Radiant white blade met black claws and sparks showered downward. Latril put more weight into the Sword That Splits the Heavens Mk 2, heat pulsing from it. Dream held fast, holding the sword back with her claws. Heat continued to pulse. Dream stretched her wings and pushed back against the weapon. The two, Latril and Dream, separated and then sword and claws met again in another display of falling sparks.
Slimantha’s beautiful brown eyes flitted between the two combatants. She watched yet another batch of sparks rain downward, a serene beauty to the luminous flecks. The long brown locks of her hair rustled as a gust of heat hit her, said gust of heat emanating from the Sword That Splits the Heavens Mk 2. She closed her eyes in the pleasant warmth, shifting her weight forward. That sword of Latril’s sure had some nice warmth to it. She hugged her arms around her own chest before pulling back. She lowered her arms and cracked her right eye open. More sparks reflected in that eye. She opened her other eye.
Once again, radiant white met black claws. Sparks glowed around Latril and Dream as sword and claws pressed against one another in yet another contest of strength. Dream smiled. This time, the system won. A sharp popping sounded, and the Sword That Splits the Heavens Mk 2 exploded. Shards of radiant white scattered. The Sword That Splits the Heavens Mk 2 was gone. Dream leapt back. So too did Latril.
Latril scowled. Her golden eyes, each containing the likeness of an upward-turned sword, were on the system’s face. To think that even the Sword That Splits the Heavens Mk 2 wasn’t enough. Wait. A drop of sweat rolled down her right cheek. Why did this feel so familiar? She glanced at a certain slime summoner—glanced at Slimantha—and sweatdropped again. That was right. Slimantha had one-punched the Sword That Splits the Heavens Mk 1. Latril sighed, and then her eyes went back to Dream. Wait. Where was Dream looking? Latril’s eyes followed Dream’s gaze up.
Dream stood, her face turned upward. Red cracks reached down from beneath her red eyes. Those eyes were on something rocketing upward—were on a shard of radiant white.
Now Slimantha blinked. Hers eyes also turned upward, settling on the radiant white shard. She blinked again. Just what was the big deal with the shard? Was it not just a shard? Her eyes continued following the shard as said shard flew higher. Her right hand went to her chin. What if it was not just a shard? What if it … What if it wasn’t a shard? She blinked again, lowering her hand. Was it a firework?
The shard of radiant white exploded, and a smile flashed across Slimantha’s face. That smile, though, promptly turned into a cute pout. Against the shimmering pink of the sky, a firework should have looked heavenly. That thing, though … Well, maybe it wasn’t a firework after all. Her gaze drifted down. RIP, firework that never was. She sighed before looking back up. Her eyes returned to the area of the blast. A crack showed in the shimmering pink of the sky. She blinked. Since when can the sky crack?
Stolen novel; please report.
“Damage detected in the skydome,” Dream said, her red eyes on the crack in the sky. “Processing … Damage to the skydome is within the acceptable limit. Beginning maintenance protocol.” The crack began mending shut. Her gaze drifted down to Latril. “Radiant swords deemed dangerous.” She extended her wings and readied her claws. “Purging threat.” She rushed toward the swird woman.
“Hold it!” Slimantha said, stepping in front of Latril. The slime summoner met the oncoming Dream with a tentacle of slime. Claws of black dug into viscous blue. “Lay off my girlfriend!” She pressed her blue tentacle against Dream, and Dream leapt back. The system’s eyes met her eyes.
Slimantha glanced over her right shoulder and gave her girlfriend a smile. “Take out the sky,” the slime summoner said. She got a nod from Latril and then turned her gaze back to Dream. Now she gave the system a smile—a smile that got her a pout from the system in return.
Dream’s eyes shifted to Slimantha’s slime tentacle before pivoting to the swird woman standing behind the slime summoner. The system smiled and then broke to her own right. A second tentacle whipped out from behind Slimantha, blocking the system’s path once more.
“Lay off my girlfriend!” Slimantha said once again. Viscous blue pressed against claws of black.
Dream pulled back and pouted. Her red eyes went to the slime summoner blocking her path. “Move,” the system said. “Move, or I will move you.” She readied her claws, eyes narrowing.
Slimantha smiled and crossed her arms. Her two tentacles poised behind her. The system certainly talked big, but could the system back it up. Slimantha lashed one of her tentacles toward Dream. Claws met slime, and this time, claws won. Little residual flecks of blue melted away.
Dream glanced at her claws—glanced at the vanishing blue upon them. Her eyes—her red eyes—went back to Slimantha. The red cracks under the system’s eyes distorted as she smiled. “Move,” she said again. “Move, or I will move you.” She took a step forward, her white slippers softly impacting the obsidian of the rooftop. She held her right claws out to her right threateningly.
Slimantha’s eyes went from the system’s right claws to the system’s face. Her own brown eyes met the system’s red eyes. Maybe Dream was strong, but was she really that strong? Slimantha smiled and lashed her remaining tentacle toward Dream. The system leapt up, dodging the attack. The slime summoner’s eyes turned upward to the now-airborne system.
Dream’s black feather wings spread out, and then she began her descent toward Slimantha. Dream’s black claws reflected in Slimantha’s eyes as the system reached her right hand toward the slime summoner’s face. Just a little more, and … A hand—the slime summoner’s right hand—grabbed the system’s right wrist, and the system’s world flipped as the slime summoner swung her up overhead and then down into the rooftop’s obsidian. She gasped, pain shooting throughout her from the impact of her back against the obsidian. Beneath her, the rooftop had cratered yet had somehow managed not to collapse.
Dream climbed back to her feet. She swayed unsteadily. A bit of blood leaked from between her lips. She was the system. To think she would suffer such indignity. She wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her right hand. Her gaze returned to the slime summoner who had bodied her. The slime summoner smiled—smiled at her—and a slight shake ran through Dream’s body. Dream stepped back and readied her claws for the next round. At some point between her having been bodied and climbing back to her feet, the slime summoner’s second tentacle had melted away.