Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 108: Evershade [10] Ball Slayer vs Liora Stromvale 2

Chapter 108: Evershade [10] Ball Slayer vs Liora Stromvale 2

When Marquis Aldren’s hand cut through the air and came down, that single word shattered the tense silence in the training ground.

"BEGIN!"

At that moment, the world slowed down for Cassian. As soon as he activated "Stormheart" mode, his heartbeat began to echo in his ears like a war drum.

Sounds around him muffled, dust particles hung in the air, and even the slightest movement of Liora’s muscles raising her sword became crystal clear in his eyes.

Both lunged forward at the same time. The ground crunched beneath their feet.

CLANG!

When the black katana and Evershade’s masterwork steel sword met in the air, the sound resembled an explosion more than a metal clash. Sparks danced in the middle of their faces.

Cassian’s teeth clenched together. The pressure he felt in his arms was far more than he had anticipated.

The raw physical strength of a Sixth Star sword master was as heavy as a mountain for Cassian’s currently Second Star (although enhanced) body.

His katana was trembling, his wrists cracking. If he turned this into a contest of strength, his bones would be pulverized.

Speed... I can only rely on speed, Cassian thought.

Using the curved and sharp structure of his katana, he slid it over Liora’s sword and stepped back, alleviating the pressure. His aim was to create distance.

However, Liora, nicknamed "Ice Queen", was ruthless, living up to her title. She did not allow Cassian to retreat.

Synchronizing her steps with his, she closed the distance and thrust her sword towards Cassian’s sword holding right shoulder, as if intending to cripple him.

With reflexes granted by Stormheart, Cassian raised his katana at the last moment and blocked the attack. Metal scraped against metal.

But Liora’s attack was not over. This was merely a feint.

While their swords were in contact, Liora twisted her wrist with a skillful move. The thrust suddenly turned into a horizontal and deadly slash. The target was no longer the shoulder, but Cassian’s vulnerable neck.

Cassian’s pupils contracted. He wouldn’t be able to reach with his sword. He bent his knees and leaned his upper body backward, almost parallel to the ground.

The cold steel passed right by the tip of his nose, close enough to feel its wind. A strand of hair floated in the air.

He had dodged.

But Liora did not stop. Following the momentum of her sword, her body spun, and she swung her right leg like a whip.

Cassian could not dodge this attack in his unbalanced position. His speed, reflexes, Stormheart... none could defeat gravity and physics. Desperately, he gathered his mana in his abdominal area and hardened his muscles.

THUD!

The kick landed on Cassian’s stomach like a battering ram. With the force of the impact, Cassian’s feet left the ground, and he was flung backward for meters, burying into the hard ground. The earth cracked, a dust cloud rose into the air.

As Cassian writhed on the ground, the air in his lungs had completely emptied.

Liora rested her sword casually on her shoulder and cast a disdainful look from above at her opponent lying on the ground.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice mocking and cold. "Where are those big lessons you gave to the soldiers? Was this all you could do... ’Ball Hunter’?"

This nickname lit a fuse among the soldiers in the training ground. First snickers, then irrepressible laughter rose. The soldiers, who had just witnessed their friends being humiliated, were now taking great pleasure in Cassian’s situation.

The dust cloud slowly dispersed.

Liora attempted to turn her back, savoring the victory. But a sound stopped her.

"Hah..."

It was a short, breathless laugh coming from Cassian lying on the ground.

Cassian put his hands on the ground and pushed himself up. He shook the dust off himself and straightened up.

Liora frowned. That kick should have broken the ribs of a normal Second Star warrior, even damaged internal organs. The man should be lying unconscious on the ground or writhing in pain.

But there was neither an expression of pain on Cassian’s face nor any dysfunction in his body. In fact... that annoying, confident smile was still on his face.

There was a variable Liora didn’t know, couldn’t calculate. Cassian’s "Unique Regeneration" ability. As long as he didn’t use large scale spells or spend his mana on attacks, his body instantly repaired all kinds of damage, erased fatigue, and kept him always at peak condition.

"Not bad," said Cassian, cracking his neck. "Your legs are stronger than I thought. But it will take more than this to take me down, Ice Queen."

