Chapter 207: Autumn Harvest Festival (4)
b3oRp1Holy Burster Semi-open Impact.K4ZafF
Dvurr6It was a physically explosive attack only made possible by amplifying divine energy through prayers.rW1
SCX1ttYWhether it be knights or mages, all skills worked the same way – one had to refine their energy into skills or spells. However, it was slightly different for Estelle.1IsA
RCrzShe was simply letting out a ridiculous amount of energy.JTD
zCuSIt was the same as blowing out a balloon until it exploded. It was a simple and rather wasteful use of energy, but it had its upsides.NInt5
COw9WLike instant casting spells, there was no visible sign of preparation which made it difficult for the opponent to react to.Depnb
NpDBNj“Aigo~. I feel bad for the people who had to build the arena.”c7sDkK
eyf3JDespite saying that, Estelle didn’t feel apologetic in the slightest. Her confidence, bordering arrogance, was so potent that she didn’t find anything wrong with half-destroying the arena.j9dpn
kpGFG“Hmm~. Is it over already?”Y4Dj
3VxEven though it wasn’t her strongest attack, it was still powerful enough to destroy half of the arena. It would be difficult for anyone to withstand an attack of this level unless they were a mage relying on barrier spells or knights with high resistance to magic.NBizgSF
y6kXAlicia Arden, however, was a classic example of an agile swordsman. She shouldn’t possess any measures against an explosive frontal attack like that, however…XVLO3nN
7UUOnk“…”oZBSL
9FwbWhen the dust cleared away, Estelle found an armed swordsman standing within the remains of the half-destroyed arena, glaring her way with a sharp gaze. Despite taking on the attack head-on, she hadn’t taken a single step.7Hs68R
IeUdDon’t tell me… Did she offset the shockwave with just her sword?W8mh
mZ8Is that even possible? In that short period of time? Unless she’s able to “stop time” or something…cb0XUBL
dnBNf“I see… So that’s the ‘Domain’ thingy, huh? Interesting.”9P2j
HqCeDespite there being countless personnel and warriors within the New Faith, there was still a widespread belief that such a realm of swordsmanship wasn’t possible and that it was but a result of legends and exaggerated rumors.ZZU9t
oJBAlthough Garrand Arden, the pinnacle of his generation, had been very famous for his use of the Domain, even that was in the distant past for many.qCm
coeIQ7The Domain was well-known but only a few had ever witnessed it and… it was a realm that a saintess like Estelle had an even lesser chance of coming across.OEPLzF
J9eM0“Hmm?”3IRBCjk
F2PxEstelle was still in awe when Alicia closed the gap in the blink of an eye. Alicia then swung her sword horizontally as it went straight for Estelle’s arms. And—ds56c
ltrPDby– Kang!YcF
PfAMWJ— It was blocked by Estelle’s bare skin.ly7xpK
PtOv“H, how could normal skin…”WqEpwxs
7kLt“I shall become an iron fortress stopping the enemy chariots.”rMKe5
h6jM0M2A splendid light started to cover her body. The horrifyingly dense layer of divine energy was fundamentally different from the likes of aura and mana.bLhNyL
MTMjV0oIt was a demonstration of divine energy that even Korin Lork had only seen during the last moments of Erin Danua and Eochaid Bres.kAB
G1RO2After acquiring Undry, Estelle had gotten even closer to divinity. However, she didn’t approach divinity as the Saintess… Instead, she started to become a divine being herself.d6j3
my6MTROnly a few were able to sense the change in status that she had gone through. From those present, Erin Danua and Korin Lork, as well as the ones who possessed eyes that could see through anything, were the only ones.wGM
BN0“I, I thought you’re a saintess…”Fqq6f1k
hrPLpsA“Not anymore.”NQ8
KyB2nEstelle raised her club with a smile. The magic club of Dagda was a very fitting weapon for the Divinity of the Earth.DjjY81I
hDf“Call me goddess, little human,” she jested.mr6SVcM
75xlVPAlicia blocked the downward strike of the club with her sword, but she felt like she was up against a mountain crumbling down from above.YJu
xEs“Uguk…!?”iVfST
Hg0wEThe magic club of Dagda was the heaviest weapon in existence, even 8 of the strongest Danann could barely carry it together.7Hbt
3e3bEoOnly the one with the Divinity of the Earth could control it at will by absorbing the aura of the Earth. It wasn’t something that a mere human like Alicia could hold off against.dwuTG2n
XwNgzH“Uguk…!”j59
LQf2EShe deflected it slightly to the side before being crushed to death as the club landed on the floor of the arena.vBowKLT
