Chương 144: Felicity vs Seth the Bastard

Seth watched them with a grin.

"So…you intend to fight me together? Not that it's a problem, although it would be a little unfair". Felicity stepped forward.

"No. I'm enough". Ethan looked at her with some concern.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just watch". She gave him no time to say anything else. She shot forward. Her feet kicked up a cloud of sand as she charged toward Seth. Her two swords moved almost simultaneously and, with a rapid succession of slashes, Felicity generated dozens of air slashes. Seth's eyes widened.

"You can do something like that? Incredible!" His enormous sword moved with surprising speed. One after another, the air slashes were deflected or broken apart by his blade. Felicity was on him moments later. Their swords clashed with a deafening metallic clang. Felicity wielded one blade in each hand, while Seth gripped his enormous sword with both hands. The moment their weapons met, Felicity immediately sensed the difference in strength. Her arm trembled.

"He's much stronger than me". She did not try to compete with him directly. She twisted her body, let one of her blades slide along Seth's, and aimed for his side. Seth was forced to lower his sword to protect himself. Felicity took advantage of the opening to create some distance. Seth, however, did not give her even a moment to breathe. He was on her again. His enormous blade came crashing down from above. Felicity moved her head just enough.

The slash passed within a few centimeters of her face before crashing into the sand and sending a cloud of dust into the air. A second strike immediately came from below. Felicity stepped backward with a fluid movement, letting it pass, then twisted sideways to avoid the next one. Seth continued advancing. Every slash had enough force to break bones, but it was his speed that surprised Felicity the most. Whenever she could not avoid a blow, she was forced to intercept it with her own blades.

Every impact sent vibrations through her arms and all the way to her shoulders.

"Despite his size, he's this fast…how is that possible?" Seth brought his sword down toward her neck again. Felicity ducked just in time. The blade grazed her hair. In the same movement, she advanced, suddenly closing the distance. One of her swords thrust straight toward his abdomen. Seth reacted with astonishing speed. He twisted his torso and intercepted the blade just before it pierced his flesh. The clang of the impact echoed through the ruins.

"You're not bad for a woman", Seth said with a contemptuous smile.

"And you're not bad for a disgusting criminal". They separated again. For a few seconds, they remained still, studying each other. The sun beat mercilessly down on their heads. The heat made the air heavy, and sweat trickled down their faces. Neither of them, however, seemed willing to stop. They lunged at each other again. The blades clashed once more. Seth advanced brutally, attempting to overwhelm her with his strength.

Felicity, on the other hand, exploited every opening, changed angles, and kept moving constantly. He was stronger. She was more technical. And yet, they possessed similar speed. For several moments, the battle became almost impossible to follow. Seth attempted to crush her with the sheer power of his strikes, while Felicity responded with short, precise movements, avoiding direct clashes whenever she could. Their blades danced among the ruins. Sand and dust rose with every step. Ethan watched from a distance.

The cloud of sand made it difficult to clearly distinguish their movements, but he could still catch glimpses of the fight. He was genuinely amazed.

"Felicity is incredible…" Then he narrowed his eyes.

"But that guy is no slouch either". Felicity looked for another opening. She stepped forward and attempted a thrust. Instead of retreating, Seth suddenly lowered one hand. He grabbed a handful of sand. Then he threw it directly into Felicity's face. Her eyes widened. The sand entered her eyes, immediately obscuring her vision. Seth did not hesitate. His sword moved toward her chest. Felicity reacted instinctively. She crossed both blades in front of herself. The impact was violent.

Seth's sword stopped against hers. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Ethan's eyes widened.

"How did she predict the attack?" Felicity could barely see anything. And yet, she could still sense him. Not through her eyes. Through the movement of the air, the sound of his footsteps, and the pressure that preceded every attack.

"Can she sense them before they come?" Seth continued pressing his attack. One slash. Then another. Felicity was forced to retreat. The sand burned her eyes, but she continued moving almost instinctively. A sudden kick struck her in the stomach. Her body was thrown backward. Seth raised his sword. For an instant, it seemed as though his entire body had become rigid. He planted both feet firmly in the sand. He gripped the hilt with both hands. And he charged the strike with all the strength he had.

Felicity sensed the danger. She raised her swords and prepared to withstand the blow. Seth's blade came crashing down on her. The impact shook Felicity's entire body. Her feet sank into the sand.

"Damn it…" Seth pushed harder. The muscles in his arms and shoulders tensed as he increased the pressure. Felicity tried to resist, but the difference in power was too great. One knee buckled. Then the other. She dropped to her knees. Seth grinned.

"I've got you". He continued pushing. But just when he seemed about to overwhelm her, Felicity suddenly lowered her body. She slipped beneath his enormous sword and passed between his legs. Her blades moved simultaneously. Two deep cuts opened across Seth's legs.

"You damn bitch!" Seth lost his balance for an instant. He turned around furiously. Felicity was already behind him. Her slash opened a deep gash across his right side. Blood began to flow. The wounds to his legs and side caused Seth to stagger. His grip on the enormous sword weakened. Felicity did not give him time to recover. She raised one of her blades. Another air slash crossed the distance between them. Seth tried to intercept it. But this time, Felicity slightly altered its trajectory.

