Paul didn't need to wait long at the edge of the forest.
As soon as he arrived, he removed his battle gear.
This was customary during duels, since the winner and loser were to be decided by their skills, not their equipment.
Less than half an hour after he arrived, a group of people rushed his way with Mio Yuki at the front.
-I see you didn't run away.
She said, stopping a few meters away from him.
-Why would I run away?
Paul asked with a sneer.
-You will pay for destroying my family's heirloom.
As for the two women, who you say have my sister's and cousins' belongings, you will tell me where they are.
The woman said confidently.
-These two are in the twelfth realm, as far as I know, and as for the flute, I see no problem in destroying my property.
Paul smiled as he told her that,
He was not worried about Mia and Maya, since, according to what he was told, their clan was powerful and there was little chance for someone from the Yuki clan to go all the way to the twelfth realm to look for them.
-Well, no matter, you will tell me everything I wish to know sooner or later.
Mio said, not believing a word of what he just said
It was ludicrous even to suggest that women from the highest realm would be here and even accept the belongings of two young ladies from her clan as gifts.
-I already told you, it's not my fault you don't believe me.
Paul shrugged with a smile on his face.
This worked like a slap to the woman's face.
-Do you take me for a fool?
She said coldly, taking out her sword and attacking without any warning.
Seeing that Paul also took out his sword and prepared to fight.
They clashed, with a deafening noise as their swords moved like lightning, cutting, stabbing, and parrying the incoming attacks.
-Maybe not a fool, but you are definitely crazy.
Paul answered her question when they separated after a few seconds of intense fighting.
He was surprised that he held his own so easily against an opponent more than a stage above him in cultivation.
Mio Yuki was no less surprised, as she expected an easy victory, but her opponent turned out to be her match in strength and speed, despite their cultivation gap.
The only thing that she had an advantage in was her swordsmanship and experience.
Hearing his words, she was angered even more than before, and with a roar, she lunged at him, intending to pierce him with her blade.
Paul was ready and parried the attack before responding with a horizontal cut, but she avoided the attack, which missed by millimeters.
Then began another heated exchange of blows between the two of them.
The servants from the Yuki clan whom Mio brought with her were looking at their mistress in disbelief.
It was their first time seeing anyone being able to withstand her attacks while being more than a stage below her in cultivation.
The two of them clashed time after time, with short breaks as they separated, every few seconds.
This lasted for around five minutes, and neither of them could gain any decisive advantage over their opponent.
However, Paul got cut a few times when his timing was off to dodge or parry the woman's attack.
Luckily, these were shallow cuts, and he healed them almost immediately.
-Enough of this, Ice spears!
The woman shouted as they separated again.
It was humiliating for her to take this long to fight a weaker opponent, without claiming victory.
The moment she said this, around a dozen meter-long icicles formed around her and were launched at Paul.
Paul didn't say a word and simply waved his hand, unleashing lightning that destroyed all the projectiles mid-air
He knew that everyone in the Yuki clan was an ice mage, so this attack didn't surprise him one bit.
-It's my turn.
Paul smiled.
-Lightning whip.
He said before raising his hand and bringing it down, holding lightning that moved like a whip.
-Ice shield.
Mio shouted, shocked that her attack failed, and now her opponent retaliated.
A thick, round piece of Ice formed before her hand.
Her shield deflected the attack but was destroyed in the process.
This stunned her for a moment, since she never expected such a powerful spell from Paul.
-Lightning swarm.
Paul said again calmly, using her moment of disbelief to launch another spell.
As soon as he said that, tens of small lightnings formed around him, buzzing like a swarm of hornets.
A moment later, they all launched at Mio, and she barely had the time to erect an Ice wall to shield herself from this attack.
The small lightning slammed into the wall, producing a sound like fireworks.
Under this attack, the ice wall started to crack, but it held out.
For the next few minutes, neither of them approached each other and fired off spells one after the other.
The longer this fight dragged out, the more in disbelief Mio Yuki was.
She could understand that the man before her could match her strength and speed; in the end, he was a man, so he was naturally stronger than her
However, even in magic, he matched her firepower and forced her to be on the defensive.
What's more, he used only the lightning attribute, and it was evident that he knew a lot of spells for it, most of which she had only heard or read about.
To add insult to injury, she heard that he had at least three other attributes, but simply didn't use them.
Since she could not break through his defenses, she decided to wait him out.
In the end, he was more than a stage below her in cultivation, so he should be out of mana soon.
After another few rounds of exchanging magical attacks, Mio understood that she had underestimated her opponent, as Paul used spell after spell, like they didn't cost him any mana at all, while her own reserves dwindled with each exchange.
In the end, she decided to use her last resort spell to end it before she ran out of mana.
She erected another Ice wall, this time thicker than any of the previous ones.
-Ice mirror.
She said, and a mirror made of ice manifested before her, its surface shining with blue light.
Without a moment's hesitation, she stabbed at it with her sword, feeling the sensation of the blade hitting its mark.
The ice mirror was a spell that allowed her to attack anyone within two hundred meters as long as she knew where her opponent was.
It was a secret spell of her clan, and it was meant to be used only as a last resort since it used a lot of mana.
As soon as she took back her sword, she sighed in relief, seeing the blood on the blade.
Unfortunately for her, at that moment, she dropped her guard, thinking that it was all over.
Mio realized her mistake, too late, as an incendiary bomb smashed next to her and exploded, setting everything within a two-meter radius on fire.
She jumped away, managing to avoid the flames, but what greeted her after her jump was a kick that sent her into the air, as it connected with her ribs and pushed all the air out of her lungs.
She fell to the ground, struggling to breathe and understand what had just happened.
A moment later, just as her breathing got back under control, she felt a cold, sharp point of a sword on her neck.
Mio looked at the man holding the blade with fear.
She was defeated, and Paul could now end her if he wished.