The Grand Duelist

Right after Alice escaped alone...

A lonely figure could be seen on top of a fairly-high skyscraper within the Capital City Reinhardt.

That slim, and slender figure clad in a pure white dress with hints of darkness that elicited terror from those who dare stare at her slowly descended from the skyscraper.

When she landed on the ground, she stood in front of Alice and lightly smiled at her.

"I'm sorry but I will have to stop you there."

Alice raised her head and coldness flashed on her face.

"Do I know you?"

The young woman clad in the pure white dress replied: "You do not need to know who I am since you will soon be dead anyway!"

Bang!

She moved as soon as she completed her sentence.

But Alice was even faster than her... 

Alice randomly snatched a wooden branch on the ground and used it as her weapon before rushing towards the young woman in front of her.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the wooden branch clashed with something metallic.

"You..."

Alice stared wide-eyed at her opponent. The young woman now had a pistol in her hand, and that pistol was the one that clashed against Alice's wooden branch. 

"You're a Gunner?"

Bang!

A gunshot rang out and Alice had to retreat backward.

She barely dodged the bullet that the young woman unleashed...

Gunners were powerful when it came to mid to long-range battles.

But in front of a Swordsman... 

"So you're a Gunner? Let's see which is faster, your bullets or my sword!" Alice rushed at her enemy once again.

The wooden stick in her hand served as her sword as she unleashed a barrage of attacks to the young woman.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

But instead of retreating backward...

The young woman who had a pistol on her right hand took a dagger out of nowhere and held it using her left hand. Afterward, she met Alice's attacks with her dagger. Causing sparks to fly everywhere as the attacks of the two, met in mid-air.

"You really are arrogant. But on what basis? Just because you are the disciple of a Legend? Keep in mind that your grandpa is just a blacksmith! As for me? I was once a Hunter!" 

The young woman activated a skill and she gracefully danced across the battlefield. Whenever her body moved, her dagger would accurately strike against Alice's wooden stick, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

"Tssk!" Alice clicked her tongue.

She decided that it would be better for her to retreat for now as she stomped the ground and used that force in order to fly backward.

"Stupid!"

But as soon as Alice retreated backward.

The young woman aimed her pistol at Alice and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Like I didn't know about that!" Alice exclaimed and her wooden stick turned into a blur. She accurately struck the bullets while they were in mid-air and before they could even get close to her...

The bullets that were sliced by Alice in half flew in different directions.

"Oh... Interesting... You can cut my bullets into halves? But how about this?" The young woman didn't pursue Alice. She stood at the distance and after a blink of an eye. A Rocket Launcher appeared on her shoulder as she cried out.

"Missile Bombardment!" 

BOOM!

A loud explosion occurred, sending dust flying towards the skies. Furthermore, a fierce heatwave spread from the mouth of the Rocket Launcher on the young woman's shoulders as several missiles flew towards Alice's direction.

Alice stared at the incoming missiles and indignance flashed on her face.

She was only using a wooden stick reinforced with her Sword Energy as her Primary Weapon.

Although she could easily dispose of the bullets of a Gunner, it was far harder for her to slice these incoming missiles using only a wooden stick.

Right now, a retreat was the most optimal choice. So, Alice leaped off the ground as the missiles crashed and exploded on her original location. Sending off another round of dust in mid-air, obscuring everything in the area.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Alice waved her wooden stick around whilst she was in mid-air. 

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks ignited around her as she sliced those bullets into two before they could even get to her

But as soon as she landed on the ground. Her eyes widened in shock for she realized that there was a green ball near her feet.

"Hand Grenade!" Her opponent scream and an explosion enveloped her.

The young woman vanquished the dust obscuring her vision with a single wave of her dagger before she rushed at Alice's direction. But to her shock, Alice wasn't in the place where she expected her to be.

Instead, Alice was already behind her.

Alice coldly looked at her enemy as her wooden stick descended...

Slash!

"AHHH!" The young woman cried out in pain. A line of blood was carved on her back. 

She waved her dagger towards Alice's direction, but Alice easily deflected it.

Afterwards, Alice unleashed her own barrage of attacks to which the young woman found it hard to defend against...

"You... Are you really the disciple of a mere blacksmith?"

The young woman cried out as she tried her best on retreating. Earlier, it was Alice who had the lower end of the stick, but right now...

She was the one winning the exchange.

Alice's hands never stopped moving as she unleashed swift strikes one after another.

But a mocking smile appeared on her lips as she replied to what the young woman had said.

"I'm really tired of that... People underestimating me and grandpa just because we are blacksmiths. That thing really is a well-known misconception, you know? Let me tell you this... Just because we are blacksmiths. It doesn't mean that we're weak!" 

Alice pushed her left palm towards the young woman's solar plexus. The blow made the young woman cough a mouthful of blood as she flew backward and struck a wall which promptly collapsed and cushioned her fall.

It looked like that attack wasn't really that powerful, but from the fact that she coughed blood from that strike alone made it obvious that she suffered heavy injuries from Alice's attack.

"Now... Do you still want to fight? I prefer it if you don't since I don't have any time to waste here..." Alice coldly stared at her enemy.

"Hahaha..." The young woman suddenly laughed.

"This is it... This is more like it... A battle can't be considered as a battle unless your enemy's strength is at least equal or greater than yours!" 

