A Deal with the Devil

Ah yes, a chapter, yes...

But what was the cost? A momentary glimpse of happiness and an eternity of painful judgment.

I hope you enjoy it, it won't last long.

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I… I lost.

Within the blink of an eye, my neck was grasped by this boy…

I didn't see it, he moved when I blinked. He's used to making the first move and using openings.

'Claire couldn't believe it, but he had to face reality, so he stopped staring at Philip's outer appearance of a young man, and started to treat him as a dangerous enemy.'

3-Instances of Absolute Combat… The Skill that made me what I am right now.

What started as a simple strong 6th sense, saving me many times when I was younger, turned into this after decades of training and resources.

'A Skill that 'freezes' time, but in truth, what is happening right now is nothing but a simulation, although Claire himself doesn't know that.'

'A simulation where Claire faces his enemy time and time again, trying all sorts of strategies until he either wins… Or loses the strength to continue.'

'The problem is that, for every fight, he has to finish it within 3 movements, otherwise, it resets.'

'It is a perfect technique to face someone you never faced before, allowing you to potentially see all of your opponent's moves before they even draw their weapon.'

Why did it activate now?... Dammit…

There are many conditions for it to activate, but I only know a few.

The enemy has to be as strong as me, or strong enough to give me a challenge… Or stronger.

And I need to recognize that…

But this time, the reason I felt he was dangerous was not that I knew, but because I felt something was wrong… Looks like even that is enough.

If only this Skill activated more... But then again, it not activating might be for the better.

'Claire shook his head, he had to focus!'

That doesn't matter now!

What does he want to do, and what should I do in response?

He's likely suspecting me of having second intentions when the truth is simply…

'He bit his lips in shame and anger.'

Yes, I was apprehensive, and fearful, because I felt deep down, even if I wanted to deny it, that this plan Rafiel had in mind could spell his doom.

My task is to protect him, even if at the cost of my own Honor, and life.

What he said is also partly true, I cannot stop Rafiel from pursuing this matter in the future…

To be honest, I know very well he would likely pursue it…

But as long as he was safe, that was enough for me, that was my hypocrisy, my mistake.

And this carelessness of mine has caused this situation.

"..."

First… I should try to make him retreat.

'As his first movement, Claire took a step back, getting into stance to draw his sword…'

'Time started moving again, but what happened next shocked him!'

/FWUSH!/

"Wh…"

'In the middle of his eyebrows, the sharp tip of Philip's cane now drew blood… Yet he seemed displeased?!'

When did he...?

'Claire felt humiliated.'

/Crack!/

'The scenery broke down, time restarted again…'

… I… Lost again?

I paid attention, I got in a defensive position, and yet… How fast is this man? Or is there something wrong? A Skill?

Calm down, there's hope.

'This time, Claire decided to move first! He dashed forward and struck Philip's hand with his sword hilt.'

'Surprisingly, he did not move this time, taking the blow to his hand.'

'The first instance had passed, Claire successfully managed to remove the cane from his opponent's hand!'

Now…

'Claire lifted his hand, aiming towards Philip's chin…'

/Fwoosh…/

'But like smoke, Philip's head vanished, the next thing Claire saw was a leg coming from above.'

/Crack!/

'The space cracked and everything went back to normal...'

'Time reset.'

… What was that? His own Skill? Magic? Martial Arts?

Even if I get close… He'll just vanish?

What do I do then?

I need to... Figure out his limits and habits.

'Claire started to feel pain in his head, he had already used this 3 times, and he couldn't keep trying forever…'

I'll have to use that, otherwise, I'll lose.

'Claire's body exploded in energy, it was Auror, his own achievement as a Knight, and his life's greatest achievement apart from his little daughter.'

'This time, much faster than before, he pulled his sword and stomped the ground with his right foot, his sword high above his head.'

'And it wasn't just a simple strike, Claire was going all in.'

'His sword cleaved the air, creating a green wave...'

/BAM!/

'His sword clashed against the cane, cutting straight through it like butter!'

'The first instance resulted in his opponent's weapon broken…'

'Philip seemed surprised his weapon was broken, so much so he stopped paying attention to the fight to look at it.'

'For his next movement, Claire used the hilt of his sword to hit Philip's head while he was distracted… And he succeeded!'

"What?!" Claire exclaimed

He wasn't knocked down by that?!

