Chapter 128: Airael’s Martial Arts
The battle that followed between them was not a mortal duel, but it was a true fight in every sense.
Neither of them wanted to lose this match.
So naturally, they would give it their all.
With that in mind, fighting within the city wasn’t the smartest choice.
First, they would be unable to unleash their full powers without risking massive destruction; second, it would draw too much attention, and they needed to remain as low-key as possible.
Thus, it became necessary to choose an arena outside the city.
In a clearing amidst the dense forest outside the city, Airael stood opposed to Arthur.
Airael wielded a sword in one hand and a staff in the other, while Arthur held two swords in his hands.
Arthur didn’t use the Sword of the King.
Due to Airael’s words, he harbored doubts about the Sword of the King, so it was better to avoid using it if he could.
Airael also refrained from employing the Staff of Eternity, that legendary artifact.
She didn’t want to win the battle relying on her weapons.
Although weapons were part of her combat power, this conflict was different.
She aimed to ensure that the battle remained as fair as possible; only then would her victory be meaningful, and Arthur would accept his defeat wholeheartedly.
On the side, Celia and Aurora, who were keeping watch, couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Were they not getting along well? Why did it suddenly come to blows?
Moreover, it seemed they were going all out.
Or was it one of those “fighting means affection” things where they were expressing their feelings through brawling?
Clueless about the actual situation, the two couldn’t help but frantically speculate about the cause of the conflict, momentarily forgetting about their responsibilities.
Their task was quite simple.
According to Airael’s directives, they were to ensure that no one else interrupted the battle between her and Axi.
“Are you ready?”
Having prepared herself, Airael looked at Arthur and asked.
“Ready,” Arthur responded.
His eyes gained a piercing sharpness.
Since he had agreed to this wager, he had no intention of losing.
He wanted to win this bet and gain leverage over them.
When you think about it carefully, it was a rather straightforward method.
Otherwise, Airael’s personality would certainly have her nagging him about it for ages.
Although Airael wouldn’t bring him too much trouble, at the end of the day, she was still a woman and could cause issues just like any other.
However, because of his feelings for Airael, he was more tolerant towards her.
Yet, just because he could endure the trouble she caused didn’t mean he liked it.
Airael immediately sensed the tremendous pressure coming from Arthur.
But rather than bow down, she felt a rush of excitement.
She could tell that Arthur was truly serious now.
He wasn’t merely acting as her sparring partner anymore.
Thus, this was bound to be a spectacular battle.
And whether she won or lost, she would gain invaluable experience.
“Great! Let’s get started!”
Airael exclaimed, bubbling with excitement.
Arthur, watching the exhilarated Airael, felt moved.
He hadn’t expected this side of her, looking just like a complete battle fanatic.
In reality, Airael wasn’t a battle maniac.
She simply yearned for growth.
She wanted to develop as quickly as possible.
And experiencing combat—especially thrilling battles—was the fastest path to growth.
Caught in a moment of distraction, Arthur quickly lost the initiative at the start.
Airael didn’t think twice; since Arthur had made a mistake right at the beginning, she would seize the opportunity to attack.
She had done her utmost to ensure the battle’s fairness, and if he messed up on his part, then she wouldn’t hold back.
With a swift move, Airael unleashed a remarkably powerful spell.
Fire Explosion Spell!
Unlike Nadal, who would condense his magic, Airael released a sizable fireball that flew toward Arthur at breakneck speed under her control.
Arthur, hastily regaining his focus, didn’t dare waste time confronting the enormous fireball.
He swiftly dodged, sprinting in a circle around Airael to the left.
His speed was impressive.
He managed to escape just before the gigantic fireball collided with him.
Airael immediately released her control over the fireball, causing it to detonate upon hitting the ground, the explosion sending waves of heat and flames sweeping over the surrounding plants and trees.
Concentrating, Airael tried to lock in on the rapidly moving Arthur.
However, Arthur’s speed was just too quick, his movements rather erratic.
Even though her eyes could clearly see Arthur, she couldn’t accurately target him, and several of her attacks ended uselessly.
Nothing like the Ice Spear or Lightning Ball hit Arthur directly, only making him seem a bit flustered without causing any real damage.
However, dodging Airael’s attacks meant Arthur had no opportunity to close the distance to Airael.
