Ch.103Chapter 103: Overwhelming.

Though she was smiling, Grace was truly shocked.

In that brief moment, she had unleashed a magical attack so fast that even she, a Master-level fighter, couldn’t detect it. The power was so formidable that she had to use her secret technique for defense, something she had been keeping hidden.

“Haha, this is absurd. Is this truly the skill of a 5th Circle magician? It seems you’ve succeeded in combining multiple spells. Was magic always so easily combined?”

As expected of a Master, Grace’s observational skills were extraordinary.

She sensed that Valt had used at least three different types of magical energy in his attack.

Moreover, she felt something that seemed like aura as well.

‘Impossible. The combination of aura and magical energy is something only the Dragon-kin or Dragons themselves can accomplish.’

With this thought, Grace repositioned herself and aimed her spear at Valt.

Valt had blocked Grace’s spear, and in the blink of an eye, repaired his slightly cracked gauntlet, standing firm once again.

“Well, it just happened that way.”

“This is preposterous. A barbarian with magical talent that even the Great Sages would envy? This is something that would astonish both elves and dragons.”

Latty, who was listening nearby, nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, Valt’s magical talent is beyond comprehension. Even I find it unbelievable.”

Valt’s magical talent was acknowledged even by the elven race, who were closest to magic.

Of course, since it was based on the system, it wasn’t purely Valt’s talent, but if one were to consider whether he possessed it or not, it was indeed his talent.

“You talk a lot. No more attacks?”

“I was just about to! Haap!”

In that instant, Grace launched a rapid thrust.

Her spear seemed to split into dozens, as countless spear strikes rushed toward Valt.

“Hmm, excellent! As expected! Spiral Wheel Iron Barrier.”

Realizing it was impossible to block Grace’s spear strikes by sight alone, Valt deployed the strongest defensive magic he could currently use.

A rotating metal barrier.

Kakakakakakang—

The dozens of spear strikes were completely blocked by Valt’s magic.

Unlike the earlier deadly strike that concentrated all power into a single point, Grace’s attack was easily neutralized.

“Hahaha! Even though it’s a weak attack, it’s still a Master’s attack, and yet it’s so easily blocked!”

Despite being a Master’s attack that would cause fatal injuries to an ordinary person with just one hit, Valt withstood Grace’s attacks without any trouble.

This continued dozens of times.

Valt defended while Grace attacked.

Occasionally, Valt would launch magical attacks, but such opportunities were rare, and he wanted to properly gauge the power of a Master.

‘Hmm, this is manageable. I can handle this without using the Blood Demon Armor.’

The Blood Demon Armor, which covers the entire body, consumes too much magical energy and has a time limit. Although that time limit had been extended somewhat, the limitation still prevented him from using it constantly.

That’s why Valt was testing whether he could face a Master with just his gauntlets, which had almost no usage restrictions.

The result was very satisfying.

If this had been before he learned about aura from Riman, it would have been impossible to handle Grace so easily.

The unique energy formed by combining aura and magical power made Valt’s defense even more solid.

Observing this, Solpin noticed the most peculiar aspect.

“This doesn’t make sense… Valt, did you learn some strange technique again?”

Aileen, listening nearby, had similar thoughts.

“You felt it too? That’s not just magical energy, is it? Even if it’s a combination of multiple spells, how is that possible?”

The Aura Blade used by Masters is the epitome of power, capable of tearing through anything.

Even Kwan had determined that continental conquest would be impossible without being able to block an Aura Blade.

A Master’s aura can only be blocked by an Aura Blade of the same level or by multiple shields from a magician of comparable strength.

Even layered shields from an 8th Circle magician would be torn apart after a few hits from an Aura Blade—that was common knowledge.

Yet Valt was easily blocking Grace’s Aura Blade with magically created gauntlets, creating a strange phenomenon.

“That looks very similar to Dragon Combat Technique…”

The Dragon Combat Technique, where the Dragon-kin mix aura and magical energy with the Dragon Heart.

It’s a technique unique to the Dragon-kin that easily tears through aura or magical energy of the same level.

Solpin had already been defeated by Valt once, but at that time, she had held back slightly, thinking there was no way she could lose, which led to her defeat.

Besides, she couldn’t unleash her Dragon Combat Technique at full power and risk killing Valt when she needed him as a potential husband.

Of course, the proud Solpin didn’t mention this to others. A loss was a loss, after all.

But now, with her improved skills, Solpin’s Dragon Combat Technique could match even a Master-level opponent.

That’s why Solpin had provoked Grace earlier.

Against an entry-level Master, Solpin would definitely have a chance.

Hearing Solpin’s muttering, Aileen asked in surprise.

