“I don’t know what to say other than I expected this,” Embla said. She mixed the porridge in the bowl before taking a spoonful and holding it up to Cal’s face. Embla sat in the infirmary with Pandora and Cal. The two had been assigned to the same room. Healers had rushed in and out, healing the two so they wouldn’t bleed out due to their excessive use of force.
“Em! Why aren’t you feeding me!?” Pandora asked, puffing her cheeks.
“Because Yuki and Red are right there, ask them to feed you,” Embla said, lowering Cal’s spoon.
Red offered Pandora an apologetic smile and offered the half-elf her spoon. Pandora grumbled under her breath and opened her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, Pandora sighed. “When can we leave? The food here is so bad,” Pandora said.
“Healers said you guys can leave in a few hours. No one else has matches until the last day,” Yuki said.
“Yuki, Red, did you win your matches?” Cal asked.
“Yeah, we did. My opponent got me really good in the arm,” Red said, gesturing to his bicep.
“My opponent almost broke my leg,” Yuki said. She rubbed her calf as if to get rid of a pain that wasn’t supposed to be there. She sighed and leaned back in her chair.
“Embla, you’re the last one in our party to go. How do you feel?” Cal asked.
“How do I feel? Honestly, I feel kind of nervous. I mean, I was also nervous in the prelims but now…,” Embla trailed off.
“It’s worse right? You only have a handful of people left to fight. I think you can pull a victory from this,” Pandora said. “You’re plenty strong.”
“Yeah, but so is everyone else in the tournament. There are lots of strong people here. A lot of the adventurers in the Main Stage are all people from Three Star parties and up,” Embla said, looking down at the tray. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks. “I shouldn’t get too down. I can do this. I’m the Apprentice of Antares!” Embla clenched her fist and assumed her game face.
Cal smiled when he saw the ever-familiar glint appear in her red eyes. “Well then, I’ll be waiting for you in the next round,” Cal said.
“You can count on it,” Embla said.
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The arena was filled with far more people than usual. Memento Mori took their usual spots in the stadium, watching the current match unfold. The countdown to Embla’s match had them all anxious. The opponents were all randomized and there was no telling who she would get. Pandora’s glances did not help in the slightest. Embla’s anxiety was at an all-time high.
“Okay, okay. Calm down, you got this. You’re the apprentice of Antares of the Twelve. Your sister is the Valkyria of Midgard! You got this!” Embla whispered to herself.
“Hyping yourself up?” Red asked.
“Yeah, yeah.” Embla calmed down.
Red smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Win or lose, we’ll all still be here for you.”
Yuki glanced at the two before returning her attention to the match. Embla felt uncomfortable at her silence. After a few seconds, Yuki opened her mouth. “Just remember. If it gets hairy, don’t risk your life to win. The most important thing is that you keep yourself safe.”
Embla’s eyes grew wide. She had fully expected Yuki to push her to win. The girl had been on edge since Pandora lost the tournament but it was to be since she and Cal were up to fight.
“Besides, you might get an easy opponent,” Pandora said. “Since they changed from brackets to random selection unlike last year which was all brackets, you might get an easy opponent.”
“Define easy. Everyone who made it this far had to be somewhat skilled to defeat the competition,” Embla said, crossing her arms at her friend’s words.
“It’s time for the next match! Will the fighters please get ready and come down to the stadium upon having their names called?” Azalea called.
They all froze at the sound of Azalea’s voice. Embla gulped and looked at the screen. Her heart beat a thousand times per minute and her breathing hitched. After a few seconds, Azalea spoke once more.
“For this next match, the fighters shall be Embla Feuerdrache of Memento Mori and Kaguya Tsukuyomi of Celestia!” Azalea said.
Embla froze and her face became whiter than snow. She clenched her fists and steeled her resolve. Her friends all looked at her with worry in their eyes. Kaguya was no easy opponent. The girl was the apprentice of the Sage Eschamali and possessed an Arts. Fighting her would be one of the most difficult fights in Embla’s life. She silently got up and made her way to the locker room.
They all watched her retreat past the door without saying a word.
“Embla,” Cal said. He moved to go after her when he felt someone grab his arm. He turned and saw Yuki holding his wrist.