bKqRvDgKwaang!QpcX
3wDAyxThe arena exploded beneath. Despite avoiding direct contact with the club, Alicia was bombarded by the pressure from the collision.YzmI4
64v“Uhk…!”t1rySz
7RUSlo4“Your skills aren’t too shabby.”H9QnAm
lDh1vGIEstelle sounded relaxed but her movements were like that of a lightning bolt. Her body reinforced with divine energy was at a level where she could apply tremendous pressure on Alicia with just the aftershock of her movements.PpZmnu
LIi“Huu…!”XFOPmmx
GW2QVnAlicia took a deep breath out and calmly fended off the bulldozer called Estelle. Her movements were fluent and elegant unlike the aggressive style put forth by Estelle. She had become very experienced through her countless duels against Korin on how to parry and deflect the opponent’s attacks.9q3
n25Whenever Estelle swung the club, she dodged and deflected it carefully before aiming at her thighs, stomach, chest, and neck.B7rCLl
nt0VCompared to the heavy club, Alicia’s sword was much faster and landed on her vitals several times. However, Estelle didn’t even flinch a little and tanked all of Alicia’s attacks before continuing to march forward.D6y8
e7Tfts“Ugh…!”S7u
Cv2hHer opponent was not used to fights. She was just charging forward and relying on her overwhelming physical stats, and that reminded her of someone.d0NeW
lCGFKiXHeavenly Yaksha Hua Ran.7Uom
4wUHHua Ran also had a ridiculous defense partnered up with her nigh-infinite supply of aura. Alicia had a feeling that she was up against Hua Ran.UfcE6RY
V5CYqSBut they’re different. There has to be a limit.V1xnV93
mOaE9Compared to Hua Ran, whose impenetrable defense was there as a passive, Estelle’s was based on her “prayers” which was considered an active skill. In that case—SP3s
rMqjnc“Stop running away all the time…!”VH7KA
9iVAh4jEstelle focused a large amount of divine energy into her feet. She then stomped down on the arena, which made the floor – or what remained of the stage from the first attack – slightly float up from the impact.GOv3
soK“…!”2HiD
LukZPjAlicia was flung into the air alongside the crumbled remains of the arena floor. Seeing that she was in the air with no footing, Estelle grabbed tightly onto her club.GcNhA
GKMrIt was over. The moment she landed, Estelle was ready to strike her intimidating club at Alicia.u7sTv
0t8ekDE————S5t
q27uUuq“Huh?”M6C0K
laDN2jThat was when Alicia vanished from her sight.Cw5
8bxsIt wasn’t as simple as acceleration. Estelle’s eyes, after being reinforced with prayers, were able to pick up even the most minute of movements.vgwcOy
ZW9FKGIn the first place, how was anyone able to accelerate from the middle of the air with nothing to set ones foot on?R8gJd
C7tdBut the moment she perceived that Alicia had vanished, Estelle also noticed that she was right in front of her nose.u2X0Ebc
xf5w9gIs this Domain?0ZCxs
qeFDomain was an extreme level of concentration that allowed one to take “an impossible step forward” inside a realm of suspended time. It did not obey the principles of time.lEs9Fke
cpKyAKorin Lork.g7MYth
SVhErin Danua.Sbu
PBnGarrand Arden.JQ2
r85CEochaid Bres.oSGc
CFOZnTates Valtazar.PNrz
QZPxThese people were the prime examples of there being a sky above the sky – heaven above the heavens. They were able to take a full step forward within the Domain.VFSs
1OSIBgHBut Alicia Arden was different.YVZt9
2pJJE1AI thought you could only take a step inside the Domain?8qjI
jkxThat was what was commonly passed down to the people, however, the amount of distance Alicia covered was something one step could never accomplish.9uKM0
wBTThree steps.AmV
QA8AMWAlicia Arden treads three steps.kHcNvt5
Kj6DKrJEyes of the Boundary.DAw
1mNQoShe had innate gifts that allowed her to see through the Domain much better than anyone else. Added on top of that were her unparalleled talents that scoffed at those who had to countlessly push themselves to their limits.2klwx
p5gHer unfair attack ignored the limitations of distance and—wZrrZLZ
Eap2INAlicia Style: Thousand Blades—1AUM
7gXZVn—Infinity. Exceeding the DomainqaDcYf6
QyCmrP— It landed on the hems of the Saintess’ outfit.XgdcR
b2Gpj– Swish!grB
yO1Ct“Ehk…”tOc4A
JG3iJ5eA foolish mutter escaped from her lips. She had exceeded the Domain while withstanding the pain of her body being shredded to pieces and yet her final attack with everything on the line ended up missing its target.hCoeR
cAPX5a“Uhmm… This wasn’t the plan.”6dIbw
