Kapitel 229: Book 6: Chapter 52 – Linley Vs. Ace (1)
Ace wasn't in the habit of introducing his weapon before a fight, but since his opponent had already done so, he felt it would be rude of him not to.
With a gentle flick of his wrist, a navy-coloured glaive with a crimson hue appeared in Ace's hand.
As the crowd looked at it, they could only sigh in amazement as they could see that in terms of quality, this glaive was no inferior to Linley's "Twin Union".
Unlike Linley's, Ace's glaive was made up of only two ores. The first was Blue Nightmare Ore – A material that could be found everywhere in the Infernal Realm, which was equal to adamantine in terms of toughness, but in terms of elasticity, it was a level superior, making it perfect for polearms.
As for the other material, it was crimson volcanite. An ore that was known for its incredible sharpness as well as its ability to transform all forms of energy into heat. For an expert who focused solely on the laws of fire, it was the perfect supplementary Ore.
Just looking at the blade atop the glaive, everyone could see how profoundly sharp it was. It was almost as though it wanted to pierce the eyes of any who dared stare at it.
"This glaive is called God-Slayer," Ace said calmly. "This will be the weapon I use to claim O'Brien's life."
Though his tone was calm, to those listening, it sounded no less sharp than the polearm in his hand.
Even if he didn't say anything, everyone present would've understood the meaning behind his naming his weapon "God-Slayer", but for him to come out and say it so publicly…
The word that should've come to mind was "Arrogance", but the legend of Gol D. Ace didn't allow others to think like that.
Still, Ace didn't care about what others were thinking; he simply stood across from his opponent, waiting for him to make his move.
Seeing the expression on Ace's face, Linley understood that the time for talking was over. Taking a deep breath, all his pent-up excitement seemed to vanish as he became extremely focused.
"[Earthguard]," Linley uttered calmly, insta-casting the eighth-rank version of a fifth-rank spell to summon a thin but extremely sturdy layer of crystal jade to cover his already, almost impenetrable, azure scales.
'Seems like he really hasn't wasted his time these last few years,' Ace nodded to himself.
Seeing that, even the crowd had to admit Linley really was an extraordinary mage. Still, that was only the beginning. If they were impressed before, they were downright shocked when they heard what he said next.
"[Wind shadow]," Linley said, allowing the wind to carry his voice into the ears of all those present.
"Impressive," Dylin uttered.
"Mmh," Arianna nodded. "He's not bad at all."
The [Windshadow] Spell wasn't an ordinairy spell of the ninth rank; it was one that combined the best parts of the spells [Supersonic] and [Airwings], making it the most powerful Speed-Enhancing Spell known to date, as well as arguably the most difficult mortal spell of any element.
The fact that Linley was able to insta-cast it as a mage of the eighth rank spoke volumes of his talent.
When transformed, Linley had the body of a mid-staged saint; when layering that with the [Windshadow] Spell, Linley's speed was able to match that of a peak saint.
Even so, Ace merely smiled calmly as his body and weapon turned jet-black in colour, and he willed his compressed flames to cover his body. As he did, "God-Slayer" began to hum as though it was excited. Its already sharp blade becoming even sharper.
"You ready?" Ace asked, his excitement seemingly mirroring his weapons.
Beirut's eyes flickered slightly, a trace of astonishment flashing across his beady black eyes. Still, he didn't say anything.
Linley didn't respond; instead, his azure wings merely flapped once as he finally moved. That flap was so gentle it should have done nothing but allow him to stay in mid-air, but the speed he took off at was mind-blowing.
Still, as incredible as it was, the shock on Dylin's face came from watching Ace.
Ace had merely taken a step as though he was prepared to stroll through his back garden, but he left nothing but a flickering afterimage in his original position as he seemed to teleport in front of Linley.
"Has he already begun fusing mysteries?" Dylin asked incredulously.
"His fusion of the mysteries of Explosion and Essence has reached the requirement of a deity," Beirut sighed in amazement. "As long as he doesn't die early, that boy's future is limitless."
As he didn't hide his voice, all the other spectators had heard him. Unfortunately, other than those of the Pavilion, there wasn't anyone who understood what he was saying. Still, even though they didn't quite understand, they could still admire the profundities of Ace's movement.
Like when he usually used Soru, Ace had kicked off multiple times in an instant, but even though he had only kicked off three times, each kick had created a small explosion beneath his feet, allowing him to move with explosive speed that gave him speed no worse than Linley's.
Still, Arianna's surprise didn't come from that but from the accuracy of Beirut's vision.
Although it was easy to see when someone had begun to fuse mysteries, it was harder to see which mysteries were fused, and harder still to see the degree of the fusion, even more so when you didn't train in the same laws as that individual.
According to her Family's records, Beirut trained in the laws of wind and darkness, yet he was able to make such a precise estimation after seeing Ace move only once.
