Chương 52: Human vs Fairy

Ace clenched his fists.

"Alright... let's do this!" He charged forward with blinding speed. Amelia immediately cheered from the sidelines.

"Go, Ace!" Krystal watched carefully.

"Alright. Let's observe and see what this human can do." King grinned.

"So you're pretty fast, I see." Ace's body suddenly ignited with blue flames. He accelerated even further, closing the distance between them in an instant. But just as Ace reached him WHOOSH! King vanished. Ace's eyes widened.

"What..?!"

"OVER HERE!" Ace spun around. King had appeared behind him. Ace immediately swung around, but King had already reacted. He flipped backward with incredible grace, narrowly avoiding the attack. Ace turned sharply.

"No you don't!" He inhaled deeply.

"Magic Skill: FLAMETHROWER!" FWOOOOOSH! An enormous inferno erupted from Ace's mouth, engulfing the space ahead of him. King remained calm.

"Magic Skill: MYSTIC GUARD!" A translucent green veil instantly formed around King. The flames crashed against it, spreading across its surface but failing to break through. Ace's eyes narrowed.

"Not bad." He immediately dove in. His blades flashed as he unleashed a barrage of slashes. King was forced to dodge repeatedly. Slash! King ducked. Slash! He twisted away. Another slash! King flipped backward. Ace grinned.

"You can keep running all you want, fairy!" He swung again.

"But you'll have to attack sooner or later!" King smiled.

"Oh, don't worry." He ducked underneath another sword slash.

"I plan to." King suddenly swept his leg beneath Ace's feet. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Ace's eyes widened.

"Whoa...!" His balance was broken. King launched himself upward. At the same time, a brilliant green bow materialized in his hands.

"Alright!" He pulled the string back.

"Let me show you my special Magic Skill!" The bow began glowing intensely. King aimed directly at Ace.

"Magic Skill: EVERGREEN ARROW!" TWANG! The arrow shot forward at incredible speed. Ace scrambled back to his feet.

"Damn!" He tried to dodge. Too late. The arrow was already upon him. Ace instinctively drew one of his blades. CLANG! The impact sent him skidding backward. King hovered above him.

"It's no use." Ace gritted his teeth.

"You're not even using a defensive Magic Skill to block." Ace dug his feet into the ground, trying to stop himself. The arrow pushed harder. His grip tightened around his sword. Then.. CLANG! The force knocked the blade from his hand. It flew through the air. Ace's eyes widened.

"Crap!" The arrow struck him directly. But.. There was no blood. Ace looked down. The glowing green arrow had pierced into his body, but there wasn't even a wound.

"What...?" He grabbed the arrow and tried pulling it out. It wouldn't budge. Ace frowned.

"What's going on?" He tugged again.

"It doesn't hurt... but it won't budge at all." He looked up at King.

"Fairy magic..." Ace's expression became serious.

"Most fairies are support types, which is an interesting type." He narrowed his eyes.

"I've gotta tread carefully." King watched him from above with an amused smile.

"You done talking to yourself down there?" Ace looked up.

"I'm just thinking out loud!" King laughed.

"Alright then. Whatever you say." His wings spread.

"Now let's continue!" King instantly dive-bombed toward Ace. Ace's eyes sharpened.

"Here he comes." He raised his hands.

"Time for Magic Skill: FIREBALL!" Nothing happened. Ace blinked.

"... What the?" King appeared directly in front of him.

"What's wrong?" WHAM! King kicked Ace directly in the face. Ace was sent flying.

"GAAH!" He crashed onto the ground and went skidding across the arena. Max watched with his arms crossed.

"King's Evergreen Arrow..." Amelia looked toward him. Max continued.

"It may look like an offensive move, but it's actually a support-type skill." Amelia's eyes widened.

"What does it do?" Max pointed toward Ace.

"It renders your opponent unable to use Magic Skills for a period of time."

"Which means, it will be harder for your friend there to attack or defend against King's onslaught.." Amelia's expression dropped.

"Oh no..." She cupped her hands around her mouth.

"ACE! TRY TO HOLD OUT AS LONG AS YOU CAN, OKAY?!" Ace slowly lifted his head.

"Tch..." He wiped his mouth.

"Doesn't she know I already know that?" He sighed.

"Dang..." King suddenly launched himself upward.

"I'm not done yet!" His wings spread wide.

"Time for the finale!" Ace looked up.

"Finale?" King raised both hands.

"Magic Skill: TRUE BLOOM!" A massive sphere of green magical energy formed above him. Ace's eyes widened. King flipped backward. Then.. BOOM! He kicked the sphere downward. The ball split apart in midair. Hundreds of glowing strands of green magic rained from the sky. Ace stared upward.

"Are you kidding me...?" The Evergreen Arrow was still embedded in his body. He immediately started running.

"Too many!" The magical strands crashed into the ground around him. Ace weaved left. Then right. He ducked beneath one. Jumped over another. But there were simply too many. THWACK! One struck his shoulder.

"Gah!" Another clipped his foot. Ace stumbled. Then another struck his side. And another. And another. The barrage continued relentlessly. Ace struggled to stay on his feet. Finally.. The storm stopped. Silence filled the arena. Ace collapsed onto the ground. King slowly descended. He landed a few feet away. The Evergreen Arrow suddenly disappeared from Ace's body. King looked at him.

"Exactly one minute." Ace slowly looked up.

"One minute?"

"That's how long my Evergreen Arrow's effects last." King extended his hand.

"Magic Skill: FOREVER FLOWERS BLOOM!" A glowing flower sprouted from underneath Ace. Warm green energy spread across his body. His injuries began healing rapidly. Ace's eyes widened.

"..." Slowly, he pushed himself back onto his feet. King smiled.

"Hey, nice match." He gave Ace a friendly grin.

"We should do this again sometime." Ace didn't respond. He stared down at his hands.

"You beat me..." His voice was quiet.

"So easily." King's smile faded slightly. Ace clenched his fists.

"I was too weak." King shook his head.

"Don't say that. You just need to train." Ace looked at him.

"That's what they all say." His expression hardened."'Just train and you'll get stronger for sure...'" He looked away.

"I've been training..." His fists trembled.

"Yet I've been left behind by so many people..." He looked at his hands.

"All because I'm only human." Amelia's expression fell.

"Ace..." Ace turned away.

"I'm leaving." He ignited the flames beneath his feet. Amelia stepped forward.

"Ace, wait!" Ace shot into the air. He disappeared into the distance. Amelia stared after him.

"Ace..." King remained silent.

"Well... okay then." He scratched the back of his head.

"That's... strange." Amelia quickly turned toward the others.

"I'm going to go find him." She bowed slightly.

"Sorry, but I'll be leaving." Krystal smiled gently.

"No problem." She waved.

"We'll be back at the base if you need us." Amelia nodded.

"Thank you." She spread her wings. With one powerful flap, she launched herself into the sky after Ace. King watched her disappear.

"... I really hope he's alright."

"Taking that loss, must of really gotten to him.."