A husky bellow echoed from her throat.

“YOU BASTARD!!!!!”

Even in the dim light, Tibaut could see her eyes were blazing with fury. After that sudden outburst, he was glad his pants weren't stained brown and snapped out of the confusion caused by this.

She gnashed her teeth for a few moments as Tibaut prepared himself. She let out an earth-shattering scream before throwing herself towards him.

(“Why is she angry now!?”) He screamed internally.

He put his arms up and quickly threw them back down when he saw what the woman would do. He was left with shallow wounds across both his arms as he backed away.

The pale woman must have put her all into it because her fingernails were stuck in the ground from the attempted slash.

(“Where the hell was she hiding those?”) Her fingernails were substantially longer than they were earlier and noticeably pointed. They looked more like claws than fingernails.

(“Shit, am I gonna have to fight her? Maybe they were just being hyperbolic with the small state thing.”)

He threw a fireball towards her and she pulled her fingernails out just in time to dodge. She jumped into the wall and used it as a springboard to launch herself. Her expression had softened and Tibaut ducked to dodge her. She stood watching him just as before.

(“You fool, don't you dare compare that human-based hodgepodge to an angel.”)

She kicked off the ground and swung again at him. Tibaut managed to slip past it and gave her a headbutt. Her physical capabilities seemed impressive but thankfully she only seemed like she could swing wildly and nothing else.

The blow sent her back but she quickly retaliated with a kick. He tried to stop it by grabbing it in between his arm and shoulder but that was too much and he had to put his arms upwards, lest his head get smashed by the roof.

He flicked his arm in pain when he landed and groaned. (“Yup. Stopping her attacks are off the table.”) But he had more pressing matters to think about. (“What did you mean by what you said earlier?”)

(“That thing is no angel. Though oddly enough I do sense her presence from it.”)

“Is that person we’re-”

The pale girl was already in his face again, and Tibaut launched a point-blank fireball.

(I shouldn't have done that-”) Before he could regret possibly rendering his arm useless to defeat her, she did something he never would have guessed in a million years. She parried him. Well, parry is generous, she pushed his hand aside and delivered a punch to his torso.

The blow rocked him but he was thankful it was a punch instead of a stabbing motion with her fingers.

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(“Did she go light with that punch? Fuck it who cares, the only reason she got this close was because I got distracted. My questions can wait until she's dealt with.”)

He countered with another headbutt and decided to back away this time.

She reeled back and looked at him in visible annoyance. Strangely she seemed content with standing there.

(“Ah that's what it is.”) The drake commented.

She ran at him and grabbed at his head. He ducked but was certain he lost a few strands of hair. She continued to swipe at his head while Tibaut narrowly dodged, not getting enough distance to attack with his magic.

(“Got something helpful you bastard!?”)

(“You won't believe this but this girl seems to attack you every time I speak.”)

Her attacks intensified and Tibaut did his best to parry the ones he had no chance of dodging.

(“Huh? She can hear you!?”)

(“Apparently. Well, it does seem she has some remnants of her within so I suppose it's possible she can notice me. Hoho, this is looking quite promising. Is this where that bitch has hid for the last few years?”)

Her attacks were becoming almost unmanageable. Some were able to get through his defence and scraped either his chest or limbs.

(“Dammit I can't believe I don't have my armour, again! Also doesn't that mean, you can end this thing by shutting up!?”)

He tripped her and sent a fireball in her direction. She managed to use his leg as an anchor with her own leg and dodged a direct hit, although the blast did shake the both of them internally.

He quickly removed his leg from hers and jumped away.

(“I could but as much as I find her existence disgusting, I am curious of what she's capable of. My sister must have created her for some purpose.”)

She kipped up and started forming a dark matter between her hands.

(“You bitch!!!”) In the time they both stared at each other Tibaut managed to form a few fireballs and sent them her way.

She shot off some ball of pitch-black matter in her hands and it travelled at an extraordinary speed. It was only the size of a marble but it punctured through one of Tibaut’s fireballs and set off a chain reaction, its explosion causing the others to explode as well.

It left a scar on the side of Tibaut’s face. If it had been just a few inches to the right, he likely would have died.

(“Damn, her strength, the darkness, her insistence on staying close to me, plus my blows not hitting as hard as they used to, these factors altogether are making this fight an absolute bitch.”)

She soon came through the dust of the explosion, but it was a casual walk more than a predator chasing its prey. She still had an annoyed expression but it slowly started to dissipate to neutrality.

(“Please don't.”) He asked.

(....)

(“I take that as a yes?”)

(“La la la la la la la…”)

Tibaut’s face contorted as the woman once again ran towards him with her speedometer topped out.

The bitch drake had decided to start humming a tune. It seemed this battle wasn't going to end anytime soon.

----------------------------------------

After over thirty minutes of on-and-off combat, the woman was struggling to jump at Tibaut or at the very least, grab at him. She was immobile and a look at her feet showed why. Up to her knee was covered in ice.

“Thanks, Agnes.”