The time for words had passed. Zelkara seemed to realize this as she shifted back into her fighting stance, gripping the shaft of her spear tightly—never having let go, even when she was sent flying. Gravitas glanced at the weapon, finding something strangely familiar about it.

It was a long, black spear with a forked tip, identical to the one her brother had thrown that day—crafted from Voidiron. The material was one of the few resistant to her power. But that hardly mattered, as long as it stayed in its wielder's hands. Her, she could influence with ease.

The discovery didn’t unsettle Gravitas. Now that she knew to be careful, its danger was halved, and this was far from the first time she had faced such a weapon. It wasn’t uncommon for Chimeroi to wield such tools in the arena, especially against her.

Zelkara wiped the trickle of blood from her face, keeping it from reaching her eyes. The scrape on her forehead had already stopped bleeding, and the collision seemingly hadn’t caused any severe injuries. Her stance showed she was still in peak condition, her movements controlled and her focus sharp.

Her eyes flashed, and she lunged again. However, this time, she was keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground, sacrificing a bit of speed for the ability to control her movements. Gravitas once again activated her power. However, instead of trying to push her back, she directed her power upward. Just before the spear reached her, the woman lost her footing.

However, as if having predicted this, she slammed her spear into the ground, piercing the stone and anchoring her. With that as a lever, she vaulted forward. Before Gravitas could do anything else, she felt an impact against her midsection, sending her reeling back.

Gravitas turned her tumble into a roll and immediately activated her powers again. As expected, the woman was already in front of her, being caught in her ability. With a twist of her hand, Gravitas altered the pull of gravity in two different directions at once. Zelkara’s foot, which had been planted firmly for a strike, suddenly slipped out from under her, as if yanked sideways by an invisible force. At the same time, the arm holding her spear was pulled sideways by an opposing gravitational field, throwing off her aim entirely.

Zelkara stumbled, her spear missing Gravitas by a hairsbreadth. That’s when Gravitas seized the opportunity. She swung her arm downward, increasing the gravity beneath Zelkara’s feet. The ground itself seemed to quake as the force multiplied in an instant, pinning her to the spot. At this range, Gravitas's power was much stronger.

The serpentine woman grunted in frustration, her legs trembling as she fought against the overwhelming pressure pushing her down. Her reptilian eyes glared up at Gravitas, filled with fury and confusion. Zelkara’s spear began to crack the ice and stone beneath her as she tried to use it to pull herself free, but Gravitas was unrelenting.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Gravitas asked, her voice cold, devoid of emotion.

But Zelkara didn’t give up. With a guttural roar, she thrust her Voidiron spear into the ground, using all her strength to wrench herself free of Gravitas’s pull. The black metal cut through the force like butter, resisting her power just enough for Zelkara to regain some control. She was stronger than Gravitas had anticipated.

Before Zelkara could free herself from the crushing weight, Gravitas acted. In one smooth motion, she feigned a punch before kicking out with her leg, hitting her opponent's jaw from below while simultaneously reversing the pull of gravity. The combination of the two forces working in tandem doubled the effect of the kick, sending the lithe woman careening through the air. Before her opponent was out of reach, Gravitas changed gravity, applying two opposing forces once more. This turned the controlled flight into an uncontrollable spin.

The woman landed gracelessly in a heap of limbs and metal, catching herself before she tumbled off the side of the wall—barely. A shame. The height advantage would have worked in Gravitas’s favor. However, she didn’t fret, lightly jumping backward and adjusting her weight in midair. Zelkara, now upright again, hissed in frustration, her forked spear held ready for another attack.

The two warriors stood facing each other on the cold, snowy battlefield, the tension between them like a taut string waiting to snap. For a moment, the sounds of battle around them faded, leaving only the soft howl of the wind and the steady crunch of snow underfoot.

Zelkara, recognizing the stalemate, adjusted her stance. “Impressive,” she said, her voice low. “But your tricks won’t save you forever.”

Gravitas remained silent, her eyes locked onto her opponent. The calm expression on the Pureblood’s face unnerved her. Something was wrong. Just then, she felt a slight burn on her cheek. Using the back of her hand, she rubbed against the spot, only for it to come back reddened. Blood? This couldn’t be hers, could it? To her knowledge, she had not been cut. She glanced up, only to find a wide smile on her opponent's face.

“Gotten careless, have we?” Zelkara sneered, showing off her own hand. Her palm was still red from the time she had wiped the blood off her face. Could it be? Had she used her own blood as a weapon?

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Gravitas frowned. She had always believed that the Frostscale tribe only had the ability to apply poison to their weapons, but it now seemed that it was not that simple. Were their entire bodies poisonous, or was it their blood? Also, the substance hadn’t gotten into her bloodstream and only touched her skin, but she could already feel pain spreading from the area. Clearly, her counterpart wasn’t the only one who had been caught unaware by their opponent's skill set.

Gravitas took off her veil and used it to wipe all remaining blood from her face. She then tossed the bloodied piece of cloth off the side of the wall, leaving her face bare.

“Quite the ugly mug you’ve got there,” Zelkara commented, watching her actions with glee.

