Chapter 4673: Shifting Perception

Runark’s earnest words were like a gunshot. A bullet straight to the heart. Ria staggered a little, lowering her head, desperately trying to hide her flushed cheeks and the embarrassment on her face. Her racing heart was pounding heavily against her chest, and knowing that he could certainly hear it only caused it to race faster. Had she been in a calm state of mind, she could have immediately slowed it down to normal with her Martial Soul, but her mind was overloading.

How could he bring himself to utter such cheesy romantic words? She complained internally. Her head lifted a little as she caught a glimpse of his expression, trying to see whether he felt the same embarrassment that she felt.

The sincere passion in his eyes and the serious expression on his face made her realize that her embarrassment was one-sided, which only made her feel more embarrassed. Was she the immature one here? She had always considered herself to be more mature than him, but she realized she was giving herself way too much credit if a simple, direct confession like this could rattle her this much.

His heart was beating hard, but not fast. In other words, he was calm, but very serious and intense. She could even feel with her mind sense that he was nowhere near as overwhelmed as she was. He was like a pillar of clear conviction and passion, making her feel like a leaf blown by the winds in comparison.

Her image of him shifted. She always pictured him as boyish and immature before, but he was much older thanks to the manifold experiences of overcoming intense hurdles. He felt solid, firm, and reliable, which only made his words of love that much more impactful.

"...You’ve truly grown, Runark," she couldn’t help but squeeze out, having remained silent for nearly half a minute.

Runark tilted his head with a confused smile. "Thanks, I suppose."

The air between them still tingled with emotion, though it was no longer as overbearing on her state of mind as before, with a brief exchange of words. Ria, however, remained silent for several more seconds as she tried to process his words and the emotions they evoked in her. Thankfully, she wasn’t lost as a teenage girl her age might have been with a complex relationship dynamic.

She had Enlightenment of Self, which served as a beacon of clarity amidst her cooling emotional turmoil. She recognized her emotions. She recognized the warmth in her chest. She clearly held a deep affection and care for Runark, though she didn’t need enlightenment to know that. Runark was very important to her no matter whether he was a friend, family, or more.

However, she realized that he made her feel... a sense of certainty and excitement that she hadn’t ever felt before. In the past, he had been able to do neither. It wasn’t just about Martial power; she could sense that his psyche had been tempered greatly by his trauma. He was probably even more mentally tough than she was. Martially, he had reached a stage of power where she could feel some threat from him, something that he had never been able to do before.

Just as she understood her changing emotions at a deeper level, his voice drew her attention.

"I’m sorry, I see now that I shouldn’t have just thrown this on you right away at our reunion." He spoke with a regretful tone. "You came here because you were concerned for my well-being. It’s not appropriate to use that situation to abruptly confess my love for you. I should have waited for a moment that was fit, after we understood each other better."

He shook his head. "Seems I have a lot to learn before I fully grow up. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that. However, I won’t take back my words. I do love you. Not as a friend or a sister, but as a partner. And the truth is, I have loved you for a long time. But..."

He directed a sincere smile at her. "You don’t have to give me a response. My words were for me to say and for you to listen. I don’t want you to feel pressured into responding or accepting my feelings. I don’t want you to be worried that your words will alienate me from you."

She finally raised her head a little, her flushed face finally returning to its normal hue. Her racing heart calmed down a bit. Her amber eyes bore deep into the depths of his silver pupils. His calm maturity was infectious because it helped calm her down.

She breathed deeply as she faced him. No matter what, he deserved a direct response to his earnest emotions. It would be cowardice and an insult to simply pretend he hadn’t said those words.

"Runark, it has been a while. Let’s have a battle."

Runark raised an eyebrow, evidently not having expected that response. Yet, the moment she uttered those words, he understood what she was saying.

If he wanted his feelings to amount to much, he would need to demonstrate that he had the power to stand beside her. No matter how she felt about him, even if she completely reciprocated his feelings for her, she would not pursue a romantic relationship with him if she wasn’t personally convinced of his power and his ability to remain by her side.

He understood that this was probably the only chance he would have at winning her heart.

He nodded seriously. "So be it. I’ve been looking forward to this."

He had been looking forward to fighting Ria with his newfound power. This time, he intended to push her to her limit and... beat her. If he could do that, then she would definitely be impressed by his power. Any qualms she would have had about his qualifications to stand beside him would surely be gone.

The two of them immediately transferred to a combat facility, taking their stances opposite each other. Runark took a light-footed stance, hopping on his toes, bouncing like he was weightless, while Ria firmly planted her feet on the ground, taking a wide-footed stance.

The two Martial Sages faced each other for the first time in quite a while.