Alicia could not bear to hear these words. She lunged forward, launching her first attack with her sword, angling it vertically to cut through everything in its path.
However, Leon managed to evade the strike by leaping backward slightly. He was holding a piece of roasted meat in his hand, took a bite, and while the remnants of the meat were still in his mouth, he babbled provocatively: "Hoo, not bad. I've seen many swordsmen in my life, and I guarantee you're not the worst of them."
In Leon's eyes, these words were a complete compliment, but in Alicia's eyes, they were pure mockery of her and her swordsmanship. She responded with her actions once more, tilting her sword toward Leon and swinging it several consecutive times in an attempt to strike him, yet she failed regardless.
Alicia gritted her teeth and muttered, "Tch, it seems you aren't just a paper tiger as I imagined." Then she shouted loudly, "But don't get too full of yourself; the real battle hasn't even begun yet!"
On the opposite side, Leon replied after finishing the piece of meat in his hand, "I agree with you. The real battle hasn't even begun yet."
For the first time since the fight started, Leon took an offensive stance. He moved with lightning speed—so fast that the onlookers were unable to track his movement, except for Christine, who could see the displacement of air left by Leon's motion, and Alicia, who managed to see Leon despite his extreme speed.
The moment Leon stopped, he appeared directly behind Alicia. His right hand was positioned next to her neck, his nails appearing as sharp as small blades. At that moment, a single move and Alicia's head would have rolled on the ground—and so would Leon's.
While on one side Leon's sharp nails were nearly slicing Alicia's throat, Alicia's sword was doing the same, resting above Leon's shoulder right next to his neck. Had either of them made a wrong move, both their heads would have fallen together.
On Alicia's side, sweat was pouring from her forehead; she was slightly tense, having barely managed to stop Leon in this standoff. Leon, on the other hand, also seemed to be in a state of unexpected shock. He commented on the scene, saying: "If you hadn't known that I had no intention of slitting your throat, my head would have fallen already. I truly acknowledge your skills; therefore, I think I will place you among those elite swordsmen I have fought."
Alicia was impressed by this comment. Deep down, she knew her opponent surpassed her in experience and strength, but being able to put him in this position made her feel increasingly proud of herself. A faint smile of self-satisfaction crossed her face.
This scene did not last much longer. Leon retreated backward, while Alicia stepped forward three paces from where she stood to tighten her grip on her sword and resume her attack anew.
Wild flames ignited from Alicia's blade; they did not stop at the blade but engulfed her entire body, signaling that the proceedings of this fight had evolved to another level.
In response, Leon had surrounded himself with a layer of dense magical particles, making it look like a mana shield protecting him. However, this shield did not deter Alicia from attacking. She swung her sword, cutting a piece of Leon's clothing before he could maneuver away.
But before Leon could grasp the situation, Alicia vanished from his sight. He then felt a wild heat behind him, seeing with his own eyes that scorching fireball Alicia had thrust toward him.
The distance between the fireball and Leon at that moment was practically zero. The ball slammed into Leon's back, knocking him to the ground as he writhed in pain.
Alicia watched the scene with enjoyment while still suspended in the air, that suspicious smile never leaving her face.
Alicia looked toward Christine and all the bystanders nearby in an attempt to spite them, as if to say: Even if you bring in some hired mercenaries, I will remain the strongest and the protector of this fortress.
However, the expression on Christine's face was not what Alicia had hoped to see. He placed his hand on his head as if warning Alicia of what was coming, but she did not understand what he meant.
Before Alicia's foot could touch the ground, a shadow clinging to the earth moved to seize her foot while she was still in mid-air. It swung her body and threw it violently toward a nearby wall.
Alicia slammed into the wall with such force that part of it collapsed under the impact. Leon then appeared standing on his feet, dusting off his cloak before saying to Helmud: "Hey Helmud, this cloak you gave me is truly high quality."
Before Helmud could respond to Leon's words, a massive explosion echoed from the rubble where Alicia lay. In a spectacular display, scorching tongues of flame ignited to melt the rocks. Due to the intensity of the heat, the water in the small pond began to evaporate; even the onlookers watching from a distance felt the heatwave.
From amidst those flames, a faint light emerged—a bright red glow in the form of two dots hidden by the fire—before a deep voice, dominated by rage, called out: "You... you have gone too far."
Leon realized the words were directed at him, though he feigned a bit of ignorance before answering: "Your father's assistant told you already, so why do you insist on showing this foolish side of yourself?"
Every time Leon spoke, he made matters worse. Alicia did not even accept Leon's presence in their home; she saw him as a provocative and arrogant guest, much like the arrogant noble guests of her father she had grown accustomed to, who never suited her taste.
At this moment, when the situation seemed at its worst and there was no room for retreat—especially since Alicia had pushed it this far—Leon was thinking of a quick way to end the matter without having to harm Albert's daughter.
"How about we stop here? I think you've become certain of your inability to defeat me, so cease this folly of yours." But despite Leon's offer, Alicia's pride prevented her from accepting it. She responded by unleashing high-risk fire magic shaped like a projectile of destructive flame, which shot toward Leon at maximum speed.
Leon quickly took counter-action to block the attack. He flicked his cloak, holding it sideways toward the incoming strike in a scene that drew groans of disbelief from the audience.
Boom!
The flaming projectile exploded the moment it touched Leon's cloak, but he emerged from the blast with ease, suffering no significant damage. This made Alicia wonder internally: Tch, how did he block a direct hit from these fire strikes? Even if his body were made of steel, he should have at least taken more damage.
To review the event: seconds before the impact, Leon had given the "Alternative Assistant" an order as follows: "Hey, Alternative Assistant, the moment contact occurs between my body and this attack, I want you to open the Storage Dimension and absorb all the pressure, transferring it there. This cloak will absorb the remaining magic damage."
[Notification: As you wish. I will open the Storage Dimension the moment contact occurs between the player's body and this attack, and I will absorb the largest possible amount of explosion energy.]
As Leon slowly advanced toward Alicia, who was firing an incessant barrage of these fiery attacks—with Leon blocking them in the same manner as the first—Alicia was unable to comprehend it. How could this being withstand all these attacks without sustaining any noticeable injury? She was in a state of both shock and terror.
As Leon approached like a nightmare drawing closer and closer, his feet finally stopped taking any further steps forward.
A loud scream rang through the area, causing Leon to halt. The content of the scream was: "Stop, Sir Leon! Stop! It is over."
Leon glanced to the right to find a familiar person looking down at them from his room window. Albert had finally woken up; signs of fatigue marked his face, but that did not stop him from halting the event.
Leon replied: "You've finally woken up. That's good. But I need to settle some matters with this girl, and I don't think you're going to stop me."
At that moment, Alicia screamed at the top of her lungs: "Father! You're finally awake?" It was as if she had completely ignored Leon's existence, turning all her focus toward her father, who was watching her from that window.