Chapter 10 To Protect Your Smile

Rion's sword stroke in a swift movement downward, aiming the celestial ice demon's heart to kill her once and for all. The move of the blade was almost impossible to follow with human eyes, but Valienne was not a human. Her eyes were wide open, watching the tip of the sword gleaming toward her heart.

Then his sword pricked a layer of ice, and couldn't move further.

The layer of ice that covered Valienne's chest was thin, but it was very strong and had a peculiar dark blue color that swirled on the surface. The color was similar to Valienne's eyes. Frost rose and crackling rapidly along Rion's blade. He also felt a sharp prick of cold on his skin where he made contact with Valienne's body even through the layer of clothes he wore and the spirit energy that naturally flowed throughout his body.

A new ice sword materialized in Valienne's left hand. Rion jerked back violently to evade the attack, releasing his hold on the celestial demon. He managed to avoid getting his neck cut. Instead, the sword sunk into his left shoulder, then it scrapped down his chest before Rion could move back further.

Valienne got up with two ice swords gripped tightly in her hands. She watched Rion stumbled back two more steps, clutching the fresh wound on his shoulder. Valienne could hear him suppressed a pained groan behind his tightly clenched teeth.

Valienne's face was impassive and cold like the surface of a frozen lake, but she was genuinely was surprised that Rion could corner her this far. Even forced her to use the Vox clan's ice shield technique, where none of demons or humans she previously could ever do.

She used to underestimate humans. They were much weaker, both physically and the level of their energy. Demons had their energy at maximum level since their birth. Sometimes, a demon's relatives needed to put a seal on them so their energy wouldn't go rampage since a baby wouldn't understand to control their energy. It was especially common in the celestial demon's family like her, since their power and energy level were much higher than any other demons.

In contrast, a baby human was very frail and weak. Even after they grew up older, they wouldn't have a tenth compared to the demon's power if they didn't go through some harsh training. They need to practice and train day and night in order to become stronger. But even then, there were very few of them would be strong enough to fight Valienne more than two minutes.

Yet here was Rion, standing in front of her, bloodied and breathless, but still managed to retaliate her attack on an equal power. Still facing her without any hint of doubt on his face that he would defeat her.

"I've heard about the Rens from Liebu mountain. How the seven masters had been the most solid groups of sword masters that had contributed greatly to the peace in the Human Realm for generations ago." Valienne said. "But I've never expected that the power you possess would be this strong."

Rion didn't change his expression at all. Throughout the whole fight, his face barely expressed anything other than the slight furrow of his brows, showing his seriousness the whole time. He didn't bluff or boast. He barely even spoke if Valienne didn't say anything.

Rion tilted his head a little. Those dark eyes were piercing and watching Valienne's every move closely, as if he tried to read the hidden intention behind her words.

"Your ladyship thinks too highly of this lowly one," he said slowly. "I'm just a lowly master of an academy."

Valienne couldn't suppress a scoff at that. "Just a lowly master?"

Rion answered it by brandishing his own sword. "That's why I wouldn't let you take my apprentice."

"Too bad," Valienne muttered. She created a dozen giant ice spike above her head and then threw one of them in Rion's direction. "Because your apprentice doesn't belong in this realm!"

Rion jumped away to avoid it, but then he saw Valienne ran in a different direction and realized that she was targeting Ruby on the other side of the area. He tried to get closer to stop her, but those ice spikes wouldn't let him. They were launched at him one by one every time he tried to move to chase Valienne.

"No!" Rion shouted, despite knowing Valienne wouldn't heed to his word.

The celestial ice demon only glanced over her shoulder to make sure he hadn't blasted all the ice spikes floating in the sky above them. Rion tried to hit them all with his spirit energy, but those ice spikes moved away before his energy attack them, almost like they had their own mind.

Ruby was still protected by the barrier he had put around her before. In another situation, that barrier could last the attack from a high leveled demon. But at the moment, the protective barrier had been trying to contain Ruby's demonic energy that was running rampant from the inside. Now added with Valienne's attack from the outside, the surface of the barrier soon cracking terribly.

Rion blasted another two spikes. One of them aimed at his back. He didn't even glance back when he shouted, "Zephyr!" and his sword flew to slash the giant ice a few times until it crumbled to the ground.

There were five of them still flying in the sky and would take anything to slow him down. The barrier around Ruby cracked horribly. It made an awful sound, like something was smashing against a thick glass every time Valienne blew it with her demonic energy. No matter how fast Rion ran, he wouldn't make it in time to stop her.

Once Valienne took a hold of Ruby, she would teleport through a portal like how she appeared for the first time.

And Rion would lose his apprentice forever.

"No...."

He remembered a thin, scrawny child. Clothes dirty and torn. Her eyes were so void of life until she looked up and stared at Rion as if he was a God and she was ready either for him to take away her life, or to give her a new life.

Rion remembered the way she cried for the first time. Right after he took her in, gave her food and clothes and a place to sleep. The small child didn't wail out her frustration or tiredness. But she sobbed quietly, bowing her head time and time again onto the wooden floor of the bamboo house until Rion told her to stop. She didn't cry out loud. She sniffled and tried to hold back so hard and that was a thousand times more heartbreaking, Rion couldn't help but to squeeze the small child gently in a warm hug.

The barrier broke like shattered glass, and Rion saw red.

"ZEPHYR!!!"