When I was trapped in Richard’s Dantian, I learned various things from Master Asilia.
One of them was the art of utilizing light.
— Here’s a little tip: the better you can manipulate light, the more effective it becomes. For instance, if you conceal mana within light like this, even the most skilled opponent will be thrown off guard. Light is also a form of energy…
As the seal set by Leisha shattered, and moonlight shone through, the teachings of my master resurfaced in my mind.
Since Ether is naturally transparent, it should be even more effective.
And sure enough…
— Pshhh!
Several transparent needles shot towards Leisha, piercing her.
Seeing the blood trickling from her wounds, it was evident that the attack landed meaningfully.
Leisha frowned deeply.
She did a backward flip with one hand to avoid the remaining needles.
Like someone who just got pierced, blood trickled from her lips and ears.
“Puuh.”
She spat out a handful of blood and glared at me.
“… You little brat.”
She growled in a low voice, pulling out a black piece of paper from her pocket.
Then she placed it over her left eye like an eyepatch.
“Accept the gaze of the species.”
Her short murmur seemed like an incantation of ‘restriction’.
What did she gain by sacrificing half of her vision?
The answer became clear immediately.
— Crack!
With only one arm remaining, she gripped a dagger in reverse and charged.
Her speed was almost impossible to track.
‘Did she use Restriction to enhance her speed…?!’
I couldn’t react in time.
But.
— Crack!
The transparent Ether I had placed around my neck for protection prevented her dagger from slashing my throat.
Instead…
“Tch!”
Clicking her tongue in irritation, Leisha steadied herself, swinging her severed left arm toward me.
Having already lost track of her movements, her strike hit my exposed abdomen.
“Ugh!”
A searing pain as if the air had been knocked out of my lungs surged through me, encompassing my entire body in an instant.
Instinctively, I steadied myself and took a few steps back.
I could feel blood trickling from my lips.
This was definitely an internal injury.
Leisha looked at me and spoke.
“Well, well. Even after taking that hit, you’re still standing?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m unscathed.”
“The fact that you’re still talking is proof you’re fine. No one else has held up against me like this.”
That’s because one of Leisha’s restrictions was lifted.
If her powers were fully restored…
‘… I would definitely be dead.’
A shiver ran down my spine.
Who would’ve thought she’d use her severed arm as a weapon?
This is why strategizing is crucial.
Releasing her restrictions as soon as possible is key.
“How much do you know about me, Ian?”
“More than you’d imagine.”
“What exactly are you?”
“Why don’t you take a guess?”
As I ended my sentence, I launched Ether toward her—a long-range attack fused with ‘Leap.’
Woosh!
The overwhelmingly swift attack…
“I won’t be caught twice.”
Leisha dodged it.
The result of the restriction she placed over her left eye.
However…
My true aim wasn’t to strike her.
The Ether lodged into a fire sprinkler pipe, and the water pressure burst forth.
Pssssh!
Leisha was drenched in water.
The paper she had placed over her left eye began to dissolve.
“Damn it.”
I immediately used ‘Leap’ toward her as she murmured.
By now, my mastery of Leap had reached a ‘proficient’ level.
With her speed buff nullified by the restriction, Leisha must have felt her body moving much slower.
— Wham!
I adjusted my speed just right, landing a punch squarely on Leisha’s face.
She tried to deflect some of the impact by turning her face slightly, but…
“Cough!”
The nosebleed and blood trickling from her mouth showed she wasn’t unscathed.
Yet, Leisha landed softly and gracefully, wiping the blood from her mouth.
“For your age, Ian, you’re the first to fight this skillfully.”
Hmm.
Being complimented by your opponent mid-battle does feel a bit awkward.
Of course, it was partially luck. Every time Leisha’s restriction was released, she seemed to suffer side effects, so I guessed she’d feel the loss of her speed buff acutely.
And it paid off.
‘…But there’s still a vast skill gap.’
Right now, she was at least two levels above me.
And there was another problem.
Maybe from the punch’s aftermath.
A part of her top was torn—right below her chest.
Through the tear, I could see the lower part of her pale chest.
Her tight top seemed to enhance the visible part’s firmness.
‘…Damn this teenage hormone surge.’
I couldn’t look away.
“?”
Leisha gave me a curious glance before approaching again.
Click.
Is she throwing her dagger this time?
— Thwack!
I blocked it, having anticipated this attack pattern.
