Chapter 419

Chapter 42 Part 2: Targeting the Nose Bridge

As I thought viciously, I stepped out again in Moon Step, holding my breath, squinting my eyes. My petite figure kept weaving through the smoke, carefully sensing any movement around…

No, there were too many wind sounds everywhere, though not very strong, they continued “whoosh whoosh whoosh”, too disruptive for judgment. And it was all dirt… ah, dust got into my eyes!

The stinging sensation made me unable to hold back and slow down, followed by another “whoosh—” as an air bullet came from my rear side.

I quickly dodged sideways, cursing Richter for being a coward.

I can’t stay here…

Up we go.

Boom—

Blue light flickered amidst the dust, and a half-meter thick ice pillar burst from beneath my feet, propelling me into the air, five meters, eight meters… Suddenly, my view opened up.

I’m out…

“Oooooo!”

“Damn!”

“Miss Peyalo—”

“Frost Order, it’s really Frost Order! Oh my God! She actually used ice to push herself into the sky!”

“What level of affinity is this? So scary—”

The crowd was noisy, shouting loudly.

“Go, Peyalo—”

Ah, is that Sarah’s voice?

Too loud…

The ice pillar under my feet kept rising until it completely exited the dust cloud, then stopped. I took deep breaths and looked down at the open space below—only to see the entire wall of earth almost entirely covered in swirling dust. The sound of whistling wind and moving dust filled the air, making it impossible to see anyone.

My left eye was still burning, so I couldn’t help but rub it hard.

…That guy Richter, he isn’t affected at all staying inside?

Or could he use wind to isolate the dust…

I need to find a way to force him out.

“Richter! Coward!” I rubbed my eyes and shouted, “Dare you stick your green head out!”

The surrounding shouts were too loud, I didn’t know if he could hear…

“So shameless a trick, why didn’t you use it before!”

“…I’ll take it as a compliment, but that alone won’t work. It only intimidates some low-level guys and doesn’t cause much real damage, plus it’s exhausting… Ah, it’s really tiring…”

Oh, Richter heard me.

Are you treating me like one of those low-level guys?

I know where you are!

Blue light flared in my eyes again.

Compress, gather… don’t overdo it…

Crack—

Ice shattered in the southern corner of the field, frost mist opening a small gap in the smoke, leaving ice shards scattered on the ground.

I didn’t aim directly at the last sound, but deliberately missed slightly. I didn’t doubt Richter could dodge, but if I hit him, it wouldn’t be a joke.

I immediately regretted it after shooting.

Still angry, I ended up being a bit too forceful…

Is he okay?

But the next moment, Richter’s laughter came from another position.

“Hahaha! Now it’s my turn…”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

One air bullet after another sliced through the smoke, accurately flying toward me.

“Be careful! Getting hit by this feels like getting smacked hard on the head, it hurts…”

“Hmph.”

I swung my arm, and the ice pillar beneath my feet started extending horizontally, forming an ice wall outward from the top. Instantly, the ice wall formed like an inverted umbrella, protecting me standing atop the pillar. The air bullets hitting the ice umbrella were like pebbles thrown into water, causing no ripples.

Headshot?

I blinked hard… although still a bit sore, it felt much better.

I’ll smack you on the head!

Next moment, I raised my right hand above my head, a faint blue glow spreading from my body.

“Oooooo—”

“Peyalo, counterattack! Peyalo, counterattack!”

Crack crack crack…

The sound of ice blocks compressing mixed with the crowd’s shouts, echoing from the sky above, growing louder, like popping beans densely. Countless fist-sized ice blocks formed and hovered overhead, seemingly blocking out the sunlight.

“My God…”

“What is that power…”

“Terrifying…”

The trainees seemed frightened, their shouts suddenly halted, the scene turning chaotic. At the same time, Richter’s startled cry emerged from the smoke: “Hey hey hey, no way! You’re cheating…”

Cheating?

Tsk…

I pursed my lips.

“Get hit by hail!”

The moment I said it, my arm swung downward abruptly.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh—

In an instant, ice blocks fell from the sky with wind, like raindrops swirling and roaring into the smoke, smashing violently onto the ground.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

The impact sounds echoed like drumbeats, so密集以至于几乎串连在一起。

无差别大范围攻击！

我要砸死你！

猛烈的攻势持续了七八秒，几乎将下方被土墙围起来的区域全部砸遍，烟雾也被打得稀薄，隐约露出下方的青石板。无数冰球在地上弹起、碰撞，冰渣和寒气在尘土中四处蔓延。

这下看你往哪儿逃…

咦，人呢？

“Peyalo，小心身后——”

！

危险感瞬间传达到大脑，我来不及回头，体内霜冻秩序迅速运转，紧贴后背“嘣”地立起一道冰面，紧接着“砰”地一声，有什么东西打在冰面上。

“嘶，好冷…”

从背后传来，近在咫尺的，赫然是Richter的声音。

他是什么时候绕到我身后的…

他是怎么上来的？！

我心里瞬间一紧，顾不上多想，双腿一曲高高跃向身后，在空中一个后翻，接着看见冰伞已经被切开一个三角形的洞，切面非常整齐，像是锋利的尖刀划过一样，而Richter的身影就在伞下，正沿着冰

One side of the pillar slid down, with wind dancing around him and his clothes fluttering. A faint cold light flickered in his right hand, but it didn’t seem like he was holding any weapon… a wind blade?

