert who's battled for centuries."
I thought the truth might calm her down, maybe make her laugh, or at least take the edge off.
Instead, her body stiffened even more.
Her eyes lifted to meet mine, fierce and burning. And then..
A single tear welled up and suspended in the air, catching the dawn light.
Then it fell, striking the soil and mingling with the blood that dripped steadily from the holes in her thigh..
"What…?" The word slipped out of me, caught between confusion and disbelief.