Chapter 125: Chapter 124 : Outclassed

The bet didn’t start immediately. The Duke went all out. The viewing team and overseers were called back to oversee the match. Once everything was in place, the two hopped into the ring and began going at it.

Swoosh!

Ducking, weaving, slipping and flickering, Chloe’s form was ghost-like as she dodged Ralf’s unending stream of attacks. Blade Storm Dance, Fated Strings, Curved Bullets; these techniques which troubled all others the duo faced in this ring were easily dealt with by the bodyguard.

‘No wonder, she’s his bodyguard, she’s something else’ Ralf thought as he continued delivering his attacks.

With two minutes of ‘fighting’ done against her, he had a good assessment of Chloe’s overall combat prowess. Needless to say, it was very high. The crux behind this was her Psi talent; while not as absurd as Ralf’s, it was still very high. Her Psi was as swift as lightning and from observations, she had an MPM/MPE percentage of eighty percent at the very least.

This high Psi talent combined with her expert level of martial skill and cool composure made her a truly formidable fighter. Facing her, Ralf believed that even if she was scaled back one rank, the situation wouldn’t change much.

‘Facing him yourself sure is different from watching.’

Just as Ralf was assessing her, Chloe was assessing him. ‘I get what they mean now. His gaze, his expression, his aura; everything is so unnerving. I’m way stronger and still feel pressured. It’s like If I make any mistake, that’ll be the end of me. He’s a scary opponent to face - oh,” Chloe ducked under his slashing Odachi and then dashed back, avoiding the vanta-coated Fated String which had sprung out of the dirt to grab at her ankles.

Failing again, Ralf was unperturbed, He continued dishing out his relentless attacks.

To a random observer, it would come off as pointless but Chloe knew better. Every move was calculated, and multi-purpose in nature. Most of his attacks were simply used to naturally transition into his rotational movements, which would then be used to deliver an even greater attack. His frequent use of twists, turns and flips, combined with his lightning-quick switches in weapons and ranges made for an overwhelming experience.

Nearing her limit, Chloe once again shifted away from him. The tenth of a second gap between Ralf’s attacks was more than enough time for Chloe to mentally reset. Doing so allowed her to weather Ralf’s subsequent frenzy.

‘So fast. It’s not just his Psi speed or Overdraft technique, which are ridiculous by themselves, but his processing speed too. He’s what I think a Natural would look like if they could use Telekinetic powers…or rather Dimitri - aah, put that away, he’s not a vessel, not a vessel…’

Chloe repeated for a bit before finally scrubbing the notion from her mind. ‘Back on topic. There’s no delay between his actions, it’s like he’s got his next ten moves already penned in. It’s like he can see the future or something. Hmm…’

Pulling away again, Chloe was surprised to see Ralf let up on the minute-long pursuit and instead begin circling her.

Flicker! Flicker! Flicker!...

Seeing him speed up didn’t bother Chloe one bit. Just like Ralf was, she too was a speed type. In her mind, it didn’t matter how fast he accelerated himself, she was confident in her ability to dodge all the same. Remaining stationary, she diverted her Psi to her Psi Scan and observed Ralf’s speedy trajectory with ease.

Ralf’s circling widened with each loop, and three loops later, he came flying in like a cannonball, all scrunched up in his Turtle Shell.

Chloe observed his approach with an untroubled heart. She dodged late and easily avoided her opponent’s attack. Ralf didn’t let up after one failure and using Turtle Slide, he continued throwing himself at Chloe.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!…

‘While quicker than before, the simplistic trajectory makes it much easier to dodge.’

In the centre of the ring, Chloe zigzagged back and forth, mind analysing her opponent.

‘It’s been nearly fifteen seconds of this. He must be trying to get me into a certain flow. He’s even using the same trajectory pattern each time…as am I,’ Chloe frowned as she just realised. ‘No, I’m fully focused, even if he tries to change the trajectory at the last second, I woul-’

Chloe’s mind momentary blanked as she took in Ralf’s next move. He had shot her way. Some ten metres away, he suddenly deployed Psi Parachute. He didn’t do so to slow himself down but rather angled it in such a way that it changed his trajectory. The rushing air caught on the Psi fabric and Ralf’s figure did a sharp rightward shift.

