Chương 82: Chapter 81 - Alpha (XLIII)

And there she was, looking straight at him with a poker face: Chiara. Alonso tried his best to maintain his composure, but it was hard. He had to seriously stop himself from casually blurting out, How's it been? In any case, he noticed the squad leader talking with Chiara in Mandarin, of which he only understood ni hao and xie xie. Chiara responded in a calm, measured tone. After a moment, she nodded and spoke to him.

"Siddharth is in the tunnel at the moment, so your verdict can wait until he returns." Alonso frowned, then asked, "Siddharth is the other leader, I suppose? There are two or more factions?" Chiara remained serious for a moment, then addressed the group that had led him there. After exchanging a few words he didn't understand, they moved away, returning to whatever they were doing before.

After a couple of awkward minutes passed in silence, he was left alone with only Chiara and the other woman who had led the squad here." How's it been?" He heard a voice in his head... and it wasn't Houston. What the...?" Up for a dance?" And that's when he noticed—Chiara had unsheathed a blade and was already making a move for his throat. What the hell? And… why hadn't his senses picked it up? Wait... where is Chiara?" She... she's fully cloaked. For all intents and purposes, she's invisible to your EM senses...

completely. And... don't even try Fake Reality; she'd be able to see right through it." With barely enough time, Alonso stepped back as fast as he could, but the blade seemed to have predicted his movement, still aiming for his neck with deadly precision.

"Dammit." His body twisted just enough to convert a lethal thrust into a shallow cut across his neck. He immediately moved forward, aiming to counter the opening in Chiara's defense. He didn't have time to draw his sword, so he went for his dagger instead. But then he saw that Chiara's thrust smoothly transitioned into a slash, as if she had predicted his movement. Is she using Simulation?! Alonso cursed, realizing he could no longer continue the attack.

He was forced to roll sideways, raising his buckler just in time to intercept the slash. But the impact was lighter than expected, the strike shallow—Chiara had conserved her energy instead of crashing fully into his defense." Quite an interesting way to meet again, don't you think?" The voice in his head again. Clearly, Chiara had taken EM communication to a whole other level. She was forcing his brain to perceive the electromagnetic waves as sound…

It was similar to the sound filter he had developed in the last trial of the white rooms, but doing it so casually and quickly was just… ridiculous. Both paused for a brief moment, their eyes locked as they circled one another, each keenly aware of the other's range." What do you think of the Oasis? A peaceful haven at the end of a long desert. If I had to describe it in your words, it would be: Beautiful, right?" the voice in his head echoed again.

Chiara moved first, stepping into range with a slight lean to her left. Her sword flicked out in a quick, low thrust aimed at Alonso's hip. He shifted his weight back, angling his buckler down to parry the blade away. The tip of her sword scraped against the buckler's edge, but before he could follow up, Chiara had already disengaged. Her sword came around in a tight arc toward his head. Alonso raised his sword to meet hers, the clash of steel ringing out as their blades locked in the air.

But Chiara wasn't looking for a contest of strength—she immediately rotated her wrist, sliding her blade along his and breaking the bind with a fluid twist. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Alonso tried to close the distance, leading with his dagger to her side. She responded by stepping back just outside his reach, maintaining control over the maai*, keeping him at bay. With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent a shallow cut toward his left forearm.

Alonso countered by sweeping his dagger upward in a parry, deflecting the cut, and responded with a thrust aimed at her chest. Chiara pivoted smoothly on her back foot, her body gliding out of the thrust's path as she brought her sword down in a diagonal cut aimed at his shoulder. Alonso, predicting the move, shifted his body back, his buckler raised just in time to absorb the hit. The force rattled his arm, but she had once again held back, conserving her energy and forcing him to reset his stance."

So you took down three of Siddharth's men. Impressive. Surely you have more than this. Don't disappoint me, Alonso," came her voice again. They circled each other, both measuring the distance, waiting for the slightest opening. Alonso knew he had to break the tempo. She was controlling the pace of the fight, and if he didn't do something soon, she'd wear him down." You know, she's just playing with you.

