Chapter 301: Could someone mimic something so effortlessly?
The opening stance revealed far more than words ever could.
And it revealed just as much about Adelyn.
Tressa’s expression changed almost instantly. Her confident look stiffened into surprise as she stared at the woman standing opposite her.
Adelyn, on the other hand, merely met her gaze and smiled.
"What?" she asked lightly. "Don’t tell me you were hoping to duel someone who didn’t even know how to fight. How’s that any respectful?"
The furrow between Tressa’s brows deepened immediately. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword.
That wasn’t what she meant.
Earlier, she had indeed been wary of Adelyn’s confidence. Yet moments later, this woman had somehow convinced her that all of it had merely been empty bravado.
Was ...
Was that deliberate?
The more Tressa thought about it, the more convinced she became that Adelyn had intentionally misled them into taking her lightly.
"You ..." she said slowly, her eyes narrowing. "You’re quite deceptive."
Adelyn simply arched a brow.
"Tell me." Tressa fixed her gaze on her. "Who exactly are you?"
Adelyn blinked innocently, as though she couldn’t understand the question.
"Who could I possibly be?"
"Don’t think you can fool me anymore." Tressa sneered. "Your stance already answered my question. You’re not someone who’s new to swordsmanship."
She paused before adding, "You’ve practiced before."
"Of course," Adelyn admitted it without hesitation.
"I’ve been practicing for quite a while now. If I still didn’t know something as basic as the first stance after all that training ..." She smiled faintly. "... wouldn’t that only mean I’ve wasted my time?"
"You’ve been training?"
This time, even Tressa sounded genuinely surprised.
Outside the ring ...
Steve, who had been surprised too, listened carefully. His eyes fixed on Adelyn.
Adelyn naturally noticed everyone’s reactions.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
Doubt.
Every pair of eyes seemed fixed on her.
But unfortunately, not every curiosity deserved an answer.
The corner of her lips curled upward almost imperceptibly before she calmly explained,
"Yes. I’ve been practicing for about a month now."
She casually rolled the sword once in her hand.
"My movie starts filming soon. I’ll need these skills for my role."
Tressa looked visibly bewildered.
"You mean ..." She stared at Adelyn. "... you’ve been learning swordsmanship simply for acting?"
Adelyn didn’t answer.
She merely smiled. Yet that silence was answer enough.
The arena soon echoed with the second preparation signal.
Without another word, Adelyn calmly adjusted her footing once more.
Her movements were smooth.
Relaxed.
Almost effortless.
Tressa’s thoughts grew increasingly muddled. She continued searching Adelyn for flaws, any signs of panic, any unnecessary tension, or anything that would expose her inexperience.
Yet ...
Apart from that flawless opening stance, she found nothing.
Could someone mimic something so effortlessly?
No.
Tressa couldn’t be certain. But she no longer dared lower her guard.
If Adelyn truly had some foundation in swordsmanship, then underestimating her would become the greatest mistake.
Taking a slow breath, Tressa subtly adjusted her grip around the hilt once more.
She had already made up her mind.
She would attack first. Only through crossing blades could she truly gauge her opponent’s level.
Outside the ring,
Pier couldn’t suppress his worry any longer.
"Brother Karl ..." He looked anxiously toward the arena. "Do you think Goddess can really win? What if she doesn’t —?"
Karl never took his eyes off Adelyn. His fingers kept fidgeting restlessly against the sword case he still held.
"Why wouldn’t she?" he replied, forcing confidence into his voice.
He pointed toward the arena.
"Can’t you see? It isn’t Talon’s Vice Captain standing against her anymore."
He tried convincing both Pier and himself.
"Luck is clearly on our side. My sister-in-law will definitely win."
She had to.
Otherwise ...
His Big Brother probably wouldn’t even leave him alive long enough to apologize.
Pier looked toward the ring again before quietly saying, "Steve may not be the one fighting..."
"...but the woman standing there isn’t weak either."
He swallowed.
"She’s Tressa Maggot. His junior sister. And she’s also one of Talon’s strongest members. I looked her up after Goddess entered the ring."
His expression gradually turned heavier.
"She’s won quite a few tournaments herself."
Karl’s head snapped toward him.
"You—" His eyes widened. "Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?"
Pier immediately looked guilty.
"Brother Karl ... I ... I only found out afterwards. I ..."
Karl didn’t let him finish.
Turning back toward the ring, he silently watched Adelyn. The confidence on his face gradually disappeared.
A long moment later, he suddenly spoke.
"I’ve decided."
Pier immediately turned toward him. "What is it?"
Karl’s eyes remained fixed on Adelyn.
"If ..." He hesitated briefly. "... if Zeke really tries forcing my sister-in-law after this..."
His jaw tightened.
"You’ll take her and run straight to my Big Brother. I’ll stay behind and deal with everything here."
Pier looked horrified.
"But..." He couldn’t help asking, "...won’t your Big Brother kill you once he learns what happened?"
Karl closed his eyes.
"Then let him."
His answer came without hesitation.
"My sister-in-law comes first. As for me ..." He slowly lowered his head.
"I deserve whatever punishment I get. I’m the one who dragged her into this mess."
Pier quietly stared at him. Then, his worried expression softened. He wasn’t surprised.
Everyone outside only saw Karl Warren as an arrogant, reckless young master.
But Pier had known him for years. He knew beneath all that foolishness, Karl possessed one of the purest hearts.
Once he genuinely cared about someone, nothing else mattered.
Not even himself.
And today, he finally understood just how much Karl had accepted Adelyn as family.
"...Alright."
Pier nodded firmly. "I understand."
He looked toward the arena again.
"But I still hope Sister-in-law wins. After all ..." A small smile appeared. "You gave her your best sword. And luck is on our side. She will —"
Before he could finish—
His breathing abruptly stopped.
Inside the arena, Tressa suddenly moved. Without the slightest warning, she burst forward.
Her feet exploded against the floor as she closed the distance in an instant. Her sword cut through the air with frightening precision.
Adelyn’s eyes sharpened. She had already anticipated the opening strike. Almost instinctively, she raised her own sword to intercept it.
Clang!
Metal crashed against metal. And the sharp collision echoed throughout the arena.
But the instant the blades met, Adelyn’s expression changed ever so slightly.
The sword, and its balance ... was even worse than she had estimated.
The front-heavy weight threw her center of balance completely off.
Instead of cleanly absorbing the impact as she had intended, the awkward weight distribution violently twisted her wrist.
The force traveled straight through her forearm and into her shoulder, causing her footing to falter.
Before she could fully compensate ...
The heavy blade dragged her backwards.
Her feet slid several steps across the arena floor, leaving long skid marks beneath her shoes.
She barely managed to steady herself before completely losing her balance.
Even Adelyn herself hadn’t expected the imbalance to affect her to such a degree.
Her brows slowly furrowed.
Outside the ring—
Karl and Pier both froze. Their faces turned pale.
"Sister-in-law!" Karl shouted instinctively.
Pier also cried out almost at the same time. "Goddess!"
And then, without thinking, the two lurched forward together, instinctively rushing toward the arena to help her.