Chapter 350: Chapter 350 : Alicia von crestvale (1)

[ 9 years ago ]

Since she was little, Alicia was born into a beloved family.

A wonderful father, a loving mother, and a good brother.

But as a noble, she still had expectations placed on her—and she didn’t disappoint. Within the Crestvale family, she was hailed as a genius because of how fast she could learn and grow.

One day in the family’s private training grounds, a ten‑year‑old Alicia was sparring with her father, Reynard von Crestvale.

Reynard always trained her personally.

Alicia dashed forward again and again, trying to land even a single clean strike. Reynard easily parried her blade with just his bare hands, his movements relaxed and fluid.

Then he flicked her forehead lightly.

Alicia’s body flew back several meters, tumbling across the ground. She hadn’t even seen him move.

She pushed herself up immediately, eyes sparkling. “How did you do that, Father?”

Reynard laughed. “Hahaha, my little angel. That’s a footwork technique I developed myself. My enemies can’t read my movements because they don’t follow a fixed pattern.”

“Show me one more time, please,” Alicia said, stars in her eyes.

Reynard demonstrated the strange, unpredictable steps again, his body gliding across the field.

“I know you’re a fast learner,” he said smugly, “but sorry, dear—you won’t be able to copy it just by seeing it once. And it takes a heavy toll on the body. Moving like this consumes a lot of mana and stamina.”

Just as Reynard said, Alicia failed to perform it on her first try.

But on the fifth attempt, she got close.

And by the eighth, she had reproduced it perfectly.

Reynard’s smile slowly froze.

He could feel her power rising the more she pushed herself. Her sword swings grew heavier, her speed sharper.

His mouth fell open. ’How is that possible… it’s impossible.’

Then he noticed something else.

Alicia’s body was absorbing mana from the atmosphere like a sponge. Even his own mana was being drawn toward her, little by little, in a way that would’ve escaped anyone below his rank.

The realization sent a chill down his spine.

’It can’t be that…’

He walked toward her and suddenly picked her up in his arms.

“Gummy bear, come with me,” he said.

Alicia puffed her cheeks. “For what? I almost learned it completely, you know.”

Reynard didn’t answer.

He took her into the family’s archive hall, where paintings and records of past Crestvale heads were stored.

He pulled out an old portrait and showed it to her.

“This is our first family head,” he said. “Her name was Helena von Crestvale.”

The painting showed a beautiful woman with sharp eyes and a regal bearing.

“She was the only one who possessed a power that made her unparalleled in strength,” Reynard explained. “Her name alone spread fear across the world.”

“She had a special gift—a physique that broke all limits on the body. It gave her almost unlimited potential, letting her absorb and use all kinds of energy so she would never run out.”

He looked down at Alicia.

“I think you possess the same physique. The physique of Eternal Ruin”

Alicia’s eyes lit up, overjoyed. “Really?!”

But then she saw the worried look on Reynard’s face.

“Is something wrong, Father?” she asked.

Reynard’s gaze darkened. “Do you know how the first head died?”

Alicia shook her head. “No…”

“She took her own life,” Reynard said quietly. “Because the same physique that gave her invisible strength also drove her out of control. Her bloodlust took over. She attacked her own. In the end… she killed the person she loved most.”

He paused.

“Unable to bear the weight of that, she ended her own life. After that, her younger brother became the second head.”

Alicia’s breath hitched.

She stared at the portrait, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Reynard gently patted her head. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. The strongest daddy in the world is here with you. There’s no way I’m letting my little angel go berserk.”

He smiled.

“I’ll train you personally. But you must keep this a secret. Never let anyone know.”

Alicia nodded.

She hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Father.”

From that day, Reynard trained her himself.

Two years passed.

Alicia turned twelve.

One day, the mansion bustled with activity; another noble family was visiting. Servants hurried through the halls, preparing guest rooms and reception halls.

Alicia wasn’t interested.

She didn’t like these gatherings anyway.

So she slipped away and went to the training grounds.

She was practicing alone when a golden‑haired girl walked in, as if wandering through the garden.

The girl was strikingly beautiful—golden hair cascading down her back, golden eyes clear and calm. Even Alicia thought, ’She’s really pretty…’

Alicia sheathed her sword and walked over.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” she asked.

The girl, her face almost expressionless, answered politely, “Oh. Sorry for the intrusion. My name is Evelyn. Evelyn Williams, daughter of Duke Arthur Williams.”

—

“Oh, so you’re the one who was coming today,” Alicia said.

Evelyn didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Alicia smiled. “Do you use any weapons?”

“I know how to,” Evelyn replied. “But my main strength is my magic.”

Alicia smirked. “How about a spar, then? I bet you were getting bored there—that’s why you came here, right?”

Evelyn considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Why not.”

A short while later, Evelyn changed into training attire.

They stepped onto the field, facing each other.

Alicia moved first.