The slash struck his hands directly. Three fingers on his right hand were severed. Seth let out a grunt of pain. His grip gave way. His enormous sword fell into the sand with a heavy thud. Felicity was on him before he could even realize he had lost his weapon. She pointed one of her swords directly at his throat.

"It's over, Seth the Bastard". Seth was breathing heavily. Blood poured from his wounds, staining his clothes and the sand beneath him. And yet, he was still smiling.

"Truly impressive". Felicity turned toward Ethan.

"Do you have any rope?" Ethan approached.

"Yes, I have some. You surprised me. I thought you were going to kill him".

"I wanted to". Felicity lowered her sword slightly.

"But he probably has a hidden treasure somewhere. In exchange for his treasure, we'll let him live". Ethan stared at her in disbelief.

"No, wait. That wasn't the plan. We were supposed to turn him over to the authorities".

"For one hundred and fifty crowns?" Felicity gestured toward Seth with a nod.

"This guy was willing to give us two hundred and fifty without even batting an eye. That means he must have a lot of money somewhere. It's better for both of us".

"I don't think that's quite how it works…" Felicity ignored the comment. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the sand. That was when Seth saw his opportunity. His expression changed. In a sudden, unnatural movement, he lunged forward. Felicity noticed him only at the last moment. She tried to react, but Seth got inside her guard and drove a devastating knee into her stomach.

"Ugh!" The air was knocked out of her lungs. Before she could recover, one of Seth's hands grabbed her by the neck. His fingers tightened.

"One more step and I'll snap it", he growled. Ethan stopped dead. Felicity tried to breathe.

"Don't listen to him…" Her voice was barely audible.

"Kill him". Seth increased the pressure. He was not completely strangling her, but his fingers pressed hard against her neck. Felicity could feel the bones beneath his grip, and breathing had become extremely difficult.

"Shut up". Seth slowly dragged Felicity along with him.

"Now we're going to do this. I'll approach the horse. Then I'll push her toward you, and you'll let me go. Clear?" Ethan stared at him. Then he nodded.

"Okay…" They began slowly making their way toward the black horse. Seth moved backward, keeping Felicity firmly by the neck. Despite the situation, Ethan remained surprisingly calm. In fact, a strange, friendly smile appeared on his face.

"You did pretty well". Seth looked at him suspiciously.

"You're certainly not the first ones to try to capture me".

"I figured", Ethan replied calmly. He continued walking.

"Well, we tried".

"Next time, pick a smaller fish. I'm still on another level".

"I think we will". Ethan's tone was so friendly that Seth was momentarily perplexed. They finally reached the horse. Ethan's eyes widened.

"What a beautiful horse…" Seth frowned.

"What?"

"I had one just like it. What's its name?" Seth hesitated.

"It doesn't have a name. But it runs like a dream".

"Can I pet it?" The criminal stared at him for a few seconds. He did not seem to understand what Ethan was getting at. Eventually, he shrugged.

"Go ahead". Ethan approached the horse. He examined it carefully. Then he tilted his head.

"What's this? Looks like the beginning of some kind of disease". He pointed toward the animal's tail. Seth's eyes widened.

"The beginning of a disease? Impossible. That horse is a force of nature". Ethan pointed again at the area near the horse's tail. At the same time, he shot a quick glance at Felicity. Their eyes met. Felicity understood. Ethan looked back at Seth.

"See? Look here". Seth leaned forward to get a better look. He was still holding Felicity by the neck, but he was now closer to the horse, with her standing beside him.

"Ignorant fool", Seth said.

"It's just a different pigmentation". The moment he said those words, Felicity sank her teeth into his arm with all the strength she had.

"Agh!" The criminal instinctively released his grip. At the same instant, Ethan slapped the horse hard on its side. The animal reacted immediately. Its hind legs shot upward. Seth barely had time to turn around. A hoof struck him squarely in the face. The criminal was sent flying backward and landed heavily in the sand. Felicity brought both hands to her neck and began coughing. Ethan looked at her, still incredulous.

"It worked…" He looked at his hand.

"I thought it was a stupid idea". Felicity finally managed to breathe.

"It was…" She coughed again.

"But somehow, it worked". Then they both turned toward Seth. He was motionless. Felicity cautiously approached and checked his pulse. After a few seconds, she withdrew her hand.

"He's dead". Ethan sighed.

"All that's left is to turn him over to the authorities". He helped her load Seth's body onto the back of the horse. Felicity rubbed her neck again. Then she looked at Ethan.

"Thank you". Ethan smiled.

"You're welcome". Felicity mounted the horse. Ethan moved to follow her.

"Can I get on too-""No". Felicity immediately interrupted him.

"Three people are too much weight for this poor animal. I'll go at a walking pace. Just follow me". Ethan looked dejected.

"You're making me walk in this heat…you're cruel".