Chloe, who was already side-stepping leftward, was thrown off by the queer movement. She had been focusing on force emissions and absorptions, so Ralf’s unorthodox/ orthodox method of changing direction caught her off guard.

‘Now!’

Dismissing Psi Parachute as quickly as he materialised it, Ralf burst out of the Psi sphere already in a spinning motion. Then, as mentally rehearsed, he conjured his Psi Odachi and swung, all in one motion.

Swoosh!

‘So close.’

Now ten metres away, Chloe’s heart thumped with relief at having escaped Ralf’s blade. A last moment back step had been enough to put her outside his sword’s range, just barely though, an inch in fact.

She started at her petite chest in gratitude. ‘Any larger and I would be clipped and this would all be over. Good job,’ she praised with a light pat. After a few seconds of this, she refocused her senses on Ralf, who had come to a halt.

“Hmm, run out of tricks already? You still have thirty seconds left, don’t give up.”

“Hmph, nonsense,“ Ralf shook his head at the notion. “I’m not giving up. I’m just correcting something. Give me a moment.”

Chloe’s brows raised but she didn’t question him further. Staying silent, she made her way back to the centre of the ring.

While she was doing this, Ralf was communicating with the staff.

[...only static shots. If the Second Sight follows me, it’ll give away my position.]

[I see, we’ll do just that.]

Satisfied by the response, Ralf refocused his attention on Chloe.

“Chloe, you have enhanced vision, right?”

“Yep, super-enhanced,” she affirmed with a nod. “Why ask?”

Ralf began striding forward. “Oh, I was just thinking you’d need it for what happens next.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes. “What happens next?”

Ralf’s lips tugged up to form a mischievous smile. He pointed to his right eye and said, “Keep your eyes peeled and find out.”

Flicker!

Following the words, Ralf’s figure set off.

‘Again with this…no, I see.’

Just like before, Ralf began circling speedily, however, this time, he was actively launching dirt into the air.

Chloe stood idle and watched nonchalantly as the ring was quickly blanketed by a dense sand cloud. In it, she was as calm as ever. Unlike most Combat Arena fighters, her Psi Scan was barely affected in these conditions. She was able to keep track of Ralf’s whereabouts in the dirt cloud without issue.

‘This won’t work on me Ralf, but you should know that, or at least expect it. So, what’s the move here? You don’t have much time left.’

Ralf was well aware of the fact but wasn’t worried.

‘Chloe, her Psi Scan is completely engulfing the arena, just as expected. Thing is…this is not an official match.’

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Thinking this, Ralf counted down from three in his head while making his way to the edge of the ring, then began his plan.

It started with an aura surge, which then became an explosion. From that explosion, came multiple Psi Clones.

‘Whoa!’

Chloe’s mind flickered as she sensed them. They circled with Ralf for a second before suddenly rushing her way. The bodyguard was surprised at the happening, but even more so at what followed. The Psi Clones disappeared not a moment later.

And not just them…

‘Huh?!’ Chloe’s mind blanked as she examined the area with her Psi Scan. Unable to believe the nothing she was sensing, she thrust her eyes toward it, hoping to find something.

‘He’s gone, how?! Where is he?’

Confusion wrought havoc in her heart at the happening. Wanting an answer, she jolted into action. Deciding to firstly clear the sand cloud, she released an omnidirectional telekinetic blast.

‘Ah?’

It was at that moment that she felt her Psi Sense prick at her. Her attention swung leftward, curiously it was beyond the limits of the ring. As she realised what happened, her Psi Sense pricked at her again and her attention shifted skyward.

Gaze snapping upwards, she caught sight of Ralf on the ceiling, freshly free from Black Turtle.

Using the Psi explosion and Psi Clones as a diversion, Ralf had used Black Turtle to exit the confines of the ring.

Chloe, who had been in the mindset that this was like a normal match overlooked the fact that they weren’t restricted to staying inside the ring, and so on her subsequent search, failed to check outside. Being undetectable in his black sphere, Ralf crash-landed in the stands, then launched himself to the ceiling above Chloe.

