While eyeing her opponent, Lorraine removed the sheathe from her sword and casted it aside. The blade glistened, emitting a green glow. Petronilla smirked, seeing her reflection in the blade.

“There’s magic in that weapon, eh?” she mused. “How humorous. I didn’t expect that from this world. Can you use it to its full advantage?”

“How about you come over here and find out,” Lorraine snarled, entering her kendo stance.

She put her left foot slightly behind the right with left heel slightly raised. Her feet were parallel, hips straight forward and her shoulders relaxed. Now it truly felt like a duel.

“Spoken like a true orc. Do they exist here? Are you some sort of human-orc hybrid?” Petronilla playfully asked.

“Are we fighting or not?”

“Yes yes, just having a bit of fun. Though I suppose, watching your squirm will be enjoyable too.”

Lorraine blinked. When she opened her eyes, Petronilla was gone. She glanced down, seeing Petronilla had reappeared in front of her. With a smirk, Petronilla thrusted her sword as fast as lightning. A cut appeared on Lorraine’s right arm. Laughing, Petronilla continued to thrust. Multiple cuts formed on Lorraine’s body from her legs up. The pain came all at once, a powerful stinging sensation felt from each wound. Lorraine angrily swung her sword but Petronilla leaped back with a satisfied look on her face.

“So slow,” she taunted. “Just like an orc.”

Lorraine ignored the remark and rushed forward. Keeping both hands on her blade, she swung. Petronilla’s eyes tracked the blade and effortlessly dodged. Lorraine pressed, using the quickest strikes her body memorized from years of kendo practiced. They fought their way out the room, into the hallway.

“Your sword is powerful, like all orc weapons but there are drawbacks,” Petronilla lectured, backing away from each sword swing with inhuman speed.

“It’s heavy which takes a lot of effort. Now my blade is light. It can strike fast. Like so.”

Like a boxer throwing quick jabs, Petronilla thrusted her rapier once more, cutting Lorraine’s limbs. She went in for the eye but Lorraine fortunately jumped to the side, hitting the wall in the process. Lorraine fell onto her knees, making Petronilla chuckle.

“This is a cakewalk! You know, there were supposed to be big bad mercenaries to help us three Apostles but those buffoons got summoned far away from us. Looks like we don’t need them,” she remarked, watching Lorraine get up and resume her stance.

“You call that effective? I barely felt it,” Lorraine said, trying to ignore the pain.

“Ah yes my Smokeblade has a drawback of its own. It’s not very powerful as you can see. But that’s alright with me, I don’t mind death by a thousand cuts,” Petronilla replied.

Lorraine reeled back upon seeing Petronilla close the distance. Lorraine put up her blade in defense, hoping to deflect the blows. It was no use. The rapier was like a needle, too thin and fast to block. Lorraine suffered more and more cuts across the body. It felt as if she was being stung by a hundred angry wasps.

“There’s no elegance, no class to your fighting style! Your sword’s magic protects you from the 10th’s spell but that’s it!” Petronilla yelled, continuing the onslaught.

Lorraine backpedaled more and more, her mind racing. This wasn’t going well. Her opponent was too quick to keep up with. If this was a kendo match, she would’ve lost long ago. She needed to calm down, remember what she was taught. The book Hagakure Sifu Ramos made her read echoed through her mind. Most of it consisted of strange quotes she couldn’t wrap her head around. It was such a strange thing to add on top of normal physical training. She didn’t get it. It didn’t relate to the Glow or anything. But, a quote came to her.

Bushido is realized in the presence of death. This means choosing death whenever there is a choice between life and death. There is no other reasoning

That was it. Her mindset wasn’t right. Lorraine put up a front but was scared. She was losing. Her defense was nonexistent, her limbs stinging and getting heavy as her body was slashed again and again. She wanted to collapse. She was afraid of getting hurt, of losing an eye, a limb, anything. In a life or death journey, she desperately wanted to cling to life. That mindset would get her killed.

