He saw the approaching figure of the female candidate and the evil look in her eyes which betrayed her intentions.

'So, it's not over yet,' sighed Jake.

...….

As he stared deep into her eyes, Jake realized that the female candidate wasn't a good ally for him.

The moment she met him, she was already thinking about killing him. He took no offense in that, but in cases like this, wasn't it better to assess the situation?

Shouldn't she ascertain if he was an enemy or not before taking action?

Since she had popped out of the egg, the only thing she thought about was to kill.

She hadn't even spoken a single word!

This also benefited Jake. He never wanted an ally and Rhys forced it on him.

Now, he would have an excuse when he disposed of this ignorant ally!

Flipping away from his position, Jake placed his palm on the floor as he thought, '[Glacial Floor]'.

A blue sheet of ice spread from his hands and froze the grassy ground. On the ice were the intricate designs that always appeared on Jake's [Sky Steps]!

It was a technique he had learned that was similar to what he did the last time he fought with Cheyenne. This time the frozen floor was crystal clear and smooth.

Even he would need multiple efforts to break the floor. It also came with hidden effects. It had the ability to slow down enemies while increasing his speed. It had the ability to freeze the body of his enemies also, and if exposed to the technique for a long time, it could bind one's leg in ice!

After setting the stage for his battle, Jake stood up as he fiddled with his sword.

He observed that the female candidate found it hard to balance herself on ice and smiled.

Taking the first step, Jake charged his sword with [Lighnting Element] and murmured, '[Lightning Blade]'.

His lightning-coated sword sparkled in the air as Jake dashed at the candidate.

Despite her struggles, she looked at him with serene eyes. 

*Whoosh!*

Even when he charged his speed with the basic [Lightning Movement], those uncomfortable eyes still followed his movements. 

However, Jake wasn't disturbed by that. 

He stopped just in front of her and sharply flung his sword. Using his hand, he attempted a powerful punch, but it was blocked by one of the candidate's fingers.

Rather than saying it was blocked, the correct term for her action was diverting!

Jake's cold eyes scrutinized her as he threw another punch with his left arm this time.

Yet, she still guided it away with her single index finger, which earned Jake's smile.

He actualized a step beside him and used it as a platform to gain momentum.

His sword came down just in time and he twirled with it like a tornado, unleashing a barrage of lightning-induced slashes.

The female candidate glanced at all his attacks like it wasn't a threat.

She dodged most of them, but a hidden blade appeared, stabbing at her eye. She was forced to materialize her daggers and stop the attack.

*Boom*

From that attack, a powerful wave was generated. It was fortunate that Jake's [Glacial Floor] was strong enough to mitigate its damage.

When the two couldn't force the other side to bend to their will, Jake shot out the charged-up wave of lightning from his sword and retreated. 

Of course, she was able to block it, but it gave him enough time.

*Boom!*

He was about to plan his further move when he saw a dark-silver light glow from the candidate's hand.

Summoning the make-up of his technique from his mind, Jake murmured, "[Giant Sky Steps]"

Multiple steps appeared in front of him just in time as a bolt of energy was shot out from the candidate's hand.

*Boom!*

Cracks appeared on the shield as it tried to endure the blast of dark-silver energy. The blast went on for seconds until the candidate stopped.

From a hole in the cracked shield, a dagger flew through furiously heading for Jake.

Jake had already sensed it so he tried to parry it away with his sword, but when he did, he experienced something strange.

*Whoosh!*

The blade side of the dagger connected with his sword edge at an accurate angle and bounced off it. It used the momentum gained from Jake's sword to propel itself further.

With his defenses down, the dagger aimed for Jake's eyes, seeking revenge, but Jake was quick enough to move his left hand in the way of the dagger.

*Ptui*

The dagger pierced his hand, but only stopped there.

As it tore apart Jake's flesh and bone, his silver-blue blood dripped on the floor.

Jake removed the dagger from his hand and the weapon disappeared.

He knew not to heal himself right now and activated his [Akashic Eye]. The eye was always in a semi-active state. Hence, he could freely manipulate when he wanted to go full-mode.

Jake calmed his rough soft breath and entered his [Weapon Synchronization State]. 

He dropped down his steps and released himself to danger.

To his expectation, the female candidate appeared right in front of him attempting a stab.

Jake, however, knew how to counter her attack. Applying more pressure on his sword, he forced a dance of weapons on her.

The two began appearing at different places as if they were teleporting.

Everywhere they appeared, a small crack would appear on the icy floor.

After a while of comparing who was better with a weapon, Jake deftly guided the candidate's dagger out of the way and tried to stab her.

Materializing a sword made from ice on his left hand, Jake blocked her last defense, her hand, and slashed at her stomach with his real sword.

His sword in her stomach, protruding from the other side. Jake thought he had gotten her, but the smile on her face said otherwise.

Instantly, he understood the reason. 

The candidate's dagger had somehow found its place in his back.

*Puchi!*

It was a perfect exchange of a wound for a wound. Upping the scale, the both of them murmured.

'[Lightning and Ice infusion]'

'[Shock Daggers]'

From his back and on her stomach, two sources of explosions went off and the two were blasted away from each other.