Still, it wasn’t easy.
Moreover, Leisha’s chest shook noticeably as she threw the dagger.
Noticing my gaze, Leisha smirked.
“Hmm. Quite full of energy, aren’t you?”
And then, she subtly tore her top a bit more.
With my gaze inevitably fixed on her, she narrowed her eyes into crescent moons.
‘…Damn it. She already figured it out.’
Leisha didn’t initially know I was in a hormonal state. She deduced it just from my gaze. She’s sharp as a fox.
“How about it? Want me to show you a bit more?”
As she lowered her pants slightly, revealing her hips, I decided to charge.
If my hormonal state worsened, my chances of victory would plummet.
However…
— Smack!
She’s two moves ahead of me.
This half-hearted attack couldn’t hurt Leisha.
Effortlessly dodging my tackle, Leisha stomped on my foot.
Crunch!
It hurt as if my toes were being crushed, despite me reinforcing them just before impact.
“Oh, I’m quite good at this.”
Leisha smiled slyly, pulling something out from her thigh.
Her legs were beautiful… no, focus.
Crack!
Without time to react, a sharp pain struck my back as if I’d been hit with a whip.
Wait… was it a whip?
“Haha! Try to escape.”
Whip! Whip!
In this sadistic scenario, Leisha’s lower chest jiggled with each crack of the whip.
Her expertly modulated strikes kept my sense of crisis piqued, preventing me from finding a way to escape.
My gaze was locked on her body.
‘Damn it.’
I should have emptied my mind today.
Was this the price for not heeding the doctor’s advice to stay calm?
“I’ll give you something even better, boy.”
Click.
Just as Leisha approached, preparing to kick my lower abdomen…
Swoosh!
Black ink poured down everywhere except where I stood.
Leisha got drenched as well.
Lupina’s voice rang out confidently.
“It’s ink that never washes off! Developed just for handling troublemakers!”
“Got it, now hurry back and hide.”
“Yes!”
With that, Leisha’s distracting figure was no longer visible, leaving me focused.
I immediately crystallized the scattered Ether around me.
The result was a fully formed sword.
The reason I crafted it this way…
— Clang!
…To pressure Leisha with my Snowflake Sword Technique, my one true martial art that surpassed my natural capabilities.
This was my trump card, rarely used, except to make snowflake fruit.
The scattered snowflakes swirled around, and Leisha’s eyes widened.
“What is this…!”
She frantically used her whip to fend off the snowflakes, but that was only the beginning.
“You think this trick will…!”
“Gluck!”
The Snowflake Sword Technique could drive an opponent completely on the defensive, even if only for a short time.
As Leisha staggered back, I caused the ground to shoot up under her heels.
And with that…
“Ahh!”
Leisha lost her balance, stumbling and rolling roughly on the ground.
Which meant…
[1. Walk softly with gentle steps.]
Her first restriction had been broken.
“Cough!”
The backlash of the shattered restriction caused Leisha to cough up blood.
In her momentary groggy state, I drove my fist upwards into her abdomen with all my strength.
— Paaaaaaaah!
“Keugh!!”
She gasped, as if the air was forcefully knocked out of her lungs.
[2. Avoid loud talking.]
Another restriction shattered.
In an instant, all three of her core restrictions were broken.
“Ugh…”
The once composed Leisha was now barely able to stand from the pain.
Of course, I wasn’t just going to stand and watch.
I reshaped the Ether into a club and…
— Crack!
…Hit Leisha’s abdomen with full force.
“Gahh!”
She coughed up a mouthful of blood and slumped over, her eyes unfocused.
I grabbed her face.
“Now talk. Who hired you for the assassination?”
“…Do… you really think… I’d tell you?”
“Then don’t talk. Instead…”
I exhaled near her.
“This… What is this?”
“Oh. Apparently, anyone in close contact with me or near my breath ends up… well, aroused.”
I didn’t know who caused this arousal effect or when it would end.
But for now…
“If I can use it to get some information out of you…”
Just as I was thinking this, Leisha mumbled something and spat something out.
— Whizz!
Damn.
A concealed weapon?
I hadn’t anticipated that she’d have hidden it in her mouth.
‘I let my guard down.’
No way to dodge.
I was going to get hit.
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind as the weapon sped toward my forehead.
— Dooooong!
A deep bell tolled, defying all laws of physics, freezing everything around us in place.