“What’s wrong, orc woman?” Petronilla inquired. “Giving up already?”

With gritted teeth Lorraine pivoted on her heel, leaning forward. Petronilla pivoted back as well, temporarily surprised.

“Finally got your courage back? Good!” she said.

She lunged forward, aiming her rapier for Lorraine’s head. Her blade was on target but to her surprise, Lorraine opened her mouth. The blade went in, piercing through her right cheek. Lorraine clenched her teeth, locking the blade in place as she kept moving. Petronilla tried to back away but it was too late. Lorraine’s large blade penetrated Petronilla’s stomach. The two stood still. Lorraine smiled despite the metal in her mouth.

“How’d you like that?” she said, satisfied she’d mustered up the courage to do something so dangerous.

Petronilla looked down and grinned. Something was wrong. There was no blood.

“Well well well,” she began. “You have that suicidal orc courage. And here I thought I was insulting you by making the comparison. Too bad you only made me reveal my magic. I guess that is a victory in itself? Not many get to see my magic ability: phase”.

Petronilla stepped to the side, her body phasing through the blade like a ghost. She then ripped her blade out of Lorraine’s mouth. Lorraine screamed in pain, landing on her knee as she grabbed her face.

“My ability works on my Smokeblade too but tearing my blade out is more fun, wouldn’t you agree?” Petronilla revealed, reveling in Lorraine’s pain.

Lorraine’s sword glowed brighter, lighting her body up like a lightbulb. She could feel her wounds closing up, giving her a new sense of life. It didn’t make all the pain disappear, but it was enough for her to keep going. Petronilla raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“Now that is a magically potent weapon. I’m taking that back with me. I’m sure one of the upper half would enjoy it even if it is…barbaric” she said.

That made Lorraine angry. Her opponent acted like the fight was already over.

“I’m sure we’ll take good care of it. At least, we’ll be able to drain the magic out of it if nothing else. Time to end this.”

Petronilla raised her blade once more, aiming it at Lorraine’s throat. Lorraine raised her blade in defense, ready to deflect. The likelihood of success was small given her track record so far but it was her only hope. Petronilla began the motion but abruptly stopped. They heard a thumping sound coming from the end of the hallway, barely audible over the music.

“Lorraine!” a voice yelled.

Petronilla whipped around and strode away, leaving Lorraine in her kneeled position. She was approaching Rama, who was frantically running down the hallway. He stopped in place, seeing Petronilla smile at him. She cleared her throat and bowed.

“Mr. Leeroy, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Petronilla, 9th Apostle of the Central Synod, and the most recent adoptee into House Bernadotte. I wish we could’ve met in better circumstances, I’m sure meeting my associates must’ve given you a…..poor impression of us. Fret not, you are speaking to a noble now. You are witnessing a true lady, unlike this orc woman you galavant with.”

Rama looked past Petronilla, more worried for Lorraine’s safety than whatever in the world the woman in front of him was going on about. Lorraine continued to glow, groaning to herself as she got upright. They gave each other a nod.

“Nice to know I’m speaking with such a refined person,” he sardonically said.

“Yes, quite. Once you’re in our world you will be surrounded by fine ladies and gentlemen. Can’t have the hero of the church associate himself with mendicants can we?”

She laughed at the remark while Rama and Lorraine remained serious.

“Now now, if you’d give me a moment Mr. Leeroy, I’ll be right with you. I have to get rid of the riff raff. Once I’m done we can have a nice long discussion on why you should come along quietly over some tea.”

“You talk a lot,” Rama noticed.

“Right?” Lorraine concurred.

Petronilla scoffed. She looked back and forth from Rama to Lorraine. They got into their battle stances, making Petronilla let out a sigh.

“Please don’t do this Mr. Leeroy, I was hoping to have a civilized discussion.”

“You kind of threw that option out the window once you started attacking us,” Rama retorted.

