Chapter 191: Alicia's Shame!
Then she took out her bow and shot an arrow surrounded by wind element at Alicia.
"Ice Shield!"
Alicia created an ice shield to defend herself from the attack.
*Boom! *
After the collision, the force shattered the shield and pushed Alicia back a few meters.
'She is strong!' Alicia thought while giving Mira a deep look.
"Oh! You withstood that!" Mira grinned even more. "However, it's not the end!"
"Wind Blades!"
Several Wind Blades were shot altogether.
"Ice Field! Ice Cage! Ice Blades!"
Alicia knew that if she didn't go all out, she was going to lose soon. Which is why she didn't hold back from using her magic.
"Although I've seen these moves of yours in the entrance exam, I still want to say. Wow! The rare Ice element is so amazing." Mira said while using her wind element to levitate in the air, dodging Alicia's attacks.
"Ice Bird!"
Alicia didn't give her a response. Instead, she continued attacking.
"Even though I know your personality, it still hurts to be ignored." Mira dodged the Ice Bird and said with a playful smile. She can see Alicia's talent and potential. The only reason she was able to suppress her in this easily was because of the difference in rank between them.
Alicia isn't an Order Rank yet. From her mana release, Mira could judge that Alicia was most probably a five-star E-Rank. So, the difference in their strength was two entire ranks.
'Should I help her push to break through in this match?'
Mira didn't care about winning or losing and, considering her good relationship with Alicia, she wanted to help her.
"If you have nothing better in your arsenal. You are going to lose, Alicia." Mira taunted, while also clutching her bow tightly. Then shooting arrows covered in wind elements at Alicia in rapid succession.
"..." Alicia didn't respond. Rather, she couldn't in the face of upcoming attacks.
"Ice Swords!"
She used her magic to create two Ice Swords. Then, holding one in each hand, she started performing her sword art.
Neoxysis Style.
As she moved around and started swinging her swords to parry the barrage of arrows. The swords in Alicia's hands blurred, disappearing from Mira's vision. It looked like Alicia was dancing around empty-handed. If not for the constant sounds of something parrying those arrows. Mira would have thought that Alicia's Ice swords had been destroyed.
'What kind of Sword Art is that?' Though curious, Mira was sensible enough to know that Alicia wouldn't share it with her. So as not to arouse her displeasure, she didn't ask.
...
Alicia was able to parry or block the incoming arrows by constantly swinging her swords. However, this also made her too busy to close the distance between them. As for Alicia's Ice magic attacks. Mira was able to dodge them easily by levitating in the air, making those attacks ineffective.
After each passing second, Alicia started getting impatient.
'I can't defeat her like this.'
'My mastery over Neoxysis Sword Art is not enough to do any powerful damage. Besides, she is two ranks higher than me.'
'Will my winning streak end? Luis is going to be disappointed in me.'
Alicia became depressed at that thought. She knew that even if she somehow found a method to defeat Mira; it was impossible to defeat her within a minute.
She felt very unwilling. She came this far after winning 95 matches in a row. Now when only the last five wins were left. She met such an obstacle.
"Your Swordsmanship is amazing Alicia." Mira praised. "However, you can't win against me with just that."
She didn't expect to receive a response and was about to continue attacking, but to her surprise, Alicia responded.
"I will defeat you. No matter what." Her expression was serious, and her voice was full of fierceness.
"..." Mira was silent for a moment, after hearing her response. Then she thought of something and mumbled. "I see."
Alicia didn't hear her mumbling, but became confused when Mira's attacks halted abruptly. However, since it was an opportunity to close the distance between them, she didn't intend to waste it. She rushed up, ready to attack Mira. Right then she heard Mira's words that made her confused.
"Oh, look at the time! I seem to have some business to attend to. Let's fight again later, Alicia."
"???"
Before Alicia could react, Mira's avatar disappeared from her sight.
[Challenger 'Violet Princess' has withdrawn, resulting in defeat.]
[Time Taken: 59 seconds.]
Alicia returned to the black space, but her mood was extremely low. She wasn't the least bit happy because of this result.
'It's all because I am too weak.'
She wasn't aware of the reason behind Mira's abnormal behavior, but she knew that her future enemies were going to be significantly stronger than Mira.
If she can't deal with such a minor setback, then how will she kill that Orneus bastard with her own hands?
She shook her head in a depressed mood and pressed on the accept button to continue the next challenge.
'Whatever her reason to withdraw was, she had helped me... I should thank her later.'
***
On the other side, inside the third floor of the S-Class dorm. In the flat number 3. A brown-haired girl came out of the VR cabin and went towards her kitchen to take out a soft drink from the refrigerator.
*Gulp*
"It's so refreshing~"
Mira licked the residue of the drink on her lips with satisfaction. After taking out a packet of snacks to eat, she jumped on the sofa with a chill expression. She was wearing a casual top and shorts, showing off her long legs to no one. Because she was alone in her flat.
"Alicia had a win streak of 95 with a 100% win rate and counting my withdrawal, it should be 96. Is she trying to strike 100 wins in a row? Hmm, I also had a 109 win-streak last month, but the only rewards I got were a week's worth of Mana Drinks' supply and a set of high-grade potions."
"Even if the rewards are very generous from an average student's point of view. Alicia belongs to a rich family. Why would she care about these rewards?"
Yes, before Mira withdrew from the match because she could see Alicia's desire to win. Especially when she impatiently parried the barrage of arrows.
'I wonder if there will be some differences in the reward with a 100% win rate.' Mira pondered. 'Anyway, it's not like I can try to aim for it now.'
*Sigh*
***
For both Luis and Alicia, the rest of the matches were like a breeze. After Silver Knight and Violet Princess, they didn't encounter any strong opponents. So, it didn't take long for them to complete their 100 consecutive wins, while also keeping their 100% win-rate.
Right after, Alicia returned to the black space, winning her 100th match. She clicked on the rewards section, which showed the notification about pending rewards ready to be claimed.
[For your performance, you have been awarded. Please claim your rewards as soon as possible.]
'I see, but where should I claim it?'
Confused, Alicia came out of her VR Cabin and went inside Luis' flat.
"Luis, how to claim our rewards?" Alicia asked when she saw Luis exercising in the gym.
The sweaty Luis raised his head in her direction and asked back. "Didn't you read the manual?"
"Was there such a thing, too?"
"..." Luis became speechless.
Alicia didn't shy away from his gaze and said with an indifferent expression. "... You are here to guide me. Why should I read some manual?"
"... Although your words are sweet and it's okay to depend on me, but Alicia, can you please not be lazy because of excessive dependence? I want to help you improve, not to drag your feet down by spoiling you."
Alicia hung her head low and didn't refute his words. Because she knew what he said was right.
"I understand. I'm sorry, it was indeed my fault."
Luis was stunned for a moment. Then his heart filled with regret when he saw Alicia's depressed look. "... No, I also apologize. I was a little too harsh on you. I'm sorry." He said with an awkward cough.
Alicia shook her head and gave him a soft smile. "You said all that for my good. You shouldn't apologize when you are right, Luis."
'Oh, my wife is so virtuous~' Luis' lips curled up into a smile. "Let's end this conversation for now." Seeing her nod, he continued. "To answer your previous question. We can claim the rewards from our mana bracelet, and the Academy Staff will deliver the rewards to our flats."
"That's convenient," Alicia uttered.
"Yeah, it is. I've already made my claim, the reward should arrive soon." Luis said, then suggested, "Let's claim your rewards by then."
***
(A.N: Alicia's Sword Art will be explained over time.)