"That hurt, this cane was pretty expensive to make you know..." Philip said with a small smile as he turned to look at Claire

'Blood trickled down his face, but he seemed as focused as ever, perhaps even more as if this was his natural state.'

'A reddish-purple mist started to form around Philip's body, and in the blink of an eye, a red fist hit him in the face, sending him across the room and breaking through the reinforced metallic wall.'

'It was clear his nose was broken...'

/Crack!/

'Time reset…'

…

/22 more tries later…/

/BAM!/

'Claire finally sent Philip sliding away with his third hit, but the cost of it was a large cut on his shoulder, rendering his left arm useless.'

"Haa… Haa…"

I pushed him back after utilizing the weaknesses in his swordsmanship, but the price for it was my left shoulder.

Is this all I can do? I truly got old. I cannot draw it out like I once did…

How many years has it been since I used this Skill? Only now have I realized how clunky I've become.

Only when I fight with my life on the line...

My head hurts, I can't keep this anymore…

/Crack!/

'Time started to move, but this time, it was for real.'

[Your Skill, 3-Instances of Absolute Combat has deactivated]

"!"

'Claire opened his eyes suddenly, he knew it was for real now, but he didn't move.'

'He did not get into a stance, nor did he pull his sword.'

'Because he knew that the best choice of action was…'

"You're right." Claire said in a low tone

"About what?" Philip asked with a frown

Wasn't he going to pull his sword? Why did he change?

"You're… A scary son of a bitch." Claire said with a half smile as he pulled a chair to sit on

"Huh? That's the first time I heard that."

"Is it? Do people often call you crazy?"

"Pretty much." Philip replied with a smile

His disposition changed, what happened?

"Sigh…"

'Claire thought for a moment and said:'

"It's nothing fancy, the reason I'm acting on my own is simply that I do not wish to see Rafiel burst his own hand with magic."

"Oh? But to do that, you would have to know what you're dealing with ahead of your lord…"

Did he hold some information from Rafiel when he investigated me? Or did he further investigate me on his own?

"Yes I would if that was the case, but I didn't investigate you…"

"Would you believe it if I said it was merely my instinct?"

"..."

"... Are you saying that you did all of this on your Lord's back merely due to a gut feeling?" Philip asked as he raised an eyebrow

"Yes."

"..."

'Philip closed his eyes for a moment until he said:'

"We're running in circles."

"How do you intend to resolve this issue, when at the end of the day, he'll come after me regardless?"

"... Just… Go beat him up."

"?????"

'Philip's mind stopped working for a moment.'

"You heard me right, go give Rafiel a few punches, but make sure to not go too far, I'll report this issue to the Lord, and as long as the punishment is within a certain margin, he'll allow it, no, he may even praise you for it if it teaches him anything."

"After all, I came here to oversee his trials, so as long as I turn this event from something like an encounter to a trial… Rafiel won't be able to do anything about it even if he's angry."

"Give him a lesson about being more cautious about the fights he chooses."

"..."

I… This is nuts.

'Philip scratched his head in wonder.'

"What I said before stands, Rafiel won't stop unless something extreme happens, so go stop him yourself, I won't do a thing, I'm old, and I'm tired."

"We barely even started though." Philip said, confused

"But it already ended for me." Claire said as he dropped his head

'Philip messaged his temples as he thought...'

"Urg… Fine… I'll go talk with him, we'll see if he needs a beating then, perhaps we can resolve this through talk." Philip said with a half smile

Something happened within the second he grabbed his sword.

Previously, he was calm, albeit startled, but after a single second, he started to sweat heavily, and his face looked like mine after I took an all-nighter.

His body is fine, but he's really tired mentally, but where did he spend that energy?

"I would be surprised if Rafiel listened to you, but it's worth a shot." Claire said as he got up

'He turned around and unlocked the door, but he then said:'

"Are you planning on dealing with him right away or…"

"I'll enjoy the rest of the party first, I don't want to cause a commotion…"

But…

"Make an oath to me." Philip said deeply

"..."

'Claire got tense.'

"You'll say nothing about what happened here to no one, nor will you try to bring reinforcements for the remainder of the night."

"That… I can do it."

'He unsheathed his sword and stabbed it on the ground.'

"By my name bestowed upon me by my parents, and my Title bestowed upon me by God I hereby…"

'He said a lengthy oath, and once he saw done, Philip said:'

"There's one more thing I wish to request... How about a light spar?"

