Chapter 2014: Priest VS Samurai
“Boo hoo! I’m sorry, Mama lost,” Margaret cried to Weis, who came to greet her as she walked off the stage. She had come to save her daughter, but ended up failing in a crucial battle, bringing her daughter’s advantage back to a stalemate. This made her feel ashamed.
“It’s okay, Mama. Anyway, that guy won’t let Gaspar bully us too much. I told you not to fight anymore, you should have just surrendered,” Weis’s comfort was practically no comfort at all.
We accepted the wager with two preconditions. First, we didn’t want to cause trouble and be ostracized by the large merchant guilds. Second, Jayad was confident he could renege on the debt. Even if he lost, he could wait for a dark and moonless night to control Gaspar and return our freedom.
Therefore, Weis wasn’t afraid of losing and didn’t want her mother to get hurt. Even though werewolves were Undead, they could still feel pain. Anyway, she didn’t expect her mother to win from the start.
“It’s okay, leave the rest to me.” Lorna, wearing white leather armor, walked over. She held a Page Hammer in her hand, her face calm, giving a sense of reassurance.
“I’m sorry, I’m leaving it to you,” Margaret said, blushing. She hobbled off with her daughter’s support to get treated. Although werewolf wounds could heal themselves, who knew if any fragments would remain in the body?
Lorna slowly walked onto the dueling grounds. The Crystal Person had already stepped down, and the Eastern Ying girl opposite had also come up. She also had no air of hostility or aggression. If it weren’t for the sword at her waist, she wouldn’t look like she was here to fight.
Two beautiful women, both with gentle and calm temperaments, stood together. It felt as if they weren’t opponents fighting for their respective masters, but rather like friends who should sit down for a cup of tea and discuss topics between women.
The Eastern Ying girl bowed slightly and said in a soft voice, “I am Saigo Mari. By my master’s command, I am here to duel with you. Please guide me kindly.”
“Mari, is it? What a lovely name. But according to Gaspar, he tricked your childhood sweetheart into a wager and lost you to someone else. Even so, you still call him master?” Lorna asked.
Mari was silent for a moment, a trace of struggle on her normally calm face. Finally, she said, “I accept the outcome of the bet. My young master has already given up on me, so I can only submit myself to my current master.”
Lorna shook her head after hearing this. “Don’t you have any opinions of your own? Are you accustomed to being someone’s possession? Then you can change how you address Gaspar, because your master will be changing soon.”
“That remains to be seen if you have the ability,” Mari said. She stepped back a few paces and stood quietly, waiting for the match to begin.
Strictly speaking, Mari’s status and position were not that of a slave, but rather a servant or guard. Her status was one level higher than the previous two otherworldly beings, belonging to the category of contract servants, who didn’t necessarily have to call Gaspar master.
But she still did, which Lorna disdained. After all, she believed in God. In her eyes, only God could be called master, and all people were servants of God. Naturally, people shouldn’t have a status above others.
Since their beliefs differed, there was nothing more to discuss. Rather, even if the two were friends, they would still have to fight. After all, this wager was not influenced by the will of the contestants from the start. Those on the field were merely chess pieces.
“Now, for the third match, the guards of the two gentlemen will have a duel. The outcome of their battle will directly determine which side gains victory. Ready, begin!”
As soon as the referee gave the command, Lorna felt a flash of cold light before her, a fleeting glimpse. A blade of light, swift as the wind, cut across her body.
“Ah!?” The audience was utterly astonished. They were in the spectator stands, and some parts were clearer, while others were even more shocking and confusing.
The instant the referee shouted “begin,” Mari pushed her samurai sword out of its scabbard with her finger. Mari instantly gripped the sword with her right hand and charged towards Lorna. As she charged, the sword had already left its sheath, carrying a frigid glint that cut across Lorna’s body.
This lightning-fast strike cut through Lorna’s vital neck before she could even react. The audience couldn’t even see how she drew and unsheathed her sword clearly, only seeing her figure standing with the sword behind Lorna.
Was the victory decided just like that? This would probably set a record. Among wagering duels, this Eastern Ying girl would undoubtedly be the fastest to achieve victory.
As the audience thought this, they saw a light bloom on Lorna’s body. Then, the light began to crack from her neck, shattering into countless fragments that rained down.
“You really have some skill. I underestimated you. If I didn’t have the habit of solidifying Divine Spells, I would have lost just now.” Lorna turned around, her body shedding fragments of light, yet her face remained radiant.
Lorna had always had the habit of solidifying Divine Spells onto her equipment. Her armor, inner lining, and accessories all had protective Divine Spells solidified onto them, which would automatically activate upon attack. It was difficult to defeat her with a surprise attack.
“Indeed, you’re not as simple as we thought. Then, Saigo Mari, please guide me!” Mari shouted, and a flickering purplish-white light emanated from her samurai sword, resembling both flame and snow.
She then leaped up and swung her sword downwards at Lorna. This downward strike trailed with purplish-white firelight, looking dreamlike and incredibly beautiful.
“Clang!” Lorna raised her Page Hammer horizontally, blocking the strike. Purple and white sparks scattered at the point of impact, but Lorna remained motionless, easily blocking the blow.
“Hah!” Mari immediately changed her move. Before landing, she twisted her sword to the side in mid-air. Lorna didn’t have time to retract her hammer and used her arm guard, which was solidified with Divine Spells, to block the blow. Then, she counterattacked with her Page Hammer, forcing Mari to pull her sword back in defense and sending her flying.
“Good! Kill them!” The audience cheered again. The two had entered the melee phase. Although the Crystal Person had also used a gun earlier, her opponent was too reckless and her gunnery was too unrefined, failing to showcase her skill. Now, these two were much more exciting.
Mari moved as if dancing, her body constantly rotating, and her sword movements were full of beauty. Coupled with the large sleeves of her kimono fluttering in the air with her movements, they could, to some degree, obscure the trajectory of the blade.
Her swordsmanship was sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and extremely bizarre. Her attack angles were inconceivable. Western Europe rarely saw such varied swordsmanship, and Lorna found herself at a disadvantage in close combat for a moment.
The Page Hammer was originally a rather unrefined weapon, not very fast. Furthermore, Lorna’s primary profession wasn’t close combat; in fact, she wasn’t a combat-focused profession. The Page Hammer was merely a weapon to supplement damage, naturally not as good as the Eastern Ying girl opposite, and she briefly fell into a disadvantage.
