She was feeling the warmth of fire in her veins, it was different from her usual [Mana].
For example, her [Shadow] mana felt like the calmness of the night, the embrace of a good night of sleep under the comfort of her blanket on a summer night.
In contrast, her [Lightning] mana was the rush of the morning, the never-ending energy that you felt after drinking coffee after a cold shower while rushing to the first day of school. It was, pun intended, electrifying.
This? This was different, it was as if each step she did made her blood boil as if every part of her body was consumed by a never-ending [Rage], a wish for vengeance, it was as if [Wrath] was all her body knew.
And yet... Her mind was clear, she had a new set of [Instincts] flowing through her mind, telling her how to step, how to move, when to start her attack, how would Akira start his attack, and the best way to react. It was baffling the contrast between what this [Mana] did to her body and her [Mind], no. Not her [Mind], more like how it whispered the knowledge of a trained sword saint, but she knew that it wasn't hostile.
So she listened, one step forward at a time, she of course knew that Akira would be equally if not more powerful than her, her newfound [Instincts] told her he had way more strength at the ready, and that she would need to divert most if not all of what he was about to hit her with.
Even if her perception of time wasn't affected, she still could feel as if the time was slowing down. She stood barely a meter away from Akira and with newfound mastery of the sword she started her attack.
She could feel the stares from within the shadows of her [Minions], each and every one at the ready to pounce against Akira should she order it, but she didn't.
Instead, she crossed swords with the black-haired [Hero], if she hadn't obscured them from the arena spectators this would have been the part where everyone watched with bathed breath as their swords clashed against each other.
As Akira and she looked at each other with unwavering attention, one, two, three times their swords clashed in rapid succession, each of Akira's attacks aiming at her vitals.
And each time she used her newfound [Instincts] in tandem with her [Puppeteer] skill to manipulate her own body to divert and redirect his attacks. Feeling the strain on her [Mana Veins] and her muscles as the force of the attack was redirected.
Every part of her body was used to try and absorb the impact, her port exhaust in her armor flared for fractions of a second to make sure she was always in the most optimal position for the next attack that came her way.
Her [Shadows] moved her body out of the way as every new attack came closer and closer to hitting her, at some point she would start receiving wounds, she was under no preconception that she would win a flawless victory.
Her latest [Appraisal] had informed her that Akira had used his full buff and was currently at his absolute peak, a total amount of [1056] stat points.
Status
Name: Suzuki Akira
Title: [Hero Trainee]
Passive Titles:
[The Promised Hero]
[Awakened - Brave]
[The one who ran away]
Level: 30
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Age: Body 17
Soul: 50 / Degrading
Condition: Experimenting mana sublimation
Strength: 200 +170
Constitution: 36 +20
Agility: 100 + 270
Dexterity: 90 +60
Intelligence: 20 +80
Wisdom: 5
Charisma: 5
Job: [Hero]
Job Skills[9]:
General Skills (9)
Title Skills: (4)
And it showed as their interchange of blows sped up as Akira started to get more and more comfortable with his newfound strength, it wasn't like how she had moved with each boost in strength she had gotten after her first day at the MPI.
It was closer to the movements of someone that had trained his strength through the ages, and, in a way. It was, after all, Akira was a [Regressor], he probably had honed this type of skill plenty of times in those years he had lived in that other world. And while she hadn't been able to see those since the [THING] only showed her the result of that story instead of the full disclosure (Not that she wanted to know).
So as their exchange sped up as Akira started to put into use his superior strength, she started to get wounds all over her body, first, they were small things, a cut on her cheek here, a cut across her skirt.
A nick in her shoulder pads... Akira only smiled as each cut started to pile upon her, and he started to press her more and more. First, he started walking more and more into her guard, making her start to take a step backward just so she would have enough space to move.
Then he started to weave in his attacks mana bolts, the most basic of skills a [Mage] would learn, but they were still dangerous. Even if his [Mana] was lower than hers, less condensed, less refined, it still hit.
It still made her break her stance, and so she needed to start focusing on that too, "[Let us handle that Mistress.]" Or so he probably thought, instead she delegated it to her [Minions].
They fought back by sending their own [Mana Bolts] back, but they didn't have as much mana as her, and she couldn't afford to have an open [Mana Thread] to them, lest Akira try to worm his way into her [Mana] using that connection.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
So at best, they could deflect his attacks. And Akira didn't let that slip by, his eyes shining with malice as he took another step forward as more and more bolts came into being, every attack, a promise of punishment should they find purchase and hit Elizabeth.
Elizabeth of course didn't step back from the challenge, instead, her eyes only showed a cold glint of calculation as her [Instincts] went into overdrive and she too, took a step forward and danced between the attacks her [Minions] couldn't block or intercept.
Only to find the true [Trap] laid out by the machination of the old [Regressor], "[MISTRESS BLOCK!]" The warning came as a surprise to Elizabeth as her [Instincts] honed into the [Data] that was fed from her [Minions] and before she even was aware of what was happening her right hand moved with supernatural speed as the boosters in her arm and upper body maneuvered her into a side block.
