The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 163: Mary of the Jones Family

At the proctor's words, Oscar, who had his Prinstyct active, foresaw the movement of Mary's Ein onto her feet and a big movement forward.

'Movement spell. She's aiming to dash in.' Oscar reacted in an instant and stepped to the side. In the very next moment, he looked at Mary, who suddenly appeared with her spear stabbing toward where he previously stood.

She had shock and puzzlement across her face as she turned slightly to Oscar; He was standing on the side, barely away from her spear.

Oscar already had his buckler on its destructive path toward Mary's exposed side. However, there was a small tension in his expression as Mary's movement spell was extremely fast, and he dodged it by a hair. When he fought with Prinstyct against Draven, it was in terms of martial combat rather than Ein and spells.

'Spells can truly trip up the Prinstyct. If it were me before the Abyss Prison training, I would have been forced to block rather than dodge, but her lightning spear would have been bad.' Oscar saw the sparks of lightning on the spear's tip; he didn't wish to take any unnecessary damage.

Oscar's buckler was about to make contact and demolish Mary.

Mary's feet shuffled with the added boost from her lightning movement spell.

'Grade One Electric Steps'

Electricity crackled under the soles of her shoes as an energizing boost. Her feet moved like the crack of lightning as she repositioned in an awkward position with her body hunched over.

The spear flowed with massive Ein that fed into her 'Lightning Edge' spell, coating the tip in more lightning than before. The sound of the claps of thunder and crackling lightning reverberated across the room.

Oscar charged toward her.

He quickly stepped diagonally under the fast, devastating spear and brought the buckler close to him. Oscar moved like a large boulder to crash against her.

Mary's Ein flowed, and a large bear manifested at her side. It was fast and brought its large claws to deter Oscar from hurting its master.

'There it is.' Oscar changed targets to the large bear anima. Behind him, his deer anima came forth and locked its antlers on the spear.

Mary had flashbacks to the moment she lost in their previous bout. This was similar to when he changed targets to her bear anima and left his deer anima to deter her.

'That time, you caught me off-guard with your insane power, but not this time.' Mary's eyes flashed with intent, and her bear anima roared as it dissipated, leaving Oscar with no target.

Oscar cursed inwardly for a moment. He had hoped to end it there, but Mary was far more cautious than before. A person's anima could not be foreseen in the Prinstyct, so Oscar could not have seen its forced departure.

'But this means you can't summon it for a few moments!'

He turned to lock his Prinstyct on Mary, but she had already retreated some distance away with her fast speed. She needed to buy time until her anima was ready.

Mary had eluded Oscar's blows, but her face was grim. The entire time, Oscar had not used any of his spells and only summoned his anima right after she summoned hers. In terms of Ein, she was already at a loss.

She didn't know Oscar had also sporadically employed 'Ein Awaken' and had already recovered some of the used Ein. The true gap in their tanks was already out of Mary's guesses.

'How is he this strong? My attacks can't reach him, and I'm the one being pressured despite trying to take the initiative.' Mary couldn't believe the difference between them. 'I try my best to catch up to the others for the Jones name. I can't falter here!'

Oscar rushed forward with his 'Steel Drill' encasing his arm.

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His burst of speed shocked Mary, who was slow to bring her spear up. She didn't see a single hint of a spell, nothing but his usual shroud of Ein.

Oscar's 'Steel Drill' and 'Shattering Wave' sent ripples through the air, emanating terrifying pressure that sent shivers down Mary's spine.

"AHHH!" Mary resummoned her bear anima, which charged straight ahead in a frontal class with a mighty roar. She followed along with a final burst of thunder that encased her entire body.

'Grade One Thunderclad'

Her entire body was covered in thunder that made every single one of her attacks release a burst of lightning and protect her body. However, this spell used too much Ein, thus, her reluctance to use it so early. Oddly, the thunder coursed from her and linked up with the bear anima.

The bear anima was coated in thunder, and its claws rang like thunder as lightning coursed through its sharp weapons.

'Lightning Edge'

Her spear doubled up with the 'Thunderclad' and 'Lightning Edge' similar to Oscar's attack.

Oscar smiled at her powerful display and continued on with his attack. His deer anima also joined in the mix with its antlers clad in Ein.