“Don’t. There’s nothing we can do for her now,” Yuki said. “Whether she wins this fight or not… there’s nothing we can do.”
Cal pursed his lips before reluctantly sitting down. The look of slight fear and anxiety on Embla’s face had bothered him greatly.
“How is she going to win? Kaguya has an Arts. Out of all of us, only Yuki or Red can probably fight her and win. Even Cal with Sol would probably lose,” Pandora said.
“All we can do is hope for a miracle. Embla’s not weak. I believe that she can give Kaguya a run for her money,” Red said.
Cal said nothing as he focused his attention back onto the arena floor. Any second, Embla would come out of the doors and face her opponent. An opponent that was already waiting for her to come out.
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Embla sat on one of the benches as she tightened the laces on her boots. Her two swords were strapped to her back and her hair tied in a neat ponytail. She took a deep breath and sighed.
“You got this. You’re Antares’ Apprentice. There’s nothing you need to worry about,” Embla said. She slowly got up and walked towards the door. The light of the arena momentarily blinded her as she walked out. The sounds of people cheering and clapping only served to make her more nervous about this fight. Her eyes drifted towards the VIP booth where she knew her master was watching. This fight was not just for her party. As the apprentice of Antares, she would not embarrass him in front of such a massive crowd.
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Embla steeled herself and stood proudly before her foe. Without any fear, she stared directly into Kaguya’s yellow eyes. The Fox Kin was taken aback slightly by the sudden change in demeanor.
“Alright! Let’s get this match underway! Fighters! On my mark!” Azalea announced.
“Student of Antares,” Kaguya said.
Embla raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“I hope you don’t disappoint me,” Kaguya said, gripping the hilt of her sword.
“Begin!”
Embla’s body shot forward, using Super Acceleration to boost her speed dramatically. She circled Kaguya, drawing her swords and attacking her.
The fox kin reacted quickly as she expected and deflected her blades. Kaguya then used the tip of the scabbard and thrust it into her abdomen. Embla felt the air leave her lungs as she slid back several feet.
She grimaced as she gingerly laid a hand on her torso. “She hits really hard. Yuki wasn’t kidding,” Embla mumbled, eyeing Kaguya intensely. She has no openings. If I attack her from anywhere, she can block or dodge. She really is a cut above the rest of her party.
“If you’re not going to attack, I’ll come to you,” Kaguya said, shifting her leg. Embla gripped her swords tightly. Without any warning, Kaguya instantly closed the distance between her and her opponent.
Caught off-guard by such speed, Embla barely had any time to raise her blades and block. The sound of metal colliding with metal rang across the arena. Embla parried her blow and countered with a slash of her own. Kaguya jumped back, easily avoiding the blade. She leaped into the air and inhaled. Her chest puffed up with air and Yuki unleashed a massive ball of fire from her mouth.
“SHE CAN BREATHE FIRE!” Embla exclaimed. She swung her blade at the fireball, reflecting a larger version of it at Kaguya.
The mere action caught the fox kin by surprise. She instantly swung her sword, slicing the fireball in half and causing it to explode. Kaguya landed on the ground with a few burn marks on her clothes.
That attack just now. She can use the Refraction of Antares and Altarf. Kaguya narrowed her eyes. Magic should be used sparingly on her opponent. If she used it at the wrong time, she could end up being severely damaged by one of her own attacks. Kaguya dashed forward and attempted to kick Embla in the face.
Embla ducked under her kick and rushed to attack Kaguya before she could reposition. However, the retainer was faster. She flipped to dodge Embla’s attack.
Embla turned just in time to see a flash of light. She moved out of the way as Kaguya’s blade nearly sliced her face off. Embla channeled Shadow Mana into her blade.
“Crossroads Killing.” Embla slashed Kaguya.
The fox kin threw up a barrier at the last moment that was sliced apart. However, the barrier gave her ample time to dodge. She glanced over her shoulders and saw the effects of the skill. There was a deep scar on the ground behind her.
“Hmm, a spell with high cutting power. The Crossroads Killing,” Kaguya said. “From what I know, you only started learning magic a couple of weeks ago.”
“Thanks. I learned it from my teacher,” Embla said. She wouldn’t let her guard down at this attempt at small talk.