The man spread his arms wide,仰面朝天, slowly descending like a large bird. His body was very clean, almost spotless, but there was a layer of frost on his hair and eyebrows.

Hey!

I laughed.

The attack did work…

Then let’s continue to chase!

In an instant, I decided, turning my body mid-air, head down, and ice forming under my feet. With a “crack,” I shattered the ice and dived towards Richter’s position, accompanied by howling winds.

The shouts from the sidelines reached their peak at this moment.

“Woah woah woah!”

The man with the forgiving face, still in mid-air, looked at me approaching rapidly, calling out in panic, yet his face wore a smile.

What is he laughing about…

“Mm!”

Suddenly, a gust of air blew into my eyes with perfect precision. My eyes immediately felt sore and uncomfortable, and I instinctively closed them.

Damn…

The sudden darkness made my heart race. I spread my palms and released several bursts of frost mist downwards, instantly slowing my descent. As I created a safe distance from Richter, I realized he would surely take advantage of this opportunity, so I pushed my right palm sideways, bursting another burst of frost mist, using the force to shift my body to the left. Immediately after, an air projectile whizzed past my ear, heading for the sky behind me.

Damn it…

This guy really wants to shoot my brain!

So frustrating!

“Wow, you react fast.”

Richter below spoke with a mocking tone.

The wind became more fierce, and he controlled it with extreme precision. Even as I shook my head left and right, sharp currents continuously battered my eyelids, making it impossible to open my eyes.

But I know where you are…

Click click click—

Three ice balls condensed and shot downwards.

“Uh…”

Richter groaned.

It seemed to have hit…

But definitely not his nose.

Plop.

It was the sound of him landing on the ground…

At this moment, the wind in front of us clearly weakened. Taking the chance, I half-opened my eyes and saw a figure rubbing his chest amidst the dust… He stood not far below me, only three or four meters away.

An opportunity!

As I landed, I flipped my body, releasing a burst of frost mist from my palms. My body arced through the air and swiftly approached the figure, kicking out.

He dodged to the side.

In the next moment, I landed on both feet, but before I could stabilize, a fist of wind struck my abdomen.

Smack!

I extended my right hand to catch his fist while adjusting my stance, clenching my left fist and punching Richter’s face as he emerged from the smoke.

The man turned his head again to avoid it, his right fist retracting as he swung his left arm to punch again.

Smack!

I caught it with my hand and quickly threw another punch.

Smack smack smack smack—

In just a few seconds, Richter and I exchanged countless rapid punches. The punches were swift as the wind, each one either avoided or caught, until we exchanged blows several times. Holding back my breath, I didn’t want to be blinded by the dust and instinctively stepped back, but the man with the forgiving face relentlessly pursued, attacking with both fists and feet, pressing me closer. Although the attacks weren’t heavy, they were too fast, making it hard to keep up. Already confused by the smoke and wind, I grew frustrated and unconsciously increased the strength of my punches.

Huff—

A punch went through, the wind roaring beside my ears.

Smack!

Richter still managed to catch it.

But this time, he didn’t look as composed as before.

His firm little fist was wrapped in the man’s right palm—despite the man biting down on his teeth—he couldn’t stop it, only hesitating slightly. The forward momentum weakened a bit, but it still rapidly approached Richter’s wide eyes.

Bang!

This punch struck Richter’s face through his hand.

“Damn it!”

The man with the forgiving face muttered, then covered his nose and quickly retreated.

At this point, I finally escaped the dust cloud.

“Huff—”

After taking a few deep breaths, I looked at Richter, who was slightly hunched over a short distance away, unable to hold back a laugh.

Right on target!

Although I had to rely on brute force in the end…

I had to admit, Richter was indeed much more precise and skilled than me in every aspect, whether it was the use of order power or combat techniques.

However, due to the nature of the frost order, it made me feel constrained in such battles, fearing that a slight mistake might cost Richter his life… otherwise, the fight might have ended quickly.

But in turn, he should feel the same way, right?

Richter must also have some lethal moves, which he wouldn’t use unless it came down to a life-or-death struggle.

And given his fighting style, being in such an open space itself was a limitation for the man with the forgiving face. If he truly went all out, he might resort to many underhanded tactics… just like when he fought Teresa, Richter once hid in the dark, silently passing through the deadly aftermath of ice and fire, and slashed Teresa’s throat without her even realizing it.

Such undetectable yet fatal attacks, even now, I’m not sure if I could dodge them…

Thoughts raced through my mind as the smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

“I give up… no more fighting,” Richter said, covering his nose and walking over with a pained expression.

The man’s eyes were slightly red, with tears glistening. He spoke with a muffled voice. He blinked at me, looking pitiful like a puppy. He uncovered his nose, sniffed, glanced at his palm, then looked at me again, frowned, and tried to say something—red liquid already flowing from his nostrils.

Two-pronged attack.