Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 119: Book 2: Chapter 33: Victory

Read chapter 119 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 2: Chapter 33: Victory Book 2: Chapter 33: Victory Kate moved in first, not a single moment of hesitation in her body. She performed a forward dash. Her rapier snapped into a thrust straight for Jael’s collarbone, quick as a flash of glass catching firelight. Jael twisted sideways, his dagger parrying the strike with a clink of impact. Before her wrist had even fully turned, his wodao came sweeping around, aiming for her ribs. She turned with it, letting the blade barely scrape past her plated hip, and then stepped back with a sharp pivot to redirect the pressure. The crowd murmured from the first exchange, everyone on the edge of their seats. And then they all watched as steel danced. A flurry of movement surged between the two fighters. A fast paced trade of cuts and parries, thrusts and sweeps, was negotiated within the first few seconds. The two fighters traced lines through the ring like twin moons skimming close in orbit. Alex watched in rapt attention as sparks flared where their weapons kissed. The dust on the floor kicked up with each spin of their footwork, trailing behind them in wide crescents. Their blades moved like ink drawn quickly across fresh parchment. The lines showed as smooth and beautiful... and hauntingly dangerous in way that made his heart flutter excitedly. From the stands of the arena, Alex commentated with the others. “Her footwork’s better than last I saw her fight. She’s not over-committing her lunges anymore.” “She’s more grounded on her toes too,” Eric muttered, watching intently. “Looks more like a duelist than a dancer now.” Holly nodded once. “Look at the shift of her grip during the deflection. She’s learning how to redirect momentum more efficiently. And her angle control is… actually, it’s rather good.” Still, none of them smiled. Talent was one thing, control was another, but experience was the real master. And Kate simply hadn’t had enough of it. In the ring, she feinted to her left side, and then cut sharply right. Unfazed, Jael caught the motion with an arched parry and answered the attack with a high jab meant to test her headspace. She ducked down to avoid the blow and spun away. There was the tiniest of beats before Kate retaliated with a sword thrust toward his hip. The blade was sidestepped with eerie fluidity, as if he’d known her tempo and seen her strike before she’d even moved. Seconds bled off the match clock, each one was starkly punctuated with a flash of blade or a tightening of breath. Kate kept moving and testing angles, pressing shallow strikes to measure his patience. But Jael? He never chased and he never rushed. He just waited, and learned. Then the change came. It was only a subtle misstep. Barely even a stumble, just the wrong angle of her foot as she tried to shift back to reset her defense line. Jael saw it, and he surged. His stance shifted near-instantly, like a breeze suddenly climbing into a hurricane-gale. He closed the distance before the heel of her foot finished touching the ground. With a tight flourish, he slipped under her guard, and lashed upward. His wodao struck hard into the plating above her abdomen, loud enough that the sound echoed across the stone like a gong. Kate gasped as the hit took her center of gravity. The strike had her stagger backward a couple steps before falling on her back in tumble. The crowd responded with a subdued chorus of respectful claps, mixed with and punctuated by a few murmurs that crawled about the stands around the ring. Jael stepped back without flourish, bowing once. The round was over. Alex’s fingers curled into fists and he watched Kate cough and sit up, a grimace flashing across her face. But her eyes didn’t look defeated from what he could see. They looked angry, they burned. “Round One,” the officiator declared. “Victory to Jael Korshan of the Azure Vault.” Alex clenched his jaw but said nothing. Allie, as their team’s chosen medic, was already walking to the edge of the ring down below, a tonic bottle un