Chapter 348: One Strike

"If you are ready, then… BEGIN!"

Sarah's words were like the ring of the bell that signaled the start of an official boxing match. Without turning around, she stepped away from the battle arena, back to the side. She leaned against the wall, with her hands folded together just below her chest. 

"Now boy… you will see the price of your lies! Taste my first strike!" Sir Michael exclaimed, his previously friendly smile on his face twisting into something akin to a cruel, malicious smirk.

He raised his weapon and struck down, aiming at the still calm, aloof boy's annoying face.

His strike was surprisingly swift, the steel, the shining metal blurred as it sailed through the air, traversing the distance between them and arriving in front of Aiden's face in a mere moment. 

Just as it was about to hit its target and cause the fight to end on such short notice, something unexpected happened.

The blade didn't stop, it continued moving on, seemingly phasing through the boy without causing any visible signs of damage. In the next instant, the afterimage left by Aiden scattered into the air, giving a just explanation to the strange phenomenon. 

"Wha-" Before Sir Michael could even finish his curse, the boy's calm voice reached his ears, coming from… behind him?! His mouth gape aghast with the shock of what just happened, he turned around, looking at a scene he simply couldn't process. Besides their positions shifting around, it seemed like nothing happened. The boy stood still like before, whilst Sir Michael held his sword in front of his chest. 

A second later, his shock seemingly passed, replaced by the now unconstrained rage. Gritting his teeth, he reaffirmed his grip on the hilt of his sword. 

"You think you can play around huh? Let me show you the true height of power! Let me give you a taste of what it means to be a real warrior!"

Suddenly the air around Sir Michael turned cold, hazy. A strange sensation of chill spread throughout the arena as Sir Michael released something that only a selected few talents could achieve.

"T-this… This is…"

"He reached such a level already?!"

"Sir Michael is truly the best!" 

Shock spread through everyone looking, Sir Michael's reveal was something that nobody expected.

"Brother, what is this chill coming from him?" Looking at his brother, Scarlet asked with a confused look on his face. 

"Sword Intent. A sign of true skill. Although it's barely at the first stage, it is still unexpected. It seems that this battle may not be so boring as what we expected…" Drake answered with a thoughtful look. Truth be told, he didn't expect that this little town would have someone with such a level of skill.

Even Sara, though still hiding under her hood, had a look of surprise flash through her face for a brief moment before the calm returned a second later. 

"Yes, this is truly unexpected. Still, this is merely the seedling, he barely had stepped into this realm, he still has a long way to go."

"Is Aiden in trouble now?" Scarlet asked again, looking at the golden armored man, grinning at his opponent like a madman.

"No. You don't need to worry. This is nothing. My brother can't be defeated! He will win." Instead of the boy, Lily spoke up. Her fists clenched, betraying her brave outlook, showing how worried inwardly she truly was.

Noticing her clenched balled-up fists, Sara placed her right hand gently over her left shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. 

"Do not worry. Even if Michael looks strong now, you should place more trust in your brother's power. You should be aware of how he is. Just look at how he is right now. Does he look like someone who is afraid?"

"I didn't say…." Lily was about to argue, but as she looked at her brother, instead she took in a large gasp of air, and slowly exhaled to calm herself and regain her lost demeanor.

"I know, thanks." She sighed in the end, her tightly held fists eased up, as she returned her attention to the fight at hand.

While the crowd was roaring with excitement about this revelation, Aiden still retained his calm, and just kept looking and waiting for the raging man to finish whatever he was doing. 

"Can you start fighting now? This is boring, I have better things to do than waste my time on you." He spoke, addressing the man with such words that didn't fit his collected outlook. Still, there was no real emotion behind his voice, it was completely insipid.

"Grrr… Arrogant little bastard… Take this!" Completely angered by his words, Sir Michael finally lost himself in his rage and charged forward in flash.

His speed was shocking, totally not fitting someone wearing such heavy armor. A golden blurry streak crossed the small distance in a fraction of a second, arriving in front of the black-haired youth. His weapon was already in mid-swing, traveling horizontally aiming to slice the boy into two.

His speed and momentum were much higher than before, Sir Micheal was sure that this time he wouldn't miss. He was already smirking, expecting to hit the boy's skull and then plunge the side of his blade through the thick barrier.

He suddenly realized that he shouldn't kill this waste, even though he really wanted to as that would only cause grief and suffering to his beloved muse. He was about to forcibly put a halt to his uncontested swing when suddenly, his strike came to an abrupt halt.

Coming back to his senses, he turned wide-eyed at his young opponent's inexplicable action. A thin smile adorning his lips, he looked at him with a look that caused shivers in Sir Michael.

His eyes were glowing faintly, his right hand was raised, his index finger and thumb pinched at his blade, being the cause of the sudden stop to his momentum. 

"That is all you got?" The boy asked, with a slightly deeper, mocking tone. Letting go of the blade, he gave it a light push, causing Sir Michael to stumble back a couple of steps of the unexpected might that his simplistic action carried.

Still, he wasn't ready to give in, Sir Michael reaffirmed his hold on the hilt once again. Gritting his teeth, he straightened his arm, cocking it back slightly, ready to unleash his unwillingness into a third attempt.

However, before he could do so, the boy spoke up again. His voice was much deeper than before, filling the hall completely, causing the crowd to look at him with a mixture of confusion and fear.

"Is this what the supposed strongest adventurer can muster? Is this the height you are all so proud of?"

His words were a huge blow to his opponent's and most of the spectating crowd's previous pride and arrogance. Still, they refused to give in, most of them began to yell out, urging their idol to step up and teach this brat a lesson!

"Don't be taunted by this brat, Sir Michael! Teach him a lesson he will never forget!"

"This kid needs to DIE! Sir Michael, let us help!"

By now, Sir Michael was shaking, trembling under the pressure of his erupting madness. He was ready to go berserk, and let go of all restraints he still tried to hold on to, and just unleash his full fury against his annoying opponent. 

However, before he could completely lose himself and launch himself into his third and most likely last assault, the boy spoke again.

"Let me show you all what power really is, so you will understand the futility of your actions." 

As soon as he finished his words, his figure vanished. Not even a second later, his blurry figure appeared in front of the stunned Sir Michael.

He felt a sudden surge of numb pain spreading through his body, originating from the center of the upper chest. His body turned weightless a moment later and as he tried to quell the spreading fire and jolting electricity he strangely felt the wind against the back of his neck.

Before he realized the second surge of jolting torment spread from the entire surface of his back. Amidst the torturous torment, he slowly looked down and turned to look at the cave-in over his golden chest plate, he realized he was now far away from the boy… 

As the events gradually registered in his brain, he realized he crashed into the wall on the far side of the arena. His eyelids turned heavy, he felt the weight pushing them down. His thoughts turned weary, gradually dripping into the calming void…

By the time his body fell down to the ground with a loud metallic thud, he was already unconscious.

Just like some had taunted haughtily before, the fight did end with one single strike. Although not the way they expected, the difference in power was indeed showcased in a grand and brutal fashion.

The strongest adventurer of Higrove, the proud golden star of the Adventurer's Guild, Sir Michael Sonovan was defeated in one single strike.