She has full control over the EM space, leaving you with scraps and relying entirely on your reflexes and swordsmanship. Not only that, but she's only using her sword—no shield, no dagger, nothing else." Alonso ignored Houston and feinted a forward step, his sword arm twitching as if preparing to thrust. Chiara reacted instantly, angling her sword to parry, but Alonso never followed through. Instead, he stepped to the side, closing the distance with a quick, low slash from his dagger toward her ribs.

Chiara's eyes flickered with recognition as she quickly lowered her sword to meet the dagger. Their blades connected in a brief bind, but Alonso pressed forward, using his height and strength to try and overpower her guard. Chiara adjusted her stance immediately, twisting her sword in a counter-parry, disengaging from the bind just before his weight could collapse her defense. Her sword flashed in a quick upward cut aimed at his face.

Alonso ducked, his buckler coming up to shield his head, but she followed through with a kick to his knee, forcing him to step back. The kick hit its mark, and Alonso staggered slightly. His knee throbbed from the impact, but he forced himself to stay in the fight. He retaliated with a quick thrust toward her thigh, hoping to catch her off balance. Chiara saw the strike coming and sidestepped, her sword already swinging in a horizontal slash aimed at his exposed ribs.

Alonso twisted his body to dodge Chiara's attack and, in response, aimed a strike with the pommel of his sword at her wrist, hoping to disrupt her grip. The strike landed, but instead of being disarmed or stunned, Chiara remained in control. She rotated her wrist swiftly, using the hilt of her own sword to catch or block his pommel, preventing his follow-up attack. She pushed off, disengaging their weapons once again, and before he could reset his stance, she was already moving back in.

Her sword lashed out in a series of quick strikes, alternating between low and high, forcing Alonso to parry desperately with both his sword and buckler. Each clash of steel felt faster than the last, her precision making it impossible to predict the next move." That was not bad. Seems you've been training quite a bit with the sword, but… where is your control of the EM space? You surrendered too fast, and that, Alonso, is the main battlefield."

Alonso gritted his teeth, trying to focus, but suddenly his vision began to blur. His perception of sound warped and dulled as if the world around him had slipped into a void. What's happening? He could no longer hear the vibration of the ground or the sound of his own breathing—just... nothing. He was practically senseless. His mind scrambled to process the situation, but before he could act, his senses snapped back into focus with jarring clarity. Chiara stood before him, her blade already at his throat.

Alonso froze, barely breathing, feeling the cold edge of the blade against his skin. The moment stretched in silence, broken only by the slight hum of the wind as Chiara stared at him, calm and composed." You have a good foundation, and I can sense there is more to you than meets the eye. But whatever tricks you have are ineffective against someone with better control and stage progress. Focus completely on mastering your control. Without EM waves, we're just slightly stronger humans. But with them…

we are so much more." Chiara lowered her blade, leaving just a shallow cut on his neck as a reminder." Ayu will teach you the ropes around here. There are certain rules and ways things are done, but remember—everything can be overruled if you are powerful enough. Your situation is tricky, as technically, killing someone in the Oasis means you are sentenced to death, and your orb is to be given to the affected faction as compensation.

Fortunately for you, Siddharth went to the tunnel at dawn, so he won't be back for at least two days. Until then, you're considered a prisoner of my faction, as Ayu has declared responsibility over you. So you'll be safe… for now. In the meantime, practice, increase your stage progress, and then offer a trial by combat. You'll have to face Siddharth one-on-one. Odds are you will die, but… I wish you the best, Alonso. I hope this little spar gave you some insights into what you are lacking."

Chiara paused for a moment longer, a flicker of a smile barely visible on her face." I really enjoyed our chat last time and would like to repeat it. I hope you manage to overcome this trial." Chiara nodded to the Asian woman—apparently named Ayu—and then headed back to her tent.