2uyX7JrDespite being caught off guard, her opponent made a dumbfoundingly foolish mistake which gave her the chance to fight back. Estelle’s face, however, was stiffer than ever before.eJqcl
Uz8She mumbled with her lips to complete a prayer as her club started to give off an extraordinary level of pressure.54pnj
L9TaZIt was so concentrated that Alicia’s brain was ringing with alarm bells.OgA
uaGXrF“W, wait. I, I give up—!”4dAUn
3bDCjeDivine EnergyVyEQnl
mAr6jFull Power — Bashing EverythingNOMSFO
F1UFWd8A ridiculously deafening barrage of attacks was thrown at the arena and at Alicia.9iVcK
eNO2***6fj2gD
3ZoU9r“Hiing…”f4ePJ
I7VAlicia grumbled and growled in the medical room of the Tournament.joT
PIUaGVz“Some moderateness would have been great,” said Korin.VTDJ
kiIKe“I know right!”MrBNF9G
zjS“I’m talking about you.”S2Nu5Ew
fHWnFFKorin gave her a flick to the forehead which made her even more teary-eyed than before.o2DoNE1
6WyTE“I’m a patient, okay…!”vMb
nf7“Ehew…”z8f4D2
NQs7Iih“…I wanted to give you the winner’s prize though.”CkPr
IJ5CLO“That’s not what’s important right now, is it?”UQgSqV
nK7KdhDomain and Full Impact Burst.lLIh8
HwHSQjBoth had far exceeded what would normally come out in a simple event like the Tournament. Seeing the two of them fight each other to death in what was supposed to be a friendly event, Korin couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt.C9r
V46Tr“Anyway… I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”WV853
cE6It was his fault that the two of them had to fight each other with the prize on the line.fmX
nYzY“Like, this is not even that overpowered of an item or anything.”AkhFO
A64AHe just wanted to get one of the prizes, and yet that innocent wish ended up causing the two girls to fight like it was a life-or-death situation.aPBNcGX
EOD2qFY“Hehe. I think it will hurt less if you blow on it.”GTMR6H
VLpyC1“…Seriously.”m9kOI
8j9Korin felt like giving her another flick but retracted his hand after seeing the coy smile on her face. He felt both apologetic and grateful.pO3
0rHtgG“Why do you seem so happy after getting injured like this?”fX4nJOS
KpXcJbU“I don’t know. I just feel… happy that I was able to do something for Mr. Korin.”EoV
jcJ9M“You are… seriously beyond saving.”HZ2DXMQ
u5unFXGUnable to find anything to say, he patted her head as Alicia returned a wide and unreserved smile.Q91Z5ci
iJvLUob“Mr. Korin. Can you tighten the bandages a little?”GKHKeDP
c6qbFmKorin did as she said while Alicia lifted both of her arms in the air. He was wrapping it tight from the armpit to her chest but for some reason, there was a constant smile and a blush on her face from the start till the end.Y9zNg
9y73“Mr. Korin~”m5vGK4P
yWpB15She wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her fingers. Nonchalantly with an innocent smile, she locked him up in her arms.kwlIC
4G2f“Hehehe…”bfAWk
4fo“Why are you laughing?”3wS1q
QwrGN“Nothing.”fUL
12ccsEver since her confession during the summer break, Alicia tended to occasionally reveal her feelings by being extra touchy. Unlike how she used to blush from a little bit of touch, she was being very expressive with her emotions.HySONMT
ch8OVz“Getting hurt is not so bad once in a while, because I get to monopolize you like this. Hehe…”EKU4x3z
9ABk1“Don’t say things like that. And don’t think about getting hurt.”X7zluUW
YTKb“Hehe. I tried my best, you know?”DA9
S6dC“I know.”CImB
OGHNYYd“If you do, then give me a kiss…”dj2
QXYy“No.”mzqZK
4ZDV“…No?”5jlU
AAhMG“Yeah. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ll feel bad.”lCGrHy
BVQ7“Tch~. I’m fine with anything though.”sIiXcy
PbPAlicia did say that she didn’t care and that she preferred a big family.U9josb
vERyt4u“I get you sisters have a slightly weird preference but… that’s still not a correct thing to do.”0yhN9
za3“I think you should be a little bit more thick-skinned though, Mr. Korin.”ZG70a
dSSFcYM“But I don’t want to. And that’s why there are a lot of things I have to keep in mind.”dEMEL
vzIWl2CBeing loved was an extremely joyous yet troubling thing.3aV
JPp8Whether it be giving love, or choosing someone who would make everyone else sad… or even worse if something happened to him… He was worried about all those scenarios and couldn’t answer any of their feelings.31dSvJe
ac2RcTHowever, he did feel very sorry for all of them.tuwS
zqeaR“Sorry, but please wait for now.”FpP
eBVHe patted her head and tightened the bandages one last time. During that, he accidentally caught sight of her over-abundant chest and turned slightly red.tcc5pWK
