Chapter 59: Spar (2)
Chapter 59
"Hey, wait! This is going too far now," Zen gulped loudly.
SWOOOOSH!
The sound of the shield slicing through the air intensified, made sharper by the jagged rocks circling it like blades. Zen’s throat tightened as he leapt back, raising his sword in front of him in a desperate guard.
BANG!
A deafening crack resounded in the room. Zen gritted his teeth as pain surged through his arms, his hands throbbing violently. The wooden weapon trembled in his grip and a visible crack spread across it.
"Wh...what other veil can I possibly get again?" Zen hissed through clenched teeth as his body skidded across the floor, his boots scraping against the ground.
"Let’s try my veil. Earth," Kael replied. He pounded his fist against the wooden shield, causing more layers of hardened stone to wrap around it. The shield grew denser, sturdier, and heavier, almost like a slab of a mountain had fused into its frame.
"Alright, how do I do that? What are the words I should say, or what exactly should I do?" Zen asked, raising a brow in genuine frustration.
"Try hocus pocus!" Jace shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth as if that would make it more convincing.
"Because I totally told you my veil deals with magic spells, right?" Kael shot back with a glare.
"Ignore him, Kael," Rina muttered calmly, folding her arms.
Kael sighed deeply, calming his irritation, then turned back to Zen. "Now, I don’t really know how I did it either. During the clan trials, we were all teleported into dungeons, right?"
Zen nodded.
"In my dungeon, I faced different types of beasts. Well, just two kinds really. First were slime beasts that attacked me, and I barely escaped with my life. My sword cracked badly after dealing with them. Then came the goblins. A whole pack of D-ranked goblins."
’A pack of them? But I only faced one. And even with that single goblin, I almost died.’ Zen’s thoughts swirled as he imagined standing before dozens of the snarling creatures he had struggled against. The image alone sent a chill down his spine.
"So during my fight with them, my sword finally broke. I was completely defenseless, on the verge of dying. But when my hand touched the ground, the earth... it responded. I found out I could control it.
That was how I awakened my veil. My body grew sturdier, my strikes heavier. Yeah, something like that." Kael grinned wickedly. "So now we are going to find out just how sturdy your body is."
"Wait a moment. Find out how sturdy my body is?" Zen’s eyes widened as he instinctively took a step back.
Kael didn’t answer immediately. He simply smirked, his stance tightening, the grin on his face widening as rocks around his shield grew sharper like serrated blades. In one burst of power, he bolted forward and leapt into the air.
"You’re a C-ranker now, Zen. Let’s test your limits," Kael declared as he came crashing down, shield first.
BAM!
The impact echoed like thunder. The earth-shrouded shield slammed into Zen’s face, sending the newly promoted C-ranker skidding violently across the floor. Droplets of blood trailed down the corner of his lips.
{-2HP}
"Come on, take this seriously," Kael barked, gripping his shield by the edge. With raw strength, he hurled it across the air like a massive frisbee, its rocky surface spinning faster and faster until the edges whirred dangerously.
"Shit!" Zen muttered as his grip on the sword tightened. Bracing himself, he swung vertically in the shield’s path. The strike halted its deadly spin for a few seconds, the force vibrating through his arms and numbing his hands.
Zen was sent skidding backward once again, boots dragging deep lines across the training floor, his teeth gritted while his arms screamed in pain.
"Slice and Dice," Kael whispered darkly, twirling a finger in the air.
As though obeying his command, the shield resumed its deadly spin, twisting and turning midair like a predator that refused to stop hunting its prey.
Appearing directly behind Zen, who was a tad bit late in reacting, the shield slammed into him with immense force. The impact hurled him into the air, his body tumbling helplessly for several seconds before crashing back to the ground.
{-5HP}
"The hell was that?!" Zen roared as he staggered upright, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth before glaring at Kael with fury burning in his eyes.
"You fool. You were supposed to try and activate your earth veil to stop the attack," Kael sighed, dragging his palm across his face in frustration.
"You see, the earth and wind veils have one thing in common. Both can help you sense when an attack is coming, so you can react instantly before the blow even lands."
"What if I don’t have either of them, you dumbass?" Zen snapped, his voice raw with irritation.
"Fair point. But we’ll never know unless we try," Kael shot back with a grin. His feet pounded against the floor as he dashed forward again.
Mid-charge, his eyes caught sight of his spinning shield still in motion. With precise timing, he kicked it upward, sending it twirling higher into the air before catching it easily in his grip.
"Alright. I’m tired of playing these little games," Zen muttered under his breath, his face darkening. He tightened his hold on the cracked sword and bolted forward, anger pumping strength into his stride.
SWOOOSH!
Kael’s shield cut through the air at breakneck speed, aiming straight for Zen’s face.
Zen twisted sharply, leaning sideways. The edge of the shield missed him by mere inches, slicing through the air with a low, threatening hum.
"Earth veil: Screw this bastard!" Zen roared, his fury spilling out as he swung his sword diagonally with reckless force.
"Screw this bastard?" Jace repeated in disbelief before bursting into loud, uncontrollable laughter.
But Zen’s attack didn’t stop. His sword cleaved through the air, the wooden blade whistling as it sped toward Kael’s face.
Yet Kael, as though sensing the attack by instinct, snapped his arm back at the last possible second, planting his shield firmly in the weapon’s path.
CRACK!
The sword splintered violently upon impact, jagged cracks racing across its surface. The collision forced Kael to skid several inches back, his teeth clenched as the force vibrated up his arm.
"You sure are strong," Kael muttered, his tone carrying both annoyance and a hint of reluctant respect.
He suddenly leapt back a full metre, landing lightly on his feet, and without losing momentum, hurled the shield across the air once more.
This time, Zen didn’t even bother to block. Instead, he bent backward, his body arching low as the spinning shield whizzed just above him.
He sprang upright in the next instant, ready to dash forward again—only to find Kael already standing in front of him, disappointment etched into his expression.
"Looks like you don’t have the earth veil," Kael declared as he drove a solid punch into Zen’s gut.
BOOM!
The impact reverberated through Zen’s torso.
TCHK!
A speck of blood flew from Zen’s lips as his body was sent flying three metres backward. He landed hard on one knee, clutching his stomach as pain seared through his core.
"Seems like your veil hates you or something," Kael sighed, brushing imaginary dust off his hand. He turned away, voice casual as if he hadn’t just struck Zen with bone-cracking force. "Welp. I tried."
"Tag me in!" Jace called out eagerly as he strode forward.
Kael extended a hand and the two clapped palms, sealing the switch.
"Now it’s my turn," Jace grinned. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he cracked his knuckles. "Let’s see if you have the water veil. And for this lesson, I will be your teacher."