novelinnhs Chapter 100: WAR DOMAIN
Chapter 100: WAR DOMAIN
Alfred lunged, a new spear forming in his hand as he thrust towards Aldren’s head.
Aldren sidestepped, the back of his palm, coated in aether, hitting hard against the spear’s shaft.
Alfred tumbled sideways from the displacement.
That was all Aldren needed. His body was coated in a thin sheen of aether that clung to him like a second skin.
His leg lashed out, smashing hard against Alfred’s chest.
Alfred was sent flying, his body tearing through the air.
Aldren’s knee coiled, then he sprang forward.
Boom.
The earth beneath cracked, fissures spreading outward as Aldren smashed Alfred’s head into the ground.
Aldren raised his hands, locking them together as he brought them down towards Alfred’s head.
A sharp whistle tore from above.
Blood splattered to the floor as an orange dagger made from aether pierced through Aldren’s shoulder.
Aldren’s body faltered. A sharp pang of pain erupted from the injury. From that point, heat spread through his body, threatening to cook him alive.
Alfred stood up simultaneously, a cracked barrier covering his face as he somersaulted backwards.
Aldren stared at Alfred with hatred.
"If you hate me that much, why don’t you use your skill?" Alfred asked with a smile.
"Or is it too weak?"
Those words seemed to trigger something in Aldren.
"Yes, my skill might be weak compared to all of yours, but I still reached this point on pure grit," Aldren said, pulling the dagger out before it could sink deeper.
Alfred covered his mouth as he yawned.
"What was that?" He asked.
Those words stung Aldren in the chest, but he did not even get the time to dwell on it.
He twisted his body to the side, moving just enough to avoid the purple spear aimed at his chest.
The spear missed by a hair’s length.
In a breath, it transformed from a spear into a short green blade.
Alfred pulled back and stabbed towards Aldren’s neck.
Aldren sidestepped, the blade merely grazing his chin as it drew a thin line of crimson.
Alfred smiled lightly.
"What was that?" Aldren asked, his eyes bloodshot as he felt his vitality rapidly waning.
"Nothing much. Just poison."
As he said those words, Alfred shrugged his shoulders.
He was right. Alfred had just told Aldren what he wanted to know.
But the manner in which he did it reminded Aldren of what he had said just a few minutes ago.
Aldren did not get mad though. If anything, a smile bloomed on his face at Alfred’s words.
"So, it hurt you that much?" He asked, trailing the cut with his index finger.
Alfred looked at him for a moment.
He scoffed.
"Why would I get angry when you are going to die soon?" He asked, shaking his head.
Aldren looked at Alfred and smiled.
"You are proud," he said slowly. "Just like your brother."
As he said those words, something began to spread from his position, unfurling at a speed that made a bullet seem like a crawl.
"That pride would be your end, just like your brother."
Alfred’s eyes darted around, looking at the space spreading around him.
It was not even like a new space.
It overlaid with the real world, no change.
"War Domain," Aldren said.
The rules of the physical world changed at that moment.
Alfred felt it. His aether flickered.
Then he lost access. His core suddenly felt locked.
But Alfred still smiled.
"I see, you had a good encounter," Alfred said, taking calm steps forward.
In his hand, a spear appeared.
This was a true spear, not made from aether.
"You were able to upgrade your useless skill."
Aldren smiled lightly as another sword appeared in his hand.
"What do you think? I cannot keep trying for so long and still get nothing for it," he said.
He took a step too, also moving closer to Alfred.
Boom.
The floor outside cracked as another person landed just outside the barrier.
Bryan looked at them, already taking strides towards them.
Normally he would have left when he saw it was Alfred.
But what he was seeing left him too shocked to think clearly, moving purely on impulse.
"Why is the deputy fighting Master Aldren?" He asked, walking closer.
Then he froze.
His entire existence seemed to come into doubt.
"Is that Governor Max?" He asked, his voice low as he walked faster.
At his stage, everything he saw was real, no poor eyesight.
But this only made it worse.
How was someone like Max on the floor?
Looking at the last two people standing, he did not even know who the enemy was.
He lunged, almost reaching them.
Almost.
As he neared, a barrier blocked him.
He could not so much as cause a ripple across its surface.
Aldren looked back from where he was.
"Alfred, it seems like you have got backup. Too bad he can’t enter."
Alfred looked at Bryan for a moment.
"Go and help in the city. I would handle him."
Bryan finally knew who the enemy was, but that did not mean he was going to leave.
How was Alfred going to handle a person who had defeated Max?
Well, this was because he did not know the circumstances behind Max’s defeat.
His blade pulsed as it was fed with aether.
Bryan jumped back as far as he could in a single leap.
Then he slashed forward.
"Solar Collapse," he roared, pouring almost all of his aether into the technique.
A bright, wide arc of light shot out with a whistle that split through the air.
It crashed into the barrier but there was no effect.
A large lance split through the sky, descending like a meteor.
The floor shook and everything in the field tore apart.
From the haze, Bryan shot forward again.
The barrier was not visible, so there was only one way to know if it was still up.
He crashed into something again.
Aldren looked from inside the barrier and shook his head.
"Tell him not to waste his aether. He might want to save it for something else," he said to Alfred while pointing at Bryan.