Jaid dropped her sword, the tip sinking into the arena. It wouldn’t help her anymore against this enemy, so it was best to just get rid of it. Now with both hands, she clawed at the pieces of metal that had fused to the chest of her tunic, trying desperately to rip them off—to little success.

More pieces of the sentient armor swarmed around her, attacking her from all sides. She had already tried everything she could think of to fend it off, to swipe it away, but the armor itself seemed invulnerable. Was this really a foe she couldn’t beat?

One at a time, the pieces fused to her once they could get close enough. They were avoiding her legs and arms since they were already covered in armor, but no part of the rest of her body was safe. Her torso had been their primary target up until now, but the metal started clinging to her exposed neck and face.

That was even more terrifying, her skin tugging away from her like it was going to tear off if she pried any harder at the unwelcomed armor. And it was at this point that she started to rise. The armor was lifting her off of her feet and into the air. Jaid flailed wildly at first, terrified that she was going to fall, but the aggressive outfit was keeping her stable.

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The knight struggled to the last moment, but her defeat was inevitable. With each new piece of armor attached, she lost more control over her own body. Finally, the last piece flew at her from dead-ahead, straight at her face. The metal covered her eyes, and with it, her vision faded and all sound around her stopped.

She could no longer hear the cheering and gasping crowd. The announcer had gone silent. For a moment, there was nothing, but then a distorted voice chirped in her ears. 『Synchronization Rate: 96%』

The world lit up around her, and she could see again. But it wasn’t through her normal vision. No, it was as if she was looking at the world through a series of screens. It seemed familiar to the rumors she’d heard of how Phon’s teleportation Curse worked when she viewed the outside world.

Jaid tilted her head downward toward the arena below. She really was flying. There was still some feeling in her arms and legs, so she tried to move them, but the parasitic armor continued to wrench control away from her.

【Your wish…】The voice of her foe rang directly into her head. It felt like quite the invasion of privacy, especially since her thoughts were being read directly. 【Now that I know your wish, I can’t let you win. No matter the cost.】

The enemy’s voice vanished, and the distorted one returned. 『Self-Destruction Sequence Initiated. 10, 9, 8…』