“It is nothing personal Mr. Leeroy. In fact I didn’t think I’d even meet you until we were back home. I thought the 10th’s puppets would’ve been more than enough but now it’s come to this. I highly suggest not fighting with this orc woman, it’s only going to bring you pain.”

“Lorraine, is she being racist right now?” Rama asked.

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“I think so? She keeps calling me an orc. I’m very offended.”

“I’m only making an astute observation. You’ll see once we’re home,” Petronilla nonchalantly claimed.

“Rama, we're making her hurt,” Lorraine growled.

“Agreed.”

Petronilla solemnly shook her head, grabbing her rapier.

“And so this duel became a two on one. Not fair if you ask me. Not fair for you two that is,” she laughed.

She traipsed to the side of the hallway. Instead of stopping before the wall she kept going, walking through it like a ghost. Rama started, wondering what in the world he witnessed.

“Rama she can phase through things!” Lorraine warned.

“It’s why I’m also known as the Ghost Apostle,” Rama heard behind him.

He quickly pivoted around, able to put up a forearm in the nick of time to block a kick intended for his face. He skidded back as Lorraine ran up to stop him from falling over.

“No one’s laying a hand on me,” Petronilla declared.

Once again she went to the wall, going through it.

“This is a problem,” Rama concluded.

“You’re telling me,” Lorraine said. “Come on, we gotta get her.”

Lorraine busted through the nearest door, entering the room Petronilla should’ve been in. It was empty. Rama put his back to the wall to get a full view of the room, expecting Petronilla to come from any angle. Lorraine stood before him, then realized that they didn’t have all their bases covered.

“Rama she can strike-”

Petronila’s rapier erupted from Rama’s left shoulder before quickly being pulled back. Rama kneeled down, clutching his shoulder. They heard laughter from the other side. Rama grimaced, trying to ignore the pain. Lorraine slashed at the wall, the sword’s energy giving her superhuman strength. It opened up, allowing her to run through. Petronilla stood in the hallway, smiling as Lorraine unleashed a flurry of sword swings. However instead of dodging, Petronilla stood still, each swing going through her body like she was made of air.

This made Lorraine even angrier. It meant that Petronilla dodged Lorraine’s attacks not because she needed to, but to show she could. Lorraine was getting tired of being toyed with. Rama entered the hallway and together they began to attack Petronilla from two sides but the attacks weren’t anymore effective. Petronilla was clearly amused at Rama’s ineffectual punches and Lorrain’s useless swings. In a quick motion she thrusted her sword, first at Lorraine, scratching her left arm, then at Rama, scratching his right hand. They continued to attack, fighting through the pain. Petronilla continued to chip away at them before going through another wall, laughing maniacally. Lorraine and Rama gave chase, hitting their way through the wall to chase her down.

Petronilla continued to evade, going through wall after wall. Lorraine and Rama were like wrecking balls, causing destruction everywhere they went. It was like a very violent game of tag. Petronilla would periodically become the hunter, launching quick stabs then be off again. Slowly but surely, Rama and Lorraine were being worn down. Lorraine stopped them, realizing the futility of their situation.

“Rama this isn’t working. She’s wearing us down,” she said, seeing Petronilla phase through the wall ahead of them.

Rama panted, eyes forward.

“We can’t exactly give up.”

“We’re not. We’re merely changing our strategy.”

“How?”

Petronilla poked her head through the wall, smiling at the two of them.

“Realizing you’ve lost?” she asked. “My power cannot be overcome. My magic goes through all.”

“Yeah we’ve noticed,” Rama spat.

A light bulb turned on in Lorraine’s head.

“We need to negate, not overpower the magic,” she realized. “Rama, can you do that?”

“How?”

“I-I don’t know but it’s the only way.”

Petronilla came through the rest of the wall.

“You’re getting desperate. Magic nullification is unheard of.”

She pointed her blade at them.

