Everything happened too fast.
From the instant Jace sensed that this was the opening of a combat technique to the moment he reacted, less than a second passed.
Fortunately the attack did not harm him. It only struck the eight clones.
He leapt upward and grabbed the roof edge, pulling himself onto the open top of the exhibition hall.
The other guards rushed over, and five helicopters circled in the sky.
Lyria followed closely, climbing onto the roof with her black cane in hand.
Jace glanced back.
Are you done yet
Lyria stretched out her small hand, stubborn expression unchanged.
The gemstone.
Sigh. No persuading her.
Jace tilted his head back at a forty five degree angle and stared at the sky.
On the surface he looked trapped.
In a helicopter, Jessica pointed her camera downward, voice excited.
Good evening everyone. This is Jessica reporting from above the exhibition hall. My goodness, guess what I am seeing right now.
Grey Hat has been forced into a corner by a descendant of the Stormveil family.
The camera zoomed in on the man and girl facing each other.
Within seconds the internet exploded.
Which one is Grey Hat
Obviously the guy. Fake fan.
Is that girl really forcing Grey Hat back
Amazing. She is using a wooden cane like a sword. Totally a Stormveil heir.
Even with only her silhouette visible, the public was captivated by the girl's striking presence.
The livestream had already exceeded one hundred thousand viewers and was rising fast. The whole country was watching.
Three years of legend. Was this the end of Grey Hat
Holy, they are fighting someone shouted.
This time Jace attacked first. He moved faster than Lyria and arrived right in front of her.
A sword slash cracked the rooftop. Jace stomped down on the black cane and pressed her sword intent to the ground.
Close range. In this distance even a swordsman was at a disadvantage against someone fighting barehanded.
Lyria sensed his plan and tried to retreat, but he moved faster and closed the gap completely.
They were practically pressed together while trading blows.
Jace could smell the faint clean scent on her and feel her soft warmth brushing against him with each motion.
He caught her wrist with one hand, blocking any counterattack, while the other hand touched her flat stomach lightly.
Her white hair swept across Jace's cheek and her breath brushed against her own face as they moved.
If two high schoolers fought like this they would have collapsed from embarrassment.
But to them this was combat.
Heat spread across her abdomen where he touched. Lyria instantly sensed danger.
She abandoned her sword and struck toward Jace's chest with her palm.
Jace withdrew at once and widened the distance.
Heaven Ripper Saga fourth form. Dragonheart Leech.
This technique required extremely precise distance. He had to be within one centimeter of the target's stomach, heart, or head to steal their strength.
You can steal someone's qi Lyria raised her cane defensively. After the last lesson, she would not allow him near her again.
The touch on her stomach had not injured her, but it stole ten percent of the energy within her.
A class holder's core technique was their breathing method, which cultivated qi.
Qi was the foundation of martial arts, equivalent to inner energy in novels or mana in games.
Ten percent stolen in one touch. If he touched her a few more times she might deplete entirely.
This was too strange.
Every technique Grey Hat used was something Lyria had never even heard of.
A sword formed from qi. Nine clones. Qi theft. Any one of these would take her days to figure out.
Seeing the clash reach a stalemate, a guard shouted from the helicopter,
Grey Hat, you are surrounded. Drop to the ground and surrender. Do not resist.
Jace barely spared them a glance. Without Lyria he could defeat everyone here.
But enough was enough. Time to end tonight's chaos.
Under the eyes of everyone present, Jace went down on one knee and pressed his palm to the rooftop.
Jessica gasped.
What is this Is he surrendering
Viewers spammed comments.
That is not surrendering that is proposing. Did Grey Hat catch feelings during the fight
He is kneeling to her. That is romance right there.
The only one who did not understand was Lyria.
Unable to see, she did not know what he was doing.
But she clearly felt the storm brewing like an incoming tsunami.
Such strong qi
In her perception, Jace had become a volcano moments from erupting. He merged his own qi with the portion stolen from her.
Both energies spread across the ground like ripples of water, expanding outward until they reached her bare feet.
When everything was in place, Jace stood and gave her a polite bow.
Stormveil Sword Girl. Until next time.
Sword Girl
Lyria's grip tightened around the black cane. Her body tensed and the air filled with killing intent.
Without hesitation she drove the cane into the roof.
A wall of sword energy formed instantly around her.
A humming roar erupted.
The qi Jace had spread across the floor came alive.
It formed a one hundred meter wide field of swirling blades, an enormous grinder that shredded everything within its radius.
Anything inside the range, living or not, was cut into fragments by the countless invisible blades condensed from Channel Shadow Rend.
Helicopter rotors shattered.
Glass exploded.
All five helicopters juddered violently like kites with cut strings and the pilots immediately attempted emergency landings.
The storm lasted seven or eight seconds.
When the world finally calmed, the roof was a ruin. The floor was torn apart into chunks and even the steel bars beneath were sliced clean.
By the time Lyria stood up, Jace was gone.
His presence had vanished completely.
He escaped
What do I do now
Lyria lowered her head, trembling slightly.
She had failed the first task Grandpa gave her.
Would he punish her by making her make even more friends
She spent a miserable half hour anxiously waiting until her phone rang.
She sat on a bench by the roadside and listened.
Yes Grandpa. I will go to the university and make friends.
Do not worry. With the butler around, the Dark Spirit Order will not target me easily.
After the call, Lyria curled up on the bench, rocking left and right in distress.
Three friends.
Where am I supposed to find three people to be my friends
While she drowned in the sadness of punishment, a man sat beside her.
What is this My hero of the night looking so gloomy
Lyria stopped rocking. She recognized the voice immediately and said with guilt,
I am sorry Mr. Gray. I failed to protect your gemstone.
Gray waved grandly.
Losing a gemstone is nothing. Getting to watch fighters like you two clash, that is worth far more.
Such a generous man. Losing tens of millions and still smiling. Lyria admired him even more.
If only I could be as optimistic as you.
She explained her grandfather's demand about making friends.
Gray's expression twitched.
So you came to P City for that