Airael wasn’t ignorant of self-defense.
She could see Arthur’s silhouette clearly.
Thus, she could reasonably predict his next moves.
This allowed her to anticipate and strike.
Under these circumstances, the battle quickly reached a climax as the two of them engaged in a flurry of back-and-forth skirmishes.
Their attacks were either evaded or forced back by the other.
This was still merely their warm-up phase.
Aware that continuing like this wouldn’t yield results, both Airael and Arthur decided they needed a change in tactics.
So, they coincidentally paused their offensives.
Airael looked at Arthur and teased, “So, now you understand my prowess, huh? But just wait, the real magic is yet to come!”
Arthur’s heart was filled with surprise.
He could feel that Airael’s magical power had notably amplified compared to before.
And there were still more tricks up her sleeve.
Eager to witness Airael’s abilities, Arthur refrained from attacking and stood his ground, vigilantly watching Airael as he awaited her next move.
“Aurora, you’ve seen my magic just now; now let me show you my martial arts! Trust me, it’ll definitely blow your mind!” Airael declared with a grin.
As she spoke, a golden magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
Blue and white electrical sparks crackled around her whole body, especially swirling round the sword in her hand, resembling a dazzling sword of lightning.
Arthur wasn’t unfamiliar with this technique from Airael.
She had demonstrated it before, but now, it seemed even stronger.
With the enhancement of magic, Airael felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through her.
With a swift swing of her sword, a small bolt of lightning hurled toward Arthur.
Arthur immediately leaped to the left, narrowly dodging it.
The lightning struck the ground where he stood, scorching the earth black.
Seeing the formidable lightning strike and glancing back at Airael, who was clad in electricity and looked like a descending thunder deity, Arthur felt his scalp tingle.
How was he supposed to fight that?
The layer of lightning armor surrounding Airael was clearly both offensive and defensive.
With no means for long-range attacks, charging in for close combat would mean voluntarily becoming a target for Airael’s electric shock.
And based on the earlier display of lightning’s power, getting hit wouldn’t end well.
So this was what it meant to be a Battle Mage?
Arthur had to admit, this was indeed quite a handful.
In reality, Airael was not as splendid inside as she appeared on the outside.
While her magical strength had increased, her martial skills hadn’t seen much improvement.
The boost from magic wasn’t permanent.
It had a time limitation.
For instance, she could maintain this state for a short period, but if too long passed, she would be the one collapsing.
Thus, Airael had no intention of wasting time. After showcasing a bit of her newfound strength, she charged towards Arthur to engage in close combat.
With the magic enhancement, Airael’s speed soared, reaching the limit her body could withstand.
In the blink of an eye, she was before Arthur.
Then, she thrust her sword toward him.
Airael’s incredible speed made Arthur’s pupils constrict.
Fortunately, he had a chance to react.
Faced with Airael’s thrust, he performed a backflip to evade.
However, immediately after that, part of the electricity surrounding Airael arced out and struck Arthur.
Caught off guard mid-jump, a bolt hit him hard.
Electricity wrapped around Arthur’s body, repeatedly jolting him.
The shock brought him a great deal of pain.
Yet, he gritted his teeth, holding back any cries, eventually landing firmly on the ground.
At that moment, with electricity still coursing through him, even though the jolts were no longer as intense as before, it was still an ordeal.
“Didn’t expect you’d make such a decent meat shield,” Airael expressed, surprised as she observed Arthur shaking off the shock without significant harm.
Her earlier strike should have been enough to knock him out, in her opinion.
After all, while Arthur’s martial skills were strong, his body was still that of a human, and his magical resistance shouldn’t be that high.
“I didn’t expect your martial skills to be like that either,” Arthur replied, looking rather grim.
Are you sure that was martial arts?
With that gaze from Arthur, Airael couldn’t help but blush.
She quickly clarified, “Didn’t I say? I’m a Battle Mage! Therefore, my martial arts aren’t ordinary; they’re infused with magical attacks.”
Arthur stared at Airael, utterly unsure how to counter that statement.
He had no knowledge about Battle Mages, so whatever Airael said seemed to be the truth.
“Since that’s the case, I better show my true strength too,” Arthur said seriously as he stared at Airael.