The Transmigrated Author
Chapter 226: Arrival (2)

For a moment, Alice's eyes widened, and her heart quickened.

A flood of emotions washed over her—relief, gratitude, and something else she couldn't quite define.

But the moment passed as she realized she felt safe with him standing protectively before her.

"You..." Louise snarled, pushing himself off the wall, his face contorted in rage.

"I wanted to eliminate her first... but since you're here now... I'll beat the living shit out of you, four-eyes!"

Rel stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he met Louise's gaze.

"I won't let you hurt any of my teammates," he declared, his voice firm and resolute.

With a swift motion, he unslung his bow from his back, the weapon feeling like an extension of his own body.

He tugged the bowstring and an arrow appeared through thin air.

"I'll be your opponent, Louise," Rel said.

Louise burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the ruined hallway.

"You?" he scoffed, his eyes raking over Rel's slender frame.

"You think you can stop me?"

He seemed almost elated as if the idea of Rel challenging him was a joke.

To Louise, Rel was nothing more than a mana-less weakling, devoid of any special abilities.

With a flourish, Louise pulled out his polearm and the blade glowed menacingly in the dim light.

A cocky grin spread across his face as he regarded Rel with disdain.

"This won't even take a minute," he sneered.

Without a moment's hesitation, Louise lunged forward, his polearm a blur as he aimed a vicious downward strike at Rel.

Rel, however, was unfazed.

He calmly raised his bow, not to shoot, but to block.

SHINGGGG!

The metallic edge of the bow met the polearm's blade with a resounding clang, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the air.

"What?!"

Louise cried out in disbelief.

He had expected the bow to splinter under the force of his attack, but it held firm, not a scratch marring its surface.

huuuu...

Rel, seizing the opportunity, twisted his body, using the momentum of Louise's strike against him.

He channeled his aura into his right foot and a flicker of black lightning danced across his skin.

With a swift, fluid motion, he unleashed a half-heel kick, his foot connecting with Louise's jaw.

BAM!!

A burst of black lightning erupted from the impact, sending Louise crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.

[Critical Hit!]

The notification flashed before Rel's eyes, but he didn't have time to celebrate.

He knew this was just the beginning of the fight.

Louise's face may have been pressed into the ground, but the rage radiating from his body was palpable.

"Fluke!" he roared, his voice a guttural growl.

With a defiant slam of his fist, a pillar of flames erupted from the floor beneath Rel.

The unexpected blast of fire caught Rel off guard, hurling him upwards through the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"Rel!" Alice cried out, her heart leaping into her throat as she witnessed the scene.

But even as he was propelled through the air, Rel's quick reflexes and the protective aura of Anti-Magic allowed him to regain control.

The flames dissipated, leaving behind a trail of smoke and the acrid scent of burnt wood.

As the smoke cleared, Louise emerged from the hole, his polearm ablaze.

"Ignited Flame - Feverant Half Strike!" he roared, swinging his weapon downwards in a blazing arc.

A trail of fire followed the polearm, illuminating the darkened room.

Rel twisted mid-air, his eyes fixed on the incoming attack.

He clenched his hands and infused his bow with Anti-Magic and the weapon shimmered with dark energy as he raised it to intercept Louise's strike.

SHING!!

The two weapons clashed and the searing heat of the flames met the nullifying power of Anti-Magic.

"...!"

BOOOOOOOM!

The force of the impact sent both combatants tumbling backward.

They crashed through the floor, landing hard on the third floor in a long, dimly lit hallway.

The only light came from the gaping hole above, casting eerie shadows that danced on the walls.

Rel landed nimbly, rolling to absorb the impact before springing back to his feet. He assessed the situation, his mind racing through the possibilities.

While Louise's polearm granted him a reach advantage in this narrow hallway, Rel knew he held a trump card: his agility.

The cramped space limited Louise's maneuverability, making it difficult for him to fully utilize his weapon's length.

Rel pulled back his bowstring, an arrow materializing in his grasp.

As he drew it back, his aura surged through the weapon, transforming the ordinary bow into a sleek instrument of obsidian black.

Louise watched, his eyes narrowed.

He had never faced Rel in combat before, but he had witnessed his uncanny movement and speed.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this unassuming archer than met the eye.

The fact that Rel had effortlessly blocked his attacks twice was a clear indication of hidden strength.

"He's not worth the time," Louise muttered, his initial arrogance tempered by a newfound caution.

"I'll just try to stall for time until then," Rel looked up towards Louise.

Rel, without hesitation, unleashed a volley of three arrows in quick succession. They streaked down the hallway, their obsidian-black tips shimmering with a menacing aura.

Louise, momentarily taken aback by Rel's audacity, quickly regained his composure.

He charged towards the arrows, his emerald eyes glowing with intensity as the projectiles crackled in his vision.

The arrows crackled in a bolt of dark lightning and Louise couldn't understand what he was seeing.

"What is that?" Louise muttered.

He swung his polearm, its tip ablaze with a searing flame, in a desperate attempt to intercept the attack.

BAM!!!!

A massive explosion rocked the hallway as Louise's weapon collided with the incoming arrows.

A cloud of dust and debris filled the air, momentarily obscuring his vision.

"Just how?!" He covered his eyes trying to stop the dust from going in but despite the chaos, Louise's sensory aura remained active, searching for Rel's presence.

Nothing more was dangerous than someone who cannot be detected through the smoke itself.

But to his surprise, there was nothing.

No sound, no movement, no energy signature.

As the smoke cleared, Louise's eyes widened in alarm.

A fist, glowing with a sinister black aura, emerged from the haze, striking him squarely in the face.

BAM!

Rel's attack connected with brutal force, sending Louise hurtling downwards through the shattered floor, crashing onto the level below.

Rel then leapt downwards and landed gracefully on the floor below, his eyes scanning the dimly lit room for any sign of movement.

A low groan echoed from the darkness, followed by a shuffling sound.

Rel tensed and grabbed his bow at the ready, as Louise slowly rose from the debris, his face contorted in a mask of pain and fury.

The blow had clearly disoriented him, but his fighting spirit remained unbroken.

"You little sneaky bastard!" Louise snarled, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. "You'll pay for that!"

WHOOOOOOOOSH!!!

With a fierce roar, Louise's eyes blazed with a newfound intensity.

The air around him burst with energy as he unleashed his aura, a power that sent dust and debris swirling around the room.

"First Valencia..." he muttered, his voice grumbling lowly, "...now you think you can beat me?"

His grip tightened around the polearm, its silver blade now bathed in a menacing red glow as his aura surged through it.

"I will no longer tolerate this behaviour... damned rat."

The temperature in the room soared, the heat radiating outwards in waves.

Louise was done playing games.

Rel had earned The Prince's full attention and now... It is time to return the favour.

_______________

Authors Notes:

- The reason Louise's attack exploded is because when Aura is met with mana the mix of the two tends to explode on impact if not handled correctly.