The Heir Of The Grand Duke (Official)

Chapter 9 - First Move

Smoke and dust.

As far as the eye could see.

Smoke and dust filled the air as the sound of cracking earth and trees being uprooted ravaged the once flat clearing. A man had his suit torn to shreds and his white hair turning dark from all the dirt that gathered on its strands.

He winced as he felt his arm go numb and his legs trembling. He scanned his eyes on the dust cloud that enveloped the entire field preventing anyone from being seen through its thickness.

He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had simply left to report to his superior about the success of the plan only to come back and see his dead partner's mangled body and the base he had worked hard to maintain scourged to the ground.

He tried taking a step forward but he stumbled. He was dazed, unable to properly walk. What's in front of him wasn't human, it was a demon.

"Ice skill: Frost wall!" He grit his teeth and slammed both of his hands to the ground and a gigantic wall of ice precipiced over the cracks in the dirt. He turned around to run away but in a single instant the wall he so desperately erected was shattered into pieces.

His eyes grew in size as he witnessed his ice shard fall to the earth and fade away. This was a mistake. A complete utter mistake.

He never should've fought her. He should've tried to run away. He shouldn't have gotten cocky just because he was considered powerful. He took a step back as the demonic figure slowly formed through the smoke. He felt tears well up in his eyes but he stood his ground.

This may have been a mistake but he wasn't going to die a coward. "Ice skill: Arctic Spikes!" He placed his hand on the dirt again and from it large spikes of ice disgorged and pierced the wind with incredible speed.

But before it could reach the demon, its tip broke and disappeared.

He slid his leg and took a stance. He knew this was going to be the last thing he could do since this would sap him completely out of energy. "Ice skill: Blizzard Hell!"

The air turned frigid and his breath turned visible. Suddenly wind picked up and little icicles formed all around them and twirled around the field, collecting the dust clouds and revealing the monster he was facing.

There she was, a red haired beast. Her dress was unsullied and undisturbed. Her face and eyes looked completely indifferent to his struggle, like she couldn't even be bothered to spare a thought for him. Just who was this devil?

She looked unperturbed with every step she took. The blizzard of icicles seemingly ineffective whatsoever to her as not a single one even touched her let alone reached her.

"Wh-What are you!?" He couldn't hold his composure any longer. He fell to his knees as death loomed over him. This was an unbeatable enemy. It's funny, maybe if he had just turned his back he could've gone home safely. He stared at the sky as her steps grew closer and closer until she was in front of him.

"What's your name?" Her voice was apathetic.

He felt defeated but he smiled. "Reiss Fischer."

"You're far too weak." The woman said and he laughed aloud one more time.

"This is some shitty fuckin luck." His hands gripped the dirt beneath him and in his state of frustration, he gathered a clump in his palms and threw it at her dress.

The witch didn't move; she let the dirt reach her and stain her clothes. The hem of her skirt, blemished by a poor man's last hurrah.

"Finally." He chuckled. A light breeze of wind passed by, it felt chilly and calm. The field grew silent and only the sound of a body falling to the ground could be heard.