“You truly think you can keep up with a genius?” Nicole taunted.

Zilla cracked her knuckles with a malicious grin. “You kiddin'? Fine, you go act all high and mighty. You'll need SIX hands just to fight me!”

Nicole pulled back her sword and narrowed her eyes at Zilla with a grin of her own, albeit a much more smug one. “Oho~? Let's see how long that attitude lasts when I do…THIS!”

Nicole swung her blade faster than the naked eye can see, sending a shockwave at Zilla.

Zilla ducked to evade the wave, which kept going and reached the clouds, which were sliced in half.

Keeping up the pressure, Nicole rushed at Zilla, thrusting her sword forward. Zilla used the Pinpoint technique to focus most of her aura into her hand to deflect the blade, leaving the rest of her body vulnerable. Nicole slashed downward, and Zilla raised her hand to intercept the strike. The blade phased through her hand, leaving her frozen in place before tensing herself to jump back. Before she could move, Nicole kicked her square in the stomach, sending her into the wall of the tree.

Noelle clenched her heart, her eyes glazing over with worry. "I hope she's alright...that must have hurt.”

Zilla took her time to get back up, coughing and groaning during her attempt. "Oof...ugh..." She held her stomach and winced. "Okay...not gonna lie, that was a hard kick...damn…”

Nicole strolled up to Zilla, staring down at her while sneering. “Ha! You said I need SIX hands to fight you, yet here you are on the floor after a nice kick from ONE foot!”

Zilla grumbled and slowly pushed herself up, clenching her teeth against the soreness lingering in her stomach after the blow.

"Hmph...maybe I got a bit cocky there, I gotta admit that. But just because you got a lucky hit doesn't mean you've won. I'm not out just yet."

She tensed her legs and prepared to counter.

Nicole chuckled mockingly, twirling her sword in her hand. "Oh, how delightful. You don't care about strategy or tactics, do you? No, you prefer brute force and straightforwardness. How primitive of you. But let me tell you something: relying solely on strength and impulsiveness can only take you so far.”

Zilla clicked her tongue and stretched her arms behind her, making her muscles flex. "Yeah, I don't care ‘bout all that fancy stuff. I just want to kick your ass, plain and simple, and I'm pretty confident I can do just that.”

“Well, I can kick ass AND plan ahead, take that!”

Nicole rushed in to prove her point with a flurry of blows, which Zilla blocked with her hands. After a feigned kick, Nicole vanished as Zilla looked around, preparing to strike from anywhere.

Oh man, come on… she moaned. Where will she come from? Behind? No, she's gonna think outta the box.

…Underground.

As Zilla focused her aura on her legs, a portal opened up just inches from her feet. Before Zilla could act further, a fist slammed down from above. It came from the sky, smashing into the ground and sending a shock wave in all directions, knocking Zilla off her feet.

Nicole landed on the ground, chuckling and twirling her blade in her hand.

“Hehe, did you really think I'd attack from below? You need to learn how to think more strategically.”

Zilla pushed herself up and winced as she flexed her sore stomach, gritting her teeth.

"Ugh...yeah, I see that. You're not just smart, you're a sneaky little tactician too. I should have seen that coming."

Zilla smirked and got back into a fighting stance, her aura flaring up.

"But don't get cocky just because you got another lucky hit. I'm still standin’, aren't I?”

Nicole chuckled as she observed Zilla's determination, her smirk never faltering.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Lucky hits, hm? Is that what you call them? My movements are calculated, precise, and effective. You might be standing now, but for how much longer?"

Nicole dashed forward, her blade poised to strike.

"Let's find out, my overly confident friend.”

Zilla tensed her feet and prepared to dodge, her eyes locked on Nicole's blade.

"Heh, bring it on, brainiac. I ain't going down that easily."

As Nicole closed in for another strike, Zilla swiftly side-stepped, narrowly evading the blade. She then retaliated with a quick series of kicks.

Nicole twisted her body to avoid Zilla's strikes, her movements comically fluid and precise as if she were purposefully flaunting her superhuman level of flexibility.

"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that to catch me off guard."

She countered Zilla's final kick with a swift slice of her blade, aiming for her exposed leg.

Zilla winced as her leg was cut at, the pain making her stagger for a second, but she regained her footing, letting out a shuddered sigh. "Geez, you're like a living pretzel, flexible as all get-out. But I ain't done yet."

She increased the aura within her feet with Pinpoint, making them stronger and faster, then jumped forward.

Nicole observed Zilla's increased speed and dodged her attack, her movement almost casual.

"You're getting faster, but it's not enough. You're still fighting like a brute, not a tactical fighter."

As Zilla swung at her, Nicole vanished and reappeared behind her, taking advantage of her blind spot.

Zilla turned around just in time to see Nicole behind her, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid her next attack. Nicole slammed her elbow into Zilla's back, sending her sprawling on the ground.

Nicole stood over Zilla, a smirk on her face.

"You're feisty, I'll give you that. But brute strength won't beat strategy.”

Zilla groaned and got back up, her body aching from the blow.

"Argh, dammit...you're right. I can't keep fighting like this, I need to think more carefully."

She panted heavily, her aura still flickering around her.

"But don't get complacent, this fight isn't over yet.”

