Free from the constraints of the barrier, Mia flew up, avoiding a stream of blades originating form the bisected deck. She made four daggers and threw them in separate directions, when the stream of blades stopped.
Jack had stumbled, the ship shaking violently as its sinking came to a stop, pillars rose up from the sea, locking the sides in place. Mia took the brief moment of respite to angle her blades a few meters away from jack, encircling her as she checked on the state of the pier.
Now without the barrier to hold them back, the adventurers overpowered the cult. It was only a matter of time now, the only thing left to worry about was the potential of a nuke in the ship and-
Mia slowed time and kicked off a platform of true ice, the blades cleanly cutting through the ice. Jack had recovered, launching a relentless onslaught at her, she had to wonder about the range, regardless. With the barrier gone she was back to consuming the regular amount of mana,and seemingly more powerful jack still couldn’t hit her, she wondered if Jack even had a plan while destroying that device…
“Get. Down. Here!” Jack shouted, swinging her arms in wide arcs, the generated blades cleving into each side of the ship while she launched them.
Her eyes widened, slowing down time wouldn’t help, they were too massive, Mia smirked “Which means…” she let the blades hit her, tearing her asunder and rendering her as a fine red mist.
[Slot 3 Loaded]
“Who’s the footnote now! you pie… of…?” Jack paused, the anger on her face faltering as she looked around “wher- GAH!” She flinched, feeling a sharp pain pierced her legs, nearly bringing herself to her knees, looking at the source she saw a dagger of ice sticking neatly into her upper thigh “the…tricks!”
[Saved to slot 3]
Mia, now standing on a platform of true ice suspended in the air, smirked. She had immediately made a dagger and threw it in the midst of Jack’s confusion “See? Won’t get passed.” She slowed time, dodging a blade that cut her platform in half, making her platform bigger to compensate as she started to let her mist loose.
“What did you do!” Jack shouted, bringing her hand back to swing another large arc, but stumbled as the pillars rose up again to pin the boat in place, followed by another dagger firmly planted into Jack’s other thigh. “You bi-“
[Slot 3 Loaded]
“ARARGH!” Jack shouted, the fresh pain from the first dagger returning to her, her gaze shot up at Mia, just in time to see a blade get cut in half “This, illusion!”
“You do have to be somewhat focused, for that to work then.” Mia said, pointing a freshly made dagger at her with one hand while producing and throwing four more up into the air with the other. The blades flew to Jack’s side “The cutting thing protecting you, annoying.”
Jack eyed the daggers “you think you are so cute with this shit.” She gripped the dagger in her thigh, and with one quick tug she pulled it out, clenching her teeth “I am not falling for you-“ she lost her balance, the ship once again being rocked as pillars pinned the ship in place.
[Saved to slot 3]
Mia saved during the rumble, safe upon her platform, she launched one of the blades towards jack, it speeding towards her.
Jack slammed her foot onto the ground, forcing herself to regain her footing and focus in order to block, but right when the blade was getting cut, right when Jack’s face twisted into a smirk-
[Slot 3 Loaded]
-She was right back to stumbling around and unable to grasp what had happened, a blade planted itself in her back. She let out a scream that only got caught in her throat as Mia’s dagger in her hands exploded outwards in a series of spikes and creeping ice that incased her bloody hand.
“Not very good at this.” Mia dryly said, spreading her mist around and saving once more “don’t know why you destroyed that, if you couldn’t beat me before you can’t now.” Mia sent the other three jack’s way, loading once she cut them down and sending all three again.
Jack screamed.
The deck exploded as everything around Jack was shredded, even the floor beneath her as she lifted herself up into the air “Enough! Enough of this fuc-“
[Slot 3 loaded]
Without missing a beat, the same happened as before, invisible blades shredded the area around her “You wo-“
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[Slot 3 Loaded]
More blades, forming a perfect guard that shredded the-
[Slot 3 Loaded]
Erupting fro-
[Slot 3 Loaded]
“Sto-“
[Slot 3 Loaded]
“Quit i-“
[Slot 3 Loaded]
A single blade shot out-
[Slot 3 Loaded]
[Slot 3 loaded]
[Slot 3 Loaded]
Mia continued to load, leaving just enough time between for Jack to react, but only slightly, just enough for her to register *something* had happened before shoving her right back a few seconds earlier, patiently waiting until…
“WOULD YOU KNOCK IT O-!?” Jack jolted as all three remaining blades punctured her, 2 in her sides, 1 in her shoulder “I, no…you goddamned fox…this wasn’t how…” the blades exploded in rapid expansion, icicles digging into Jack and freezing portions of her body, rocking her back and forth from each explosion, falling to her knees, giggling hysterically as she struggled to move, most of her body incased in ice. She kicked and flailed about, sending blades flying in random directions as she did so.