“You can protect yourself from a magic spell but undoing one is impossible. Since I’m using my magic on myself, there’s no way you can protect yourselves. You have a lot to learn, Mr. Leeroy.”

Rama took a deep breath, trying to increase his Chi output. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing, yet he felt an inclination to try…something. The Chi concentrated in his hands, making them emit a bright golden aura. He kept his breath steady, his mind clear.

“Lorraine, breathe, concentrate the Chi into your sword.”

“O-ok.”

She did as instructed, unsure of what the result would be. Surprisingly it worked, her sword becoming bright green.

“Magic in this world is quite strange,” Petronilla observed. “It has its own properties and manifests in a strange fashion. However, it's weak. Fret not Mr. Leeroy, I’ll teach your proper magic after I kill you.”

She dashed forward, crossing the room in a split second. She was in front of Rama, rapier at the ready. She was about to attack when Rama threw a jab. She didn’t try to dodge, expecting the fist would go through her head.

It didn’t. The fist connected, knocking her back. Her nose bled.

“W-what.”

Rama pressed. He threw a kick, throwing her across the room. Petronilla stood up, seeing Rama run to her. She quickly fell back through the wall, making the boy miss.

“Rama you can do it! That was amazing!” Lorraine congratulated from behind. “How’d you know what to do?”

“I’m not sure! I just….followed my instincts. Now come on!”

Lorraine and Rama went through the wall, entering a new bedroom. Before them Petronilla blew her nose into a purple handkerchief. She looked at it, seeing her blood ruining the intricate designs of the handkerchief.

“You hit a noble. Truly, truly despicable. I don’t know how you nullified my spell but it doesn’t matter. I-”

Lorraine rushed to her, throwing a horizontal swing. Petronilla was caught off guard, jumping back but her stomach was still cut by the blade. Her stomach stung but her mobility was unimpaired. She quickly countered with a dozen strikes, forcing Lorraine back. Rama flanked Petronilla, hitting her with a kick to the side. Petronilla flew, phasing through the wall to enter the hallway.

“Lorraine, are you ok?” Rama questioned, helping her get up.

To his surprise Lorraine was smiling.

“I couldn't be better. I can hurt her!”

Slightly distrubed by Lorraine’s enthusiasm, Rama simply nodded.

They went into the hallway, and looked left and right but Petronilla was out of sight. Rama and Lorraine went back to back to get a 360 degree view of their surroundings.

“Rama, I’m dealing the finishing blow. That's alright with you?” she asked, her eyes darting back and forth.

“Sure. I’m more concerned whether we’re going to win this or not” he replied.

“Trust me, we’re winning this.”

Petronilla’s rapier came up from the ground, going through Lorraine’s right foot like she’d stepped on a spike. Petronilla’s head popped up from the ground.

“Don’t get cocky!” she growled.

Lorraine tried to stomp her woman’s head but Petronilla phased back through the ground. From below, Petronilla kept piercing the ceiling, aiming for their feet. Rama and Lorraine frantically retreated, seeing the blade come up from the ground like a whack-a-mole. Lorraine splitted up from Rama, giving her breathing room.

“Two can play that game!” she shouted, raising her sword over her head.

With a grunt she slashed down, creating a slit in the ground. Rama ran over to assist, trying his best to dodge the rapier. He got cut in his foot but continued forward and once he was with Lorraine, he stomped the ground, making them fall through a hole.

They crashed to the floor below, debris everywhere like trash in a landfill. They groaned as they stood up. The teenagers were on the lower floor, in fact, in the spot Rama and Jet were in not too long ago. They stood about a dozen feet away from the elevator. On the other side of the hallway stood Petronilla, standing amidst the people Rama had defeated before.

“Getting scared?” Lorraine asked in an attempt to sound confident despite having a coughing fit.

“No, merely using tactics. Your orc brain wouldn’t understand that would it?”

“Rama, are you ready to end this?”

