Chapter 170: Tenth Trial: Rank Stealing: Battle for the Heir Title Part – Three

Two figures burst out from the smoke-covered area in opposite directions at almost the exact same moment.

The shattered ground beneath them cracked further from the pressure of their movements.

Vera slid backward lightly across the broken platform while immediately performing another Alchemy mid-motion.

Clap!

Cognis surged through her fingers.

Several steel bars melted together rapidly before reshaping into a Springfield M1903A4 sniper rifle.

At the same time...

Veda, who was also moving backward through the smoke, slammed two Repeater Sword Rifles together.

More steel bars flew out from his space bag and merged into the glowing Alchemy circle before compressing heavily.

A Dual-Barrel Shotgun formed in his hands.

The two finally stopped moving.

A small flame still burned between them from the explosion of the earlier weapons.

The air smelled of smoke, metal, and blood.

Parts of Veda’s clothes had already torn badly from the constant exchanges.

Blood slowly dripped from his arms, especially the one Vera had shot through earlier, even his forehead carried fresh cuts.

Meanwhile...

For the first time since the battle started...

Vera looked slightly injured too.

A little part of her clothes had torn near the shoulder area and a thin line of blood slowly dripped down from the corner of her mouth.

The hall became quieter afterward.

Even the cheering crowd unconsciously lowered their voices, because everyone could now feel it clearly...

This fight had already gone beyond a simple challenge for ranks.

Nina clenched her fists tightly while staring at Vera.

Her expression looked uncomfortable.

This wasn’t the first time she had seen Vera injured before.

During the trials and when Vera lost to the genius of Bergwyn...

She had already witnessed it multiple times but somehow, every single time she saw blood on Vera...

Her chest still tightened painfully.

Back on the stage...

Veda suddenly raised the Dual-Barrel Shotgun and pointed it directly at Vera while rapidly closing the distance between them.

BANG!

The shotgun exploded with a deafening roar.

The shells shot forward at terrifying speed before bursting apart midair.

A storm of pellets spread outward violently.

Vera immediately rolled across the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several parts of the platform exploded apart where she previously stood.

Broken stone and dust burst upward simultaneously.

Vera stopped rolling afterward and smoothly entered a perfect kneeling-shooting posture.

Her breathing remained calm.

Her eyes locked through the sniper scope.

The world around her seemed to narrow instantly.

Bang!

She fired.

The sniper bullet ripped through the air toward the approaching Veda.

Veda instantly grabbed one of the remaining Repeater Sword Rifles standing around the battlefield and used it to block the incoming shot.

Clang!

The impact pushed his arm backward slightly, but before the force fully settled...

He immediately fired another shell from the shotgun.

Vera jumped sideways while twisting her body fluidly through the incoming pellets.

The shells exploded apart around her.

As she landed...

The ground behind her shattered again from the delayed spread of pellets.

Yet...

Even while moving...

She already repositioned the sniper rifle toward Veda’s next angle.

Bang!

Another sniper round flew out.

Then another, then another.

The speed of her shots gradually increased.

Veda immediately started running in zig-zag patterns while blocking the sniper rounds with the Repeater Sword Rifle.

The bullets moved beyond the speed of sound.

Every impact against the rifle produced violent sparks.

Vera’s shots were becoming sharper.

More accurate and more dangerous.

It slowly became harder for Veda to fully keep up.

Then...

Bang!

One sniper bullet directly struck the rifle in his hand and blasted it away from his grip.

Veda immediately grabbed another nearby rifle without slowing down.

But...

Thwck!

A bullet pierced straight through his shoulder.

Blood sprayed outward instantly; the impact forced him backward half a step.

The crowd watching finally started realizing something important.

Ever since the battle began...

Veda looked like the one dominating the fight, which honestly made sense.

He was now a Meister Rank Alchemist, his physical strength exceeded Vera’s, even the destructive force of his weapons forced Vera into constantly evading.

But...

Vera wasn’t an ordinary Binder Rank Alchemist.

She is the genius called the Jewel of Ash.

A talent so abnormal that even older Alchemists admitted no child like her had been born into the family for years.

Many spectators secretly wondered why Vera hadn’t started using Meister-ranked firearms from the beginning.

But...

Only high-level Alchemists could somewhat understand her reasoning.

Creating Meister-ranked weapons continuously against someone physically and rank superior like Veda would drain too much Cognis.

Especially in a prolonged battle.

So instead...

Vera chose another path.

The smartest path.

She used the best Binder-ranked weapons for speed and precision while constantly reading Veda’s movements before he fully committed to them.

She was slowly exhausting him, slowly bleeding him dry.

And now...

The difference had become obvious.

Veda was the one bleeding more, panting harder and getting pierced repeatedly by her shots.

While Vera still maintained frightening composure.

Then...

Thwck! 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Another sniper round tore through Veda’s leg.

His body nearly dropped to one knee.

Still...

He immediately blocked the next incoming shots before they could finish him.

Damn it...

Veda’s breathing became rougher as he glanced toward Vera again.

She had already finished creating another magazine and reloading the sniper rifle with smooth precision.

The grip on Veda’s weapons had started weakening.

Sweat mixed together with blood as it slowly dripped down the side of his face and neck.

His injured shoulder burned painfully; the holes pierced through his hand still bled nonstop, even his leg felt heavy every time he stepped.

My whole-body hurts...

"Argh..."

A painful groan escaped his mouth.

But...

The next second...

Veda suddenly forced himself back together.

Boom!

He violently stomped the injured leg into the cracked platform.