"What?!"

"You told me it was already over, and I wish to know why, no need to push it too much, this suit is expensive after all, so let's start slowly." Philip said with a smile

"... It's fine I guess, we aren't really on a schedule." He said as he took out his sword

'Philip smiled.'

"Are you going to fight with that Cane?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Yes, it can't resist my energy..."

"Hm... Alright." Philip replied with a nod

'He took his classic sword from his inventory, the DarkLight Sword.'

"..."

I knew it, he had a proper weapon available, there was no need for him to use the cane all the time.

"Let's start." Philip said as he took a step forward, vanishing like smoke

/Clang!/

"!"

'But in a very surprising way, Claire easily paired his attack, making him almost lose balance.'

'Philip took a step forward, but Claire predicted that attacking his shoulder with a lot of power and making Philip fall on the ground.'

"Wow, you beat me up pretty neatly." Philip said with a small smile

"... Stop playing around." Claire replied

"But I'm not though? I mean, I could push myself more, but what's the point of that? Isn't this a light spar to merely test our techniques?"

"... You're right, I got ahead of myself." Claire said as he shook his head

"In that case... When you dash to attack, you have the habit of opening your right hand, as if you want to stab it at your enemy... Please focus."

"This makes your grip on your sword weaker, pay attention to that."

"Oh?"

I do that? I didn't know, Fabrin pointed out and helped me fix a lot of bad habits, but some may have passed through his eyes, or they simply formed over time.

'Without them knowing, the spar became a light lesson, with Claire pointing out several bad habits Philip had.'

…

/25 more minutes later, back at the party hall/

"Thank you for talking with me, it was very kind of you to hear me."

"I'll take my leave now and stop inconveniencing you further." Eri said with a smile

"Ah! No! It was quite the pleasure talking with… Your es-esteemed presence…" Viera said awkwardly

'She was rather stiff, clearly not used to talking with Nobles, much less with someone like the lady in front of her.'

'Thankfully, it seemed that Eri didn't mind.'

"I hope we can meet again soon, it was fun… Butterfly." She said with a small giggle

"B-Bye… No, I mean… Until next… Urg…"

'Eri smiled, turning around and walking away slowly.'

"Haaaa… Phew, I'm all alone... Again…"

"Not quite."

"HIIIII?! Don't scare me like that!" She exclaimed loudly as she looked at Philip

"Are… Are you okay?" She whispered

"I'm perfectly fine, I have yet to settle my problem, however, albeit that'll happen at a later date."

'As he said that, he looked at Eri's back.'

'He immediately recognized who it was, and he was very interested in knowing why had such a person walked all the way here to talk with Viera…'

'Still, what drew his attention wasn't her in itself, but the tiny spider creature on her shoulder, that was now gazing at him.'

'Their eyes met, and for a moment, the spider was stunned, it moved its arms, trying to see if Philip was truly seeing it, and Philip waved in response, making it jump in shock as it vanished in the air.'

'Eri also stumbled slightly, but she elegantly continued to walk as if this had never happened.'

"Who are you waving towards?" Viera asked as she looked at the crowd

"Just an interesting thing, I wonder what it was…?"

"You know, your ambiguous way of answering has gotten to my nerves." Viera replied, angered as she crossed her arms

"Huh?"

Why does she look like that?... What did she talk about with that girl?

…

'Time rolled, an hour turned into two, and the party of masks continued to develop.'

'After the time to talk was over, it was time for the Auction… Every table received a small plaque with a number, Philip's was 52.'

'In fact, he was pleasantly surprised no one had approached them, deeming the number of tables, sitting alone like this was quite the luxury.'

'Despite this, the auction was pretty lackluster, most of the items there were indeed interesting, but Philip needed none, nor did he understand their artistical value.'

'Potions of many kinds, interesting weapons, paintings, music instruments, even an entire statue… Many things without any use apart from a collection standpoint…'

'Regardless, it helped him a little in understanding a bit more about the world.'

/THUD!/

"Last bid! The Kaleidoscopic Blue Gem goes to the beautiful lady on table 61!" Said the auctioneer

/Applause/

The last item of the auction was a beautiful circular gem, the size of Philip's fist, that had the ability to convert Magic power into Water.

