'She's impressive...'

Rey's thoughts trailed as he looked at Trisha--or more specifically, at her Status Window.

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: Trisha Lihua.

- Race: Human (Otherworlder)

- Class: Elite Swordsman (B-Tier)

- Level: 147 (56.99% EXP)

- Life Force: 180 [100]

- Mana Level: 210 (+100) [150]

- Combat Ability: 290 (+145) [300]

- Stat Points: 0

- Skills (Exclusive): [Greater Lightning Magic]. [Greater Combat Application]. [Greater Danger Sense]

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Greater Sword Dance]. [Agility Boost]. [Fortitude]. [Aura Sword].

- Alignment: Lawful Good

[Additional Information]

A warrior at heart who believes in honor and strength above all. She is not one to do evil, and she punishes those who enact it. A kind soul with a burning heart, constantly seeking ways to better herself.

She still has feelings for Rey Skylar...

[End Of Information]

'It's clear she has spent her time training to improve her base stats and advance the Skills she already has.' Rey found himself analyzing his opponent.

He surmised that the reason Trisha went to the Adventurers City was due the variety of Monsters she could kill, and the kind of experience--other than EXP--she could gain from their subjugation.

'She even has newer Skills. Her Level isn't bad either. That's good.'

He was glad to see that she had been working incredibly hard, and that her alignment was in no way problematic. In all sense of the word, she was a reliable ally.

Still, one thing bothered him more than anything.

'She still has feelings for me, huh?'

Rey never saw this part of her Status Window before, but with it now displayed he had to mull on what it meant.

He was no fool. Despite his previous efforts to give her the benefit of the doubt back when he listened in to the girls and their unanimous declaration of their interest in him, he could no longer avoid the truth now.

'Trisha likes me. That explains a lot...' He could see the frustration in her eyes, and her unexplainable desire to prove something to him.

Perhaps her interest in him had been platonic at the start, but somewhere down in the line, things began to get a lot more complicated.

'And I tried to pretend like nothing was happening... damnit.'

Rey could feel all of the guilt that accompanied this discovery, though they were all muffled underneath his intense emotional control.

As much as he wanted to drown in the bittersweet moment, he couldn't afford to.

'I can't do anything about it, sadly. Just the same way I can't do anything about these feelings of hers.' Rey took a serious stance and steadied his blade.

'The only thing I can do for you right now... is fight.'

~ZZZTZZZ!~

In a buzz of whitish-blue electricity, Trisha closed the distance between herself and Rey, easily appearing right in front of him faster than the blink of an eye.

She chose to strike first, a quick lunge aimed at Rey's side, rather than the more obvious front area.

It was no use, though.

'Even without any Skills to assist me, she's still too slow.' Rey deftly sidestepped, bringing his own sword up in a smooth arc to parry the attack.

~CLANG!~

The two blades met with a sharp clash, a spray of sparks lighting up the atmosphere as they locked in combat.

'Her movements are impressive. The strength she puts behind every attack is amazing. I'm not strictly a Martial Artist, but due to my [Perfect Divine Martial Supremacy] Skill, I can pretty much observe attacks from an expert's standpoint.'

And his verdict on Trisha's moves was that of high praise.

'It's clear she has honed those Skills to the limit. She even took my advice and perfectly complemented her Martial Arts with her Skills, creating a very deadly move set.'

All she lacked was the power.

'But, I think it's only a matter of time before she becomes the strongest swordsman in the kingdom.'

She was still behind Brutus in Stats, and even though she had more Skills than him, his level of mastery was higher.

'Based on her growth rate, I'd give her another six months, and she should have surpassed him.' Rey felt a bit strange giving an assessment on such issues, but he could see everything from the lens of a Martial Artist and he knew he wasn't wrong.

'I'm sure Billy would have already reached Brutus' level by now, but it's a shame he died so early.'

Rey felt nothing when he thought about Billy's death. It could have been because he suppressed his feelings, or maybe because he had already dissociated his emotions from the boy.

Either way, he only thought it was a waste that he had to die so early.