This arrogance overflowed Liora’s patience. "I will make you regret this!"

Liora went on the attack again. This time she wasn’t playing games. Her sword moved like a beam of light.

Cassian dashed forward, swung his katana. Liora countered his simple and direct attack effortlessly, as if swatting a fly. With the clash of steel, Cassian staggered back. His form was broken, his chest left open.

Liora didn’t miss the opportunity. She brought her sword down in a vertical arc, as if to split him in two.

Cassian threw himself to the side at the last second, escaping the deadly cut. The sword slashed the ground where he had just stood, burying into the earth.

But Liora’s left fist was already on its way.

Cassian tried to parry the punch with the hilt of his katana, but his speed wasn’t enough. The armored gauntlet landed on Cassian’s cheekbone like a sledgehammer.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bone was heard. Cassian was flung back like a rag doll, somersaulting in the air and crashing to the ground again. His face was covered in blood.

Marquis Aldren was about to raise his hand to stop the fight. This blow could put someone in a coma.

However, before the Marquis’s hand could even rise, Cassian tensed like a bow on the ground and with a single movement, stood up again as if he had taken no hit at all.

He brought his hand to his face, wiped the blood. The broken cheekbone knitted and healed rapidly within seconds. The swelling went down, the bruise disappeared.

Liora froze. She couldn’t believe her eyes. "You... What are you?"

Cassian raised his katana again, corrected his stance, and fixed those mocking eyes on Liora.

"What is it?" said Cassian, grinning. "Are you tired? You’re out of breath. I was just warming up. Don’t they give you endurance training at the Academy? Or do they only teach you to do fancy sword moves and show off?"

"SHUT UP!"

Liora roared with pure anger. There was no strategy anymore, only the desire to silence this annoying man.

The following minutes turned into a one sided display of violence.

Liora hit Cassian’s stomach with the back of her sword, doubling him over. Then she kneed him in the face. Cassian fell, got up.

Liora tripped him and knocked him down, then hit his back with her armored elbow. Cassian groaned, got up.

She hit his temple with the hilt of her sword. Cassian staggered, shook his head, grinned, and got up.

With every blow, bones broke, flesh was crushed, but in the next breath, Cassian stood before her intact, as if he had rewound time.

Liora’s breathing had quickened. Sweat was trickling down her forehead. Her arms had started to get heavy from constant hitting. This man opposite her... he wasn’t human.

He was a cockroach. No matter how much she crushed him, no matter how much she hit him, he wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t get tired. He wouldn’t give up.

This situation planted a seed of fear in Liora’s mind. Regardless of the power difference, how could she defeat an enemy that wouldn’t stay defeated?

"Enough!" thought Liora. "She couldn’t take him down without inflicting serious damage, without truly injuring him."

Her eyes narrowed, her aura sharpened. She raised the power behind her attacks to a level that was non lethal but would leave permanent damage.

Liora attacked like a hurricane. Her sword was now moving at an invisible speed. She began to pressure Cassian, giving him no room to breathe. From the right, left, above.

Blows were raining down. Cassian retreated to defense, trying to counter the blows with his katana, but with every clash, his arms went numb, he was pushed back.

Finally, a heavy blow from Liora broke Cassian’s defense. Cassian faltered, his leg couldn’t support him, and he almost fell to his knee. His balance was lost.

"It’s over!"

Liora didn’t miss this opportunity. She tried to thrust her sword into Cassian’s sword holding right shoulder to shred his muscles and render him completely ineffective. This move wouldn’t kill him, but it would make him unable to fight.

The sword descended, whizzing toward its target.

But Cassian didn’t raise his katana. He didn’t try to dodge either.

With a madness no one, especially Liora, expected, he raised his left hand, his bare hand, and caught the sharp steel coming at him in mid air.

SPLAT!

The sword sliced Cassian’s palm, pierced through his hand, and a part of the metal came out the back of his hand. Blood splattered onto Liora’s armor and the ground.

Liora’s eyes widened in shock. That momentary, brief moment of hesitation...

"Caught you." whispered Cassian, his eyes burning with a wild glint despite his face grimacing in pain.