Chapter 91: Chapter 91

A streak of white lightning tore through the sand, closing the distance in an instant.

Xenos stepped back and quickly responded in kind—

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick—

His [Fortune’s Wheel] had spoken.

And what an Element it had chosen~.

Medea’s leg came crashing down on his head, but his sword swung up in the same rhythm, steel meeting flesh with a loud CLANG!

The attacks stopped each other, a shockwave blasting the sand away from their feet.

"Steel plates under your clothes, huh?"

Medea didn’t answer his teasing question. Chapters fırst released on NoveI~Fire.net

Instead, she kicked herself off a pocket of lightning, quickly retreating back.

That same pocket sent a burst of lightning to cover her movement, threatening to swallow all of Xenos in it...

Only for it to suddenly fizzle out.

One Rune on his now-worn dark leather gloves dimmed, storing that attack.

He held up his right hand, revealing his Divine Relic to her.

"Thanks for the gift."

And before she could reach the ground...

Xenos flicked it back.

A delayed explosion of pure lightning detonated behind her, an attack that she easily dodged by bursting herself upward.

Tearing through the dust and smoke that spread across the field, Medea hovered midair for a moment, looking down at Xenos.

She was entirely unharmed but annoyed, dangerous sparks dancing between her fingers.

"You think that’ll..."

Medea vanished in lightning.

And Xenos had moved as well.

Their weapons, his sword, and her legs, met in the middle, again and again, rapid strikes blurring into one seamless clash.

But just as a few seconds passed, Medea spun midair, using her other leg to vault upward, away from Xenos’s swing, and then flipped with another push of lightning, now facing the ground, aiming to kick his head clean off.

He followed through with his momentum, reaching the end of his swing path, before suddenly using all of his strength to flip the sword and strike at the opposite path, hitting Medea’s right boot.

Yet even that was padded, the force of the strike rattling his arms and sending him back.

Before he could even adjust his stance, she landed in front of him and threw a small knife.

He blocked it, the impact sending a jolt through his wrists while sparks flew, not of lightning this time, but from sheer friction.

They both grinned, and then they moved.

Motion blurred through the sand.

Steel cut air while feet cracked stone.

Medea’s stance was always low and fluid like water. Her legs were her blades, nearly every kick in a strong arc.

But that wasn’t all; through her boots, her toes snapped for his ribs, and her knees aimed for his throat.

Xenos easily kept up, using only his lightning and sword, keeping it a battle of skill.

Attacks always came at him in quick succession, and before anyone could keep count, there arrived another.

He parried the first kick, sending it by. Dodged the second kick that came from above. Only for Medea to reveal that it was a feint, using its movement to push her forward and attack with her other leg, piercing the air with it like a spear.

With a burst of lightning, Xenos dodged the third just in time, though it managed to catch his sleeve and slice clean through the fabric as it passed.

Medea’s eyes flashed.

"Stop trying to rile me up and fight."

She turned on her heel and darted forward.

Her foot came down like a guillotine, but Xenos simply tilted his body, dodging it.

And before she could reach the ground, he answered her attack with a sword coming up in a narrow arc aimed at her chin.

Medea quickly leaned back, the blade passing inches from her nose, then slammed her forehead against his hilt mid-swing to disrupt his rhythm—an unorthodox fighter indeed.

Xenos, wanting to reset, stepped back, his feet sliding through the sand for a moment before he quickly caught himself and pushed forward again.

This time he slashed down hard.

Medea raised her arm, blocking with her forearm guard. The strike tore through it halfway, but she didn’t care.

Her other leg snapped up, aiming for his ribs again, yet he caught her ankle before it could move fast.

She remained unfazed.

Medea spun with him still holding her leg, the torque yanking him off balance, forcing him to stumble as she flipped backward and freed herself to land in a low crouch, the sand bursting around her feet.

"Not bad... you almost had me."

Medea’s lip curled at his words.

She charged again, and their weapons collided.

Their movements blurred into a rhythm so clean it looked choreographed, but neither was holding back, at least not physically; it was too fast and brutal otherwise.

Xenos’s sword eventually grazed her side, cutting through her cloak and nicking her skin. She hissed, more in annoyance than pain, and answered with a high spin kick that grazed his cheek, trading blows.

With that, they both stepped back, allowing dust to drift between them for a second.

Only one of them breathed hard while the other remained grinning, enjoying himself a little too much.

Of course, that ’other’ was Xenos, and that made Medea turn silent.

Her gaze flicked to his sword.

It didn’t shiver like her body did.

She knew it... he was better.

Clicking her tongue, she lowered her stance.

"I hate guys like you."

Medea flicked her right hand open.

Five knives appeared between her fingers, each one glowing bright with lightning.

She raised her arm, and...

"Let’s see you block this."

They shot straight toward his chest.

Xenos glanced at them, unimpressed.

’Hm, that’s technically an ability.’

Click, click, click, click, click!

Five more Runes dimmed, stealing the imbuement right off the projectiles.

Though the knives lost their glow, their momentum remained true.

A much weaker ’true,’ as Xenos easily dodged four of them.

The last one was a bit tougher, forcing him to—

"Let me borrow that."

Xenos’s blade erupted with blinding light.

Indeed, the combined charge of all five knives now coiled in his weapon.

Medea’s eyes widened, trying to back off.

The ground cracked as he dashed, closing the distance faster than she could think.

His sword swung, and the lightning hummed loudly for all to hear.

She raised her arm too late, and then—

Gaia’s scream cut through everything.

He stopped, his sword halting an inch from Medea’s face.

The crackling light flickered and then exploded directly onto her, blasting Medea off into the wall, knocking her out completely.

Xenos turned, his gray eyes meeting Gaia’s as the courtyard fell silent around him.

Only the faint hum of his lightning lingered before it too disappeared, his Rune deactivated.

"Sorry about that; I tried to hold back and not use my Second Rune, you know."

Gaia didn’t react much to his words.

She was in her own world, her trembling hands clenched against her chest.

Her face—her expression—was incredibly warm.

It held a soft, shy smile.

She smiled wider, her cheeks glowing red.

"Yes... I’ll marry you."

They were to be married.