Alice stared at her opponent with a frown.

The young woman slowly stood up...

Her expression looked distorted and her figure swayed unsteadily...

In the next moment, without saying anything. The young woman leaped at Alice with her dagger and pistol pointed at the latter.

Clang! Bang!

Alice swiftly parried the incoming dagger attack, and he evaded the incoming bullet by tilting her head to the side. Alice opened her hand and she slammed her left palm on the young woman's stomach.

Boom!

The impact was so strong that a sonic boom was created. The young woman once again flew backward.

While she was in mid-air, she popped open a Health Potion and swiftly consumed it before she landed gracefully on the ground as if nothing really happened.

On the other hand, Alice was astonished to find a Hand Grenade right in front of her.

"!!!"

BOOM!

Another explosion rang out...

Alice managed on retreating before the Hand Grenade could explode, but when she raised her head to stare at her enemy. She was shocked to find that the young woman was currently smiling evilly at her.

"Look behind you!" The young woman cried out.

Alice fiercely turned around, and she saw another Hand Grenade peacefully cooking on the ground directly near her feet.

"Just when?!" Alice exclaimed, he moved to evade, but since the Hand Grenade was too near her and she noticed it too late. There was no way that she could do anything about it.

BOOM!

The Hand Grenade exploded, sending pieces of rocks and dust towards the skies.

Alice also flew backward, but towards the direction of the young woman who now had an excited look on her face.

"Welcome!!!" 

The young woman readied her dagger. Alice tried her best on twisting her body while in mid-air, but she was flying far too fast for her to do anything substantial. She didn't even manage on moving her body by an inch when her opponent's dagger plunged deep into her stomach.

"Guah!" Alice coughed a mouthful of blood, but this wasn't the end.

The young woman kicked the already injured Alice into the air before she took a Gatling Gun out of nowhere and pointed it at Alice who was still in the air.

"Blame yourself for bringing a stick to a gunfight!" The young woman exclaimed in excitement and the Gatling Gun abruptly unleashed its bullets.

As the bullets flew towards Alice and dotted her body with injuries.

A bitter smile emerged on her lips.

"Grandpa... Will we really not meet again?" 

"Why..."

"Why did everything became like this...? I only want us to live peacefully. I only want us to live peacefully until the two of us achieved our dreams of creating the strongest weapon in this world, yet... Why does trouble seem to follow us?"

"Why...?"

"Just why?"

Alice whispered and in the next moment.

A determined look flashed on her face.

"No, I cannot give up! I cannot let our dream die!"

She tried her best on deflecting as many bullets as she could whilst she was in mid-air, but there was a limit to how many bullets she could deflect.

Several bullets slipped past her defenses and struck her face, drawing a bloody-line on her snowy-white complexion. 

"I don't care... I don't care about anything anymore..."

Memories flashed on Alice's mind. The time that she spent with her grandpa, and master Krid. Along with the visions that she received from the Grand Duelist when she inherited a bit of her Divinity.

All of these combined together to form into a fortress-like determination that was unwavering and incredibly courageous.

"Those who dare to block my way to grandpa shall die... If a god blocks my way... I will slay that god. If buddha blocks my way, I will slay that buddha. If heaven blocks my way. I... shall... seal the heavens!"

Alice inwardly screamed.

She rapidly descended from the skies amidst the barrage of bullets. Blood drenched the clothing that she received from Joseph and intense pain tortured her body and mind.

"Hand Grenade!"

A Hand Grenade flew towards her direction. 

Clang!

Alice harshly deflected the Hand Grenade towards the young woman that sent it to her, and that same young woman leaped backward in order to avoid the incoming grenade.

But as soon as she stomped her feet on the ground and retreated...

BOOM!

A deafening explosion occurred right behind her...

The Hand Grenade that Alice deflected flew far faster than she had expected. She thought that it would land in front of her, so she retreated.

But at the moment when she retreated backward...

The Hand Grenade exploded right behind her, sending her flying towards Alice's direction.

"Shit!" The young woman screamed.

She took her pistol out, but it was already too late.

Alice was already waiting for her...

"Welcome!!!"

Alice exclaimed as she performed a stance.

"You..." 

The young woman's eyes widened in shock as she flew headfirst towards the direction of Alice's wooden stick.

"The Grand Duelist's Graceful Swordsmanship..."

Alice whispered into the air.

"Second Form..."

An imperceptible line was drawn and space itself was torn.

"Harmony!"

The Harmony of Heaven and Earth itself was displayed like a canvas, and a fountain of blood that spurted from the neck of the young woman served as its ink.

Time itself seemingly came to a standstill...

A dull thud rang out signifying the end of a single life.

"Huff... Puff... Hehehe..." Exhaustion could be seen on Alice's expression as she repeatedly drew huge mouthfuls of breath.

But beneath her exhaustion was an excitement that could be seen within her eyes as she proudly whispered to herself...

"Grandpa... I did it... I comprehended the Second Form of the Grand Duelist's Graceful Swordsmanship!" Alice weakly whispered.

But as soon as she reached the end of her sentence...

She promptly collapsed on her knees, before crumbling onto the ground with her consciousness slowly leaving her body.

"Grandpa... I hope that... you're proud of... me..." 

Her consciousness then disappeared.