HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-190

'Bullshit!' Axel knew Kyrin was full of crap. Just from the way she's looking at him, Axel can tell all she wants is to give him a good beating.

What can he say? He has that effect on some people. Too many people. But Axel can't agree to fight. Though she might not look it, this woman is one the most powerful people in this kingdom. Reaching seven star authority despite that horrible personality, it only means that she's just that strong.

In the past, she managed to kill three members of similar level to Theron and Nerio at one time. And Axel had a feeling that unlike him, she didn't use trickery. It was understandable why Axel didn't want to fight such a madwoman.

Kyrin smirked. "Alright, don't be scared. I promise I will properly hold back."

Axel's lips twitched. 'What a familiar line.' It's what he says when going against small fry.

"I will even hit 'gently' and not seriously injure you."

Did he even have a choice?

"Well, you said it." Axel didn't reject those conditions. "But when will it end?"

Kyrin shrugged. "When I'm satisfied. Can we start already?"

"You're still not specific enough, Sensei. You need to give me a baseline which, if done, will end the test. Otherwise you might just keep hitting me," Axel patiently explained.

"Oh? Then.... just land 3 hits on me." She said, giving him a seemingly easy and yet impossible task.

"…Alright."

'Better than nothing,' thought Axel. Kyrin seemed to be the kind to play to win, and in case of defeat, to continue playing until she wins. So, in case she doesn't get the satisfaction to properly beat the shit out of him, there's a chance she might just keep attacking him until she is satisfied.

Knowing that more concessions won't get him anywhere, Axel stepped into the fighting space.

Estris stood between the two. "So, this is a friendly spar to get familiar with each other's combat abilities. Boss will only be using at most half of her abilities. Serious injury will immediately result in cancellation of the spar. The spar will end when either Boss is satisfied or when Axel lands 3 hits."

"Participants. Get ready."

Axel took a defensive stance. He was wearing the training suit that he found among the supplies in his room. They were comfortable, durable and easy to move around.

Kyrin, on the other hand, stood in a relaxed posture. She was wearing a dark night gown that appeared stark in contrast to her pale white skin. It reached only her thighs and also left a whole lot of shoulders and cleavage exposed. She wasn't even wearing shoes, and her feet were only covered in stocking. In Axel's opinion, it was extremely impractical for combat.

"This is going to be fun." Standing across him, Kyrin gave him a sinister look.

"Start."

Kyrin didn't move. But, she didn't need to. Dark tentacles appeared out of thin air, attacking Axel. These were razor sharp, and made out of destructive darkness. One touch was enough to injure.

[Arcane Eyes]

[Occlumency: Maximum Concentration]

[Evasion]

The tentacles seemed to pass right through Axel, but he somehow managed to evade them. But it also has to be noted that Kyrin wasn't serious yet, as she was thinking this is going to be one-sided beating.

Kyrin raised her eyebrows. "So, it wasn't a fluke. You really do have monstrous reflexes," she muttered, suddenly increasing the intensity.

Knowing that with her perverted tentacles, she would be in advantage in long range, Axel decided to close the distance.

[Arcane Footwork]

Kyrin's attention went to Axel's feet as she once again saw those strange illusive movements. In the next second, Axel was already in front of her, trying to punch her face.

SMACK

A loud sound rang out as the attacks from both sides stop for a moment. Kyrin had caught Axel's punch cleanly, with no recoil whatsoever.

??

Axel's brows furrowed. It felt like he had just punched a wall. 'Just what kind of physical strength...?'

Kyrin gave him a tight smile. "You think I reached the top just like that? I have gone through 5 body enhancements. " She said as she twisted his arm.

As her shoulders creaked in protest, Axel realized that Kyrin did have great physical strength. But...

"Too bad, you just had to grab my hand."

*CRACK*

In terms of pure grips strength of fingers, her numerous body enhancements don't mean shit.

At once, Kyrin's fingers were all bent at weird angles, making her yelp. Axel's punch was just about to reach her before he was flung away with a burst of pure darkness.

"What the fuck?!" Muttered Axel, staggering to the ground.

Estris quickly came to his side. "Are you alrig—Wait, how are you fine?" Estris was puzzled. Boss had really made a powerful attack all of a sudden. When she had seen the burst of pure darkness, she had thought that Axel would have to be taken to the Royal infirmary, since the attack was so sudden. But looking at Axel, even though his training gear seems to be damaged, the rest appears just fine.

"I almost got hit," Axel muttered. He was no longer bare-handed, having had to make a lightning-fast draw in order to save his life. If not for the hastily cast shield, Axel would have already received some serious damage right now. He glared at Kyrin. "You said you'd hold back!"

He really wasn't expecting it. Even though he had managed to avoid getting injuries, his training suit had gotten singed, and was now melting away.

Kyrin was letting out a string of curses of her own as she shook her painfully throbbing hand.

"Hold back?! but how the FUCK do you expect me hold back when you absolutely crush my hand all of sudden, you little shit?!"

Hands have the most sensory nerves among all body parts, and It has been a while since she has gotten even a simple injury, let alone getting her hand absolutely mangled. So of course she ended up lashing out on instinct.

Kyrin looked down at her hand. The flesh and bones had been completely mangled, looking similar to a meat patty being crushed by a sledge-hammer.

She clenched her jaw. What the hell is up with that insane grip strength?