Zilla teleported behind Nicole and threw a kick. Nicole easily dodged Zilla's attempt at a counter-attack, her movements precise and calculated.

"You're so easy to read! You've barely used any strategy here, relying mostly on brute strength. But strength alone won't win against me."

Nicole struck again, her blade aiming for Zilla's shoulder.

Zilla used Pinpoint on her upper arm to block the attack, but Nicole's blade phased through her, launching a kick at her gut instead.

Not this time, Zilla thought.

Zilla swiftly leaped out of the way, narrowly avoiding Nicole's leg. Nicole smirked and feigned a sword thrust at Zilla's chest. Zilla fell for the feint and braced herself to dodge the thrust, but as Zilla tensed up, Nicole changed her attack to a knee to her stomach, which shattered Zilla's aura shield.

The unexpected strike hit Zilla hard, and she doubled over, gasping for air.

"You crafty bitch,” Zilla huffed.

Nicole smiled as Zilla clutched her stomach, the latter's pained grunts being music to her ears. She leaned in, her voice mocking and condescending. "Oh, really? Look at you, struggling to even stand. If you can't even dodge a simple feint, how do you expect to win against me?”

Zilla bared her teeth, a mixture of anger and shame. Nicole's words hit close to home, revealing a deep-seated insecurity.

"Shut up...I'm not...weak."

She tried to stand tall, her aura flaring up weakly around her.

Nicole chuckled, enjoying Zilla's display of vulnerability. She stepped closer, her voice dripping with arrogance.

"Oh, but you are. You're strong, but that means nothing if you lack the finesse and strategy to back it up. You fight like a mindless animal, relying on instinct and brute force alone.”

Nicole's aura then swelled to a massive degree, her taunting smile evolving into a sickly grin. “And now…all of your poor friends here will go down with you.”

Hecate flinched and stepped back, her hands balled as she used Increase.

“Everyone, use Increase to strengthen your defenses! She's going to launch her aura outwards, and without proper defense, you'll suffer serious injuries!”

The others did as commanded, gathering their aura to defend themselves. Nicole chuckled as the others fortified themselves with their auras. Her confidence seemed near-invincible; it was as if she was the queen of the battlefield, and she knew it. She looked over each of them with a calculating gaze, almost as if she was sizing them up like an instructor reviewing recruits.

"You can increase your defenses all you like, but it won't stop me from making short work of you all. After all, I know your abilities and fighting techniques, and I can counter them with ease."

Nicole's smirk grew even wider as she began to slowly circle around the group, her eyes darting between each of them like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Honestly, you all might as well just give up now and save yourselves the humiliation. You're out of your depth here, and fighting against me is a losing battle. But if you're that eager to get your asses handed to you, who am I to deny you the pleasure?"

Nicole's gaze then settled on Zilla, who was still standing with her arms folded and her signature smirk plastered on her face.

"And you," Nicole said, pointing her finger at Zilla. "You're particularly feisty, aren't you? Thinking you can take me on with that stubborn attitude of yours. It's almost endearing, really.”

“You ain't all that, galaxy-brain freak.”

“Oh, even your insults have lost their spark! You're utterly useless now, let's just go ahead and end this!”

Spreading her arms high in the air, Nicole's aura unleashed, surrounding the tree in a blast of pure spiritual energy, paralyzing everyone and sending waves of shock through their bodies. The aura shields of the Ephemerals shattered instantly, while Noelle's gave up next. Lastly, the Elders’.

Hecate's eyes widened, the pressure of Nicole's aura leaving her frozen in place, her own increased aura not being enough to prevent it. "T-This is bad! We…we can't even move..."

"Damn! She's too strong..." Zilla gritted her teeth, trying to move her body but failing to. "I can't move an inch...!"

Blair looked around frantically, her body trembling against Nicole's overwhelming pressure. "We're like sitting ducks! How the hell are we supposed to beat her like this?!"

Galadriel was paralyzed by the sheer intensity of Nicole's aura, her eyes trembling in fear. "This pressure…it's overwhelming. I can't even move a muscle…”

Titania's expression was one of deep concern, her heart pounding against her chest. "No…no, this can't be. We're completely helpless against her...”

Meanwhile, Sharline's body was completely stiff, her eyes locked on Nicole. "I…I can’t even move my legs...what do we do...?"

Magnus stirred as he slowly awoke, his head throbbing from the blow earlier. He tried to rub his temple, but couldn't even move his hand. "Ugh...what the hell...what's going on...?"

The others darted their eyes to him, relief and worry playing on their faces.

"Magnus! You're awake!" Hecate exclaimed.

As Magnus tried to sit up, he grimaced in pain, his limbs still paralyzed. "What...happened...? Why can't I move...?"

“The demoness that knocked you out earlier is using Increase right now, and none of us can move…”

Nicole sneered and tensed her body. “And now…the finisher!”

Nicole flared up her aura tenfold, enveloping everyone in a spiritual explosion that knocked the group unconscious.

“Hmph, that was easy,” Nicole taunted, Cassie's eyes returning to their usual purples.

“And now, back to train Kinsey-Kins. She better not disappoint on her first mission…!” Cassie ended, opening a portal beneath her and sinking into it until she can no longer be seen, closing the portal after.