He was quick to assume the Black Turtle form, but Chloe was still able to pick up the sliver of Psi used for propulsion. But this was all part of his plan, as was his current discovery.

Seeing her black eyes staring his way, widened to their limits and hungry, Ralf knew he had won.

His Psi rushed to the light panel beside him and formed a ten-thousand-pixel display.

Then…

Colourful World.

Before she could blink, Chloe’s retina was hit with an array of flashing colours.

‘Arg?! Wha-’

The female bodyguard was thrown into confusion as her consciousness suddenly blurred and her body locked up.

Dismissing the light attack, Ralf dove down. Landing gracefully, he casually approached his stunlocked opponent and flickered her barrier-covered forehead. Achieving victory, he immediately moved to free Chloe from her current state. He turned the dial on his mental signal to a hundred, and just as it did with Jeff, it did the trick.

“Ah, Rarf, ah! Ralf Ralf, ah better.” Like an old television, a few slaps was enough to correct her speech. Taking a breath, she stared at Ralf with a shocked gaze. “What was that?”

“I’m similarly curious,” Walton said as he approached. Seeing his weird but beloved granddaughter suddenly freeze up as she did, provoked an immediate action in him.

“A light attack,” Ralf started. “One that uses quickly flashing colours and contrasting brightnesses to induce a visual overload that can stunlock, paralyse, and with enough exposure, cause a seizure in others. It’s a very dangerous technique and I’m not fully aware of its effects. Vincent, can we get a medic team just in case.”

“Of course.” Vincent gave the orders at once and medics rushed to the ring.

Seeing her taken care of, Ralf’s heart settled. “I honestly didn’t want to use it on you, sorry Chloe.” He directed an apologetic look towards the female bodyguard as he voiced sincerely.

His desire for victory had gotten the best of him.

“Hey, none of that. I’m fine, it’s no big deal. I had fun, and that’s all that matters.”

“Mmm, thank you, Chloe. I had fun too. You’re pretty strong. Let’s do this again.”

“Of course.”

Walton looked on enviously.

Ralf noticed this and smiled wryly. “Hey, don’t worry big guy, we’ll one day clash as well, just be patient.”

The elderly fighter’s eyes lit up. “Ah, I see, then I’ll wait patiently.”

Ralf nodded then spread his arms. “Okay, come, my rewards.” One by one, he received his hugs.

“Me too?”

“Yes, you were also part of the bet.”

Hana smiled before embracing her son.

“To be able to stun an opponent with guaranteed success, at least to those who use their eyes. What a fearsome card to have up your sleeve,” Walton said in the background.

“It’s not a guaranteed success,” Ralf corrected.

“Hmm?”

Ralf didn’t immediately respond but instead cast his gaze to the square light panel used for the technique. Even fifteen metres away, he couldn’t help but squint at the brightness. “This technique, Colourful World, isn’t very useful against those without enhanced senses. Of those with unenhanced senses, less than five percent would be affected at all. The other ninety-five percent could stare at it all day without trouble.”

“Without trouble?”

“Yeah, tested it with Greg and a few others. All of them could stare at it for long swaths of time. At worse, they’d get slightly dizzy,” Ralf shut his eyes. “With increased vision, comes increased susceptibility to this technique’s effect. I stumbled across this technique while I was making the Psi Telly you saw earlier, and ended up accidentally stunlocking myself pretty badly.”

“Ahaha that happened, knowing that makes me feel much better,” Chloe said cheerfully.

“Hmm, so that’s why you asked about the enhanced vision and said the words you did, splendid,” Walton said as he pieced together the logic behind Ralf’s actions. “You’re a fearsome fighter Ralf, we have much to learn from your example.”

Chloe nodded. “Indeed, I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”

Following the chuckles these words provoked, the Duke brought up the matter of the rewards. Not long after, Ralf was led to the White Hawk’s arsenal, where he was allowed to choose his five items. He did so quickly, having already thought long and hard about them. Afterwards, he and the rest of the group headed to Samuel’s manor, where Greg and the others had been waiting for them.

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