Chapter 310: Stealing the Show
High in the sky above the battlefield, Vivi clashed against Alexander Petrovic. Two wings of flame emerged from her back, shedding light and heat to the surrounding air, while her eyes burned with fervor. Her red dress, made of fireproof material, reflected the light like it was on fire itself.
She charged. Spreading her arms, flames appeared, melding into each other to form a dancing snake. She then waved her hands smoothly, causing the flames to dance like a riverbank snaking through the terrain, moving unpredictably yet unstoppably towards Alexander.
Compared to her fluid power, his was rigid and austere. The ice wings flapped once, but with great power. His body shot forward, twin swords crossed before his chest, and he snapped them both at the river of fire.
Sparks flew everywhere like a rain of candles. The ice swords turned red, melting inch by inch, but his ice reinforced and replenished them. He pushed through the fire with a hard face.
Vivi let Alexander flow through the river. One of her hands moved smoothly sideways, guiding what remained of the flames to brush against one of Alexanders swords and send it off-course, while her other hand snapped the whip at him. It wrapped around his second sword as if it had a life of its own, softening its swing. The flames, which had previously dispersed, now regrouped, using their momentum to turn around and attack Alexander again.
This was the nature of Vivis powers. Small flames, each burning weakly but achieving great power when combined like the droplets of a river. A constant motion, twisting and reusing the same river again and again like a flame that danced without ever going out. Hers was mastery over momentum and persistence, a fluid union of infinite tiny forces.
Alexander was the exact opposite. His power depended on powerful, singular attacks. There was no union or fluidity there, only rigidness and sharpness. His every sword strike was a powerful swing from beginning to end, made with no consideration for retreat. After attacking, he needed a long time to recover, which was why he used two swords.
Alexander raised his sword to the sky. The cold air of the Pacific froze over his blade, turning into spikes of ice that rode the wind to fly at Vivi. She crossed her wings. Each ice spike melted as it passed through, turning into harmless water and puffs of steam.
In the same movement that shed wrapped her wings, shed summoned fire from her sides. Two streams flew at Alexander, each aiming for one of his wings, but he let himself fall under them and rise back from below, twisting his swords like a maelstrom of power. Vivi brandished her bluefire whip, cracking it repeatedly and forcing him to keep his distance.
Their battle had been going on for some time now, and it seemed balanced. However, Vivi couldnt stop the drops of sweat from forming on her forehead. They werent caused by heat, as she was immune, but by fear. And the reason for that, she absolutely couldnt let Alexander know.
Flames erupted in a geyser. The river that had never stopped flowing grew larger, breaking from one snake into multiple that danced in concert with each other, sometimes uniting and others separating. Each small stream was as wide as a person and could incinerate trees in a second.
At the same time, Alexanders ice could freeze over hell. Fine! he shouted, laughing. Lets go harder!
Spreading his arms, the air itself froze around him. The flame rivers roared as they drilled into the ice, but it held strong. Alexander then moved his arms sharply, causing the ice to extend in sharp, fast, finger-wide columns that aimed to pierce Vivi. At that size, their freezing speed was extreme, and she barely managed to escape. Blood flowed from multiple scrapes on her body. They were quickly licked and healed by flames, but regeneration wasnt cheap.
Its your choice, Vivi! Alexander shouted. Drag out the fight until your army loses, or go all-out and die first!
Due to the nature of their powers, there was a caveat to this fight. If Vivi wanted to stay alive and waste Alexanders time, she could do it very easily. She was much more slippery than him. However, if she wanted to defeat him, she would need to commit harder, which would give him an opening to strike back.
Unfortunately for Vivi, the battle below wasnt going well. An unknown person had appeared to block Edgar, their strongest fighter alongside herself, letting all his previous opponents join the fight against the alliances main army. The professor was doing a stellar job holding on, but it was clear that, if nothing happened, their army would soon be destroyed.
Vivi had to make the difference. With a scream to the sky, her flames intensified. The vague shape of a phoenix appeared around her, cladding her in soft green flames, and she dove into melee range.
Alexander laughed. You cant beat me! he shouted. The ice of his wings extended over his limbs, coating and enhancing them. He was faster, stronger, and more durable than before, protected from the burns she could inflict. The two clashed head-to-head. Vivis whip and phoenix claws dug at Alexanders armor, while his swords carved her flames, extinguishing them.
Vivi delivered an overhead strike. Alexander raised a sword to block, then used the other to stab at her legs. She pulled them up, but Alexander was there again, folding one of his wings to slash at her waist. Fear flashed in her eyes. She turned around, completely abandoning her attack to defend, taking the hit squarely in the back and getting sent flying. Blood spurted out. The injury on her back healed, but her breath grew shorter.
She looked back at her opponent with calm eyes, but deep inside, she was terrified. Did he notice? she wondered. Please, God, let him be an idiot.
Alexander just stared at her. He betrayed nothing. He charged again, slashing his swords in rapid succession. Vivi used her flame-coated arms to defend once, twice, thrice. His boot kicked at her shin, then his wing came flying directly towards her stomach, where the flames were densest. She could easily take this attack. She could let it land to strike back of her ownafter all, she could heal, while Alexander could not.
Yet, she completely pulled back to defend. Both arms were crossed before her stomach, blocking Alexanders wing but giving him an opening to slash at her upper arm, the sword almost reaching the bone. Vivi screamed as she flew back. Alexander did not give chaseinstead, he started laughing.
I knew it! he shouted to the sky. The loose dress, the secrecy Oh, it should have tipped me off. What a fool you are, Vivi. You went and got yourself pregnant before the deciding battle!
He laughed with joy again, while Vivis face paled from fear. She didnt even know what to say. He was right. The reason she protected her belly so intensely was because, inside it, there was a little baby growing.
Tell me, whose it is? Alexander asked. And dont you dare lie, or Ill kill you both.
Jacks, she replied in a low voice.
Impossible! He left eleven months ago!
There are Dao drugs that can delay a pregnancy, she said, finding her strength again. The baby is Jacks. I have been with no one else since. But you have seen his strength; he isnt even afraid of the Animal Kingdom. If you dare harm his child, he will find you and destroy you.
His smile turned crooked. Is that a threat?
It is a fact.
Your facts, my dear Vivi, are outdated. Jack Rust is hunted by an Ancestor of the Animal Kingdom. He can never set foot on Earth again. Even if he does, the planetary overseer will catch him long before he can reach me.
Vivis face paled. What are you talking about? she said. What do you mean?
I mean that I can do whatever the fuck I wantboth to you and the little bastard inside you.
You wouldnt dare. Even you cant be that wicked.
I prefer the word efficient.
Dont you dare, Alexander! Show mercy! Dont attack the baby!
Hmph! You deliver me a weakness, and you expect me not to use it? Grow up, woman! This is the cultivation world! Strength rules all, and the only virtue is power! Alexander laughed again, filled with hidden bitterness this time, conjuring a hundred ice spikes in the air around him. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for spreading your legs.
Burning, bitter hatred rose up in Vivis throat like bile. It was accompanied by freezing terror and dark despair. All those emotions culminated in her soul, where her Dao burned brightly, releasing wave after wave of scorching air. She turned into a burning oven. Even her hair caught on fire. The wind around her felt like it came from the depths of hell, and her phoenix outline grew denser, almost solid.
Die! she screamed, unleashing a barrage of flames. There were hundreds of them, thousands. They combined into a river that splashed at Alexander, each drop enough to burn a normal human.
Alexander only laughed. His ice spikes shot forth, extinguishing an area of the flame river and letting him slither through. The river flowed around and chased him, but he was already at close quarters. His sword slashed at her belly. She grimaced and used both hands to defend, leaving nothing to chance, but that resulted in his second strike cleaving at her shoulder, reaching the bone.