She drew her sword and shifted into her stance.

“Sovereign Blade, First Form: Radiant Dusk.”

In a blur, she disappeared from her spot and reappeared in front of Evelyn, blade flashing toward her neck.

“Deflect,” Evelyn whispered.

Alicia’s sword slammed into something invisible and bounced off, her wrist jolting.

Golden energy flared around Evelyn like a soft, shimmering veil.

Alicia’s eyes widened.

It was the first time someone her age had ever countered her technique.

“Slow down,” Evelyn said quietly.

The world around Alicia suddenly changed.

The air thickened. Her own movements seemed sluggish, as if time itself had slowed down around her.

Then Evelyn vanished from her vision.

In the next instant, three sharp blows struck Alicia—one at her neck, one at her legs, and one at her stomach. The final hit sent her crashing into the nearby wall.

She slid down, coughing blood.

’I lost… in just a few moves?’ she thought, stunned. ’No way. I won’t lose like this.’

She forced herself back to her feet.

“Are you okay?” Evelyn asked, actually sounding a little concerned.

Just then, she felt something strange.

Alicia’s body was drawing in mana from the atmosphere in huge amounts. Evelyn could feel it—like a vacuum pulling at the very air.

Not just mana.

Alicia was also tugging faintly at Evelyn’s own power—stealing traces of her divinity, something that should have been impossible.

Evelyn’s eyes widened. ’It can’t be…’

She looked back at Alicia.

The girl was already gone from where she’d been standing.

A moment later, Alicia appeared in front of her, and the blunt side of Alicia’s sword slammed into Evelyn’s stomach, sending her flying backward.

Evelyn hit the ground hard, skidding across the floor.

For the first time, someone her age had landed a clean hit on her.

They clashed again.

Two geniuses fought with incomprehensible speed.

Evelyn weaved martial arts and spellcasting together—barriers, acceleration, and sharp strikes. Alicia matched her with her sword arts and the growing power of her physiqueof Eternal Ruin.

As time passed, Evelyn noticed something unsettling.

Her time‑slowing spells were losing their effect.

She would murmur “Slow,” and for a moment Alicia’s movements would drag—but then her physique adapted, absorbing the temporal interference and nullifying it. Soon the slowing effect became almost negligible.

For Evelyn, the fight became harder—but also more exciting.

They traded blows, Evelyn’s face mostly expressionless, Alicia’s lips curled into a wide smile. Swords, fists, mana blasts—everything blurred into streaks of motion across the training ground.

But as the minutes passed, Evelyn noticed another change.

Alicia’s bloodlust was increasing.

“More,” Alicia whispered between clashes. “More… more…”

Her strikes grew wilder, more vicious. The joy on her face twisted into something sharper.

“Are you okay?” Evelyn asked while dodging, but Alicia didn’t respond.

Her aura flared, thick with killing intent.

Evelyn frowned and tried to knock her out of it—using barriers, pushing her back, calling her name—but nothing worked. Alicia’s attacks only grew more frenzied.

Then—

“What is happening here?!”

A loud voice echoed through the grounds.

Reynard strode into the training field.

The moment he saw Alicia—eyes wild, aura distorted—his heart almost broke.

She didn’t recognize him.

Alicia lunged at him as if he were just another enemy.

Reynard’s body blurred.

He slipped past her strike and, with a precise chop to the back of her neck, knocked her unconscious in a single move.

Alicia collapsed to the ground.

Reynard stared at her for a long moment, guilt heavy in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I thought history wouldn’t repeat itself. Looks like I was wrong. We’ll have to be more careful with that power of yours.”

He turned to Evelyn and walked over.

“Miss Evelyn,” he said, bowing his head slightly, “if you don’t mind keeping what happened here a secret, I will be eternally grateful.”

Evelyn nodded. “I understand. But… may I come to see her again? I want to be her friend.”

Reynard blinked, surprised.

Then he smiled. “Of course you can. She’ll be delighted to have a friend like you.”

Later, Alicia woke up in her room.

Reynard sat beside her bed and told her everything that had happened—the fight, her loss of control, how she had attacked him without recognizing him.

Alicia listened in silence, sadness clouding her eyes.

Reynard took out a ring and placed it in her hand.

“This was made with special materials and enchantments,” he said. “It will suppress your physique’s full potential and keep it from pushing you out of control. You’ll still be strong—but it will hold back the worst of it.”

Alicia looked at the ring, then at him.

“Will it really help?” she asked.

“It will,” Reynard said firmly. “Until you grow strong enough to control it yourself.”

Alicia nodded and slipped the ring onto her finger.

“Thank you, Father.”

After that day, Evelyn visited whenever she could.

The two of them sparred again and again, this time with Alicia limiting herself, learning to control her power. Slowly, they became best friends—arguing, training, laughing, and pushing each other higher.

Years later, they even took the Zenith Academy entrance exam together, side by side.

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