Chapter 121: Want To Dance?

Olivia's threat did nothing to change the calm expression of the man.

With a slight shrug of his broad shoulders, the man's words were like a whisper in the foreboding silence, "I usually avoid crossing blades with a lady, but if you're inviting me to dance, who am I to decline?" His black eyes shone with mirth and mischief.

Olivia couldn't suppress a disdainful scoff, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword. "Very well," she replied, a cold glint in her blue eyes. "Draw your weapon."

Amusement danced in the man's eyes as he raised a slender finger, wagging it gently at her. "But my dear, why would I need a weapon when I'm going to claim yours?"

His audacious words hung heavily in the air, amplifying the tension that thrummed between them. Olivia's face hardened into an icy mask, her eyes shooting daggers at him. "Your arrogance will be your undoing," she retorted frostily, her voice echoing ominously through the vast hall.

With that, Olivia lunged forward, her nimble feet closing the distance between them in mere heartbeats. Her sword, gleaming with a deadly light, arced through the air with a swift, lethal grace, aimed straight at his exposed neck. The man, still disarmingly composed, watched her advance with a smile which made Olivia wonder why he was still standing like a fool.

Just as her sword was about to make contact, the man moved with startling speed and elegance.

He gracefully side-stepped her attack, catching her sword with his bare hand. In one smooth motion, he twisted the weapon out of her grasp, sending it spinning into the air, before it neatly landed in his own hand. Olivia stumbled backwards from the force, landing a good distance away. The sudden turn of events left her both shocked and disoriented.

Olivia felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the man. His effortless display of strength and speed had stunned her into silence. A Sword Sage, she thought to herself, her mind spinning. That's the only explanation. The rumors of such individuals were rare, but their presence was legendary - known for their absolute control over the sword and the speed that was faster than thought itself.

But that was not what bothered her the most. It was the fact that she saw her attire tearing apart as if sliced by invisible blades. Her white shirt and pants fell in tatters to the ground, leaving her clad in nothing but her white underwear. Her full, round bosom and slender waist, now covered only by a lacy bra, and her long, shapely legs, hugged by lace panties, were exposed to the man's gaze.

Her face instantly flushed a deep red, the intense humiliation making her blood boil. She hastily crossed an arm over her chest, trying to shield herself from the man's gaze, and her free hand tightly clutched her sword, its tip pointing towards him.

"Y...You pervert!" she spat out, her voice trembling with anger. "Have you no basic etiquette of sword fighting?"

Her indignation rang out clear and loud, her eyes flashing dangerously. She was a princess, before being a warrior and this was the first time she had been so badly humiliated like this.

The man merely tilted his head, his lips curling into an amused smile at her fiery reaction.

He looked at her without any shame, taking in her flushed face, heaving sweaty bosom, and the fierce determination in her eyes.

"Young lady, sword fighting is a ruthless business," he replied, his tone mellow and slightly teasing. "It doesn't discriminate between clothes and flesh. And besides," he continued, his black eyes twinkling with amusement, "I thought it was the common etiquette in such situations to admit defeat, not blame the victor for the consequences of the battle."

Olivia clenched her jaw hearing his words and only felt even more anger because whether she liked to admit or not, there was a hint of truth in his words. But she didn't want to admit that to him.

Raising the sword he had claimed from her, he added, "You should have listened to my warning. So...you still want to continue the dance or are you going to admit defeat?"