“I guess I will have to kick things up a notch,” Kaguya said. Without warning, she drew her blade quickly, nearly catching Embla off-guard. Embla managed to deflect her blade in time. A small cut formed on her cheek, created by the force of Kaguya’s swing.
Embla gritted her teeth and took a step back. She’s getting serious. I need to- she had no time to collect her thoughts. Kaguya had already moved forward.
Her speed was nothing short of phenomenal. Embla had only experienced such a thing from her training sessions with her teacher. The girl was a blur. Her eyes had a hard time keeping up with her. A slash from the left. A slash from the right and from above. Her attacks were hard to keep up with.
Her arms began to burn slightly. Blocking all of Kaguya’s attacks was going to wear her down before she could inflict any lasting damage against the girl. Thinking quickly, she watched as Kaguya’s blade arced. Embla quickly dropped her blade and used her foot to kick it back. As the blade neared her face, she disappeared in a burst of black mist.
Kaguya narrowed her eyes as the mist was cut apart by the blade. She looked across the arena. A couple of feet from where she was, Embla was standing. The girl panted a little before straightening herself.
Embla slammed her palm on the ground and cast Dark Spike. Kaguya jumped into the air as a series of pitch-black spikes erupted from the ground. She then drew her sword and blocked Embla’s attack. The two traded blows in midair. Sparks flew everywhere as their blades made contact with each other.
After a few seconds, Kaguya deflected Embla’s blade and kicked her back. The two landed on the ground and rushed to meet each other in the middle. Kaguya drew her blade. “Silent Slash,” she whispered.
Embla’s eyes widened as she was met with a flurry of slashes. Her speed simply couldn’t keep up with the attack. She slid back, riddled in small cuts.
Kaguya didn’t let her catch her breath. She gripped her sword and Embla felt a build up in prana. As Kaguya drew her sword, Embla moved to attack. She disappeared and reappeared in sixteen places around Kaguya.
“Sixteen Fold Dance!” The Emblas all converged on her. Kaguya stopped channeling prana and drew her sword. Her movements could make a dancer green with envy. She stepped to the side, using her sword to block each attack from Embla.
“An attack from sixteen simultaneous directions,” Kaguya said. She swung her sword and locked blades with the real Embla. The girl glared at her fiercely. “What a nice look. Let’s see how far you can go!”
Embla’s eyes grew wide as Kaguya threw her back. Her glare intensified.
“Let’s keep going!” Kaguya charged at her.
Embla waited until Kaguya neared her. She infused mana into one of her blades and swung it. Kaguya grinned as she anticipated this. She parried Embla’s blade, knocking it into the air.
The force knocked the girl back and left her open. Kaguya infused mana into her free hand. A swirling orb of crimson flames formed above her palm. “It’s over. Death Light.” Kaguya threw her hand forward, mere centimeters from Embla’s chest. A flash of red light burst from her palm as a superheated ball of fire exploded.
The smoke cleared, revealing a scorched floor and no sign of Embla. Kaguya immediately gasped in pain as she felt something cut into her skin. “Shi-” she quickly turned and blocked the next attack. However, the force of Embla’s blow knocked her hand to the side. “Nimble Shredding!”
Kaguya felt numerous cuts appear on her body as she desperately tried to dodge Embla’s attack. After a few seconds of being assaulted on all sides, she snapped.
Her power flared inside her as her eyes glowed brightly. A blue pulse emanated from her body, washing the world in a navy blue light. And then, everything slowed down to a fourth of their original speed. Kaguya sighed as she watched the world move around her.
“To think that this girl made me use my Arts,” Kaguya said. She grinned and jumped back. After a few moments, time returned to normal.
Embla blinked. She looked at Kaguya, who had been standing in front of her merely a moment ago, and now, the girl was several feet from her. There was no conceivable way for her to move that fast while pressed by her attacks. There was simply no room.
“How did you…?” Embla asked.
“No,” Yuki said. She gripped the arms of her chair and leaned forward.
Cal narrowed his eyes. That ever familiar sensation he just felt. The energy that welled up inside Kaguya’s body. That girl had used her Arts.
“A little wonderful ability I never thought I had to use,” Kaguya said. “You should count yourself lucky. Only a few people have ever forced me to use Setsuna.”
“Setsuna?” The realization suddenly hit Embla harder than a raging bull. This fight was about to get much more difficult.