'He really is an old monster with unfathomable strength,' Arianna sighed.
Looking back at the fight, Arianna saw her husband's disciple charging forward with an excited and passion-filled grin, his glaive cutting through the air, leaving a fiery trail.
In response, Linley gracefully rose higher, his magnificent wings unfurling like a majestic canvas as he soared into the sky, dodging Ace's assault with the ease of a true aerial master.
Ace's fighting style was wild, explosive, and filled with passion. His attacks were fuelled by sheer determination and passionate ferocity.
Each swing of his glaive left those who watched mesmerised by its undeniable charm. Every strike was an artful dance of power and grace. The tapered edge of his blade left behind a trail of crimson light that seemed able to captivate even his opponent.
Linley's fighting style, on the other hand, was gentle, graceful, and elegant. Like a body of water, he seemed to disperse the impact of Ace's strikes, flowing around them with an almost hypnotic fluidity.
He moved with such elegance and finesse that it was as if he were dancing on air, his movements mirroring the ebb and flow of the tides.
Other than Aiden, everyone – including Beirut, Arianna, and Dylin – watching was left in a state of awe as they watched the two youngsters. It looked less like they were fighting and more like they were dancing.
Still, shockwaves travelled through the battlefield each time they clashed, rocks shattering and dust billowing into the air.
Ace's glaive met Linley's sword, only for half of its power to disappear instantly, allowing the young Baruch Patriarch to deflect what was left of the strike so it missed him entirely.
At the same time, his other sword arced beautifully through the air with a gentle but deadly grace, aiming to slice through Ace's neck.
Those who were still able to follow the two young men watched with bated breaths as Linley's sword neared Ace's neck.
Still, with his [Observation], Ace had long since seen through Linley's intentions. He calmly kicked off against the air three times, a giant explosion going off beneath his feet as he appeared by his opponent's back.
Ace's eyes blazed with intensity and excitement as he unleashed a torrent of strikes, each one faster and more ferocious than the last.
Linley's wings rippled as he gracefully attempted to dodge and parry Ace's attacks, his azure scales shimmering under the light of the sun as he moved. Still, this time, it wasn't enough.
Ace's glaive had finally found a way through Linley's seemingly impenetrable swordsmanship, easily tearing through the crystal-jade armour, only to meet Linley's shoulder, the clash of metal and scales creating a symphony of sparks.
The battle raged on, a mesmerising display of contrasting styles and power. Ace's wild and fiery onslaught clashed with Linley's flowing and graceful defence, causing the very earth to tremble beneath their feet and the clouds to part in the skies above, making it look as though the world was mirroring the intensity of their duel.
Though slight at first, the longer the duel went on, the more glaring the gap became.
Whereas at first, Linley was able to easily and beautifully transition between defence and offence to hold his own. After over an hour, beads of sweat were starting to fall down the side of Linley's azure-scaled face.
As the fight went on, his movements began to slow, allowing Ace's attacks to land more and more frequently.
Thankfully, Linley's defences were unmatched at the same level. Unfortunately, Ace's glaivesmanship actually seemed to be improving as the battle went on. The might of his strikes slowly increased, allowing him to slowly start to pierce those seemingly impenetrable scales with more and more ease.
With a bang, Ace had once again found his way through Linley's defences, the tip of his glaive piercing the base of his opponent's sternum before sending him crashing into the ground below.
"LINLEY!" The Baruch Patriarch's friends and family screamed in worry.
Looking down, waiting for the dust to clear as he stood in the air, Ace began to steady his breathing.
Though he was definitely dominating, if he said fighting so intensely for so long wasn't tiring, he would be lying. Still, the excitement in his eyes burned just as brightly as it had at the beginning.
"Those scales of yours are really freakishly strong!" Ace sighed as he sensed Linley floating out of the crater he created.
"You're one to talk about freaks," Linley sighed, accepting his inferiority as he slowly floated out of the dust, allowing everyone to see the deep stab wound on his chest.
Still, considering his impressive vitality, everyone knew a wound like that was nothing.
It was only when they could see Linley was okay that all his family were able to sigh with relief.
Linley, though, was focusing on something else. He knew that had it not been for his abnormal defence, Linley knew he would've lost a long time ago. Still, even though he was definitely the weaker of the two, the fact that he had come this far was a testament to how far he had come.
Thinking back to the way in which he had been devastated during their first fight, the grin on his face only widened.
"Your swordsmanship is impressive," Ace admitted. "It's a perfect blend of offence and defence."
"The [Rippling Tide Stance] of my [Serenity Sword Art] Is still very much in its embryonic stages," Linley sighed.
"As is my [Blazing Glaive Art]," Ace nodded. "Still, we've got nothing if not time to hone and perfect our styles."
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