Chapter 193: Reverse Grip [@Thomasinho Golden Ticket Bonus - ]

The bets kept coming, and a large grin appeared on the face of the man who had captured so many bettors at the perfect moment.

This would be a pretty big battle, almost like an exchange between Abyss's and Sakura's new rising youths.

While the Third Prince Alexander Abyss had shown excellent battle tactics and adaptability so far, it was not certain he would win.

He was still very young, and his opponent, Seranil Sakura, had already landed the first surprise attack along with the first hit of blood.

Even the people sitting inside their private chambers all across the Human Empire, especially the higher-ups and heads of Winterfang and Sakura, immediately focused on the live feed displaying the battle.

Wine glasses stopped halfway to lips.

Every screen that could be redirected locked onto the same pair of platforms.

In the water biome with its multiple stone platforms and jutting structures, Seranil flicked her blade through the water to clear the thin line of blood, then pointed the white katana directly at Alexander Abyss.

Alex's grip on Amethyst Paradox tightened as he prepared for the next clash.

The chain rested ready along his forearm.

Eye of Flesh stayed active, mapping every shift of mana around the girl in front of him.

Both of them looked each other in the eye.

The silence that had held for the last five seconds finally shattered.

WHOOSH!

The distance between them vanished instantly.

Amethyst Paradox met the katana in the middle of another platform.

The collision threw bright sparks as both weapons ground against each other for dominance.

CLANG! CLANG!

SPARK! SPARK!

In just two seconds Alex's body began to skid backward under the clear strength disparity.

His boots scraped wet stone.

The platform edge came closer with every push.

'Hmm... She is able to overpower me even though I have leveled up quite a bit since the Proving started.'

Alex knew she was at a higher level from the moment she launched her first attack.

Now that they were this close and fully inside the detection range of [Eye of Flesh], he could feel her mana control and the density of mana inside her body with perfect clarity.

The currents were refined, stable, and far denser than those of the branch-house fighters he had cut down earlier.

'She has entered the Peak Awaken rank already. Probably Level 16, maybe even 17. Her Strength and Agility attributes are pretty high, especially her Agility.'

He instantly dissected everything the skill and Adaptation could give him about the opponent in front of him.

The Air element coiled around her legs and the edge of her blade in tight, efficient layers.

Every movement was enhanced without waste.

Seranil planted her left foot and rammed a kick toward his midsection.

WHOOSH!

Alex tilted his arm to block the incoming strike.

Mana reinforcement flooded the limb just in time.

BAM!

The force and momentum still sent him several meters back across the platform.

THUD!

His boots found purchase again, but Seranil did not give him time to recover.

She followed immediately, and a rapid series of clashes between the chained scythe and the katana rang out across the platforms.

CLASH!

She was too fast.

One moment she came from his left flank and he blocked.

CLASH!

The next moment she was already attacking from his right, the white blade cutting a sharp arc through the humid air.

CLASH!

"HAHA! I KNEW THE SAKURA GIRL WAS STRONGER! I AM GOING TO BE RICH TODAY!"

"The fight has just started! You can't say for sure. Have you forgotten his previous fight with that spider?!"

"You are just being delusional! You can keep clinging to feeble hope!"

"You—!"

The argument between the bettors flared louder as the blades continued to meet.

Some people leaned forward with greedy eyes.

Others shook their heads and pointed at the earlier spider feed as proof that the Third Prince still had cards left to play.

'It's the Air element.'

Alex recognized it clearly now.

While not everyone from Sakura used it, many preferred speed-based styles, and the Air element, or Wind, as some still called it, was one of the most common paths among their main-line fighters.

Being a fundamental element did not make it weak.

In the right hands it became deadly, especially when paired with the kind of refined control Seranil was showing.

He was already trying to read her attack pattern.

Through Eye of Flesh he could see how her mana flowed, how she called the Air element to enhance her speed and agility with each step and each cut.

The information came in clean layers.

Adaptation worked in the background, sorting the data into usable predictions.

'A direct strike.'

The thought formed an instant before Seranil's katana came aiming straight at his chest.

CLANG!!

Alex skidded back again as he blocked.

Sparks scattered across the wet stone.

The impact traveled up his arms and into his shoulders.

Seranil huffed once.

The boy had stopped every attack so far, but it was still clear who held the greater raw strength and speed.

She would not even need to use a formal named skill on him if this continued.

'The next strike will do it.'

She committed fully.

Her Air element answered the call without delay.

Her body flowed into the gap created when Alex was sent skidding backward, aiming directly at his open left flank.

The white katana became a blur of concentrated wind and steel.

SWOOOSH!

Just as she closed on his body—

SPIKE! CLANG!

The ring end on Alex's left hand burst open.

The hidden spike of Amethyst Paradox extended in a single sharp motion and deflected her katana at the last possible angle.

The deflection was narrow, almost desperate, but it was enough.

At the same time—

SLASH!

"—UGh!"

Alex used the opening to slide a scythe cut across her left midsection, the only part of her guard that had been exposed in the full commitment of the attack.

The blade bit through fabric and shallowly into flesh.

A thin line of blood appeared.

'No way you are getting a free one—'

She immediately tried to counter.

The white katana reversed direction with Air-assisted speed.

She would not let him land a clean hit without answer!

But Alex reversed the arc of the scythe mid-swing!!

The chain shifted.

The blade turned back toward the exact spot he had just cut open, aiming to drive deeper into the same wound.

'A reverse grip mid-swing?!'

The thought flashed through Seranil's mind in pure shock.

If she continued to commit to her counter instead of pulling back to block, Alexander might drive the scythe straight through the opening he had created!

The humid air between them seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second as both weapons moved toward the decisive exchange.

🌿 ─ ❦ ─ 🌿

End of Chapter 193: Reverse Grip

🌿 ── ❦ ── 🌿