*Spot! Clang! Clang!*  

After a fierce clash, Melissa forcefully pushed my sword back, widening the distance between us. She lowered her stance.

*Flash Slash.*

The chill of impending danger ran down my spine, and I immediately activated a backward evasion.

*Whoosh! Boom! Boom! Clang!*

I wanted to take advantage of the delay after her *Flash Slash*, but there was no time to reposition. Melissa’s *Flash Slash* was invisible to the eye. The explosive power unleashed from her firmly planted feet, followed by the forward shot of blue light, was like a bullet—too fast to see and dodge. Her movements had to be predicted before they even happened.

The blue light grew rapidly in my field of vision, and just as the invulnerability from my backward evasion wore off, I met the incoming attack with my sword. If I hadn’t dodged, my body would have been shredded into dozens of pieces.

Honestly, fighting an *Ancient Hero* or a Legion Commander would be preferable to this.@@novelbin@@

*Spot!*

Melissa’s fierce thrust grazed just under my arm. I couldn’t block everything. Even though the system registered a "block" as being able to stop all frontal attacks, half of Melissa’s strikes were unblockable. If my twist to the right had been even slightly delayed, it wouldn’t have been empty air beside my armpit that got pierced, but the heart beating inside my small body.

I parried the sword strike, watching the blue light emanating from Melissa’s sword with every clash, and I grumbled to myself.

Every collision with that blue light was like walking on thin ice. The blocks that had protected me from all attacks up to this point were useless here. Facing an opponent with the same swordsmanship as mine—only on a higher level—was unlike any previous battle. The boost in mana from my holy sword wasn’t enough. I was outclassed, even in raw power.

Attempting to exploit post-attack openings didn’t work. Melissa’s movements flowed seamlessly, like water. Even when I risked everything with a reckless swing of my sword, aiming for a mutual strike, she effortlessly blocked it. 

At least when I fought the *Ancient Hero*, there were openings. He relied on his protective shield and counter-swordsmanship, mixing in large attacks that left him vulnerable. But Melissa… this was an entirely different battle.

How do I even approach this?

You didn't buy this chapter

Buy Now (3 coupons)