Chapter 18: Blessing.
If there is an afterlife, and if someday I find myself there, I am definitely going to curse the fucker whoever sent me to this world.
How many hours has it been since I woke up in this pathetic body?
twenty-four or forty-eight?
And I've already felt like I've had encounters with death twice.
"Are you ready, Azariah?"
I looked at the woman who called me as she played with her wooden sword, her gaze fixed on me.
And did I mention that I'm about to meet death again?
"Yeah," I replied, licking my dried lips as I swung the wooden sword in my hand.
I started to get a headache just from standing in the training ground with the sun right over my head.
And truth be told, I can't do anything against Adaliah. Like my mother, she's a monster in combat.
"The rules are the same," I looked at her again as she said, "The moment you land a single hit on me, the training ends."
Yeah.
Fucking bitch.
I know.
Despite cursing her in my head, I nodded in reply.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at her as she stood there casually, not even bothering to change her formal office dress.
She is beautiful, no doubt, but right now, the only thing on my mind was how to win against her.
Yeah, let's die again.
Swish.
Before I could even understand what happened, she was rushing towards me.
Thud.
With a sound of impact, my sword was jerked out of my hand, and the next second, I felt something poking at my throat.
"What are you thinking?" As her sword touched my throat, she scoffed, "Do you really think you can land a hit on me without even paying attention?"
"Once again," she said as she moved back to her original position.
Swish.
This time, I was the one who made the first move as I rushed towards her, my sword aiming at her body.
"Slow," she whispered as she moved slightly, her sword hitting my wrist, making me wince in pain.
Bang.
"Argh."
The next second, before I knew it, I staggered backward as she used her sword like a club, hitting my stomach.
It wasn't a heavy injury, but with all the stacked-up injuries my body had from the last few days, the blow hurt like hell.
"Cough... cough."
Coughing, I got up and clenched my sword tightly as I returned to my stance, ingrained in my body.
Swish.
Before I was completely ready, she rushed at me again, swinging her sword diagonally as if trying to make a cut. I tried to defend myself, but I couldn't.
Bang.
With another explosive impact, my stance collapsed, and I groaned in pain.
Bang.
But before I could even groan properly, she hit my head with the hilt of her sword, and I rolled on the ground to create some distance.
"Argh... Fucking bitch," I whispered under my breath as I rubbed my head with my palm.
"I can hear you, Azariah," she replied as she placed the sword on her shoulder.
I didn't reply as I tried to calm my breath, which was becoming too rigid.
"Did you know, Azariah," as I calmed down a little, I looked at her as she said, "the blessing you have is one of the most powerful blessings in this world."
"...And what's the point in that?" I asked as I stood up again. "It's not like it's of any help to me."
"....Yeah," she replied, nodding her head. "Your body is the container for the blessing, but here you are not being able to use even the [First Form] of your blessing."
Is she taunting me?
I fucking know all this; she doesn't need to rub it in my face.
Swish.
She rushed again, moving so fast as if she was moving through space, her sword aiming at my sides, which I somehow managed to block.
"Argh..."
But the aftershock of the attack was enough to make me groan again.
She wasn't overwhelming me with technique but with absurd power and strength.
I wasn't able to last long against her as her sword struck at my ribcage, making me groan again.
I rolled back again as I rubbed my ribs.
"The ability to convert one form of energy to another," Adaliah said again as she looked down on me. "That's what your blessing is capable of doing."
Yeah.
I fucking know that.
"Be it Mana, Ka, Prana, Ruach, Odic, Chi," she continued to speak as her gaze fixed on me, "your blessing can convert them from one form to another, technically making it possible for you to fight indefinitely."
I fucking know all that, but what's the point if I can't use anything that you mentioned?
She is seriously just fucking with me now.
"But here you are," she mumbled as she took her stance again, "getting beaten down without fighting back."
She moved again, and as I tried to take a defensive stance, she attacked my vital point.
The hilt of her sword hit my temple, and I fell backward.
"Argh..."
It was painful—so painful that it felt like my skull had been cracked open.
Dizziness washed over me, as if my mind had frozen, while a small amount of blood gushed from the impact area.
I stood up once again, despite all the pain I was suffering from.
".....Is this all you can do?" I asked, even though I knew taunting her was the worst thing to do right now.
I was sick of all this fucking bullshit. I just wanted to end this and have some fucking rest.
Her eyes turned cold as she heard my words.
She rushed again, striking me once more.
I tried to defend myself again, only to fail miserably. She struck again, and I defended again.
The cycle continued until my hands started to bleed and my wrists turned sore.
"You know," as I moved back to create some distance while drenched in sweat, she said again, "It's impossible to transfer blessings to someone else. Otherwise, my lady wouldn't have to ignore all your impudence."
Yeah, that's the reason she will make me her puppet for the rest of my life—a puppet with emotions but no control over his body.
"Adaliah," I called her as I took my stance again, "if I land a hit, I need one more thing."
She raised her brows in response but still asked, "And that is?"
"I need a goddamn latest model bike."
With that, I rushed towards her again, determined not to surrender until I hit that bitch.
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