Chapter 1138 Suffering From Success

It went well.

Sunny was not doing much better against the murderous hurricane of steel wearing the beautiful human face of Morgan of Valor... but he did manage to slow her down a little.

Morgan slowed down not because she felt pressured by his sudden change of techniques, but because she was fascinated by it.

Her raven-black hair swept back and her simple tunic rippling from the wind risen by their clash, she pierced him with a burning vermilion gaze. Her red lips moved:

"Interesting. Very interesting..."

Morgan was not addressing Sunny, but more so speaking to herself.

After that, she changed her strategy, as well. Before, Morgan was all offense, all sharp edges, and a relentless barrage of calculated, but devastating strikes. Now, she was moving more deliberately - not really holding back, but also not pursuing an overwhelming defeat of the enemy at all costs.

It was as if Morgan was afraid to break him too soon.

...Sunny did not really know how to feel about that.

'Huh... well, that's a new feeling...'

They clashed, their swords weaving a cacophonous, but strangely beautiful melody of hissing and clangor. At the side of the dojo, Cassie turned her head slightly, listening.

Sunny had long beaten his record of holding out against Morgan for thirty-six seconds. A minute passed, then another. He was still solidly standing on his two feet, and even though his breathing was growing a little labored from the terrible strain of the intense fight, his stamina was far from running out.

In the middle of a particularly furious exchange, when they were close to each other, Morgan suddenly asked:

"That style... who taught you?"

Sunny struck at the hilt of her sword, aiming to sever her fingers, and answered hoarsely:

"No one taught me. I just learned it... from a Nightmare Creature..."

She easily avoided his strike and punished it by aiming a thrust at his heart. A smile appeared on her face.

"...In the Nightmare?"

Sunny hesitated, considering how much he could reveal. He had fought the Barrow Wraiths as Mongrel, after all... but then again, no one else had gotten a proper measure of their battle skill, and he had faced countless Nightmare Gates later in Antarctica, most of them undocumented.

"No, in front of a Nightmare Gate."

Morgan's smile widened.

It seemed that Morgan had decided to start using more of her Aspect Abilities, as well.

There was nothing really for him to do but accept the blow and hope that she was not planning to decapitate him.

The kick had lost none of its power after cutting the spear. The moment Morgan's foot connected with his jaw, it was as if he had been hit by a siege ram. Sunny momentarily saw stars. He was thrown aside and staggered, barely managing to maintain some semblance of balance.

'Not good... no... actually, very good! This is exactly what I wanted. Time to be defeated...'

He overplayed his disorientation a little and waited for the follow-up strike to come.

But it didn't.

When Sunny regained the ability to see clearly a second later, he saw a hint of guilt on Morgan's face. She was looking at him with a resigned expression.

"Ah, damn it... sorry, I forgot myself for a moment. I have a healer at hand..."

Then, she paused and stared at him with a slightly startled expression. It was strange to see Morgan surprised.

"You're... you're not cut?"

Sunny rubbed his cheek, which was still numb. He was going to have a nasty bruise, that was for sure. But the Marble Shell seemed to have withstood Morgan's Aspect Ability.

No, not quite... she had probably released the Ability after slicing through the spear. But her Flaw - what Sunny suspected to be her Flaw - remained.

He grimaced, then moved his jaw side to side and answered in an even tone:

"No. Why would I be cut? Do I look fragile? Well, I'm not. I'm quite sturdy, in fact."

Morgan stared at him for a bit, a strange expression on her face. Eventually, her lips twisted into a light smile.

"That you are. I'll remember that... for our next spar. This one, sadly, has to come to an end. Thank you for a wonderful duel, Master Sunless."

She glanced at her training sword, then calmly turned around and went to place it back in the case.

Sunny rubbed his cheek again, feeling a bit of dull pain seep through the numbness, and looked at her back.

'Seems like it worked. That... is what I call a job well done. Beautifully, really. Ah... I guess that is what they call suffering from success...'

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Erdiul's Note: See, I told you I did you favor by releasing all four at the same time. No cliffhanger, solid reading experience. You're welcome.