Bab 161: The rules of samurai and barbarians (2)
"Ho-ho-ho, ladies and gentlemen, the long-awaited battle is about to begin, where we'll witness the might of the Northern Valkyrie!" Vina once again launched into a praising tirade. "Our beautiful warriors in this battle are... Asura from the ancient Yukitori Clan, rumored to be even older than royal families. She possesses unmatched skills with her unique weapon and, thanks to some improvements, is capable of using ice magic."
"Mmm, Asura, doesn't this squeaky voice irritate you? It's ruining the whole fighting spirit," Hilda was even slightly thrown off balance by the sudden announcement.
"Hey! I can hear you! Who has a squeaky voice?!?"
"Well, now she's completely unrestrained. Probably an awful conversation partner," the white princess continued to make unkind conclusions, causing Vina's cries to reach even higher pitches.
"Eeek! She annoys me so much! In any case, the second participant is the Northern Icicle with a nasty character. It's unclear what kind of magic she wields or how she handles her weapon, but I think the princess's life wasn't too burdensome for her."
A powerful stream of ice shards burst from the center of the arena, heading straight for the commentator's booth.
"Whoa!!" Thankfully, the shield held up, but the commentator was clearly scared for real this time. "What are you doing?! You can only fight against your opponent in the arena!"
"Maybe you should just shut up and do the only thing you're there for? Command!" The princess glared resentfully towards the booth.
"Uh..." Vina was increasingly unimpressed with this new acquaintance, but she didn't want to oppose such a dangerous person. "Fine, Asura, beat her up and do it for me too! Let the battle begin."
"At last," Hilda smiled contentedly and gripped the handle of her axe. Asura slightly bent her knees and took hold of her katana, preparing to defend against the attack. With a few steps, the princess leaped into the air, nearly two meters high, and brought down a powerful strike on her opponent, swinging the weapon from behind and adding momentum to the attack. The only option for the warrior was to jump to the side, and the axe struck the ground with a deep thud. The strike was so powerful that the earth cracked within a three-meter radius from the impact point.
"Darn, it looks like the axe really is made of adamantium. You can't create such devastation with a lightweight axe," I was amazed by the scale of destruction from a single strike.
"Oh, come on!!! There's no way she could handle such a thing with just one hand! It's impossible!!!" Vivien literally yelled at me in astonishment.
"Well, unless she has some secret sources of power," it was evident that the princess had a few more tricks up her sleeve.
"Where does she get such strength?" Asura drew her katana and assumed a defensive stance, holding the blade with both hands in front of her.
"Win, and I'll tell you. If not, you'll become my servant! Attack!" After turning on the spot, the girl grabbed the axe with her other hand and swung it in a circular motion.
"Oh, no way!" Asura dodged, and the axe whizzed over her head. Swiftly straightening up, the girl struck from below, but Hilda leaned the axe into the ground, using it as a support, and pivoted around the handle, kicking her opponent's side with both feet.
"Too easy. Think more creatively," the princess held the axe with one hand closer to the blade and charged towards the enemy, not giving her a moment to rest. The princess delivered a straight blow, and Asura dodged to the side. The blade passed her, leaving a small cut on her dress. Turning the axe, the valkyrie tried to hit her opponent with the hilt but was blocked by the katana. "You're just going to keep defending?"
"Oh, really?" Asura snarled maliciously and raised her sword. The axe's handle passed over the warrior, and Hilda momentarily lost her balance. Taking advantage of the opportune moment, the swordswoman turned and delivered a kick to the princess's side, sending her flying a couple of meters before she landed flat on her back.
"Hahaha," the girl laughed while lying on the ground. Rolling to the side and pushing herself up from the ground, the princess somersaulted and stood up on her feet. "Better now, maybe now you'll attack first?"
The white princess's mood was more playful than combative. She could defeat Asura with a couple of strikes, but she continued to play with her, trying to gauge her true strength. And it seemed to be working much better than all our words. Gradually, Asura forgot her problems and could only focus on the battle.
"Come on, Asura-san, perhaps, fight more seriously. I'm not interested in weaklings," Hilda said.
"Hm? How do you know?" However, it didn't matter," the swordswoman tilted the blade towards the ground and closed the distance to her opponent with a single leap. Asura struck from below, but the princess blocked it with the axe's handle. The blow was powerful enough to cleave a person in half, and Hilda's habit of holding the axe with one hand played a nasty trick on her.
"Oh, no!" The strike pushed the girl back, and as she tried to regain her balance, she took a step back. Asura continued to deliver blows, and with each block, Hilda retreated under the relentless pressure. "Tch, this is becoming inconvenient."
Asura turned on the spot and delivered a powerful horizontal strike that pushed away the princess's axe, causing her to begin falling backward. As she fell, Hilda grabbed the handle with force and struck the ground, burying the blade into it, and then performed a backflip.
"What is this?" The princess tried to immediately pull the axe out of the ground, but it suddenly became heavier. Looking up, she saw Asura confidently perched on the handle.
"Now the advantage is mine." Hiding her sword in its sheath, the swordswoman bent down and leaped forward, preparing to strike.