The hard metal of the drill and deer's antlers clashed against the lightning-clad spear and bear's claws. A fury of lightning coursed all over Mary's side while a fierce storm kicked up on Oscar's. The stone tiles underneath them shattered and blew away into dust.

Oscar felt tinges of electricity trying to make its way through the 'Steel Drill' to him, but his Ein was enough to deter it while the bulk of Mary's attack was clashing against his. His eyes relaxed as cracks formed on the bear's claws.

Mary clenched her teeth and had bloodshot eyes as she exerted more, but her spear was being pushed back. She used more Ein to form the 'Lightning Steps' to push back.

However, Oscar's physical power and incredibly stable footing were undeterred. The 'Shattering Wave' coursed through Mary's spear, making her arms tremble as blood splurted out from various cuts that formed.

The bear anima pushed Mary aside and took the whole brunt of Oscar's attack. The antler stabbed and pushed away the claws.

Oscar's 'Steel Drill' stabbed directly through the bear anima, tearing a huge hole in its chest and cracking it apart into nothingness.

Mary splurted blood from her mouth, and her legs were about to give out. She had used a lot of her Ein, and her bear anima was destroyed, leaving her a mess.

Her vision dimmed, and her body began to sway before falling powerlessly. The only thought in her mind was her family.

'Aunt Ava. Mother. Am I just an embarrassment? Am I not fit to be a member of the Jones family?'

The Jones Family was one of the foremost noble families that helped the Dragnar Royal Family from the Brilliant Drake Empire with the Raeven Family. Because the Raeven Family chose to stay in their northern regions by True Sword Peak, the Jones Family was given the richest and largest place in the eastern region.

For the next hundreds of years, they became the wealthiest family in the Empire; their vast wealth that came from the prominent lumber industry and various resources from the forest surpassed even the Dragnars. Yet, despite this, they never showed a single hint of dissent or arrogance, being one of the stalwart defenders of the law.

Austell Jones, the Director of the Record Hall and one of the key figures of the Jones Family, was the embodiment of the Jones ideal.

Having been born into the Jones Family, Mary had a smooth childhood. The rigorous training of the family and long lessons on the law did not inconvenience her. She rather enjoyed the lessons and made her parents and relatives proud of her efforts and progress.

However, she soon fell into despair with the reveal of her Exolsia. The moment she found out she had Grade Five, she slumped on the floor with a blank stare at the crystal that locked in her fate. Some of the stares of the relatives changed to indifference, but they did not make a fuss.

Her father and mother were not disappointed but made sure to care more for her. However, the increased affection from her parents only made her realize more that it was because she didn't have a higher grade. She would normally have been happy, but the lingering thought that it was all out of pity angered her.

'Grade Five isn't that terrible, and you can progress at your own pace. Even if you fall behind, you can still be a good minister of the law. Our family is strong, and you don't need to worry about the stares of others.' That was what her parents told her. True to the law and their responsibilities, the Jones Family wasn't hateful toward Mary, but their expectations lowered.

Her martial training was cut to a shorter time while her lessons in law increased significantly. This was all a result of her designation as a Grade Five. Noble families always strove to have Grade Six or above; her family had become more inclined to Grade Six and above, with hers being an oddity.

'My family is powerful, but why am I like this? I enjoy the law, but I want to become a true Jones, a powerful Exalt who wields Ein on one hand and the law on the other.'

Mary's dimming sight darted around the room until it locked on Oscar.

'He's Grade Four, yet he's this powerful. What sort of training had you been through?' Mary saw Oscar's powerful obsidian eyes that stared at her without a hint of laughter or arrogance. There was only respect.

Mary changed her footing and stomped her feet to stop her fall. Her breathing was ragged, and her hands clung to her spear. There was no pity, indifference, or worry, only respect from Oscar, which uplifted her.

'I wonder how I can be like you. You caught me by surprise last time, but this time you have completely outclassed me.'

Mary slowly stood up straight, wiping the blood off her lips. She pointed her spear at Oscar and shouted, "I am Mary of the Jones Family. We carry the law in our hearts and enforce it with our Eins; I cannot bring shame to my blood."

Oscar smiled and tightened the grip on his buckler. "I admire your resolve. I am Oscar Terr. Nice to meet you."