My Celestial Ascension

Chapter 907: A Sparring Session (2)

Clang! The sound of metal colliding resounded throughout the entire training ground, followed by a powerful gust of wind that swept the dust into the air.

“…” The onlookers were visibly shocked, even dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them. In their minds, they had been certain that Yuan would be blown away by Princess Nerith’s first strike.

Unfortunately, nothing happened as they had imagined. Yuan stood firmly in his original position; he hadn’t even moved an inch.

“T-This is unbelievable! How did he block that attack?!” Someone shouted, clearly in disbelief.

“How is this even possible?! He should have been blown away!”

“Did Princess Nerith go easy on him? After all, he looks too fragile to me.”

“That’s not impossible! She probably felt pity for him after looking at his pitiful appearance.”

The training ground buzzed with whispers once again. Everyone was stunned by the unexpected outcome; they had never anticipated such a result.

“Incredible… You blocked that quite easily. I suppose I should get serious now, or I might actually lose this duel,” Nerith spoke as she distanced herself from Yuan. She was visibly surprised by how effortlessly he had defended.

“You didn’t even use half of your strength in that attack. Stop holding yourself back,” Yuan replied with a serious expression, tightening his grip on the sword.

“Very well. I’ll fight seriously now.” She smiled faintly before her expression turned sharp. Suddenly, a brilliant blue aura enveloped her entire body.

The ground beneath her feet began to vibrate as her aura surged. The sword in her grasp trembled and began glowing with a pale blue radiance.

In the next instant, Nerith vanished from her spot, leaving a small crack in the ground. She moved so fast that afterimages lingered in her wake.

However, Yuan’s eyes tracked her movement effortlessly, as though her speed meant nothing to him.

Her sword flashed toward his neck at a terrifying speed, but Yuan shifted his body slightly to the left, dodging the strike with minimal movement.

It was only a small adjustment, yet it caused her blade to miss his throat by mere inches. The sword struck the ground instead with explosive force.

Boom! The blade smashed into the floor, triggering a powerful explosion that shook the training ground and sent dust spiraling into the air.

“Tsk!” Nerith clicked her tongue in irritation, frustrated that she had missed him by such a narrow margin.

Her movements grew even faster as her aura skyrocketed. She accelerated to a speed beyond the perception of the onlookers.

Clang! Clang! The sharp sounds of steel colliding echoed continuously as sparks burst in every direction.

To the spectators, it looked like nothing more than a blur of light streaking across the battlefield, generating shockwaves each time their swords clashed.

In the blink of an eye, Nerith exchanged thousands of strikes with Yuan. Yet he defended every single one flawlessly, leaving her no opening to exploit.

’Strange… why do I feel so excited? Is it because I’m finally facing someone truly strong?’ Nerith wondered as she pressed her assault with lightning-fast precision.

Her mind grew crystal clear, her breathing steady and controlled. The world around her seemed to slow as she unleashed an unrelenting barrage of sword strikes.

But despite her sharpened focus and heightened state, she couldn’t break through Yuan’s defense. It felt as though she were attacking an immovable mountain—armed with nothing more than an ordinary blade.

No matter how many times she attacked, the mountain didn’t even budge. And a realization struck her like a blade of ice piercing straight through her heart.

’It was never about my technique or my speed… He’s in a completely different league. I need to create an opening and strike at the perfect moment.’ Nerith thought, her expression turning grave as her sharp eyes gleamed with focus.

With that decision made, Nerith shifted her tactics. Her movements changed abruptly, becoming more fluid, unpredictable, and razor-precise.

Each strike from her sword carried immense power, and every clash against Yuan’s blade released a shockwave that rippled across the entire training ground.

The relentless sound of steel colliding, accompanied by the violent shockwaves, sent chills down everyone’s spines as the intensity of the battle escalated further.

Dorian watched the duel with a strange expression in his eyes—he was shocked, far more shocked than he was willing to admit.

He had never expected that this seemingly frail young man could stand toe-to-toe with Nerith. Not only that, but he was overwhelming her while barely moving from his spot.

Even Dorian himself lacked the confidence to face Nerith head-on in a duel, much less push her to such an extent.

The confidence that once filled his eyes shattered completely. There was no way Nerith would ever accept someone weak like him. After all, she had never been close to any man and had devoted her entire life to battle and hunting monsters.

Meanwhile, the onlookers stood frozen in awe, their eyes wide as they witnessed the astonishing display of power. Their hearts pounded violently as sparks flew and shockwaves rippled across the ground.

“Who do you think will win this duel?” Someone asked nervously.

“At this point, I have no idea! Both of them are monsters… We can’t even see them moving!”

“Indeed. It’s impossible to tell who has the upper hand. The force behind their clashes is terrifying…”

Whispers spread rapidly among the crowd, excitement and tension intertwining as they struggled to keep up with the fight.

Most of them were rookie soldiers still in training. They had never witnessed a battle of this magnitude before. It felt as though they were watching a clash between divine beings wielding unimaginable strength.

“Are you getting tired now, Princess?” Yuan asked with a faint smile as he advanced, his sword descending in repeated, heavy arcs.

Nerith immediately shifted to defense, doing her utmost to dodge and parry his blows. However, every strike Yuan delivered felt impossibly heavy, each impact reverberating through her arms.

She could no longer hold her ground. Step by step, she was forced backward, struggling desperately to maintain her defense.

“I never imagined you would be this unbelievably skilled with the sword… It truly feels as if I’m standing before a towering mountain while I’m nothing but a small pebble attempting to move it,” Nerith replied with a bittersweet smile, the strain clearly visible on her face.

“Hmm, you’re speaking as though you’ve already surrendered,” Yuan said gently as he lowered his sword and stood calmly before her.

“I know my limits, Yuan. I know I cannot defeat you,” Nerith replied, exhaling deeply as she steadied her breathing. “As much as I dislike admitting it… I concede.”

“You have won fairly and honorably, Yuan…” She said with an exhausted yet sincere smile.