Ethan Goldenveil wasnât sure yet whether the system would consider Alaric a worthy opponent for a fair duel, since he was injured.
But he wanted to test it anyway.
Ethan was also wounded, and by the end, both of them had expended a great deal of Aura.
âI should have enough to use the Burning Blood Body Enhancement Skill and a single Aura Slash,â he thought, his eyes fixed on Alaricâs.
Just behind the captain of the Goldenveil guard, if he could still be called that, one of his followers tried to flee.
He barely took three steps before having his throat slit by one of the summoned guards.
"Where did you get these men?" Evelyn asked, impressed.
She was already relaxed, despite the initial confusion that had overtaken her face.
"A man has his secrets." Ethan chuckled. "Now rest a bit. Iâll deal with this pig."
Under Ethanâs gaze, Alaric hesitated.
Nobles didnât duel to the death against commoners.
At least not normally.
For nobles, a duel to the death was a divine judgment.
Winning meant, in a way, being declared the chosen one of the gods. After all, the gods wouldnât hand defeat to one who carries the truth in his heart, would they?
A trial by combat was, too, a judgment by the gods.
How could a noble, someone whose blood was blessed by the gods themselves, put himself in the position of dueling a commoner?
And yet, there was Ethan, offering Alaric the chance of a duel.
Wasnât that madness?
A flood of thoughts washed over Alaricâs face, but in the end, all he could do was sigh and prepare his sword.
That wasnât necessarily a bad thing...
That might be the only chance he had!
If he killed Ethan, everything would be settled, wouldnât it?
Alaricâs eyes flashed. He didnât even care that his men were dying one by one as they tried to flee, their screams of agony echoing all around.
Ethanâs summoned guards showed no mercy, but neither would Alaric.
Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword.
"If you want to die that badly, brat... Iâll show you how the real world works!"
"Very well, come on!"
The two roared at the same time, and, stepping forward, Ethan activated the burning blood Body Enhancement Skill, swinging his sword to parry Alaricâs descending blow.
A metallic clang echoed as the two blades met, dust rising around them, steel sliding against steel.
"You... what kind of sorcery is this?" Alaric took a step back, feeling a metallic tremor spread through his arms.
Ethan, standing before him, glowed with a terrifying crimson aura, exuding murderous intent.
"A dead man needs to know nothing." Ethan advanced again, stomping hard on the ground before gripping his sword with both hands and launching an upward slash.
Alaric leaned back, striking his sword against the side of Ethanâs, deflecting it to the side and opening the boyâs guard.
"Shit..." Ethan turned to the side as Alaric drew a dagger from his waist with his free hand, maintaining control of Ethanâs sword with the other.
The dagger aimed for the heart but struck the shoulder, drawing a pained grunt from Ethan, who planted his right foot on the ground and kicked toward Alaricâs face.
A crash echoed and Alaricâs head was sent flying backward, Ethanâs sword sliding past his as Ethan stepped back.
"Ah... son of a bitch..." Alaric shifted his aura, clearing his vision blurred by the impact and spitting blood onto the floor, two teeth coming out along with the crimson liquid.
He wiped his bloodied mouth with his shirt sleeve, keeping a cold stare on Ethan.
â90 seconds...â Ethan counted down the time remaining until the Burning Blood body enhancement technique wore off.
His mana reserves were half gone, and his stamina wasnât much better either, but fortunately, the same was true for Alaric.
If they were both screwed, then they were both even, right?
The two stared each other down for a moment before charging forward at the same time, blades aimed at each otherâs necks.
Alaric attacked with a downward slash from left to right while Ethan swung his blade in the opposite direction.
Evelyn, who was watching from the sidelines, couldnât help but close her eyes for a brief moment as the sharp sound of steel meeting steel echoed, a burst of metallic sparks scattering in the space between them.
Once again, neither of them managed to gain the upper hand.
âDonât you dare lose...â She clenched her perfect, pearly teeth, her fist clenched so tightly that her own fingernail tore the skin of her palm.
Blood dripped onto the floor beneath her as she steeled her resolve.
Suddenly, she understood perfectly how Alice felt.
It was hard to imagine losing a man like Ethan, and even harder to imagine what her life would be like if he were to die there.
Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she prepared to intervene as soon as necessary.
She wouldnât go home without her man!
Ethan felt Evelynâs burning gaze on his back.
He knew what she was thinking, a soft smile spreading across his lips.
It was time to end this fight.
"Youâre strong, kid, but this sorcery wonât last forever! Sooner or later, youâll go back to being just another pathetic first-stage!" Alaric roared with all the strength in his lungs.
Even as a second-stage warrior, practically every type of aura technique was completely out of his reach, just as Goldenveilâs poverty was.
How could he see that technique that made Ethanâs body explode with power and be engulfed by a crimson aura, if not as witchcraft?
"You talk too much, worm." Ethan shook his head, checking his mana reserve.
One hundred and twenty points.
It wasnât much, but it was all he needed.
With a long sigh, he took a step forward, the blade slicing through the air and leaving a crimson trail behind, like a crescent-shaped cut spreading toward Alaric, aiming for his chest.