"Violet Swordsman!"
"Violet Swordsman!" The young Courtesan and the audience shouted the Violet Swordsman's name together.
"He must have a handsome face, look how charming his eyes are," someone shouted the Violet Swordsman's name.
"Stop dreaming, he might just be Scarface or another Scarface…" another Courtesan pouted.
Masked figures were not out of place in Braavos; after all, Braavos itself was the Secret City.
People looked towards the young swordsman who appeared by the Moon Pool. Recently, the Violet Swordsman's reputation had become very well-known.
The Violet Swordsman's swordsmanship was exquisite, and he possessed a pair of extraordinary eyes, which people exaggerated as divine.
However, the swordsman's movements were mysterious, and not everyone had the good fortune to witness the Violet Swordsman in action.
Viserys gripped mulling's tightly. Few remembered his title, "Silver Swordsman," but the nickname "Violet Swordsman" was spreading wider and wider.
"Violet Swordsman?" Scarface, the swordsman, glared fiercely at the young swordsman who had suddenly appeared.
"It is I," Viserys said elegantly. He wore a smiling mask, had a pair of violet eyes, and silver-white hair.
"Since you came out with a sword, it means anyone can challenge you," Scarface said.
"I already know the rules," Viserys nodded.
"Drop your sword, and you can still sleep soundly in a woman's arms tonight," Scarface warned.
"You are afraid," Viserys looked at his opponent.
Scarface wasn't truly soft-hearted; Viserys had seen his battles. He struck viciously, his sword eager for blood.
This also indicated that Scarface had some apprehension towards Viserys.
The beginning was a comparison of courage; whoever dropped their weapon would lose the dignity of a Water Dancer.
"Fight!"
"Fight!" The surrounding Water Dancers voluntarily cleared the area for these two formidable figures. Spectators often loved a good show.
"Give me a kiss, quickly!" shouted a young Courtesan watching the excitement.
Braavos was also a city of assassins. Every night, assassins in brightly colored attire swaggered through the streets, carrying their slender swords, eager to prove themselves.
Some people would fight for any reason, while others needed no reason at all.
If one could witness a duel between good swordsmen, that would be even better.
Scarface, the swordsman, had heard of the Violet Swordsman's skill, so he maintained a cautious stance.
However, from another perspective, killing such an enemy could earn him greater fame.
To become a first-rate Water Dancer, one needed to take risks.
"Silver Swordsman," Viserys stated his codename.
Viserys and Scarface moved simultaneously. Both habitually faced their opponent sideways, reducing the frontal striking surface.
This was a characteristic of assassins in the Free Cities. The Water Dance was a style akin to fighting naked, with extremely high risk.
Scarface charged fiercely, his rapier emitting a sharp gleam as he thrust it towards Viserys's upper body.
It was a killing move from the outset.
Viserys dodged nimbly, his footwork changing, his entire body shifting unpredictably like a flowing spring.
Be soft, be flexible.
"The Way of Insight is within it." In a flash, Viserys was capturing the landing points of Scarface's attacks.
Scarface's speed was fast, and the power in his sword was not weak, but Viserys was even more of an explosive and dangerous assassin.
Viserys observed Scarface's attack rhythm before counterattacking, first gaining control of the tempo.
Both Water Dancers exerted their strength simultaneously, moving rapidly, seizing opportunities to find their enemy's openings and weaknesses.
Viserys's and Scarface's leaping figures resembled a waltz, flexible, agile, elegant, and dangerous.
The Water Dance was not about broad, sweeping movements, but precise assassination, stealthy assaults, and quick piercing of the enemy.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
The glint of rapiers flickered in the air, and steel clashed together, emitting cold, ringing sounds.
The longsword seemed to grow from the assassin's hand, becoming one with his body.
There is water in the human body; a single stab would be fatal.
Two streaks of sword light intersected and collided, and Scarface's expression began to grow increasingly grim.
Although no wounds appeared, the duel between the two was exceptionally fierce.
Even though the Water Dance emphasized speed, Scarface was confident in his own strength, and he didn't forget to improve it.
He just hadn't expected the Violet Swordsman's attributes to be terrifyingly strong in every aspect.
"You are not an ordinary Water Dancer," Scarface asked hoarsely.
"I am certainly a Water Dancer, an extraordinary Water Dancer," Viserys answered him.
In a direct confrontation of speed, Scarface had no advantage.
Compared to strength and resilience, Viserys surpassed ordinary Water Dancers.
Viserys advanced and retreated, constantly wearing down Scarface's stamina with feints, dodges, and elusive attacks.
Scarface already had several small stab wounds on his body, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"Pah!" Scarface spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. It was the first time he had encountered such a troublesome young man.
Scarface's offensive rhythm felt like hitting cotton candy; he couldn't find a point of leverage and became increasingly flustered.
Lure the enemy, exhaust the enemy, then deliver the finishing blow.
Viserys's tactics were gradually becoming masterful. Whether it was overpowering with sheer force, being too fast to be broken, shifting between light and heavy, or defensive counterattacks, his attributes ensured he was a dangerous killer.
Viserys danced the Water Dance, transforming into a pliant stream of water.
Scarface gradually felt a suffocating sensation, harassed and stabbed by his opponent, feeling his throat slowly being choked.
His rapier was slowly becoming heavy. Scarface felt his muscles ache and his movements stiffen, a sign of declining physical energy.
Meanwhile, his opponent, Viserys, was still full of vigor, growing stronger with each passing moment.
"Scarface lost," a sharp-eyed Water Dancer, who had already seen the outcome, whispered.
"I haven't lost, Scarface hasn't lost. Die, masked boy…" Scarface used all his remaining strength, his rapier seemingly appearing simultaneously at Viserys's throat, chest and lungs, and lower abdomen, each move vicious.
"Watching is not Insight; Insight is the truth."
Viserys's mulling's flashed quickly through the air. He sidestepped to his left, dodging Scarface's thrust, and with a backhand, mulling's sliced across the enemy's throat.
A spray of hot blood scattered as the blade severed Scarface's windpipe. Viserys twisted it once, then withdrew mulling's.
Scarface clutched his throat, then came the clang of his sword and the thud of his body falling.
Falling, falling, still falling. Scarface plunged into eternal darkness, his blood slowly seeping into the ground.
Viserys had given Scarface a chance, but the assassin's pride led Scarface to self-destruction.
"Violet Swordsman!"
"Violet Swordsman!"
People cheered the victor's name, and Viserys bowed elegantly, turned, and once again disappeared into the dark alley.
Only the corpse on the ground and the scent of blood in the air told people that the Violet Swordsman had truly been there.
Viserys walked on the ground, smelling the blood in the air, gradually leaving the commotion behind him.
Viserys wiped the blood from mulling's.
His sword had drunk its fill, and he would be able to eat well again soon.
Black Pearl had given him an invitation. The Sea King had invited many dignitaries to a masquerade ball… Inside the Hall of the Sea King, in the banquet hall, magnificent paintings adorned the enormous dome.
The images were diverse, with the central scene depicting a group of slaves escaping the dragon kings' enslavement, as the sacred priestesses, the Moonsingers, found them their promised homeland.
Viserys sat in a private box upstairs, which also allowed him to avoid being seen.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)