Editor: Areth Kyntaul

Nier slashed violently.

Lucia blocked with her sword but staggered a few steps backwards.

Nier didn't give Lucia a chance to catch a breath. She straightened up her torso and stabbed towards Lucia's neck. Lucia evaded, but Nier's sword still managed to cut a few strands of her hair and nip her skin.

Lucia countered by slas.h.i.+ng toward Nier. Nier knocked it away with a horizontal guard. Leveraging her shorter and smaller stature, Lucia quickly rushed forward and elbowed Nier in her chest.

I saw Nier's b.r.e.a.s.t.s jiggle. It looks like her well-endowed b.r.e.a.s.t.s saved her from an injury this time.

Nier threw a back-kick. Lucia guarded it with her arm but was sent flying, nonetheless, due to the force behind Nier's kick.

Lucia used the buffs provided by the wind-elves to adjust her landing position mid-air. The two of them now had some distance between them and they panted for air.

Human and elf physiques are quite different. Elves rely on speed and dexterity. However, Nier was no slower than an elf, and because she had the physical strength advantage, she was pressuring Lucia.

Nier wasn't fl.u.s.tered by Lucia's playful attacks thanks to her battle experience. Lucia's elbow only felt like a tickle to her while her kick to Lucia's right arm, which she held her sword with, left Lucia's arm shaky.

But I feel that Nier's swordplay is faster and more orderly than usual. Nier's swordplay was perfect before, but it was blatantly clear that her sword skills were now superior. Is my love for Nier some power-up buff?!

"I previously had thought of elven swordplay with some degree of awe, but now I think that you're just whatever. How are you going to protect His Majesty from danger with your lame swordplay? How do you have the shame to want to stay by His Majesty's side when you can't even protect him as his wife?" Nier sneered.

Her breathing was still calm, but Lucia's breathing was starting to get messy. Further, Lucia's eyes were filled with anger and anxiety. She wanted to win, but Nier was like an iron s.h.i.+eld. She was very anxious and very angry, but she couldn't do anything about it.

"Shut up, human. You've got excess fat on you! And for your information, protecting His Highness isn't his wife's job. Go use your over-developed body and empty head to be a bodyguard! A woman with excess fat like you isn't suited to being a wife!"

Lucia didn't give in. She went on the attack.

"Hmph. You're all talk. I'll make it so you won't be able to open that mouth of yours again!"

Nier scoffed and then rushed over.

Lucia had lost mentally already. Lucia will be at a huge disadvantage if this continues… Wait, what the h.e.l.l?! What am I concerning myself with who wins for?! I need to figure out how to break up their fight right now!

I turned around and looked the other direction. Elizabeth had finally closed the gap against Vyvyan. Elizabeth's sword strikes were so swift that I could only see after-images. If it weren't for the sun's reflection, I wouldn't be able to see her sword.

"You b.i.t.c.h! You s.l.u.t! Before I could settle the score when you had an illicit affair with my husband, you went and stole my son! I'll overlook signing the agreement with you, but you want to decide my son's happiness too?! What right do you have to arrange my son's marriage?! My son's blood, flesh, bones, and lover should be me! My son only needs to love me! He doesn't need any lover!"

Elizabeth's eyes had turned murderous-red. She thundered as she swung her sword, desperately trying to hack Vyvyan to pieces.

Vyvyan's sword speed didn't lose out to Elizabeth. The sound of their swords clas.h.i.+ng was faster than a machine gun. The entire area was filled with sounds of their swords clas.h.i.+ng.

I didn't dare to utter a word. I could see that both of them wanted to hack the other to death from their expressions. Watching them sent a cold chill up my spine. I think I know just how brutal the war for me back then was, now.

"What right do I have?! What right do I have?! Based on the fact that I breastfed him! He drank elf breast milk! Based on the fact that I held him and watched him grow up! Based on the fact that I've always been by his side to protect him! You're now acting like you're a mother and have set up my son with a political marriage he doesn't want! Where were you when he was sick and suffering?! You've done nothing and yet you have the audacity to call yourself a mother?! He's my son! He's our elves' son! And he's my only child and love!!"

Her blonde hair danced in the winds. Vyvyan's eyes had already turned red.

I presume she's trying to hold herself back from using large-scale spells because I'm right next to her. If she were to use a large-scale spell, I would get caught in it. But she put everything behind her attacks directed at Elizabeth, nonetheless.

She just wished she could reduce Elizabeth to a pile of charcoal residue.

Hey! Hey! Hey!! Don't you think there's something wrong with what you both just said?! What are you two saying?!

I don't think I'm going to be able to break them up.

I looked the other direction. Lucia and Nier were at it again. I could hear their swords continuously clas.h.i.+ng, and them cursing each other non-stop. Their fight had become a brawl. When they separated, they cursed each other and then ran up to slash the other.

I tried shouting for a long time, but they completely ignored me.

Maybe they don't pay attention to their surroundings when they fight.

I watched both duels blankly.

I can tell you, these were no friendly sparring matches, and they certainly weren't going to stop once victory was conveyed. They just happened to not be able to kill each other quite yet. However, a victor will eventually be determined, and right now, Lucia and Vyvyan were on their back feet.

Lucia's sword skills were far inferior to Nier's. She was only just managing to survive, and it looks like she's going to have trouble staying alive under Nier's attacks, that became more and more relentless.

Vyvyan's stamina was no match for Elizabeth's. If she can't put distance between them, she's positively dead.

Lucia took in a deep breath and then stood up. She softly chanted something.

I noticed Nier's body jerk and immediately realised Lucia had used her invisibility skill. Nier shouldn't be able to see Lucia at all now.

Is this counted as cheating?

"So you're going to stoop to these underhanded tricks since you can't win, huh? What a shameless way to fight. Is it just you that has no shame, or are all elves like this?"

Nier vigilantly focused on the sounds of the gra.s.s and wind around her as she spoke. n.o.body could tell where Lucia was going to strike from. And once she was successful, Nier will dead for sure.

Lucia isn't a face-to-face combatant. Lucia is a member of the Shadow Squad. Her speciality is instant a.s.sa.s.sination-style kills.

"Isn't it normal to use magic as an elf? And you're using our sword as well!" Lucia used the wind to scatter her voice so that Nier couldn't pinpoint where her it was coming from.

"This is the sword His Majesty bestowed me with! Of course, I can't leave it!"

"Is that so?! I'll start by lopping off your stiff fingers then!!" Lucia jumped up from behind Nier and stabbed towards her neck swiftly. Nier didn't turn around.

She was still in the midst of s.h.i.+fting her centre of ma.s.s, so she had no time to evade or spin around.

Just as I was about to call out, Nier surprised me with what she did. It was as if Nier had clairvoyance. She raised her sword up at the same time Lucia appeared.

Their swords clashed, making a high-pitched sound.

Lucia wore a look of disbelief.

Nier chuckled coldly and said, "You might not know this, but I can tell where the next attack will come from thanks to my extensive battle-experience. So, sorry, but His Majesty is mine now!"

Nier's counterattack was like a typhoon. When she swung her sword, it swiftly knocked Lucia's sword away, and she accompanied it with a flying kick right at Lucia's lower abdomen at the same time.

Lucia and curled up like a prawn. Nier then elbowed Lucia on her back. Lucia's m.u.f.fled groaned made me scrunch my face up.

Lucia fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Nier raised her sword up high and thrust it down with all her might…

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