It may sound incredible, and in a sense, it is indeed a wonder of nature that has been carved by a master cutter into something incredible, but still, it's only useful to make a pretty fountain.

The water it created wasn't useful for anything at all, and no one would risk such a pricy item in combat, since it cannot turn a fireball into a bucket of water at once, it will break.

Only its history is of some use, as this gem was studied long ago, and from it, a branch of magic studies was born... Or so the legends say.

Still, it was enough for a conclusive item at a not-so-serious party.

…

"It's finally over!" Viera said with a smile as she stretched her arms

"It is, time to go back and sleep." Philip replied as he got up from his seat

'He looked towards the main table and thought:'

This will still last another hour…

But even I can tell that the princess is getting bored, or this is the basic attitude to have?

"Come with me." He said with a small smile

"Aren't we leaving?"

"How could that be? We're going to have some fun first." Philip said with a smug smile

"..."

I don't like where…

'But before she could think any further, Philip pulled her hand…'

…

'He led her outside towards the forest, and throughout the entire way, Veira's heart kept beating fast, louder and louder for some reason…'

'Please shut up! She screamed mentally, but her heart refused her orders, it was as if she had run a marathon.'

"Ahhh…"

/Moans…/

'The biggest reason for her embarrassment was due to the faint moans that echoed from deeper and darker parts of the forest…'

'One of which she swore was coming from a bush they passed near not so long ago…'

'Philip finally stopped in front of a tree in a dark section of the forest…'

'He placed Viera against a tree and stopped… Approaching her face…'

"Wait… Wait… Not here please…" She said with a face as red as the dawning sun

MASTERRRRR… PLEASE I… DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOOOOO…

'But Philip simply pressed on… So she simply closed her eyes…'

'Yet, what she expected never came, Philip was simply staring at the forest behind the tree…'

'Before she could ask what was going on…'

"You're here." Someone said behind her

"HIIIII!" She screamed in fright

'Today, many people kept startling her like that…'

'She looked back to see an armored man, taller than her, gazing at Philip with a calm and serene look.'

"Where were you? You took quite some time." Philip replied

'Claire seemed embarrassed.'

"Cough!" He replied with his cheeks slightly flushed

"Apologies, I misunderstood your intentions, I thought you were... That doesn't matter anymore." He said in a low tone

"..."

/Ahhh…/

"Just… Lead us to Rafiel's office. I'll wait for him there."

This place is uncomfortable.

"The office?... I see, in that case, follow me, I hate this place." Claire said as he turned around

Looks like he has decided to stick with that plan, fine, I prefer that as well.

It's safer as well.

"Fucking horny people…" Philip said distastefully as he shook his head

"..."

Phew…

'Veira let out a sigh of relief before going after them in a hurry when she realized she was being left behind.'

'As they walked away, the moans slowly disappeared…'

…

/Fwooosh!/

'As the green carriages slowly flew into the sky, Rafiel raised his head and let out a sigh.'

"It's finally over." He said as he straightened his back

Now I understand what father feels when he hosts a banquet back home… It's tiring.

'This wasn't Rafiel's first time hosting a party, but it was his first time going out of his comfort zone to do so.'

'When there are so many people equal and above his position, it can get very very tiring to manage everything at once.'

"Wrap things up, I'll go rest a little." Rafiel said to the guards and servants around him as he turned around

I'll think of the rest later, I just need a bottle of cold water and my chair, I drank too much already if I drink anymore...

I can't think of anything like this.

"Where is Eri?" He asked with a frown

"She left for her room over 40 minutes ago saying she ate too much, you said goodnight to her as well sir."

"I did?... I…"

I faintly remember it… Well, shit.

This party had many objectives, the main one was to show the world how close I am to her… Who her husband was going to be.

Even if I'm not, it doesn't matter, the presentation is what matters, but it seems that I failed in that as well.

In the end, I got too distracted.

…

'Rafiel made his way past the grand hall, into the interior of the Manor, then, he walked outside, into a paved path in the woods, illuminated by flying lanterns, all the way towards an isolated building.'

'This was the true Manor, the rest were either dormitories for the servants, the armory, the guest hall, and so on.'

'He went to the last floor, towards the only room whose door was a beautiful red…'

/Creak… Snap!/

'Rafiel opened the door and snapped his finger, activating the magic circles in the ceiling of the room, illuminating it.'