"Tch, fine," Hilda simply grinned. The princess stomped her foot, and the axe flew up into the air. A pillar of ice burst from the ground beneath the blade, propelling the axe into the air. Naturally, Asura was also propelled upward and landed behind the princess, about three meters away. "You are amazing. I've never had so much fun with anyone before!"
Hilda twirled her massive axe on her finger and effortlessly rested it on her shoulder. The blade began to emit a bluish glow, and cold mist seeped from its tip.
"It's been a long time since someone put me in such a challenging situation, at least in a one-on-one battle. I know that it takes you some time to activate the magic of your blade. So, I gave you a little time to warm up," the princess's contented smile showed no signs of anger, hatred, or animosity towards her opponent. Only boundless delight in battle emanated from this warrior maiden. "Now I think it's time to move on to the final stage."
The girl swung her axe and placed it in front of her. The chilling mist slowly spread from the axe in all directions, enveloping the arena in a white haze. Snowflakes began to form in the air, growing larger and larger. Soon, the entire arena was covered in snow.
"Welcome to my kingdom," Hilda smiled amicably and pointed at Asura's sheath. "It seems your blade is also happy for a change of scenery."
The sheath vibrated, emitting a bluish glow. Asura unsheathed her sword, and it, too, emanated cold.
"How did you do that?"
"Your katana responds to a kindred magic, but it's not the only one to which ice magic is close. Say what you want, but your clan may have lost its abilities, yet the memory of great warrior-mages is still fresh in your blood. You just can't remember it," Hilda swung her axe in front of her, and a wave of ice crashed towards the swordswoman. Asura swung her sword in front of her, and the wave split in half, not reaching its target.
"Haha!" Asura delivered a top-down strike, sending an equally powerful but sharper wave of ice towards her opponent. Hilda used the axe's handle as a shield, bravely meeting the attack head-on and deflecting it without any damage.
"That's more like it," Hilda placed the axe on her shoulder and grasped the handle with both hands, leaping towards her enemy. Asura held her sword horizontally, gathering magic on the blade, and rushed forward as well.
The girls collided in the center of the arena, and waves of icy magic shook the barrier. Hilda was much stronger, but Asura's magic gave her tremendous speed, compensating for the weight difference. Crossing their blades, the girls tried to overpower each other, and every movement of their swords released new waves of ice in all directions. For a moment, they disengaged, pushing each other away, and Asura, taking advantage of the grip, struck from above. Hilda used the axe's handle as a shield to defend herself from the attack. The princess pushed the sword away, and spinning on the spot, she thrust the blade into the ground in front of Asura. In the next moment, a series of ice shards burst from the ground. Asura leaped backward, but the shards continued to erupt from the ground, turning half of the arena into a field of icy spikes.
"Well then," Asura jumped high into the air and gathered a frigid aura on her blade. She turned in the air and released a magical wave beneath her, forming a neat icy path in the midst of the spike garden. The swordswoman landed gracefully on the path and stopped her slide by plunging her sword into the ground.
Asura drew her sword and confidently stood on the slippery path, as if she was gripping the ice with a magical aura emanating from her sword, covering her entire body. The warrior ran her fingers along the back of the blade, and the sword, illuminated by a bright bluish light, began to vibrate quietly, emitting a melodious sound. Asura pushed off from the icy surface and slid forward, holding her weapon at the ready.
"I like this! Don't hold back, strike with all your strength, and I'll deflect all your attacks!" Hilda swung her axe behind her, preparing to deliver a devastating blow with a powerful swing.
"I never intended to hold back," Asura swiftly swung her sword, and a horizontal wave of ice flew forward, cutting through the spikes.
"Too easy!" Hilda swung her axe and forcefully struck the ground. A huge wave of ice erupted from the ground, sweeping away the enemy's attack and the narrow path on which the swordswoman stood.
Asura smoothly lowered her sword in front of her, and the crumbling path formed a small ramp. Managing to jump on it at the last moment, the swordswoman leaped over the white princess and, flipping in mid-air, unleashed another narrow wave of icy energy on the enemy's head.
"Tch," Hilda threw a dissatisfied look at the new attack and protected her back with the axe. The ice wave broke against her weapon, but the force of the attack knocked the girl to the ground, and she knelt. In that moment, Asura landed right behind the princess and struck without looking. Hilda lowered her axe to the ground and blocked the attack with its handle. For a while, the girls remained in this position: Hilda held the axe's handle and couldn't remove it, while Asura continued to exert effort on her sword, using the moment to catch her breath. It was a rare moment when the girls stared into each other's eyes, waiting for someone to show weakness. "Glorious warriors, fluttering like birds and tearing enemies apart with icy claws."
"What?" Asura recognized this description, but how could this girl from another country know it? She had no idea.
"The Snowbird Clan, or as you call yourselves, Yukitori. I've always wanted to cross blades with one of you."
"I'm glad I could fulfill your dream."
"When the battle is over, I would like to get to know you better."
"Well, first, we need to find out who's stronger," a light smile appeared on the swordswoman's face.
"Yes, let's determine that as quickly as possible," Hilda held the axe's handle with one hand and attempted to strike the opponent with the other. Asura jumped back and distanced herself from the girl by ten meters.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone