Obvious Trap (7)

Their second battle began similar to their first. Alicia took advantage of her whip sword's unpredictability to launch an attack, however, Adrian's response was much better.

He knocked the sword to the ground, and then pinned it under his axe. Alicia conjured arrows of water above her head to shoot at him, but they were all blocked by a wall that rose from the ground. Around the same time, water arrows also attacked Adrian from behind, but a strengthened barrier was enough for them.

'So he didn't need the shield.'

Alicia wouldn't be helpless without her sword, but she would inevitably have a harder time fending him off so she didn't want to give up on the weapon too soon.

"River Serpent Art!"

In response to Alicia activating her technique, a gentle blue light came from the sword before that light condensed into a powerful current of water. When this water burst out, Adrian felt great resistance from the blade, but his axe was still pressed down on it. However, it was no longer in direct contact with the blade. Now that there was a film of water between the blade and his axe, Alicia was able to retract her sword.

Adrian showed that he could deal with her weapon, but Alicia didn't think he truly understood the complexity of it yet. Alicia swung the whip sword at him again, but this time, it split into three water snakes and targeted Adrian from different directions after circumventing the wall he constructed. He raised his eyebrow at this new technique, but he calmly placed his back against the wall and spun his axe to repel the incoming strikes.

With 'Palette of Fate', Alicia could still clearly see what he was doing, so she was able to pick the perfect timing to summon a geyser from beneath his feet.

"Kuh!"

Barriers made by cultivators could be adjusted, but everyone in the Earth Realm tended to use the same basic barrier spell and then adjusted its strength or size when necessary. Due to this, the strengths and weaknesses of the spell were well-known, for example, the fact that the barrier wouldn't extend to one's feet unless they did so consciously or they were in the air.

As the water rushed inside Adrian's barrier, he was forced to release the spell, giving Alicia the perfect opportunity she was looking for. She swung her sword, wrapping it around the orb of water that she molded around him, and made four mudras with her free hand.

"Water Serpent Prison!"

Adrian was now trapped in the water orb, so like any other low-level cultivator, he would eventually drown. However, though angry, there was no fear on his face for he could use the simplest method to escape this.

"!!!"

If there was only one, maybe two cultivation levels between them, then this might have been ended the battle, but Alicia wasn't a genius who could restrain a foe three levels above her with a spell like this. By exerting force on the seal with his powerful nature energy, Adrian was able to pressure it into popping. Alicia tried to hold him back, but that only resulted in blood spurting from the hand she held her sword with. Awoken from her mental prison by that sight, Emily stumbled forward and reached her hand out.

"Alicia!"

Alicia smiled, thinking that the girl was finally get her head back in place, but she didn't have the ease to feel glad as the water orb burst and Adrian came towards her with his axe poised for an overhead swing.

"Die!"

Alicia quickly focused on her barrier and prepared for impact, but a moment before that, she glimpsed a golden light.

"Move aside."

The golden figure slammed into Adrian, and effortlessly knocked him through several buildings. This was the first time she had looked at his colours, but it was more entrancing than she thought it would be. The gold colour concealed his past and future potential, but his emotional state and intention could be seen as tiny sparks so she knew that he was angry. Usually, she wouldn't place too much emphasis on his looks because she was used to seeing prestigious young masters, but clad in the golden light, he possessed an air of mystery and dignity that nearly had her swooning.

Afraid that she would become further enthralled by his appearance, Alicia suppressed her innate ability and shook her head. Regardless, there was no need for her to use it anymore.

"Thanks. It seems you got into more trouble than I expected."

"Hmph, keep your 'thanks', I'll expect payment for this later."

"Sure."

He didn't turn to face them, but that familiar back brought relief to both Alicia and Emily. Unfortunately, it was only temporary for Emily. She was certain that he could handle Adrian without trouble, but she was nowhere close to collecting her thoughts on his betrayal. Emily fidgeted in place, but she didn't want to be a selfish girl who forced him to carry out her whims. However, she had forgotten. Wasn't it always him who picked up the burdens she stubbornly held onto?

"Don't worry. I'll just calm him down so you two can have a talk."

"! Th, thank you!"

Shui waved his hand to tell her that it was fine. Her gratitude was welcome, but not necessary. From the moment he was informed, Shui was prepared to end this incident with his own two hands. Their injuries only strengthened that resolve.

After the concert, he stayed back to exchange information with Maha, which included a list of cities that idol concerts were regularly held at, as well as her idol recommendations. She seemed glad that he was interested in idols and offered to attend another concert with him in the future. Shui wasn't sure if she had ulterior motives, but the idea didn't sound bad so he agreed.

Alia was still nagging him, so he proposed buying her something as an apology, but before she could excitedly make her request, Shui noticed one of Alicia's secret guards looking so distraught that he wasn't even hiding properly. He had avoided them so far because he didn't want to be watched, but the guard's current atmosphere told him that there was an emergency.

Shui returned to his true appearance and walked to the guard.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The guard took his time acknowledging him at first, but once he recognized that it was Shui, he jumped to his feet with joy and urgency.

"Please come with me! The young mistress needs your help!"

That was all it took to motivate him into making a move. He didn't think there was time to waste, so Shui carried the man as he dashed and listened to him explaining the situation. That fueled Shui's impatience more, especially since he could tell that direction he was heading in was the same as where he detected Emily and Dull Harmony. He could tell that the artifact's counterattack function had been activated, but it didn't automatically notify him when it happened so he had missed it since he wasn't paying attention.

'Damn it! Because I was careless...'

Shui was angry at himself for not picking up on this sooner, and also for not predicting that Adrian would act. He was glad that he placed Emily in Alicia's care, but he wondered if this incident could have been avoided if he had warned her about Adrian. He already knew that the man was a threat to Emily, but he wanted her to see that for herself so he didn't do anything, but now his hand was forced.

'You won't make it past tonight. That's for sure.'

The guard didn't know about the specifics of the battle itself, but once he got close enough, Shui could figure it out for himself. There was a concealment barrier around the battlefield, but it was useless if you were certain of your destination or had a soul as strong as Shui's. He sent the guard off to finish off the team of kidnappers while he stepped in to confront Adrian.

'Now then, I'm not too late, but what should I do with all this frustration?'