Catching his breath, Lucas gazed at the woman and calmly observed the injuries she had on her body. There were signs of claws and scratches, with this Lucas inferred that she was wounded by a wild beast. The woman also didn't move at all.
It was the same time, both of them moved causing a crack in a stalemate. Lucas and the woman's feet kicked the ground at the same time.
The sound of compressed air exploding in the air echoed.
It was the woman, who seemed to be at an advantage in the movement. The acceleration she received was terrifying, just kicking off the ground, she was already standing in front of Lucas.
CLANG!
Swords clashed against one another. With a bang, Lucas's sword bounced off his hand forming an arch. A terrifying numbness coursed through his arms.
If possible, Lucas did not want to tread blows with her directly but the woman was on high alert so his cheap trick might be useless if he uses them now.
Lucas raising his upper body, bounced back on the heels of his feet and threw the recovered retract sword at her. The woman's sword was also aimed at him before he figured it out.
Faithfully to the main purpose of the sword, a sharp trajectory was drawn aiming for his life.
CLANG!
Lucas's sword collided with the woman. However, unlike previously, he focused on defense and just blocked the attack from cutting him.
Then, relaxing his feet, he used the transferred momentum to distance himself from the woman.
The woman stepped forward pushing Lucas to the edge and threw several slashes at him, each aiming at vital spots.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhenever the woman's sword met Lucas's sword, it bounced off due to the lack of strength, and hesitating a little, he shrank back seeing no opening in her attack.
Unlike the other two idiots, this woman was always on her guard not giving him a slight leeway.
Seeing those eyes scanning at her, the woman felt that the boy was full of trickery. His eyes seemed to search for a moment.
A moment, to pierce her openings and pin her down.
'Hmm!! I am not a conceited fool to drop down guard. Even if I am fighting an ant, I give it my all.'
'So, dream on!'The woman sneered.
Lucas was startled seeing her sneer. He knew that the situation was quite grim.
Gash started to appear on his body.
Deep wounds traced through his skin, and blood oozed out from the cuts. The piercing pain was minimized by the flow of adrenaline however the remaining that transverse through his body, affected it.
His vision was slowly becoming murky. Being exhausted and beaten previously, his body was unable to handle repeated shocks and cuts. His hands were already numb from the aftermath. The skin over his palm had already peeled making the hilt bloody.
It was just out of sheer will, he was able to hold his sword.
Just as he held his breath, and gritted his teeth staring at the pair of cold eyes of the woman.
For a certain refraction, an ambiguous sensation that seems impossible to catch spreads all over his body.
The mind became entangled, and an unfamiliar thread of memories unraveled. A sharp headache assaulted his head, almost making him lose his sense of reality.
In a blurry battlefield, a shadowy figure spoke in an emotionless voice lacking even the tiniest empathy.
"Bet your life."
"...What?"
A shriek escaped from his lips.
As it was a totally absurd situation, an irritating questioning voice escaped from his lips.His mind which had become muddle-headed, unable to understand what was going on.
'What the hell? And what does she mean by telling me to bet my life.'
Even if Lucas glared, the shadowy woman did not look proud nor ridiculed him as if she was just giving him advice by telling a plain simple truth.
This expression irked Lucas for an unknown reason.
Lucas, who could only see the dark shadowy figure, could perceive her expression.
He even did not know how he knew her gender when she was all black except for the face which was hardly discernible in his blurry vision.
She had a gloomy look in her eyes as if nothing in the world could stir her calmness. That tiredness in her eyes proves that she had gone through countless suffering and her life had been especially pitiful.
"Prepare as if nothing in the world goes your way."
"Your will to survive must be greater than the will of the world that wants to kill you."
"If you are that desperate to survive you should put your life on the line in every fight."
"If you want to see a rainbow, you gotta put up with water."
The entire scene became blurred and it was only when the echoes of the voice went away did he suddenly come to his senses.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe woman's onslaught was getting fiercer and fiercer.
The sword bounced off again. The arm muscles that had been overworked to the limit were sore and his hands holding the sword were trembling violently.
Biting his lips, Lucas was forced to hold his sword.
While he had no choice but to step back, the woman's sword piercing through the gap came straight at him.
The sight of a tip and the picture of a woman smiling as a beast that was about to prey appeared in his eyes.
"Dieeee!"
Then along with the woman suddenly declaring his death, her body surged forward with great momentum.
It was a sudden acceleration, her sword digging right into Lucas aiming to tear a hole in him.
'Bet your life.''
The soft whispering echoed in his mind again. Lucas's pupil rolled as his mind processed his afterthought.
Feeling composed like never before, instead of evading he threw himself forward.
Swish!
The sword pierced...
Blood splattered.....
The wide grin that was over the woman's face disappeared leaving behind mixed emotions of disbelief, hatred, and sadness.
Lucas's sudden move blew her mind however what came next wasn't something she had envisioned even in her wildest dream.