“What? Dragon Combat Technique? Valt’s power is similar to the Dragon Combat Technique?”

“Yes, you might not notice it, but since I can use both aura and magical energy, I can sense it. But it’s a bit ambiguous. I’m not entirely sure.”

Unlike the Dragon-kin who circulate Dragon Combat Technique throughout their bodies, Valt used aura partially and combined it with magical energy, making it difficult even for Solpin, a Dragon-kin, to identify clearly.

“Anyway, if the Aura Blade doesn’t work, it’s over.”

“Ha… unbelievable. The Aura Blade doesn’t work on Valt?”

“Well, it’s not that it doesn’t work at all. She’s only recently become a Master, so her ability to maintain the Aura Blade is poor. Except for that initial strike, it falls short of a true Aura Blade.”

The Aura Blade, being a compressed form of enormous amounts of aura, naturally weakens with prolonged use.

Grace, as an entry-level Master, didn’t yet have the capacity to maintain an Aura Blade for extended periods.

“Huff, huff, huff. Im-impossible. To block all my Aura Blade attacks like this!?”

Looking down at Grace, who was sweating profusely and appeared exhausted, Valt seemed outwardly fine, but he too had numerous small and large wounds all over his skin.

It was just that Valt appeared so composed that he didn’t seem affected.

‘Just clashing with the Aura Blade consumes an enormous amount of magical energy. If she were a proper entry-level Master, I wouldn’t be able to withstand it.’

After a long period of defense, Valt accurately assessed his own level.

He could block the Aura Blade, but the toll on his stamina was tremendous.

‘When facing a strong opponent, I should avoid prolonged battles. I need to settle things quickly, by any means necessary.’

After a moment’s thought, Valt decided this approach was best.

“Huk! Here I come again! I know you’re tired too! Victory will be mine!”

Even his fighting spirit, persisting until the end, resembled Gerung-Tu.

Smirking, Valt prepared to receive Grace’s attack.

Pit—

Whether she still had energy left or was squeezing out her remaining strength, Grace moved swiftly again, launching a lightning-fast thrust at Valt.

Chwak!

This time, instead of blocking the spear strike head-on, Valt dodged to the side by turning his body.

If it had been earlier in the duel, Grace would have naturally adjusted, but since Valt had been meeting all attacks head-on until now, she hadn’t expected him to dodge.

For a brief moment, confusion clouded Grace’s mind, quickly turning to joy.

‘Yes! He dodged because he couldn’t block my attack anymore! If I just press on…’

With that thought, Valt’s thick palm struck her waist.

Tup—

“Huh?”

Valt grasped Grace’s slender waist with one hand.

Because it was a grab rather than an attack, women in particular tended to be caught off guard by Valt’s touch.

Her female instinct registered a man’s hand on her body first, bringing a rush of embarrassment.

“What are you, what is this!?”

“No time for distractions. You’re about to fly.”

Grace, her face slightly flushed, looked puzzled at Valt’s words.

“What?”

“This is particularly effective against aura users. Haap!”

While a magician might have dozens of ways to escape in mid-air, for an aura user, changing direction in the air is not easy.

Change direction by releasing ki?

That might be possible, but not with any ordinary technique.

Whoosh!!

“Kyaa, kyaaaaaaah!!”

Grace was sent flying high into the sky.

The reactions of the onlookers watching this scene were quite varied.

Grace’s attendants called out to her with expressions of shock.

“P-Princess!!”

Among Valt’s companions, some found it amusing while others shook their heads.

Aileen also shook her head at the sight.

“Ah… I’ve seen this so many times, but what are you supposed to do when it happens to you?”

Solpin, arms crossed, laughed heartily before answering Aileen.

“What can you do? Use magic, like Blink or Shield, or create a foothold with earth magic.”

“Hey, I can’t use magic, you know?”

In response to Aileen’s complaint, Solpin merely shrugged.

“Kyahaha, then you just end up like that.”

Kwang!!

“Urrrgh!!”

Having collided with the barrier at the top and taken significant damage, Grace now began falling back to the ground.

But below, Valt was preparing a massive spell.

An enormous magical hammer.

Valt held the magical hammer, grinning.

“This will hurt badly if it hits you. Wouldn’t it be better to surrender?”

The time it took to fall was just a few seconds.

It took Grace only one second to assess the power of Valt’s magic.

‘Getting hurt? If I take a direct hit in my current state, I’ll die! If I just had two more seconds!’

Grace was thinking of countering Valt’s magic with her own attack to escape from mid-air, but it was difficult to calmly gather aura for a powerful technique while falling rapidly.

Finally, Valt’s hammer swung toward Grace.

“You won’t die. We’ll treat you well.”