Chapter 1302 Respect
Diana had no idea how Valeria, the woman they had been looking for, literally fell from the sky in front of her. However, she knew that if she did not intervene, Valeria would be as good as dead. Therefore, as Jian Ba advanced toward Valeria, Diana waved her hand, and her ice covered the pirate.
"Who are you?" asked Jian Ba as she paused, seeing the frost cover Valeria, who was already weakened. "Do you also have business with the Pirate Queen?"
"If you want a name, then introduce yourself first," said Diana as her wings appeared on her back, levitating her forward toward the battlefield. Jian Ba frowned as she glared at the woman, then looked to her own shoulder, as if asking someone for counsel.
"You are with the outsider," said Jian Ba with a smile after a while. "It seems you attacked my master in Marlin Port. If that is the case, I can only repay the favor," said Jian Ba, raising her sword. Her swordsmanship was so advanced that her aura attained a sharpness.
"Is Deluge here?" asked Diana with a smile. "Is he hiding behind his crew? As expected from the weakest calamity," mocked Diana in hopes of provoking the woman. Her words seemed to work, as even though the woman remained expressionless, her sword shook a little.
Valeria was now covered with a layer of frost that worked to heal her wound. She stared at the newcomer with confusion, unable to understand why she was being saved. Diana landed beside her, facing Jian Ba, while the woman coughed up the blood in her throat to ask,
"Who… are… you?"
"A friend of Rain," said Diana without looking back. "We have been looking for you this entire time. I did not expect to find you half-dead in the palace, though."
"Rain?" muttered Valeria with shock. "Is she here in Sourna?"
"At the moment, she is not, but she should be back soon. She is roaming the entire world to find you," said Diana as Jian Ba prepared to attack. "We can have this conversation after we get out of here alive."
"Be careful," said Valeria with a weak voice. Diana nodded with a smile as she drew her sword. Jian Ba bolted forward, raising her longsword to strike. The ice sword in Diana"s hand clashed with Jian Ba"s, and the entire palace shook as the two women staggered backward.
Jian Ba looked amazed as she stared at Diana. "I did not expect someone to meet me head-on and still live," she said with admiration. "Even though Valeria was a disappointment, you might prove to be an interesting challenge."
"This challenge will be your biggest nightmare," said Diana as she waved her sword, creating a trail of frost over the ground. "Your blade is already freezing."
Jian Ba looked at her sword and found it covered with frost. Instead of panicking, she smiled and slashed the air a few times. Diana saw the pressure from the slashes turn into wind blades rushing toward her, and she parried each of them with ease. However, Jian Ba seemed to have done that to get rid of the ice through her speed.
"My name is Jian Ba, known as the Sword Tyrant," said the swordswoman as she sheathed her sword. "Please share yours, so I can know who to respect."
"Diana Freya, Princess of Ice and Fire," said Diana while raising her ice sword. It began to grow bigger as it turned transparent. "You are not bad yourself."
The two women stared at each other, letting a curtain of silence descend over the battlefield. The onlookers held their breaths, knowing that whatever came next would be a battle that shook the entire world. Before their eyes could react, the two women were gone.
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere from the middle of the hall, but the two women had yet to be seen. Their speed reached a level where it was impossible for the onlookers to see them. However, they could see the result of their clashes. A pillar exploded to pieces, and a long gash appeared on the ground. Such destruction ensued throughout the battlefield before the two women reappeared, standing in their original positions.
Although they looked the same, each had a small cut on her cheek. Their breaths were deep and labored, but their smiles were filled with excitement. It was the feeling of meeting a worthy opponent.
"I have to warn you," said Jian Ba with a smile as she returned her sword to her sheath again. "This attack is not one to be underestimated. No one has survived against it, and I am hoping that you will be the first."
Jian Ba then leaned forward and turned back to Diana before grabbing her sword. Before she could reply, Diana felt her intuition telling her that the next attack was different. She even felt slightly threatened, but was far from scared.
"Let me meet you with a similar strike," said Diana as she raised her sword to the side. Tendrils of blue flames leaked through her arm to cover the ice sword, coiling around it and bringing forth a destructive combination. "It might not be the most elegant of attacks, but… I have never seen one stronger."
"I might just fall for you," said Jian Ba with a crazed grin as she looked at Diana. "Let this one exchange decide the winner among us."
Diana grinned as well, before the two women bolted forward at the same time. Diana turned into a blue hue while Jian Ba turned to yellow. The two forces rushed toward each other before they slashed at one another, hoping to deliver a killing blow.
Boom!
Sparks did not appear as the two swords met, but an otherworldly explosion. The ice and fire collided, detonating an explosion toward Jian Ba, whose attack cut through the two energies. The blue and yellow attacks intertwined as they fought against one another, rising upward and destroying everything around them. Then, the final collision arrived as the world was filled with light.