'Billy would have been a valuable asset to humanity.'

~WHUUM!~

Right as he was having these thoughts, Trisha pivoted, her movements a blur of speed and precision as she aimed a flurry of strikes at Rey, testing his defenses with a series of aggressive jabs and slashes.

Once again, he saw all of this with clear precision.

'It seems she already has most of her Skills activated by now. [Greater Lightning Magic]. [Greater Combat Application]. [Greater Danger Sense]. [Greater Sword Dance]. [Agility Boost]. [Fortitude].'

Rey could see all their effects.

'But no [Aura Sword], huh? Why? Does she want to surprise me with it as some sort of hidden attack?' He wondered.

'Well, let's see'

Rey met each of her attacks with calm confidence, his blade weaving a web of silver as he parried and blocked.

He countered with a swift riposte, forcing Trisha to retreat a step as she narrowly avoided the thrust aimed at her shoulder.

'Nice. Of course, I'm just matching her pace, but still Trisha's reflexes are off the charts.'

He could even feel himself beginning to enjoy the sparring session.

'There's one problem, though.' Rey stared at his charred sword and sighed. 'This weapon won't last for long. I didn't want to use any Skill to reinforce it, but now I'm considering that route.'

The undeterred Trisha regained her footing and launched another offensive, this time with a sweeping horizontal slash.

Rey ducked under the strike, his own movements smooth and controlled. He spun on his heel, his sword slicing through the air as she aimed a diagonal cut at Trisha's midsection.

'What will you do now? The force is a bit too much for you to handle norma"

~CLANG!~

Trisha blocked the attack just in time, pushing her own body forward while planting her foot in the ground to create some kind of stoppage.

Rey saw her gritting her teeth as she did so, their blades grinding against each other as he pressed forward.

'Not bad no bad.'

Trisha impressed him every time, and he was beginning to think of multiple ways to test her.

'Still, this sword' He nearly sighed. 'She's been chipping at it for a while now. Hers isn't in the best of shape either, but I think mine will break first.'

The two of them disengaged momentarily, eyeing each other with respect.

"Huu" For a second, she exhaled deeply, releasing a cloud of misty breath.

The sweat on her body began to evaporate as she swiftly took her stance, though this time it seemed different from before.

Rey braced himself for what would come next.

~VWUUUM!~

Trisha switched tactics, launching a series of rapid, precise stabs aimed at his vulnerable points. If he was slowerno, even of the same speed as herhe would have been in serious trouble.

Unfortunately for her, he was just much faster.

Rey dodged and parried with ease, his agility unmatched. He stepped in close, aiming a series of tight, controlled strikes at her head and torso.

Trisha countered, her sword flashing as she met Rey's attacks with a flurry of blocks and evasive maneuvers. Rey's relentless assault forced Trisha to retreat once more, her footing unsure on the slick cobblestones. Rey seized the opportunity, pressing forward with a rapid series of lunges and slashes.

Then

~CRACK!~

His blade finally shattered.

'Ahh the opening she's been looking for.'

Trisha's sword burst out with brilliant light, revealing the [Aura Sword] she had been hiding for her final move.

With a downward slash that contained all of her power, she sent the blade crashing down.

"HAAAAAAAA!!!"

Her scream was filled with so much passion, and the weapon was filled with so much energy that it seemed like she had poured all of her energy into it.

The brilliant sparks of lightning were mixed in with the reddish aura that flowed through the weapon, creating purple dances of power that coalesced at the point of impact.

This, truly, was her ultimate move.

If the target had been any Monster or human opponent, they were sure to take severe damageif not die on the spot.

Unfortunately for her, and her impeccable attack, she was up against Rey Skylar.

~CLANG!~

Her blade met a hard stop as he blocked it with a black blade, easily disrupting all of her powerful energy and movement.

The sword materialized from Rey's body on commandthe product of Emil's properties that easily produced a more durable weapon faster than Trisha could hit.

"I'll end this now." He mumbled under his lips as he stepped forward, faster than the shocked Trisha could even react.

'You did well, Trisha. You are strong.'