Chapter 175: The Duel [Part-1]

Azrael’s POV:

As my words fell, both of them suddenly turned toward me. They looked at me with calm expressions, perfectly mimicking each other’s posture.

I walked toward them, forcing a casual smile on my lips while looking at both of them, particularly focusing my attention on the new guy.

"Oops, did I say that aloud? Forget it. I was told that the guest has arrived, so is he the one?..."

Leviya nodded calmly, turning her gaze away from me. I couldn’t help but look at the guy with narrowed, assessing eyes.

’Well... His looks are okay, he looks physically strong, and he is perfectly hiding his true expressions. Even Leviya looked more comfortable around him and wasn’t pretending with her usual fake smiles in front of him. Does that mean he is the one she talked about? Well, whatever, it is none of my business...’

I shook off the non-essential thoughts as I walked closer to them, ready to meet the new guy.

"Hi, I am Azrael. Nice to meet you."

I greeted him calmly. As he stared at me continuously, I felt like he was reading my unconscious thoughts like an open book. He turned to look at her and then back to me, as if noticing something strange in our dynamic.

"Hi, I am Alen. Nice to meet you too..."

He suddenly stood up from the soft grass. He dusted off the dirt from his casual clothes and gave me a practiced, confident smile.

"Let’s have a duel."

I couldn’t help but feel a sudden thrill at the prospect of proving myself against someone new. Of course, I am not going to reject someone’s direct challenge; backing down is beneath the dignity of a member of the Veridius Family.

"Let’s do it then."

Leviya just sat there watching both of us. Her interest piqued at the sudden development, and she stood up too.

...

In the vast training grounds of the Veridius family, located in a large empty space, both figures stood opposite each other at a measured distance, wielding the exact same weapon: a normal practice spear.

A little distance away from the main field, sitting on a wooden bench calmly while folding her arms, sat Leviya. She looked toward them, wanting to enjoy the upcoming match. But the genuine reason she was there was that she wanted to know exactly how powerful this guy Alen really was.

As both of them stared at each other, the duel finally began. Azrael moved first, wielding his spear with graceful steps as he went in for a straight, lethal thrust.

Already prepared for his attack, Alen immediately side-stepped. He focused on his opponent’s blind spot, directly attacking toward Azrael’s joints.

Azrael immediately pulled a step back to dodge the incoming attack. He lunged forward from the side, intending to sweep his spear horizontally to knock his opponent down.

Alen blocked the attack with his own spear shaft and pressed forward with superior strength.

Azrael’s eyes widened as he felt the heavy pressure bearing down on his arms. He immediately pulled back before he could lose his footing and stared at his opponent.

"Let’s get a little more serious..."

Alen looked at him with a calm face and nodded. He held his spear horizontally with both hands as he took a firm combat stance.

In front of him, Azrael also took his own stance, ready to fight seriously without holding back. The earlier exchange was just a warm-up before the actual duel; now both of them were ready.

[Nexus Elemental Art: Wind Type: Piercing Thrust!]

A sharp breeze of air started to surround the edge of his blade. It sharpened to a deadly point, ready to slash anything standing in front of it as he thrust forward with even greater strength.

[Eclipse Spear Art: Splitting Star!]

Alen’s eyes widened after seeing his attack. Darkness wrapped around the edge of Azrael’s spear, surrounded by a ring of light. The two elements didn’t become chaotic; they remained calm, as if they didn’t contrast with each other at all. It hadn’t been actively fused, but it had reached a state where it maintained a constant form without bursting outward. The spear split up above his head, slashing vertically toward him.

Noticing that his own speed was being slowed down by the pressure, Alen immediately changed the direction of his spear midway.

[Nexus Elemental Art: Wind Type: Bizarre Slash!]

Suddenly, Alen’s movements became bizarre. He chaotically spun his spear to deflect the incoming attack, coating his weapon in thick wind magic.

*BOOOM!*

Without waiting for a single second, both of them attacked again. They unleashed vertical and horizontal sweeps, moving faster and faster as bright sparks flew around the training ground.

Suddenly, real fire ignited on the edge of Azrael’s spear. The intense heat increased the danger of the weapon, making Alen become more careful.

[Eclipse Spear Art: Crazy Fire!]

The spear started to burn with a vibrant blue fire. It didn’t actually burn its own shaft, but it started to burn the surrounding air and moisture just by existing in the space.

Alen felt slightly threatened by that specific attack. Not because the fire had a high intensity of burning, but because his instincts sensed it was a soul attack. It would actually harm his soul if it managed to hit him.

’Tchh, it seems he really got serious. Can’t help it, let’s not hold back either.’

[Nexus Elemental Art: Sound Type: Thousand Echoing Screams!]

Suddenly, a loud, piercing sound tore through the air from his spear as Alen used his highest mastered element. Azrael felt his ears almost burst apart from that attack. A mental wave crashed down on him, making it feel as if thousands of dying people were screaming directly into his ears, pointing fingers at his faults.

His blue fire died down for a second. Alen deflected the spear, kicked Azrael squarely in the foot to break his balance, and pointed the sharp edge of the spear right at his neck. He stood there quietly, just staring at the edge.