Chapter 45: Close Fight

Two figure hovered above the beautiful, clear ocean.

One was a sexy, mature lady. She had glossy, velvety black hair flowing down her shoulders. Her body was an hourglass shape and her skin was pale. The black yukata she was wearing fluttered with the wind, showing her smooth, long legs. With a faint smile, her purple eyes looked at her opponent. She was the Court Mage of the Kingdom of Ablax, Ari Roth.

Her opponent was a muscular man donned in a grey kimono. He had a long, striped tiger tail which appeared to be static. It reflected his state of mind. His face was that of a pretty boy, appearing feminine and delicate. A slight mismatch to his hulking, muscular body. His hair was brown and wavy with a pair of tiger ears to finish off. He was Tadashi Lotora, a Council member of the Beast Kingdom.

Unlike Ari, he could not hover in the air with the use of magic. Below his feet was a faint mist which kept him in the air. He was using his aura as a stepping stone, a high-level feat that demonstrated control and power over one's aura.

"Are you ready?" Tadashi asked as he went into his battle stance. His face was hardened and showed pure concentration, appearing to be completely still.

"Is this your way of making me lower my guard?" Ari laughed as her body effortlessly moved in the air. She stuck one of her legs out to provoke him. "Hit me with your strongest attack."

"Very well." Tadashi nodded. A brown aura gathered around his body and morphed into the head of a tiger. "Prepare yourself!"

The tiger's head completely cloaked Tadashi's body. It appeared life-like and ethereal at the same time. Every little detail could be seen. From the ferocious in its eyes to the fine lines within the fur. The pressure it brought was so intense that the wave of the ocean beneath Tadashi stopped, becoming still water.

"Giant Tiger Destructive Fist!" Tadashi intensely yelled out the name of his move as he punched forward, sending the tiger head shooting towards Ari.

Many thoughts ran through his mind at this moment. The Giant Tiger Destructive Fist was the move he made when he rose to the rank of Grand Adept. It was his signature move. One that defined his inner being and who he was. This was the move that allowed him to reach the peak.

He remembered when he debuted this move. It was many years ago before he became a Council member. There was a strange incident within the Forest of Deep which made the monsters agitated. The monsters became unusually aggressive and attacked the nearby village and cities. It was an unprecedented crisis. The Adventurers within the Beast Kingdom had to gather together to resist this crisis.

And there he was. With the newly created Giant Tiger Destructive Fist in hand, he showcased it to the world for the first time. Clearing tides of monsters with just a single fist. His fame spread throughout the Kingdom, surpassing that of his brothers. It was with this, that he was able to leverage himself into the position he was in now. He was hailed as the hero of the Kingdom.

This was the story of Tadashi Lotora.

The Giant Tiger Destructive Fist appeared in front of Ari in the blink of an eye. Tadashi's eyes widened and went into camera capturing mode at this moment. Because this was a moment which he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Moments before the Giant Tiger Destructive Fist hit Ari, it simply... disappeared.

And Tadashi's eyes captured every millisecond of it. Ari's smirk. The way it disappeared like a millennium-old wood being blown away by the wind, turning into dust.

Whoosh!

Ari's hair blew back and that was it. Keeping her smirk, she lifted her hand. In the next moment, a massive, raging ball of blue fire appeared. It was not hot at all, but rather, a chilling cold.

When it fully emerged, the ocean below froze. Without a word, Ari tossed it at Tadashi, thoroughly hitting him with the frost flame, turning him into a block of ice.

The block of ice stalled in the air for a moment. Tadashi's last expression was captured and frozen within.

Crack! Plop!

The ice cube fell onto the frozen water, breaking a hole in it before falling into the water.

And just like that, everything was over.

Ari flew over to where the carriage was parked.

Sheryl and the slave girl stood like dumb chickens with their jaws dropped whereas Earl simply ran into her embrace.

"Whew, that was a close fight," Ari said. "Good thing I was just a hair stronger than him, fufu."

Everyone: "..."

Ari was in a good mood and she expressed it by hugging Earl tightly.

Within his mother's embrace, Earl felt deep comfort. Her familiar, milky smell entered his nose. It was her unique scent. A milky smell that belonged only to her that will forever remind him of her heavenly lactating pair of breasts.

"Madam Roth..." By the time they were done hugging, Sheryl had already gotten over her shock. Her expression was one of excitement as her pink fox ears moved rapidly. "Could it be... that you've reached the fabled realm!?"

"Who knows?" Ari answered mysteriously. Her eyes trailed over to the dark elf slave.

Ari's gaze caused the elven girl to step back in fear. It was the first emotion she had shown so far, breaking her emotionless, doll-like facade. But who could blame her? Anyone would be afraid after witnessing that spectacle.

"You're mine now!" Earl told the elven girl and held her hand. Her hands felt soft and moist, probably from her nervousness. At this distance, Earl could take a good look at her flawless, tanned dark elf skin. And she was only a head taller than him.

"Okay, you can keep her then, my Earl." Ari giggled to herself at Earl's actions. He rarely asked for anything and it seemed like he really wanted the girl. She ran her hand through Earl's soft black hair to express her affection.

"What's your name?" Earl asked the dark elf without letting go of her hand.

The girl's yellow eyes trembled under Earl's scrutinizing gaze. "...A-Aria. It's Aria."