Master of Dominion-Chapter 45:Duel 3

Iyvre watched Rael from where she stood as she pondered the main reason she had requested a duel against him. It had little to do with claiming his excuse for a territory, but more because she couldn’t accept such a disgraceful loss. Not only had she lost against a warrior two tiers below her, but she also had the help of her sisters. Artifact or not, her nature couldn’t accept that.

And that was why she requested a duel, to fight on fair grounds. She had no plans of going all out on him, for then it wouldn’t be fair if she used the full might of her heavier Tier 3 Aether against his Tier 1 own. After all, he didn’t have his toy to help him this time

"Are you ready?" she said as she raised her blade and took a battle stance.

"I’m ready when you are," Rael replied with a smile, his two hands clasped around the handle of the great sword.

"Then here I come," Iyvre said as she charged forward, turning into a blur of motion.

She reached Rael’s front just in time as he swung the great sword, already anticipating her charge. But she twisted her wrist, making her blade avoid the clash with the great sword as it bypassed it and pierced straight toward Rael’s cheek.

But with a tilt of his face, he dodged the thrust.

But the tip had managed to graze past his skin, causing Rael to squint before leaping backward as his boots scraped against the dirt. Iyvre, however, wasn’t giving him the distance he was trying to create. She pushed forward instantly, pivoting her feet to slide toward Rael’s flank before he could even set his left foot on the ground.

Still slightly midair, Rael tightened his grip and swung the great sword in a wide arc, trying to force her back. But Iyvre was already gone, ducking beneath the swing.

She pushed her feet backward, raising her blade to strike the flat side of the great sword mid-swing, causing Rael to lose balance for just a fraction of a second. He quickly recovered his stance, but Iyvre had clearly capitalized on it. She stepped in, shoulders low, elbow positioned to strike at his ribs.

Rael could see there was no way to pull the great sword back. He grunted and twisted his torso slightly, dodging the blow as her elbow brushed past his leather armor. Using her missed attack, Rael shoved backward, creating distance between them.

This time, Iyvre didn’t follow. She let Rael regain his bearings before dropping a remark.

"That sword doesn’t suit you."

Rael smiled. "It’ll do just enough."

From their brief exchange, he could tell he might have been wrong about her going all out. She had clearly been holding back earlier, not even using any Aether technique, and honestly, that stung his pride a little.

’Alright then, let’s see if you’ll keep holding back, ’he thought.

So he chose to imagine himself in a life-and-death battle, the only way out being Iyvre’s defeat. With that resolve, Rael released his Aether, letting it flow across his hands and coat the great sword. His eyes turned cold, as he entered battle mode.

Iyvre noticed the shift but cared little. She charged forward, but this time Rael charged as well, meeting her head-on. He brought the great sword down in a powerful downward slash.

Iyvre easily dodged to the side, thrusting her blade straight toward Rael’s chest, only for it to be parried as he used the flat side of the great sword.

Twisting his body along with the greatsword, Rael swept the flat side in a wide arc, stopping Iyvre from pressing in. She chose to skid backward, easily dodging the sweep, but Rael pushed forward, thrusting the great sword straight ahead.

It made Iyvre squint. To her, greatswords weren’t meant for thrusts. Still, she dashed to the side, driving her blade toward Rael’s exposed waist, only for him to pause and roll sideways, carrying the great sword with him into a precise backhanded sweep.

One she had no choice but to block.

Clank.

Sparks flew as Iyvre was forced back, her feet tearing through grass and dirt as she skidded to a quick stop.

"Hm, he adapted," Yasmin murmured from above, frowning as she watched.

Iyvre squinted, meeting Rael’s cold gaze as he stood with the greatsword clutched in one hand.

’He’s Tier 2 now,’ Iyvre thought, already feeling the difference in his aether compared to before. While surprised he had broken through, it wasn’t enough to truly amaze her. Still, she knew she would need her own aether now. So she coated her blade with white aether, sharp and clean, in contrast to Rael’s reddish hue.

She bent her legs slightly, ready to charge with greater speed, but Rael had a different plan. Twirling the greatsword, he exerted strength and hurled its sharp tip toward Iyvre. Her eyes widened briefly as she pivoted aside, dodging its trajectory. Almost instantly, her senses snapped back to Rael, who had followed closely, his hand still loosely grasping the hilt.

She whipped her blade in a sweeping arc aimed at his midsection, but paused the moment she sensed his grip tighten. The greatsword’s body hovered above her shoulders, dangerously close to her neck.

Huffing at the tricky attack, she retracted her blade and brought it upward, blocking the sweeping greatsword just in time.

Clang.

Using the momentum, she performed a back tuck, sweeping her blade toward Rael’s face. He ducked, exactly as she wanted, as her leg whipped around to meet his face midair.

Bam.

Rael felt a flash of pain and a brief blur in his vision. He wasn’t going to lie, he deserved that one for his failed trick. Still, he forced his head down, stopping it from snapping back and narrowly avoiding the blade that sliced past where his neck had been.

Rael shot his leg forward, aiming to slam into her midair, but Iyvre twisted gracefully, even using his shoulder to gain momentum as she leapt backward. Rael didn’t bother to follow up.He was too busy being impressed that she had managed to execute three attacks in midair, with one even being successful.

Iyvre landed lightly and commented, "Not bad."

Rael smiled. "Fourth round?" he asked.

"Let’s make it the last one," she replied, her blade glowing hot white.