Rama glanced at her.

“I never wanted this to start.”

“All the more reason to finish this, keep her still. Her strategy is to hit and run. We gotta make her stop running.”

“Got it.”

Petronilla began to walk to them, preparing to enter a dash when Rama punched a nearby wall, going through the hole. It distracted her, allowing Lorraine to rush forward. With her glowing blade she began to swing at Petronilla once more. These attacks were different. Lorraine was faster than before, almost as fast as Petronilla herself. Knowing she couldn’t use her magic to phase through the sword, Petronilla had to rely on her physical prowess. However, unlike before, she was worried. Lorraine was glowing brighter and brighter, having power unlike anything she’s manifested before.

Lorraine felt good. Despite the wounds, the pain, and even the exhaustion, Lorraine was in the zone. Knowing she could hurt her opponent gave her confidence. It really was all based on her mindset. Light trailed her blade, making it difficult for Petronilla to focus on her opponent. To her utter astonishment, Petronilla was slashed again and again. How dare this happen! She was a noble now! Getting hurt by this orc woman was unacceptable! Fighting through her own cuts, she began to stab Lorraine. They entered a quick exchange of attacks, cutting each other over and over. Blood began to splatter on the ground. It became a race of endurance, a test to see who would fall first.

Petronilla was winning. Her speed advantage was bearing fruit. She had the upper hand before having to rely on her magic, so it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise. Lorraine was panting heavily, getting slightly slower and slower. Petronilla had years of combat experience. Her opponent in front of her was still too much of an ameateur. The only reason she pushed Petronilla so far was only because of this world’s strange magic. Then she saw her opening. Lorraine had missed, exposing her body. Petronilla was about to thrust forward when she heard the wall behind her get destroyed. Rama ran through and before she could move, was put into a full nelson wrestling hold.

“No!” Petronilla shouted, trying to get free.

Rama grunted, keeping the woman in place. Lorraine continued forward, winding up a horizontal swing. She aimed her blade for Petronilla’s neck, eager to cut the woman’s head off. Rama saw the strike incoming and ducked down while still restraining Petronilla. The attack whiffed. He straightened up. Both Lorraine and Petronilla were surprised at what happened.

“What are you doing?” Lorraine angrily asked.

“I didn’t think you wanted to kill her!” Rama answered.

“Of course I do! She’s trying to kill us, remember?”

“Yeah but…it’s not right. We’re better than that.”

Lorraine stopped. The adrenaline from the fight lowered, allowing her to think clearly. She became scared. Just what was she about to do? She almost got carried away and did something horrible. Petronilla saw Lorraine’s worried face and laughed.

“You don’t have the guts. Perhaps you’re not like an orc after all. Too bad, that’s the one thing you’ll need if you expect to live through this. Mercy is weakness. That’s one of the tenets of the Central Synod. The 10th and 8th will make that clear to you. Unlike me, they don’t have class.”

Petronilla solemnly shook her head, pitying the teenagers.

“You will have to grow up eventually.”

“Shut up!” Lorraine yelled.

With her free hand she punched Petronilla, knocking the woman out.

Rama released the woman from his grip, allowing her body to hit the floor. Lorraine grimaced, her hand hurting from punching so hard. They stared at the unconscious woman.

“Thanks Lorraine,” Rama said.

“For what?”

“For not doing it.”

“No, you’re right. It’s just….man she was annoying.”

“I know, and I only interacted with her for a few minutes.”

Together they headed to the elevator, stepping inside. Now under the light, they could clearly see how damaged they were. They were cut everywhere, their blood dripping onto the ground. Their Chi was still activated, slowly healing them but the pain was barely tolerable. Lorraine suddenly collapsed, the fatigue overtaking her. Rama held her up and noticed that despite being unconscious, Lorraine continued to hold onto the sword. For some reason, that made him concerned. Regardless, Rama was still anxious about their present situation. They weren’t done yet, that much was certain.