"Huh?!" He exclaimed in surprise

"Who the fuck are you?!" He asked angrily as he looked at Viera sitting on a couch in the corner

'She was still using her mask, holding a book within her hands to pass time.'

"..."

'But she did not reply.'

Is she drunk? One of those drunk bitches that comes to my room every once in a while?

How annoying… Her bust is decent and her appearance looks quite appealing, but not today, there's simply too much going on right now.

I'm too tired for this, I'll just call a maid and have her shipped elsewhere…

'But before he said so, he noticed that there was someone sitting on his chair.'

"Huh?!"

This keeps getting even more fucking better… No way…

'A terrible possibility passed through his mind…'

'What if, this lady and man pair had come to his office to… Partake in some illicit activities?!'

'He can tolerate if it's in the forest, he'll ignore it, but in his office?!'

'He swore to himself that if he could, he would have this man's balls cut if that were to be the case.'

"Unfortunately you won't have the chance." Philip said as he spun the chair, revealing his face to Rafiel

"YOU!" Rafiel said shocked

'He had completely forgotten about this man! He had ordered his capture, what happened? Why was he on his chair?!'

"CLARE!" He exclaimed immediately as he jumped backward

'In this situation, he immediately realized that something had gone wrong, and he prioritized his safety over anything else.'

"I'm here, young Lord." Claire said from the corner of the room

"WH…?!"

'Clare had been there the entire time, standing still on the corner of the room, due to Philip's and Veira's presence, he hasn't even noticed it.'

"..."

'It was then that Rafiel realized that something was really wrong…'

'Claire, the strongest knight that had been assigned by his father personally was unmoving despite this situation, it could either mean 2 things:'

'The man in front of him was either with him and hence, not a threat, or he couldn't take on him, having given up already.'

'But the second option is impossible, Claire would never give up if his life was in danger, he would give his own even if it meant buying a few more moments for him.'

'Rafiel knew Claire's personality very well.'

'An old Arch Knight that had been working for the family for well over 40 years, someone that stood next to his father from when he was the heir to the moment he became the head.'

'Claire was also a very passive person. He knew his strength very well, and would immediately stop resisting if the difference was too significant… Opting to negotiate instead.'

'If that wasn't possible, he would often think of a way to retreat, and if that wasn't possible as well, his last resort was to act like any other knight, fight to the death.'

'But it didn't make sense for Philip to be working with him, he was his target…'

'So unless this was some kind of extreme trial, Rafiel knew that the man in front of him was strong.'

"You are much smarter and calmer than the rumors portray, I'm surprised." Philip said as he looked at Rafiel

"..."

How do I turn this around?...

"Although… You're still as arrogant as I expected."

"I won't ask you to apologize, nor anything of the like, that matters little to me, what can I do with words after all?"

"Instead, I want to devise something that could benefit both of us, are you in?" He asked with a small smile

"A deal?... Of what kind?" Rafael asked interested

Perhaps this is it...

"Simple, the reason you approached me was due to momentary anger, but that turned into a profit-oriented way of thinking after you realized who I was."

"You felt you had an opportunity, and you made use of your resources to make it a possibility, a nice way of thinking if you have the situation under control that is." Philip said in a slight mocking tone

"You wanted to sell my well-being, but you didn't even ask for my permission." Philip said deeply

'He looked at Rafiel and frowned.'

[Predator's presence LvMax]

"!"

'Rafiel felt the world twist around him as a feeling of dread took over his mind…'

'He was feeling fear, overwhelming fear.'

'He could determine that the man had done something against him, but at this moment, he wanted to do nothing but ran to the door behind him.'

/BAM!/

'But the door closed on its own.'

"Let's continue."

"What I propose is simple, you'll forget about me, and I'll forget about you, our paths will likely not intertwine again."

"You may think it's unfair, and I digress, you are receiving something from your end." Philip said deeply as he raised his right hand

'It was holding something… It was a long object…'

"?!?! MY…"

(I know...)

'Rafiel looked at his right shoulder and…'

"FUUUUCK!" He screamed loudly as the pain suddenly hit

'At that moment, Philip smiled like a demon as the walking cane on his left hand was wet in blood.'

'Rafiel continued to scream, but he found himself unable to move.'

"Now now, calm down."

'Surprisingly, Rafiel did shut up for a moment.'

"An arm is very precious in your Family, right? Considering what you all do for a living. So I think things balance out."