[Saved to slot 3]
Disdain in her gaze, Mia glanced to her sides, noting several flying individuals overlooking the deck, shaking her head she rose her hand as mist swirled in her palm below a blue flame “I don’t like you.” She said, her voice dripping in hatred “came to our world-” her eyes shifted to the minced corpses littering the edges of the deck “-kill people while supporting a cult.”
Their giggling stopped as they lifted themselves up “So what?” Jack chuckled “Don’t act all high and mighty on me, fucking goody two shoes h-hero!” she haphazardly dashed forward, a blade extending from her from her face and slashing into empty air, tumbling to the ground and into the railing of the ship “fucking think you’re hot shit cause you can use illusions, talking like you know, freaking cheat skill ass!”
Mia watched as Jack slammed her head into the ground a few times, trying to break off the ice that had spread up her neck from her shoulder “Hm… you’re right.” A ball of ice incased the flame “wasting my breath.” She casually chucked the ball towards Jack.
Jack cut it, blue flames erupting from the container and engulfing her. Screams of pain rung out from the docks, followed by laughter, and then a crackling as the flames froze and compressed.
Then silence.
[That was a bit risky, did you learn nothing from Roy?]
Mia glanced up at the spectators, watching them shrug and fly off into the lower decks of the ship ‘was killing her anyways’ she walked up to the frozen clump of ice ‘…first time fighting like that.’ She thought, glancing at her palms.
[Saved to slot 3]
She had fought in time before, going back to fix mistakes and dodge better, but this was the first time she abused it. Fully taking advantage of it and the gap others experience during it.
She closed her palms, clenching them tightly.
‘It felt… oppressive.’ Forcing an outcome, even if they want to adapt you could leave them there till they were mentally exhausted… endlessly repeating that single moment, and strike when they slip.
‘Couldn’t I…’ thinking on it, she considered she could do a very, weird, slow imitation. Quickly saving and loading, inching closer to what she wants. ‘feels wrong.’
[One of the true strengths of time, you have only scratched the surface. While yes, it is risky if they have a mental breakdown. But, well, doesn’t matter if you kill them first.]
“Hm.” Looking behind her, at the broken barrier device, now being inspected and secured by some group “Why even bother breaking that?” had she not done that, the fight would have been more in her favor, Mia had way more limited slows, magic, and no access to time.
[Mia, she cleaved a magic metal boat in two, the only reason she didn’t shred you was because of slow. Given her personality she was fucking with you at first. It is good you shut her down.]
“Yeah but…” she wasn’t dissatisfied with how it turned out, fuck her, but… why was she even under the effects of the barrier in the first place? Weren’t cult members immune? Was this just useless speculation on her part?
[If you are really dissatisfied, go back to slot 2 and fight her again.]
“No thanks.” She quickly said, besides.
She turned around to face the ice clump that held the remains of jack, pushing it over the edge of the boat “I’ll meet her again.” By the sounds of it, she had been with the church for a while, longer than Hiiro had, so they would meet again.
She heaved out a sigh, plopping down on the skewed angle of what remained of the railing, looking over at what was left of the calming chaos that had been this day. People more powerful than her were down in the decks taking care of what ever was down there, she had done her part, now she could rest.
[But let me say Mia~ it was extremely good of you to take advantage of time like that, you should strive to be more creative like that in the future~]
“Uh, thanks?” she didn’t know why Ami sounded so pleased, it kind of creeped her out. “I have been using it a lot, haven’t I?” from using it to unintentionally power level ice magic, running from Cy, the spider dungeon thing, the recent fight and all the other stuff… she did use it a lot, didn’t she?
[While you might not always use it in the most optimal way, striving to be perfect in every scenario is a waste of effort, what matters is that you use it. As that is the only way to gain experience.]
“yeah…? isn’t that how skills work?” she said, shivering as the words left her mouth, she could practically feel Ami smile, weird “if you want to say something, just say it.”
[Hue hue hue~ what ever do you mean?]
D-did… did she just laugh?
‘No, something is wrong.’ She wondered what it could be, Ami was suddenly being a jerk mentioning how she was using it, after scolding her not learning anything from Roy… no, Jack was dead. She glanced at her status and confirmed it, two levels gained?
Only two?
‘What level was Jack?’ slightly disappointing… surely that wasn’t the only thing she got?
She checked over her status and skills, now invested in checking it over “Float and Marionette leveled up once, no new titles, oh slow is at five and…” she paused, staring at the screen in disbelief.
[Weeeelllll~]
“Explains why you are so happy.” Mia sighed, falling backwards over the edge of the ship and landing on a platform of true ice. Rubbing her forehead she didn’t know what to make of this, on the one hand she was happy, excited even. But on the other… the details of this were… worrying.
[Time] had leveled up to four.