She then felt her left arm detonate one of her boosters and the explosion sending her flying backward as the sound of something similar to a crystal break.
"Tch...almost had you there." And the sound of Akira's disappointment followed after that. The black-haired [Regressor] stepped on something that gave the sound of glass breaking, Elizabeth turned her attention towards it and found him breaking down the remaining of her sword on the arena floor, "You managed to [Extract] that bitch's [Instincts] huh? I never quite managed to get them from her [Soul], and you got it in one? That is such a bullshit, even though I'm the [Real Hero]..."
Turning her attention towards her right hand she found the handle of the red katana and part of the blade, and turning her attention back to Akira she found the other half of the sword. [Broken].
She felt a pang of pain in her [Heart] and a sting similar to those of a burnt in her hand as the handle flared in [Red Mana] followed by the other half also shining in the same color.
Akira then did a quick step backward as the sword handle hit the Arena floor, stepping away from the other half of the katana "Yikes...The bitch still had it in her huh?" He said as the other half grew a pair of blades upward, it now looked closer to a broken flail than to a sword.
"Ready to surrender?" Akira asked from the other side as he looked at his sword, almost as if he was checking if there was damage on it, "Without the bitch's sword you no longer have those annoying [Instincts], and we both know that I am more powerful."
He was right about the second part, but for some reason, she still retained part of her [Instincts], they weren't as present as before when she was wielding Rena's sword, but she still had them. And they told her that should she wish to continue exchanging attacks with a sword she would lose.
"[Identify]" Akira exclaimed and she felt [Violated] as his mana scoured her body, it only lasted a second before her own [Mana] managed to purge it from her system, but it was still enough for Akira to whistle "Level 30? We are the same level, and you only have [this]?"
Akira started laughing, "You [dared] go against me with these pitiful skills? Not a single [Divine Skill], not a single [Unique Skill], the only saving grace are your three sizes being 86-55-83!" ...what? "And this is me being generous and not thinking about you being really male inside that meat suit."
"...your [Identify] gives away my three sizes?" Elizabeth asked unsure of what to feel, or how to feel about that.
"Of course, this is important information. I can't be giving my [Blessing/seed] to those unworthy of it. And some women wear padded clothing. I was burnt one too many times."
This was ridiculous!
She was fighting for her life here! Well, mostly for Akira's life, as in, to make sure he wouldn't have one after this!
And he was too busy leering at her chest?!?
The gall!! The absolute and utter disrespect he dared to have!
"Oh, and while you are too busy getting angry. Look there." Akira mocked her with a half-smile pointing down.
There was nothing down beside the arena floor. Granted she was on the floor after the explosion sent her flying back, but...
"You aren't the only one that can sneak attacks using the arena floor." Akira mocked her with those words. "Really, using a woman's body...when they get so [Emotional] and lose perspect-"
What was he even going on about?
Or that was what Elizabeth was about to think when the ground under her feet gave away and a bunch of bright white chains burst from within the arena floor, at least two chains going for her arms and legs, and the extra remaining climbing across her body and chaining her down against the floor.
She had tried to dodge as soon as the arena floor broke apart of course, but her response had been slow, she had gotten overconfident. She had trusted too much in her newfound [Instincts] and hadn't taken the time to expand her sense into the arena floor using her shadows. Nor had tried to try and make sure nothing would come from below the floor.
Even though, as Akira had stated, this was one of her favorite attack vectors.
"See, this is why I never once tried to tweak my [Divine Skills] into allowing me to [Reincarnate] as a [Female]. Even though I could have fun easier with other girls and wouldn't need to wait 13 years for my dick to be useful again." Akira leered at her while sheathing [Gram] away and walking calmly towards her. "Isn't inconvenient? Even with [Stat points], and at the same level...You are still [Weaker] than me...You know why?"
At this point, she had tried everything to free herself, but the chains held her down, and worst of all. They climbed into her booster exhaust ports, so she couldn't use them to escape, they climbed into her wings and tied them down.
Her left arm was injured from the explosion that sent her away, her right arm was numb from blocking the attack, and her legs were wide open...Oh...her legs were wide open...
"Don't you dare..." Elizabeth glared at Akira as he kneeled in front of her.
"It is because your only reason to exist as a [Woman] is to be my [Toy]," Akira said as his right hand moved towards her skirt.
Was she going to lose like this?
Was this all that she had to show for her?
Would she be desecrated? Violated? Humiliated?
"[NO]." The words resonated within the shadow dome.
"WHO IS IT?!?" Akira stood quickly as he unsheathed once again [Gram] and looked around, then towards Elizabeth pointing the sword at her chest. "What more can you do? Those chains block your use of [Mana], SURRENDER!"
"[YOU MAY BLOCK OUR MISTRESS MANA.]" The voices once more spoke as the shadows started to grow and cover the Arena.