"In exchange for your arm, you'll stop getting in my way, what do you think of this offer? Is it to your liking? I can add a few more items if it's insufficient…" He asked as he looked at Rafiel's leg

"NO!... No… It's enough…" Rafiel said as he bit his lips

"Great! Here, Claire, can you get us the contract I asked you to make?"

"Co-Contract?" Rafiel asked with a pale face

"Yes of course? It's the basis of a deal!" Philip said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

'Claire calmly placed the contract in front of Rafiel.'

'Rafiel stared at him as if he had betrayed him, anger, resentment, and many other emotions passed through his eyes at that moment.'

'Claire averted his gaze, he couldn't stare at his lord, albeit, from the bottom of his heart, he wished to say: I told you to stop.'

'And Rafiel knew that, and the price was now his blood… And a lot of…'

"This is?!" Rafiel exclaimed as he read the contract

'There was no way he would just sign something without reading it, what if it was a slave contract?'

'At the very end was a large verse that read:'

"Party B will compensate party A for… Mental damages?! And the value is… To be determined by party A?!" He said out loud

"Yes, I feel tired after dealing with your bullshit, so I'll need some financial compensation." Philip said slowly

'But the true meaning of his words was: Give me all your money you fucking idiot.'

"I… I can't…"

"Oh there, you better watch your words, you wouldn't want this to… Burn." Philip said as flames slowly took over Rafiel's arm

"Re-Attaching a limb is easy, making a new one would cost well over everything I'm requesting…"

"STOP! MY FUCKING ARM… Please… I'll pay…" Rafiel asked as he fell onto the ground

"Then… Oh, and one thing, I would implore that you reconsider what you're thinking right now." Philip said as his eyes flashed red

"If you activate any of the formations within this room, I'll have your arm minced to pieces, and that may not be the only thing I turn into paste."

'Claire's eyes opened wide, but they quickly returned to normal...'

"..."

'Rafiel let his blood fall over his thumb before he pressed it on the contract, stamping it.'

'Claire grabbed the contract and gave it to Philip.'

'Once on his hands, he smiled and clapped his hands.'

"It's done, what a nice deal."

'He gave the arm to claire and got up from his chair.'

"Let us depart Viera, I'm sleepy." Philip said as he gave his hand to Viera

"Good night, Mr. Claire and Lord Rafiel, may you two have a nice night." He said as he walked toward Rafiel

'He put his hand on Rafiel's right shoulder and said:'

"Oh! You may want to give him some help… He looks quite pale." He mocked slightly before he left the room

/Clack!/

'The door to the room closed, and Claire immediately kneeled next to Rafiel, giving him a purple-colored potion bottle and his arm.'

'Rafiel snatched it away and poured the contents onto his shoulder before attaching the arm himself.'

'Breathing heavily, he got up from the ground and walked towards his office chair.'

'He grabbed a bottle of alcohol and chugged it down.'

'In no moment did he say a single thing to Claire.'

"I'll… Take my leave young Lord." Claire said as he left the room

"Call… Call someone to clean this mess." Rafiel said slowly, trying to recover his breath

'Claire nodded.'

/Clack!/

"..."

'Rafiel looked at his reflection on the window, at his bloodied clothes and rough appearance.'

"Philip… Polter." He said slowly without any emotion on his face

…

/Outside in the forest…/

"Did you like the party?" Philip asked Viera

"... No."

"Why?"

"Too… Much. Too… Boring."

"I get you." Philip said with a smile

"... Aren't we going to discuss what just happened?" Viera asked deeply

"Do we need to?"

"You were pretty… Serious there, if that's the word for it."

"Sigh, I'm not entirely proud either, I would've preferred to talk, but that was the only way."

"You sure?"

"... No." Philip replied with a smile

'Viera rolled her eyes.'

"..."

'She took a deep breath and asked:'

"Which one is the real you then? This Philip, or that one back there?" She asked as she took up the pace

"Huh?..."

'Philip stopped walking, and for a moment, he really considered that.'

"The real me you ask?..."

'When did he feel the most comfortable? Himself?'

"..."

'In the end, he smiled and said:'

"I would say, I prefer to be the Philip that jokes around, trains in the afternoon visit exotic places, and acts carefree when relaxed."

"I see…"

"Hm?"

'Philip turned to the side, he swore he felt someone looking at him…'

Is that guy looking at me through his window or something?

