Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 149: Book 3: Chapter 5: Orkish Respect

Read chapter 149 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 5: Orkish Respect Book 3: Chapter 5: Orkish Respect [Time Remaining: 623 Days, 11 Hours, 55 Minutes] The battlefield was still dotted with fires, pools of fresh blood, and the barks of jackals hanging onto the barest shreds of life when Ghurkk’s challenge was made. The bodies of the dead jackals lay scattered like broken glass sculptures, their remains catching the firelight in an ever changing kaeleidscope of rainbows. The last of the healing spells around Myrae and Allie’s hands were fading. Through all of this, the camp smelled of scorched meat, and the sharp odor of ozone, punctuated by the occasional cry of a jackal being finished off once and for all. Alex turned to face Ghrukk as he took up a position, hands still curled into fists but resting down at his sides. Ghrukk stood across from him, halberd in hand, aura flaring like a hellhound barely on its leash. The dark swirled around him, shadows twisting through fire like spilled ink sizzling into flame. A loose ring was already forming as people came to watch, mercenaries, worldstriders, even a few wide-eyed merchants too stunned to do anything but gawk. Alex met the Ork’s burning glare with calm eyes. “You were going to lose,” he said flatly. Ghrukk’s grin split his face like a nasty scar. “Then I would’ve lost. You don’t take a warrior’s moment.” Alex sighed and stepped forward, entering a starting stance in one smooth motion. “Fine,” he said. “Have your moment now.” The clearing shifted, and the tension snapped taut between every person present. Then Ghrukk charged. The first clash sounded like a tree being felled by lightning. Ghrukk’s halberd slammed down in a blistering arc, carving a trench into the earth where Alex had stood a half-second before. The shockwave knocked sparks from the firepit and rattled the nearest wagon. Alex blurred sideways, one foot sliding over gravel as his palm caught the flat of Ghrukk’s blade on the return swing, metal thudding loudly against hard muscle and bone. The force nearly wrenched his shoulder out of its socket, but Alex managed to hold. He’s strong. Too strong for a straight contest. But brute strength wasn’t how one beat an Asura, and it certainly wasn’t how to fight like one. Alex shifted his stance in the [ Demon Asura Style]: Seventh Path – Broken Heaven . The path change came with different stances. His movements and actions became more fluid than before, unpredictable. Ghrukk came at him, a blur wrapped in blade and shadow, each swing wide and strong enough to decapitate any lesser opponent that would have found itself on the receiving end. Alex ducked, twisted, and turned his body sideways as the halberd cut the air inches from his chest, before he stepped into the Ork’s guard. He countered with a fist to the man’s elbow, only to have Ghrukk catch the blow on his armor with a snarl and re-counter with a backhand that sent Alex retreating back two paces. “Come on, little ghost!” Ghrukk roared. “Hit me like you mean it!” Alex obliged. He surged forward, stutter stepping then ducking a blow and closing in quickly, his punch aimed at the shoulder joint of Ghurkk’s right arm. His fist was already glowing with the compact aether energy of his [Flare] spell as it met Ghrukk’s body. The Ork took the blow and resulting shockwave with a shudder and grunt, but he didn’t yield his position. The flash of impact threw ribbons of energy into the night, and now the two were really moving. A dance of force and finesse. The raw power of Ghrukk, met with Alex’s calculated savagery. Ghrukk’s energy surged, flame darkening to a blackened red, and casting shadows like living things. His swings grew wilder, heavier, a wall of violence that made the air itself shake. Alex shifted again, breathing slow. [ Demon Asura Style]: Fifth Path – Bodily Bastion. His stance changed again and suddenly his movements narrowed, focused, his guard tight, steps minimal. He invited the blows now, nudging them off-course, letting them whistle pas