To prove to you

The stage was set. The earth trembled. The air shuddered. The tension rose.

Just one move and it'd begin. A fight for loyalty, trust and power.

Holbe grabbed her sword, her eyes icily pierced into the carefree opponent.

None of the previous cowardice, fear nor regret lingered. Holbe saw this opportunity as her way to atone for letting someone slip through her fingers, for endangering his safety.

Her delicate, soft fingers clenched around the hard, cold steel of the blade. Her blood tainted the ground.

"Hurting yourself won't do you good," her opponent brimmed with energy and excitement.

He twirled his staff in his hand and then put it over his shoulders.

He gave Holbe a chance to retreat but she knew it was just empty promises.

His thirst- his bloodthirst to fight, to fight to his heart's content, to toy with her and to tear her apart gripped her by the ankles and almost swept the rug under her feet.

If she didn't concentrate, if she didn't put all her strength into it, she would never be able to forgive herself.

"Ha!" no one in the water side could rival her but here, were the nature people actually this strong?

To make her feel excited.

Her indifferent face was overtaken by emotions, her eyes bordered on guiding her towards insanity.

Holbe grinned.

She felt relieved, she had the chance to prove herself, to prove Frozen Milk's words weren't just empty, to prove she could live up to his expectations, to prove to Frozen Milk no matter what.

"You were right."

She hated her weak self, she hated herself just a second ago and she still did.

She knew she used this moment as an excuse to make up for herself. She knew the minute she'd catch up to Frozen Milk and see the fearsome person, all the arrogance she had right now would wither away.

But that was left to the future. Right now, she adjusted her stance, right now this was the present. Nothing mattered than this stage right in front of her.

She was a ferocious beast, her beautiful face contorted with crazed emotions, her elegant appearance clouded by her ripped clothes and her dirty skin. It was opposite to her usual high bearing as captain to stand above everyone.

Right now, she wasn't fighting to display her strength. She wasn't fighting for her country or to follow orders.

Right now, she fought for something precious and for herself.

"If you don't make way, I'll force you. I never felt more liberated than now," the grip on her sword strengthen as her feet moved away from each other. Her force on the ground was so strong, the ground gave in to her weight.

"I'm looking forward to it. I'm Oppoa," (OpponentA- Oppoa) Oppoa threw his staff in the air and stabbed it in the ground. He also put a hole in the floor.

"What's yours?" he had a childish yet proud smirk.

"It's captain for you."

"Ah," Oppoa was caught off guard as Holbe closed the distance between them in an instant and her sword yearned for his neck.

His staff deflected her blade only an inch away from him being decapitated.

"Ha, this is interesting," Oppoa grinned.

He easily held his ground against her and as if he was only training, evaded her attacks and occasionally used his staff to defend himself. It looked like he was humouring a little girl who wanted to avenge her dead parents.

It was a pathetic and ridiculous sight.

Holbe retreated a distance away.

"What's wrong captain? Are you tired of playing?"

"Does a life mean nothing to you?"

"A life?" Oppoa faced her and his amused eyes turned serious, "I'm right now defending a life."

"You are obstruct- "

"You have your own to protect and I have mine. Who says you're in the right? C'mon, we both want the same thing yet the way we achieve it is just different."

His staff touched Holbe and bored it into her chest,

"How many of our people died because of you water people? Just because we are barbarians in your eyes? How many times have you holy knights tried to invade our place?"

Holbe grabbed the end of the staff and whisked it to the ground, then to Oppoa's surprise, she bowed,

"It was my mistake. You are correct. I apologise."

She composed herself and her indifferent face was back, "However, I can assure you, he's not a threat. He came here with the naïve thought to unite and create peace."

Oppoa laughed, "There're always idiots like that. Let's see how strong your conviction is then."

With a swift movement, he picked up his staff and attacked Holbe. His expression indicated, he started to enjoy this fight again.

Holbe drew her sword and coated it in gold light.

"Heh, so this is the holy power?" Oppoa got even more excited.

Holbe sighed, the holy power depended on the amount she put into her sword. She had to use up her energy which was then converted into the power.

At least 30% was used on her body, she couldn't afford to exceed 50% on her sword or else even if she won the fight, she would be too exhausted to go after Frozen Milk.

Her only option was to reserve as much of her strength and energy as possible. She took a deep breath and guided her energy along her body into the sword.

During that process, Oppoa attacked but Holbe dodged it like soft feathers floating in water. It was smooth and beautiful even Oppoa was impressed.

Holbe closed her eyes. She could still see it. The massacred corpses left behind by Frozen Milk. It was brutal. She would not resort to such violent methods.