Body Enhancement is an extremely painful process through which Atlantean soldiers undergo a series of complicated treatments in order to increase their physical stats. Usually, one is enough to make a soldier have superhuman physical abilities. And that is their limit.

Kyrin has gone through five. Her physical body can survive relic attacks.

That's why, she had already gotten used to not feeling pain now.

Then, in comes this 13 year old brat and absolutely demolishes her hand like it was tofu. She couldn't understand how. One moment, she had his fist locked in her grip, twisting his arm, and the next moment, an unstoppable power suddenly burst out from his hand, and her hand got crushed instead.

Axel scratched his head, looking at Kyrin's hand. "Uh… sorry, Sensei. I thought it would be more…powerful." Since it's just a spar, Axel really didn't want to hurt her this badly. But he didn't expect that even after so many enhancements, her grip strength would be so weak compared to his.

"Oh… so I'm just too weak, huh?" Kyrin finally turned to look at him. And gave him the widest smile he had ever seen. Her gown fluttered, and her hair rose up in the air like tendrils of darkness.

!!!

Alarm bells rang out in Axel's head.

"It's good you aren't seriously injured, yet." She said, darkness wrapped around her hand, snapping her bones back into place.

Her concern might have sounded sincere if not for that 'yet.'

Axel began to slowly back away. "Uh, Sensei. I think we should st—"

Before he could complete his sentence, Hundreds of tentacles attacked him from all angles.

"Don't even think about stopping now. You've only landed one hit. And I… am far from satisfied.

!!!!

Axel had no choice but use another card to run for his life.

[Lightning Acceleration Jutsu]

Suddenly, Axel became a blur. Shields erected around him, blocking the tentacles, while the rest, he managed to dodge with inhuman speed.

???

Kyrin's jaw dropped.

"Is that....?".Kyrin looked at Akiko like looking at a traitor. "You... You've taught him your clan's secret forbidden jutsus?!"

Is something wrong with this girl's head? Teaching such dangerous and precious knowledge to this imbecile! If Haruko saw this, she'd be rolling in her grave, and if her grandfather found out, he would bury Axel into a grave!

What was more surprising was the fact that this brat seemed to be using that dangerous and hellishly difficult Jutsu casually and comfortably, as if casting basic magic.

"How did you even manage to learn that?!" She questioned, blasting him with attacks.

"I—had a really good teacher," he replied in the midst of his rapid movements, making Akiko smile.

No cap, it was a really difficult jutsu. Though he had learnt it long ago, he was really sloppy at it, leading him to not use it much. He has only gotten proficient after mastering [Zen Focus].

With the new speed, Axel was able to somehow make it thorough alive, but Kyrin wasn't going to let him off so easily.

"You're good. Really good. Your speed means nothing in front of absolute power." She muttered, raising her hand. Hundreds of thousands of tentacles simultaneously attacked Axel.

This time, his shields were easily broken through, and the tentacles left nowhere for him to go.

'Fuck...'

Axel sighed. He'd have to get serious.

SLASH

Lines formed in the air as all the tentacles in his immediate surroundings were immediately slashed in pieces.

Kyrin paused her attack as she looked at Axel with a triumphant gaze. "So, you finally show yourself," she muttered, looking at Axel who now held a knife glowing with residual magic power. In her eyes, his combat power right now was soaring like a tsunami.

From then on, any number of tentacles were instantly cut down by Axel's blade as soon as they came near.

"This is so unfair! How the fuck did you become so strong at this age?" Kyrin felt that the world wasn't fair anymore. Having that kind of power at such a young age, shouldn't there be a limit of being talented.

"Well, I just… pay attention in class and complete all my assignments." Replied Axel. He was panting a bit at this point. Darkness has natural debuffing effects. By now, the training clothes had completely deteriorated on the places where they had made contact with the darkness.

The upper part of his training suit started falling off, so Axel removed it completely, revealing his torso.

For at least two seconds, Kyrin and Estris could not take their eyes off Axel. Unexpectedly, Axel was totally jacked under the loose training suit. He was already 5'7, and his whole body was full of ultra-defined sculpted muscles whose ratios seemed to have measures on a scientific calculator. With each movement, the muscles contracted as if filled with explosive power. Furthermore, all kinds of scars were scattered over his body, ranging from scratches and abrasions to slashes and stab wounds.

"You…" Kyrin no longer felt it was unfair. The muscles were a clear indicator of just how hard he trained, and the scars spoke in lengths about the hardships he must have been through.

At this moment, Akiko, who had been watching the spar with interest, walked up to Axel, blocking the other two women's view. "Wear this." She said, offering him a t-shirt.

"Oh, thanks." Uncomfortable by the stares, Axel was just about to take out something to wear but Akiko did it before him.

Akiko nodded.

"Win."

She was also routing for him. Even if Kurai Sensei was stronger, that shouldn't be a problem for Axel.

Though, Akiko didn't know that her action had only increased the aggro on Axel. Kyrin glared at Axel. She is the one who got hurt, but Aki is still routing for that guy.

Also, why did it seem like Aki was used to looking at Axel's naked upper body? How far have these two gone?

*Shin*

Out of nowhere, Kyrin produced a blade that radiated darkness as she finally took a stance. "Well, now that you're serious, shall we begin the real fight?"

Axel held up the knife which started to glow with magic. "Fine. Let's end this."