chapter 331 : second duel

    ''i don''t like this,'' alex thought in displeasure. the idea that someone was trailing him didn''t sit well with him in the slightest, especially now that he was impersonating someone other than his true self and better not have his identity exposed.

    ''i will have to see with freya what can be done,'' he ultimately decided. the matriarch of the drazen family was surely aware of those guards and how long they had been following maya.

    as he had this thought, froze, still in alex''s grip, yanked his arm free with a sudden, forceful motion, leaving behind a red, angry mark on his skin where alex''s fingers had tightened. the bruising was already forming, and froze rubbed it absentmindedly as he glared.

    "don''t touch me!" he hissed coldly at alex. if he had been in a calmer state, froze might have kept his usual composed and courteous facade, but his anger and humiliation were too overwhelming for him to restrain himself now.

    without another word, froze hoisted the unconscious body of his son onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. the movement was neither gentle nor graceful, and filden''s limp form jostled awkwardly. froze, however, seemed entirely unbothered as he turned and began walking away, his steps heavy with frustration.

    ''i don''t like his attitude either,'' alex clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his features. ''i should put him in his place while i''m still here.''

    although this thought lingered in his mind, alex''s attention quickly shifted to someone else—frieda. despite everything that had transpired, the woman''s serene smile hadn''t faltered. her composure was impressive, though the occasional sharp glare she sent toward filden''s unconscious form betrayed her inner thoughts.

    "it seems arcane will continue doing business with whom we are currently doing it with," alex commented dryly.

    "unfortunately," frieda responded with a sad smile, casting a quick glance in freya''s direction.

    "it isn''t set in stone, though," alex suddenly interjected, his words catching both frieda and freya off guard. he allowed himself a small, mischievous smirk before continuing. "just like with the duel between maya and filden, how about we have another duel?"

    "what do you want in case of a win?" frieda asked swiftly, no hesitation in her tone.

    "in case i win, i will privately communicate with you what i want," alex declared. he let the statement hang for a moment before adding, "if you win, my previous offer—solely doing business with the first branch—will be yours to claim."

    this time, frieda didn''t respond immediately. her gaze narrowed as she carefully weighed the stakes, considering the implications of such a wager. after a moment of deliberation, she asked, "may i know between whom this duel will take place before i make my decision?"

    "of course," alex replied with a nod, his expression steady as he turned his head toward froze, who was still carrying his son''s unconscious body. "it will be a duel between myself and sir froze here."

    the words struck like a thunderclap. a deafening silence fell across the room, and even froze, who had been walking away, stopped dead in his tracks. he stiffened visibly, his shoulders rigid, as an incredulous expression spread across his face.

    "will the duel only be about martial prowess, like the previous one?" frieda finally asked, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

    after that initial exchange, the two fighters locked eyes, their postures shifting as they measured their adversary’s strength. the moment of stillness lasted only a heartbeat before both exploded forward, charging toward one another with a speed and force that caused the air to crackle with tension.

    boom!

    a fierce gust of wind swept across the stage, forcing onlookers too close to shield their faces. dust and debris whipped through the air, blinding them temporarily. when their vision cleared, they were met with the shocking sight of arcanor and froze locked in a brutal clash. fists collided with bone-jarring intensity, the sound of their strikes echoing like thunder.

    most shockingly of all, a small crater had formed where they clashed, despite both men clearly holding back their full strength. after all, had they unleashed their true power, the stage—and likely the entire building—would have crumbled like a fragile house of cards.

    after a brief moment of separation, arcanor and froze surged toward each other once more. their fists moved even faster, each strike crackling with precision and ferocity. sparks seemed to fly with every exchange, their blows too rapid for most onlookers to follow.

    for several seconds, they traded a whirlwind of attacks, a blur of motion that made it impossible for the audience to determine a clear advantage. at first, the duel seemed evenly matched, neither side showing any signs of faltering.

    but as the fight progressed, froze began to gain the upper hand. his grounded and disciplined fighting style gave him an edge, allowing him to anchor himself and exploit alex''s lighter, more fluid movements. with each clash, he forced alex back.

    however, alex was far from overwhelmed. he evaded froze''s deadliest strikes with uncanny agility, his mantle of smoke flowing around him like a living entity. the smoke seemed to guide his movements, making him appear both elusive and untouchable as he parried, blocked, and dodged froze''s attacks.

    his movements were light, but sharp, wild, yet possessing a cunningness that could only come from years of experience battling in the harshest of environments.

    ‘i have to concede it to him—i underestimated his fighting style,’ alex thought, his eyes narrowing as he ducked just in time to avoid a vicious kick that could have dislocated his jaw had it connected.

    though alex still believed froze’s fighting style was rigid, unlike his son, froze wielded that rigidity with remarkable efficiency. he exploited its limitations, turning what should have been a weakness into a weapon.

    with each exchange, alex seemed to be losing ground, but it was only for show. in reality, he didn’t feel as threatened by froze''s attacks as others seemed to think. froze was definitely a very good fighter, perhaps even an excellent one. there was a good chance that his mastery over his fighting style might even be superior to alex''s mastery over his own style.

    it should be reminded that alex had been taught his current fighting style by none other than his first wife, lilia. and frankly, if it wasn’t for the way his body seemed to adapt to his opponent’s moves during a fight, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think he wouldn’t have even reached such a high level of mastery over this style.

    however, even with froze’s mastery over his own fighting style seemingly surpassing alex’s, there was little chance froze could truly hurt alex, if any at all. that’s because, while froze might have more mastery over his fighting style, alex’s was simply on a whole new level in terms of quality and fluidity.

    and this didn’t even address the elephant in the room: froze''s physical strength. he was fast, true, but compared to alex, he might as well have been moving in slow motion.

    in short, froze had no chance of winning this duel—unless he did something radical. it seemed that froze had come to the same conclusion, as alex once again effortlessly dodged his attack.

    ''it can’t go on like this!''