Olivia gave a heavy sigh before lowering her weapons. Though this could be considered disobeying orders on her part she knew that she was outmatched. Of their previous team there were three members that everyone knew stood above the others. This didn't affect their friendship, nor did it change how they worked together, but they all knew that there was a difference.
The first was Jien, with his seemingly endless font of knowledge and ideas, not to mention his newer fighting style that he was showcasing here. The second was none other than the boy who stood across from her with the dulled dagger at her teammates neck. Barret wasn't necessarily powerful in a physical sense, and due to his silent nature, nobody seemed to know if he could match Jien's mind, but what they were all positive of was the quality of his training as a tracker, scout and most importantly as an assassin. They knew that the Romero family was a branch of the royal family, but they hadn't been sure what that meant until they were in those eerie woods, watching him fade between trees, trying to out stealth his own mentor and keep her at bay during many of their fights.
The final of the three was Rosalind, due to her shear strength. Her form wasn't bulky like Robyn's but her form was packed with highly toned musculature. Her curves were deceptively smooth and form elegant but the training method she used forced each bit of her muscle to be worked and hardened to the point of being both an armor and a force of nature. She was showing this power currently by singlehandedly holding down Bernard with what seemed to be a relaxed and cheery smile on her lips. Her hammer despite being replaced with a training weapon of the academy seeming to crush down on Bernards' form with the weight of mountains.
These interactions left Jien's team at an obvious advantage even with Bernard being beaten back. His job was only to help hold the front line to begin with, the fact that Rosalind was focused on hin was perfect and he was doing his best to keep her occupied despite the difference in strength. Lesley was doing his best to help the stalwart boy by raining the occasional arrow down on Rosalind's position when he got a clear shot. Meanwhile Andrew stood in the midst of the brawl with cold sweat pouring down his back. He felt like a normal human among a pack of magical beasts, only mustering up the courage to cast minor buffs on Bernard to boost his strength and physical recovery when Rosalind wasn't paying attention.
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At the time that Olivia lowered her weapons Julie had finished her preparations for her final attempt to claim victory. She now understood that having a plan wasn't everything when it came to leadership, there were times where you would need to turn the tides yourself to allow for your teammates to take back the pace of an engagement. Her core tightened like a spring a moment before mana circulated through her legs in a controlled burst, reaching the soles of her feet before rebounding up her core and into her locked arms.
She rocketed forward with a more ferocious speed than in their first fight a spray of yellow sand jettisoning from beneath her feet as she tore forward. She wasn't sure of her victory even using this, but she needed to test Jien's limits to know how best to fight him. As she quickly approached him, she ducked behind her shield, aiming dead center at Jien's calm form in an attempt to ram him with all of her momentum.
Jien watched this calmly, his expression as neutral as ever and the specks of light hidden in his eyes glowing as several images overlapped in his vision. Then he saw a golden form, one that was elegant, wearing a dress that seemed to flutter with her steps, the form of Barret's mentor Iris. Suddenly, right as Julie was mere moment s from striking him, his legs seemed to move in a form not distant from that of a pirouette, stepping just off to the side of her charging form. His blade struck out like a viper, the form of Mark's hand holding a dagger lashing out in his vision as motes of brilliant light.
Julie noticed the movement in time to forcefully torque her core and fling her shield out deflecting the simple thrust of his rapier aiming for one of the gaps in the side of her leather armor. She used her other arm as a pivot, bringing her left leg in a powerful kick, aimed at Jien's torso. She wasn't sure if this would do it. If she could land a blow on him, she was sure that her strength would be enough, but the way Jien was fighting felt truly unnatural, like he was a disjointed puppet being jerked in different directions.
She really wanted this victory as proof of her ability to lead, knowing that at least to some degree she had already messed up in letting Alys be caught, and with Olivia backing out of the fight. If she could just remove Jien she may still have a chance to claim victory back from the jaws of defeat. Her mind was whirring with these thoughts when she saw her opponent move once again.