Gravitas remained silent. She knew her appearance wasn’t exactly pleasant—her deep blue skin and unnaturally sharp teeth could easily scare children. It was the very reason her former master had commanded her to always wear a veil. But she had shed most of her insecurities long ago, and her current master had never seemed bothered by her looks. If anything, Ezekiel found them intriguing.

Gravitas could feel the poison spreading—a troubling sign. The fact that it had splashed on her face meant it was dangerously close to her brain and could soon affect her focus. Was this why Zelkara was so willing to stall? She met her opponent’s gaze and found her grinning. Definitly.

Gravitas sighed—one more reason to end this battle as soon as possible.

With her empty right hand, she reached into her robe and retrieved something she had been keeping hidden. It was a bit early to use this in battle, but it was her best chance for a swift resolution. In her palm lay five round objects—Froststeel orbs, each the size of a chicken egg, used for her focused training.

With a light movement of her arm, she tossed them into the air, catching them with her power. A moment later, the metal balls began to move, orbiting around her like tiny planets around the sun.

“What’s that?” Zelkara asked, raising her guard.

"Come and find out," Gravitas taunted, speeding up the orbs.

This was her answer to the greatest limitation of her power—range. While she could affect distant areas, her strength weakened the farther they were. Up close, she could increase gravity by dozens of times, but just a few steps away, that force dropped to less than half. Beyond that, her influence was minimal. By keeping the Froststeel balls close to her, she could apply immense force without losing control.

The metal balls soon spun around her at a blinding speed, barely visible to the naked eye. But this level of control demanded her full concentration. It was an all-or-nothing gamble, leaving her unable to use her power for anything else.

Seeing the sight, her opponent hesitated. Gravitas took the initiative. Without any warning, she redirected one of the balls. The effect was immediate—the ball shot out of her range and raced toward her opponent's face with blinding speed.

Zelkara’s eyes widened, but it was already too late to dodge. As a last resort, she brought her arm up, shielding her face. But that was all she had time for before the projectile arrived. With a sickening crunch, the Froststeel orb smashed into her forearm before veering past her head. However, the damage was done—her arm bent at an unnatural angle, broken bones visible beneath the skin. The woman let out a guttural howl, her red eyes fixed on the mangled limb.

“You. Fucking. Bitch,” Zelkara howled, staring at Gravitas with seething hatred. “I’ll tear your corpse limb from limb!” Seemingly having lost all reason, the woman charged, wielding her thick metal spear with a single arm.

This was all or nothing.

Gravitas remained calm, her eyes focused on the gleaming metal tip of the weapon. She had four balls left and would have to make each one count. The tip came closer and closer, aimed right at her throat. Not yet. If she messed this up, she would likely die to this attack.

Hold.

Hold.

… Now!

The spear was only inches from her face when Gravitas acted. She altered the trajectory of her orbs. If she miscalculated by even a tiny bit, her entire strategy would fail.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal resounded, and Gravitas felt relief flood through her entire body. Out of the corners of her eye, she saw the spear flying from Zelkara’s hands, having been hit by one of the orbs. At this speed, the force of the projectiles was tremendous.

She saw the shock in her opponent’s eyes. The woman was still a few steps away and was now frantically trying to stop, but her momentum and the icy ground made that a difficult proposition. Gravitas grinned, her sharpened teeth on full display.

Time to die!, she thought as she directed all remaining three balls toward the defenseless woman.

Gravitas didn’t have the mental capacity to aim them precisely, but at this range, it was hard to miss. Her orbs shot through the air with blinding speed, their trajectory lethal. Zelkara had only a split second to react. With her broken arm dangling uselessly by her side, she tried to brace herself, but the icy ground betrayed her, causing her to slide uncontrollably. Her eyes, still wide with fury and pain, darted between the incoming projectiles.

The first orb collided with her chest, striking with the force of a battering ram. Zelkara was thrown back, the impact forcing her to the ground with a deafening thud. The second orb followed swiftly, slamming into her side with equal ferocity. The blow sent a shiver through her entire body, the force shattering ribs and sending her sprawling further.

The third orb aimed directly at her head, but Zelkara barely had time to flinch before it struck. The orb connected with her temple, the force so great that it left a deep dent in the side of her skull. She was thrown sideways, her body skidding across the icy surface before coming to a halt, motionless.

Gravitas exhaled slowly, her concentration broken as the Froststeel orbs fell to the ground. The battlefield around her seemed to freeze in time as Zelkara lay on the snow, battered and unconscious.

Gravitas took a deep breath, shaking her head to clear the poison’s lingering effects. The pain had dulled somewhat, but the fight was far from over…

Just then, a loud explosion resounded, shaking the entire wall. A wave of heat, so strong that even Gravitas could feel it at the very edge of the battlefield, reached her a moment later. She spun instantly, her mind already dreading what she might find.

An inferno blazed in front of the wall, just outside the gate. Vulcanos stood there, far from his allies, proudly atop the charred remains of a battering ram, surrounded by dozens of burnt corpses. Gravitas instantly recognized the manic grin on his face—it was the effect of Blood Boil.

What had that fool gotten himself into!?