She screamed as she fell. Her wings flapped, righting her, then the whip reappeared and cracked towards him, snapping out ten times in the blink of an eye. She wanted to keep him at range at all costs, but if he was determined to approach, she couldnt really stop him. Not when he knew her weakness. A hail of ice spikes fell directly towards her belly, forcing her to dodge awkwardly, and he was on her again, his face a cold, calculating mask.
She blocked the strike again, but an ice wing grazed her chest, drawing a thick line of blood.
Vivi felt desperate.
She hadnt planned on getting pregnant. She didnt think it would happen. By the time she found out, it was too late. She had delayed it for as long as medically possible, as giving birth during the war would give Alexander a gigantic opening to strike at. Even now, the pregnancy wasnt advanced enough to hinder her battle power, but there was nothing she could do if someone deliberately struck at her belly.
She felt helpless. This baby had come at the worst possible moment.
Now, her people desperately needed her to hold back Alexander. Would she fight while pregnant? Or would she, the warrior queen of the alliance, not appear in the final battle?
She had decided to appear, but this was the price. She couldnt let even the weakest of strikes reach her belly. Part of her Dao was focused on protecting the baby from the temperature shifts.
She couldnt fight like that!
Alexander was relentless. He dove after her again and again, not giving her a moment to rest. His attacks came mercilessly for her belly, forcing her to defend excessively, then using those openings to strike everywhere else. He was exploiting her weakness and there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to howl and scream in outrage. She was strong. She was a warrior queen. She was the leader of her people. Under normal circumstances, she could match Alexanderbut not now! Not like this!
She shouted in despair. As Alexander approached, she opened her mouth and charged up a large-scale attack, combusting the air so hard it turned into a bomb. A fiery ray built up inside her mouth, ready to be unleashed. She expected Alexander to meet this attack with his ownsuch a frontal collision was her only hope.
However, Alexander only laughed. He dove at her, completely exposing himself to her attack. If she kept going, she could hit him directly, possibly killing him on the spot, and the most she would receive in return was one sword attack. She would win the battle and maybe the war.
But his sword was stabbing directly at her belly.
Vivi interrupted her attack, causing it to explode in her mouth. Smoke wafted out from her nose and lips. Her eyes shook. She ignored the damage to redirect all her Dao and attention to her arms, which shot out to block the blade. Her phoenix outline was pierced. The blade met her flame-coated skin and reached the bone, then the impact sent her flying downward, crashing hard into the concerts central stage. Vanderdecken, who was still signing in the vicinity to enhance the alliance army, quickly ran away, leaving them alone.
When the dust cleared, the entire battle, the entire world saw Alexander standing over a fallen Vivi, holding one of his swords at her neck. They gasped. The professor, who knew that Vivi was carrying her grandchild, felt her heart skip a beat.
You are weak, Alexander said with disappointment. You can always make more babies. You should have just sacrificed this one; now, all you achieved was the death of both of you.
Vivi felt tears welling in her eyes, but she pushed them down. She was a warrior queen. She was strong. If this was her death, she would stare it in the eye.
I despise you with every fiber of my being, she spat out, meaning every word. She raised her head, exposing her neck. Go on. Take my life. But know that, once Jack returns, you will be the first to die.
Alexander laughed. He will never dare to return. But so be it. Look at me, everyone, he shouted to both armies. Though they were still mid-battle, some people turned to look. Watch as I kill the enemy leader. This day marks the beginning of a new erathe era of the strong. The era of the Animal Kingdom and the Ice Peak. The era of Alexander Petrovic!
His ice sword stabbed down.
Brown fur flew through the air. The wind whistled. The tip of a stone staff came out of nowhere and smashed hard into Alexanders nose, breaking it and sending him rolling on the central stage. Drops of blood were left behind where he crashed.
Argh! he shouted, looking up. Who dares!?
Brock stood proud and tall. Vivi was safe behind him, her eyes still glazed over from expecting death. His staff remained extended, and his entire body was still, burning with barely contained, righteous fury. A pair of hard eyes were trained on Alexander.
Brock had never felt more determined to kill someone.
I dare, he said. You do not deserve to breathe. For Big Sis and Fatherprepare to die.
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