Akira flared once more his mana as he jumped away from her, and like before, his mana managed to keep a circle around him free from shadows. Only this time the shadows that tried to go towards her couldn't get close, since the chains that bound her down didn't allow them to get near her.
She felt her skills fail one by one, first, the [Puppeteer] skill, then the energy drained away from her [Shift] as her [Armor] turned brittle and broke under the strain of the chains that bound her down.
Only the most basic of her [Shift] remained, namely, her dignity (Clothes).
"[BUT WE ARE THE LOYAL SERVANTS, WE ARE A̸͎̦̤͓̤͎̞͕̎͘͘Ľ̴̤̘̥̬̫̜͕̬̤̪̝̑̏̊͛̉̄̆͑̓̕̕͜Ȉ̵̢̝̍̀̿̋̾̾̿̕V̶̨͚͎͎̟̗͔̺̜͉̤̱̌E̴̺̜̦͎̬̞̹̦̗̰͛͊̆̉͛̽͘̚, AND WE WILL NOT ALLOW OUR MISTRESS TO SUFFER.]" And with that declaration, one by one shadow warriors rose from the floor.
Small armored figures, barely more than fifty centimeters tall, but each dressed in medieval-like armor.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH." At this Akira started laughing, "This was your trump card? A few midgets!"
He didn't seem to mind her loyal [Minions] that had come to her rescue, but she was thankful for their attempt, even if it wouldn't succeed.
"[You underestimate us too much Hero...]" A new voice spoke as an obsidian egg rose from the ground, the voice of a familiar girl coming from it. "[Just as you do Mistress. We may be weaker than both of you, we may be shorter...And we can't survive long without returning to our Haven.]"
The egg started moving as the girl spoke, then one by one parts of it broke apart as a small little girl stepped out of it, the egg shells turning into motes of light that clung to her figure and transformed into the most beautiful dress she had ever seen.
On the right ear, she had a heart-shaped earring, on the left ear, a star-shaped one. And in her chest, she had the same emblem that her Royal Knights. Her dress was adorned with armor plates that seemed to match the design but gave her the appearance of a little girl who was playing knight instead of princess.
"[But we are still those that dwell in the darkness of the world, those that rose from the deepest part of a broken and lost world. We are those that could not be saved given a second chance.]" Beatrice had awoken finally, at the worst possible chance.
She rose from her slumber with someone that dwarfed Elizabeth in power...
Was she going to lose more family again?
"[And we do not take kindly upon those that abuse their power.]" Beatrice said with finality as a pair of swords materialized in her small adorable hands.
On the right was an azure blade with a yellow edge, on the left hand was a bright pink sword with a red edge. "[Dragon Rush]." Was all Beatrice said, and with a war cry that seemed to make the very fabric of the [World] tremble.
All the shadow dragons [Minions] that had risen from the shadows rushed towards Akira.
As they hacked and tried to overwhelm Akira Beatrice turned towards her, she felt the immense amount of [Mana] that was hidden within the blades that Beatrice held in her hands.
"[This will take but a moment Mistress.]" Said the little girl as she started hacking away at the chains that held her in place.
"HAHAHAHAH, THIS WILL NOT STOP ME YOU MIDGETS." While at the back Akira hacked and attacked her [Minions]. She noticed how... None of those seemed to be one of the seventy minions that she currently had in her control.
Well, that wasn't quite right, she felt the presence of some of her [Knights] and [Assassins] within those mass of [Minions]. But they stood at the periphery of Akira. Taking potshots at him when he was distracted.
The remaining shadow constructs?
"[They are those that haven't made a LINK with the Shadow Haven Mistress, those that are still at the EDGE and are waiting for the CALL. Our Brothers and sisters that survive with your BLESSING can't come to this world unless you grant us passage. I can summon some of them using my AUTHORITY, but not all the armada. But them? They aren't bound yet. So they stood forward, even if that means their ultimate demise.]" Beatrice said as she saw one of those shadow constructs break apart.
And on the remains, she noticed a small marble breaking apart, she recognized that crystal structure, it was similar to the one her [Minions] had shown when she asked if they held [Souls].
"They..." Elizabeth didn't want to ask, not really.
"[They will continue their travel and maybe one day they will reform again within the Shadow Haven.]" Beatrice answered before she could even ask.
They would reform within the deepest part of the shadow haven? What was the true identity of her [Minions]?
What was the true identity of those who seemed to hold intelligence beyond normal, like her [Royal Mages]. Like Sebastian, like Aura...Like Beatrice?
After dealing with Akira and Rena, she would need to have a talk with her [Minions]. But for now?
"Let's deal with Akira." She would focus on the bug that needed a good squishing. And while he was more powerful than her in the offensive stats...He didn't have that high of a defense.
Maybe she could focus her offensive on his nether region, nothing of value would be lost and he may be more vulnerable in a nonvital area...But then again, Akira seemed to think using his dick...So perhaps it was a vital spot for him?