{Sorry to interrupt, but I believe you may be in danger} Laplabe interrupted

...

.

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Notes

MUWAHAHAHAAH! THE CLIF DEMON STRIKES AGAIN!

You wanted happiness, but you got nothing, wait now in anguish!

Nooo! Looks like this time, I wasn't strong enough to stop the deadline demon... (Said the author)

In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, perhaps the punishment wasn't that climatic, it was my first time ever dealing with a young master, so I'm confused.

Hopefully, there won't be more young masters in the future...

Have a nice day and week!

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{Sorry to interrupt, but I believe you may be in danger} Laplabe interrupted

'Philip's expression did not change as he continued to walk forward.'

{It was for a split moment, but I felt the presence of that strong figure near us, it may have tailed us} Laplabe said slowly

{You felt it too didn't you? Although it was more of an instinct...}

{What should I do then?} Philip asked

{I don't think this person is here to cause you harm, but that doesn't change the fact you may be in danger}

{... Alright, tell me, where is this person?} Philip asked as he continued to walk in the silent forest

{A few trees ahead, on top of a...} Laplabe explained

'Philip smiled slightly, closing his eyes and letting the cold wind blow on his skin.'

'1 tree... 2 trees...'

'The final tree.'

"HUFF!"

'Philip took a deep breath, taking out the DarkLight sword from his inventory.'

'The sword immediately transformed, shining in its eerie and majestic purple light.'

[Ripper Mode Lv14 has been activated]

'As the world slowed down around him, Philip continued to press forward.'

'His sword suddenly burst in flames, its speed increasing like a bullet leaving a gun barrel..'

[Ignition Strike LvMax has activated]

'All of his strength, everything he had, he didn't know who it was, it didn't matter to him, if this person had good intentions, then he would simply apologize.'

'If he hadn't than this would be the first strike to seal the victory.'

'What if he had good intentions, but ended up dead?... Philip did not think this far.'

'His muscles tensed as he got into a stance, bluish energy coursing through his skin, a combination of Inhuman Martial arts, Rodrigues Perfected Shadow Technique, and the Pthumerian Combat art.'

'Something that he previously couldn't do, because his body couldn't take it, now felt like a breeze...'

'Philip was using everything he had with this new, stronger body of his, it felt amazing.'

'The flow, the strain, everything was better, he felt as free as ever...'

'As his purple sword cleaved the air towards the seemingly dark tree, Philip smiled, while Viera still walked, unaware of what was happening, she couldn't even react to it.'

'After all, from Philip's perspective, everything was in slow motion.'

"?!"

'A few instances before the sword could collide with the tree, a shadowy figure jumped and slashed what seemed to be a pair of mantis-style blades, trying to intercept the sword.'

'It was impressive, Philip was in awe, to react and strike in this extremely small period of time, whoever he was facing... There was a reason why Laplabe said he was in danger.'

'It this extremely small moment but equally eternal, but Philip noticed who his enemy was, it was a woman with jet black hair, looking at him with extremely agape eyes.'

'Her face was blocked by a bandana, but it was clear she was tense, perhaps she felt fear of the blade, or she was simply caught off guard...'

'Philip was strong, albeit not strong enough to be a threat to those at the top, he was fast, fast enough to give them a scare...'

/SLASH!/

/BAM!/

"KYA?!" Viera exclaimed as she was suddenly thrown away due to the air pressure

What happened?!

'It was impossible to discern the final result of their confrontation as the wind pressure was too great, sending dust and debris all around.'

/CRACK!/

/BOOOM!/

'From outside, the seemingly calm forest suddenly flashed purple, and a massive dark-purple wave rose from within, cutting the entire ceiling of the cavern the Manor was built in, and a good portion of the forest in half!'

'It was like a tsunami, unstoppable.'

/Tremble!/

'The entire place started vibrating, seemingly on the verge of collapsing!'

'As giant rocks started to fall, several dozen magic formations activated, halting the collapse as if time had frozen.'

'The purple wave finally stopped, but it left behind a lot of destruction...'

'What happened?'

...

.

.

.

Notes

No more words for you. Chop chop, go read my other Novels.

The end may need a bit more work, I kind of wrote it on a whim since I was planning on leaving it for the next chapter, but I didn't want to have you all suffer... Much.

Well, then Peace!