The ground beneath him shattered further.

Broken stones and debris exploded upward into the air, blocking several incoming sniper rounds while Veda raised the Repeater Sword Rifle to deflect the remaining bullets.

Clang! Clang!

Sparks burst repeatedly around him.

I already expected this fight to be hard.

His breathing became heavier.

Nothing was ever easy for me to gain.

White Cognis surged harder from his body afterward.

Clap!

He immediately performed another Alchemy, taking out a steel bar from his space bag after throwing the Dual-barrel Shotgun up and creating fresh shells for the Dual-Barrel Shotgun.

At the same time...

Several memories flashed through his head during his training with his Master.

Climbing freezing mountains with the weak and skinny body he once had.

Facing a Lesser Ground Ape with only a dagger and bare hands.

Getting chased repeatedly while his Master fired bullets toward him over and over again.

The pain, the injuries, the fear.

The moments he genuinely wondered if he would die.

Why am I doing all this?

That same question echoed inside his head again.

But...

Before the thought could continue...

Veda suddenly threw the Repeater Sword Rifle toward Vera with all his strength.

The weapon tore through the air like a launched spear.

Whoosh!

Vera smoothly tilted sideways and evaded.

The pressure from the passing rifle blasted her black hair and clothes backward violently before the weapon stabbed deeply into the distant wall behind her.

I already have my answer.

Veda immediately caught the Dual-Barrel Shotgun and reloaded the shells.

BANG!

The shotgun roared loudly.

The shells exploded apart into countless pellets rushing toward Vera.

But Vera’s eyes remained completely focused.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With frightening precision...

She accurately shot down the incoming pellets midair one after another.

Normally...

Veda should have simply accepted Vera becoming the Heir of the family.

Even though he knew Vera was manipulative, even though he knew she was difficult to understand.

Veda still knew his sister better than anyone else.

He understood something others didn’t.

Even with her current personality...

Vera would still lead the family better than their father.

And honestly...

Part of him could have accepted that outcome.

But...

He still couldn’t let her become the Heir, because he knew her too well.

He knew exactly how much pressure that title would place on her shoulders.

Even if she would always look calm, even if she is smarter and more mature than him...

Veda knew how much pain Vera quietly carried alone.

The guilt surrounding the creation of the trials, the expectations of the family, the loneliness hidden beneath that bored face.

All those things slowly pushed Veda toward his resolve.

This persistence wasn’t simply because he wanted to prove himself anymore.

Yes...

Part of him still wanted recognition, but more than that...

He cared too much.

About his sister, about his friends, about the people who believed in him.

So how could he fall here? How could he give up now?

How could I face my mother after promising to protect my siblings?

Veda’s fist tightened violently.

Boom!

He suddenly burst toward Vera’s position at terrifying speed while tanking multiple sniper rounds that pierced through his body.

Blood exploded from several wounds, but he didn’t stop moving.

I already failed once...

The memory suddenly surfaced again.

The moment Vera lost against the Mainline daughter of Bergwyn.

And afterward...

Valentin looked at Vera with those cold dead black eyes.

The same eyes that once terrified Veda deeply.

The same eyes that made him feel like Vera would eventually become just like him...

Someone crushed beneath expectations and disappointment.

BUT NOT ANYMORE!!!

"AHHHHHHH!"

Veda roared violently.

The pressure around his body exploded outward as he launched a heavy punch toward Vera.

The air itself distorted around the strike.

Vera’s eyes sharpened immediately.

She instantly pulled the Springfield M1903A4 horizontally in front of herself to block because Veda had already entered a range too close for proper shooting.

Boom!

Veda’s fist slammed directly into the sniper rifle.

Crack!

The weapon shattered apart instantly.

Vera’s pupils shrank.

Because the punch didn’t stop there.

The fist broke through the destroyed rifle and continued directly toward her face.

Even while reacting...

Vera still forced Cognis across her skin to reinforce her defense.

But...

The raw physical power of a Meister Rank strengthened by Cognis completely crushed through it.

The instant the punch connected...

Vera felt her entire vision violently shift backward.

Boom!

Her body blasted backward and crashed heavily against the wall outside the platform.

Dust and broken stone exploded outward.

For a brief second...

Her thoughts became disordered, her hearing rang.

Her eyes twitched slightly.

That was exactly what would happen if the incoming punch landed fully.

But...

Even during that short instant...

Vera’s brain had already scanned countless possible decisions.

Evade, counter, retreat, block.

Every route still ended badly.

Either she would still take heavy damage...

Or the pressure behind the attack would disrupt her senses long enough for Veda to follow with another close-range strike.

And the next attack would definitely be worse.

Vera slowly sighed afterward.

Veda’s fist moved closer only inches away from her face.

"I surrender."

She spoke with a tired expression.

The moment those words entered his ears...Veda forcefully stopped his punch completely.

Boom!

Even the pressure released from the halted fist blasted violently against Vera’s face and forced her down onto the floor in a sitting position.

She breathed heavily afterward.

The hall became silent.

Everyone stared with stunned expressions.

"Lady Vera surrendered?"

Nina muttered in disbelief.

"Lady Vera... surrendered..."

Even Linda looked completely shocked.

Veda simply stood there breathing heavily staring at Vera with confusion.

"You win."

Vera casually laid flat on the ground afterward.

Her usual bored expression returned slightly despite the blood at the corner of her mouth.

"Your determination is too troublesome for me."

She spoke flatly while exhaling deeply.

And just like that...

The entire hall fell into complete shock.