514 He was merely a sparring partner
"Not participating in the battle? Who do you think you're looking down on?"
William is protective, but after the Cosmic Entity's explanation, he was actually a bit provoked.
There are other universes, and it sounds like more than just two or three, which slightly piqued William's interest.
Regardless of how much truth or falsehood was in what the Cosmic Entity said, having Alice compete with guardians of the Cosmic Entity from other universes sounded like a great idea.
"Hmm?" The Cosmic Entity was stunned.
Why doesn't this person play by the rules?
"Alright! If there's nothing else, I'll come back to beat you up when I'm free," William said, and then disappeared.
He had noticed that within this black hole, there was actually a trace of his own aura.
Without a doubt, that entity he expelled from his body was also inside.
Probably, it had some agreement with the Cosmic Entity or had already become one of the Cosmic Entity's guardians.
But none of that mattered, as that being was still too weak.
Gone with one punch, truly uninteresting.
After William left.
Messages intertwined within the black hole.
"Do you think he's found me?"
"Definitely!"
"Well, yes! But he didn't take action!"
"He just disdains to act."
"I know that, you don't need to tell me! He's waiting for me to get stronger, maybe even hoping I could kill him!"
...
William returned to the front of the Emerald Lion Guild.
Just now, Alice, who lost the protection of the Cosmic Entity, was nearly killed by Garen. In desperation, Alice summoned the alchemy furnace and hid inside, unwilling to come out like a turtle tucking its head in.
Even under such circumstances, Alice did not use the Sword of Soulbreaker or Eternal Starfire.
She absolutely trusted William.
They had agreed to a sword fight, and even if it meant dying under Garen's sword, she would stick to the agreement.
If William truly intended to harm her, then so be it if she died...
Upon William's return, Alice was still hiding inside the alchemy furnace.
Garen, despite all his efforts, ultimately couldn't inflict any damage on the alchemy furnace.
Even his full-powered strike couldn't harm Alice inside the furnace.
The materials of the alchemy furnace were simply too good; with Garen's power, it was impossible to harm Alice inside.
"With your current strength, it's impossible not to show any flaws."
"In that case, show your opponent a false flaw!"
"Besides, you need to learn to sense your opponent's energy flow, like with his sword strike now. When he lifts his hand, you can sense that he's aiming for your throat."
"Just need to lightly lift your sword and lean to the left side..."
William explained the sword move, and Alice was somewhat lost.
Yet, her body easily parried Garen's attack, and in the next moment, the sword was already positioned at Garen's neck.
It sounded so simple, indeed.
"Wouldn't that be a win then?"
William spoke in a tone suggesting it was all very simple, "You try."
And then Alice got thrashed again.
Only this time, Garen no longer went for the kill.
He had realized by now that William did not wish for Alice to die.
He was merely a sparring partner.
What about the reward for killing Alice?
Given the sudden lightning from the sky earlier, winning just wasn't going to happen!
What kind of lightning magic would it take to disrupt his secret sword technique?
Once he understood this, Garen, the sparring partner, became more compliant.
He definitely needed to fight earnestly.
But Alice, she couldn't be harmed.
He had to win, yet allow Alice room to perform.
Perhaps this is the highest realm of being a sparring partner.
For half a month, William and Alice would arrive at the Emerald Lion Guild early in the morning.
Garen, the president of the Emerald Lion Guild, did nothing else but serve as a sparring partner.
Although Alice's level of strength wasn't as high as his, he also gleaned quite a bit from their exchanges, and his strength improved dramatically.
By comparison, Alice's aptitude seemed much poorer,despite being personally taught by William, by the end, Garen had mastered the techniques, but she hadn't.
One day, a flash of purple light gleamed in Alice's eyes, and she said to William, "I think my 'cheat' has been activated."
William raised his hand and thumped her on the head, "Don't use it!"
The so-called 'cheat' she mentioned was the power given by the Cosmic Entity, wasn't it?
William had noticed that during this time, the halo of holy light had fully integrated with Alice's body and soul, and the Cosmic Entity must have indeed granted some benefits to Alice.
But competitions value fairness, and using cheats at every turn,isn't that against the spirit of martial ethics?