glXAAw“Seriously. Kids these days.”rAzgZ
jPk“I’m not a kid anymore! I’ll be an adult soon.”mM1
QbbF“I know,” Korin replied while looking straight into her eyes.Im6qeu
oH6I3jPWithout being embarrassed in the slightest, Alicia looked straight back at him as Korin gave his honest compliment.A6j
IEj“You’ve gotten a lot stronger.”zI1
00f“Right?”TeS1Yd3
H5CYbQAlicia was much stronger than before.YHMWxku
QDrabHOf course, she still had low self-esteem and wasn’t very confident, but she was incomparably stronger than how she was at the start of her first year at the Academy, where she was bashed around by Korin due to her lacking foundations.jpwww
QnehMox“It’s all~ thanks to you, Mr. Korin.”4T4N1SF
L2YP7Alicia had stayed with Korin the longest.yWIc
kntBgMAll the way from when she was miserably defeated in the Hunting Grounds, to when she was looking for an easy way out in fear of fighting others…u89H
DKVW4rHe had always been with her, protecting and believing in her.IcJl
jQjC1c“If not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to look straight into the Domain, nor fight against Unni, or directly face my gifts.”Pru
7JO4AThe gift she was born with was simple. It was the talent of being bewitched by the sword and the act of cutting others.mw2lebd
AV7TeIt was a fearsome talent for Alicia to face, as a girl who had been wanting to be normal despite her gifts.36dNN
bVSUIl“I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without you, Mr. Korin.”8vazb
drhVu“That’s not true.”gvq
rfgE7TKorin Lork knew how this girl would have faced her talents to become one of the heroes to save the world even without him. All he did was give her a gentle push from behind and show his trust.ws2rfo
2wd“Hehe…”pXS
d5kR1A3Her eyes looked straight into his eyes. The deep feeling of love that he could sense from those eyes deepened his own feelings of gratitude and remorse.VK69
LTAmU***y5OuUn
O6VgO2aIt was the third night of the Harvest Festival.tC0IC
UD4Yd0While the entire continent was in deep sleep after an exciting day in hopes of having an even more exciting tomorrow, there were those who were indulged in their work regardless of the moon outside.DyITi
G8ropE“Huu, huu…”xPfVles
0uvAvr“I, is this it?”61SFnu
KfMQhyeIn a laboratory located inside the Korin Guardians office, 35 mages were finalizing the stability test for the product that would be showcased during tomorrow’s Magic Exhibition Contest.IsLXM
qC0Korin had assigned to them an extremely difficult job.i17
8mWdqkGThey could understand the concept – both the design and the fundamental concept were easy to grasp.rOBcJvN
UcfK1MThe problem, however, was how they would manifest it with current technology.Y5aGF
ksTIt had already been 3 weeks since he dropped the idea and irresponsibly told them to come up with a way to make it happen. The slave mages who were all from the greatest magic research facility of the continent brought their minds together and shared their thoughts.6IuYqf8
pw8That in itself was already a marvelous feat.VdTP
50PHDEven back when they were all affiliated with the Tower of Mages, no one wanted to share their secret ideas and plans with others – even disciples and masters kept their secrets to themselves.Q5hDq2
CMLtE3jIt was an inefficient method but the mages of the Tower had been stuck to that method in order to lift their status in a world where monopoly of knowledge equaled power.MzmQRT
VylAnd yet 35 of those doctorates, the conservative mages that loved to monopolize knowledge, were surprisingly cooperative and open with sharing their secret skills.QPvJni
0F4ydAs a result of the world’s very first full-on cooperation of the seven cults of the Tower of Magic, they at last completed a wonderful result.ZUoUf
asfWY2O“T, then… let’s do a test run.”C4pgV
fyACO8Professor Zollin of the Red Cult, who was in charge of energy and heat control, nervously activated the product.08vZNiU
HhqB——!!!qnL2s8
XpBtq2It roared ferociously like a beast. Hearing that, the mages of the Tower hugged each other in joy.bKt
eoJzD“We did it!”nxQ
epkfF1J“We made it work!”ziCaWY
6rg9“Uhahaha! We actually did it!”uzQH
YsEJIt was a joyous and touching moment. At the same time—lG4
vVqXWWH“We won’t be chased out!”dYj
zJW1Iw“We don’t have to go back to that hell!”qf7OH
kQHB6p“Huhuhuk…!”dBpFR
zPtZ0It was also joyous because their lifetime career had been secured.NPE1EX
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!