Realm Lord
Chapter 169: Light vs Dark (2)

Chapter 169: Light vs Dark (2)

Arthur stood frozen for a heartbeat, staring at the massive fissure his blade had carved through the training platform. The crack ran like a jagged scar across the entire length of the platform, a testament to the devastating power he had unleashed—and completely wasted on empty air. Dust and debris settled around him as the echoes of his failed strike faded into an uncomfortable silence.

Myah stared from near the platform with her shock practically exploding off her face ’holy crap... s-so much power in just once strike!’ she gulped as sweat began to build on her hands ’how did such a weak and cowardly boy become... this!?’

"Impressive power," came Cara’s voice from directly behind him, her tone carrying a mixture of genuine appreciation and subtle mockery. "But what good is strength if you can’t hit your target?"

Arthur spun around, his shadow-wreathed form moving with fluid grace as he brought his odachi up in a defensive position. There she stood, not even breathing heavily, her radiant form untouched by the dust that had been kicked up by his attack. The casual way she held her sword, as if it weighed nothing at all, sent a clear message—she was still in complete control of this fight.

"You’re fast," Arthur admitted. "But I’m just getting started."

Cara’s smirk widened, and for a moment, her luminous eyes seemed to sparkle with genuine amusement. "Good. I’d hate for this to end too quickly."

Without another word, Arthur launched himself forward again, this time keeping his approach lower and more controlled. He had learned from his mistake—raw power meant nothing if he couldn’t land a hit. His speed carried him across the broken platform in a blur of darkness, his blade sweeping in a horizontal arc designed to catch her regardless of which direction she might dodge.

But Cara was already moving, her light-wreathed form dancing backward with an almost ethereal grace. Her sword came up to meet his in a shower of sparks, light and shadow clashing in a display that painted the air in stark contrasts of brilliant white and absolute black. The impact sent vibrations through both their weapons, but neither fighter gave ground.

Arthur pressed his advantage, following up with a rapid series of strikes that forced Cara to give ground for the first time since the fight began. His odachi moved like liquid shadow, each swing trailing ribbons of darkness that seemed to devour the light around them. Left, right, overhead, diagonal—he varied his attacks to prevent her from establishing a rhythm, his enhanced strength putting visible strain on her defensive posture.

For several precious moments, Arthur felt the intoxicating sensation of having the upper hand. Cara was backing away, her sword work focused entirely on deflection and evasion rather than counter-attack. Her radiant aura flickered with each impact, and Arthur could see genuine concentration etched across her features for the first time since their battle began.

’Maybe I actually have a chance,’ he thought, pressing forward with renewed vigor.

But his advantage was short-lived. Cara’s retreat had been strategic rather than desperate, and as soon as she had drawn him into the center of the platform’s remaining intact section, she went on the offensive.

Her longsword blazed with increased intensity as she launched into a devastating counter-attack. Where Arthur’s style was raw power wrapped in shadow, hers was precision given form through light. Every movement was economical, every strike calculated for maximum effect with minimum effort. Her blade seemed to find every gap in his defense, forcing him to rely on his shadow-enhanced reflexes just to avoid being cut down.

The two fighters moved across the broken platform in a deadly dance, their contrasting powers creating a mesmerizing display of light and darkness. Arthur’s shadow-wreathed form left trails of pure black in his wake, while Cara’s radiant presence painted everything she touched in brilliant illumination. Where their weapons met, reality itself seemed to bend and warp, as if the fundamental forces they represented were too powerful for the physical world to contain.

Arthur managed to catch Cara’s sword in a bind, their blades locked together in a contest of raw strength. For a moment, they stood face to face, close enough that he could see his own reflection in her luminous eyes. The power radiating from both of them was enormous—his shadows pressing against her light in a struggle for dominance that made the very air between them crackle with energy.

"Not bad," Cara said through gritted teeth, her voice strained with the effort of matching his strength. "But you’re still holding back, aren’t you?"

Arthur’s eyes widened behind his shadow mask. She was right—despite everything, he was still being cautious, but of course he was, this was just a sparring match after all right? ’No I can’t think that way while fighting her, she’s too strong. If I want any chance to win I have to go all out.’ The realization gave him a surge of determination, and he poured more of his shadow into the bind.

The darkness around his blade intensified, becoming so absolute that it seemed to drink in the light from Cara’s sword. For a precious moment, Arthur felt her strength waver, saw uncertainty flicker across her usually confident expression.

Then she smiled.

"My turn," she said simply.

Cara’s entire body erupted in brilliant light, her radiant aura expanding exponentially until she resembled a miniature star contained within human form. The sudden intensity was blinding, forcing Arthur to squint. Her strength increased dramatically, and their sword bind was broken as she effortlessly pushed him backward.

Arthur stumbled, his reflexes barely allowing him to regain his footing as Cara pressed her newfound advantage. Her speed had increased as well—where before she had been fast enough to challenge his enhanced senses, now she moved like pure light itself, appearing and disappearing in flashes that left afterimages burned into his retinas.

Her first strike came from his left, a blindingly fast thrust that he managed to deflect by pure instinct. The second came from above, forcing him to raise his odachi in a desperate parry that sent shockwaves through his muscles. The third, fourth, and fifth attacks came in such rapid succession that Arthur could barely tell where one ended and the next began.

’She’s not even trying,’ the thought hit him like a physical blow as he desperately backpedaled across the broken platform. ’All this time, she’s been holding back just like I was—except she’s been holding back so much more.’

Cara’s movements had transcended mere physical combat. She was everywhere at once, her light-wreathed form creating multiple afterimages that made it impossible to predict where the real attack would come from. Arthur’s shadow-enhanced perception, which had seemed so impressive moments before, was completely overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of her speed increase.

A shallow cut opened across his left shoulder as one of her strikes found its mark, followed immediately by another across his right thigh. The wounds weren’t deep—she was still holding back even now—but they served as a stark reminder of just how outclassed he truly was.

Arthur tried to mount a counterattack, pouring everything he had into a uppercut designed to catch her during one of her lightning-fast approaches. His blade carved through the air with devastating force, trailing ribbons of pure darkness.

Cara simply wasn’t there when the strike arrived.

She reappeared behind him, her sword already in motion for what would undoubtedly be the finishing blow. Arthur began to turn, knowing even as he did so that he would never be fast enough to block or dodge what was coming.

But the strike never landed.

Instead, Cara’s blade stopped mere inches from his neck, her luminous aura gradually dimming back to its previous levels. The sudden stillness was almost deafening after the frantic pace of their extended battle.

"That’s enough," she said quietly, her breathing barely elevated despite the incredible display of power she had just demonstrated. "I think we both learned what we needed to know."

Arthur slowly lowered his odachi, his shadow armor beginning to flicker as exhaustion set in. His entire body ached from the intensity of their fight, and he could feel his shadow powers starting to ebb like a tide going out.

The realization of what had just happened crashed over him. Throughout their entire battle—every moment when he had thought he was gaining ground, every second when he had believed himself to be pushing her to her limits—she had been holding back. Not just a little, but enormously. The speed and power she had displayed in those final moments had been beyond anything he could have imagined, and yet he could see in her eyes that even that hadn’t been everything she was capable of.

’Just how strong is she really? And is she really a chosen just like me? How is that even possible!? If I had to guess I’d say she’s even stronger than that Grey guy and he’s a pathfinder’ Arthur wondered, a mixture of awe and humbling defeat washing over him as he stared at the girl who had just casually dismantled every assumption he had made about his own abilities.

Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.