An example of the battles I had for the day, the one with Laila seemed to be like a boss battle from my perspective.
The air crackled with the weight of our training session. This wasn't just any sparring match; this was a trial. Laila wasn't just a fellow fighter. She was a force of nature, an unrelenting storm of petals and roots, and I was about to face her in a way I never had before.
I had spent days watching, learning, and training with the others under the Knight's guidance. I'd seen them grow in strength and skill—Asura's fluid mastery of his fiery abilities, Voltis' precision with his strikes, Laila's grace and deadly efficiency with her plant-based powers. But I had never faced Laila in battle, not like this. Not one-on-one.
And I knew from the start I was out of my depth.
I had confidence in my abilities. After all, I'd been in this world for a few days now, and I had learned to use my barrier to protect myself. I was slow compared to the others, but with the barrier's protection, I could withstand a lot. It was my only chance. Without it, Laila's overwhelming power would tear me apart.
I activated the barrier immediately. The translucent dome of blue energy enveloped me, wrapping around me like a protective shell. The barrier shimmered and pulsed, each hexagonal segment reinforcing the others to absorb and disperse the force of any attacks. I even extended it beneath the ground, ensuring no one could sneak up on me from below. My only hope was to survive long enough to get in a few hits of my own.
Laila didn't waste time. She raised her hand, and the familiar petal storm began. A whirlwind of razor-sharp petals rushed toward me, blocking my vision and cutting through the air with incredible precision. The intensity of the assault was enough to test even my reinforced barrier, and for a moment, I thought I might be overwhelmed. I could feel the petals scraping against the barrier, cutting into the surface, but I kept it steady.
This wasn't like the previous times I had fought. This wasn't just a sparring match. If I let my guard down, I knew Laila could easily end me with a single strike.
But this was different, too. I was different. I wasn't just trying to survive anymore. I had learned a lot in these past few days, and I was ready to put it to the test.
I concentrated, drawing in energy to compress the barrier, making it more compact, more focused around my body. The protection became like armor, less like a bubble and more like a suit of power surrounding me. The barrier became my personal mech armor. It was more resilient and dense now, allowing me to move more freely within it. I took off into the air, breaking free from the petal storm, flying above it and out of Laila's immediate reach.
I had to stay mobile. I wasn't strong enough to just stand and fight.
I wasn't just going to defend the whole time. That wouldn't teach me anything. As I soared higher, I began launching small energy balls—about the size of a baseball—at Laila. The blasts were quick and aimed in different directions, distracting her, forcing her to focus on evading and defending.
"Laila, please don't hurt me," I muttered, half-joking, half-serious. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I wanted her to know that I wasn't just attacking for the sake of it. I needed to gauge her strength. To understand her limits.
To my surprise, she hesitated. The barrage of energy balls wasn't enough to harm her, but it created the opening I needed. I locked onto her location, quickly closing the distance. I surrounded her with a barrier—just a temporary one—an energy sphere that wasn't strong enough to hold her for long but would give me just enough time.
I detonated the energy in a massive explosion, the shockwave rocking the clearing. The blast sent me flying backward, but I wasn't done yet. I followed it up with a series of focused energy beams. I poured everything I had into them, blasting toward her.
But as the beams hit their mark, they collided with an invisible pink barrier—Laila's defensive shield. It absorbed the blows, leaving her unscathed.
"Underhanded tactics?" Laila's voice was laced with mild annoyance, her calm demeanor unshaken. I knew I had irritated her. But that wasn't my concern. I had to press on.
I couldn't just keep shooting at her. Laila's defenses were too strong, and my energy blasts were barely a scratch. If I wanted to win—or even have a chance—I had to get in close.
I summoned a massive battle axe, the weight of it almost too much for me to wield without my barrier. But I didn't care. This was the only way I could do it. I flew toward her, energy spikes forming around me like a drill. My goal was simple: break her defenses.
But Laila was ready. The ground around me cracked open as thick, vine-like roots surged from the earth, aiming for my legs. I swung my axe, cutting through some, but not all of them. The roots were relentless, weaving through the ground like a living trap.
I wasn't going to let them catch me. With a burst of energy, I destroyed the roots blocking my path, but more came—fresh, dangerous, and aggressive. They wrapped around me, and I used my barrier to deflect the worst of it, but I couldn't keep up forever.
Then I saw it: flowers blooming on the roots. I realized too late what Laila was doing. She wasn't just growing plants to trap me. She was creating a weapon. The petals from the flowers swirled around, forming sharp, deadly lances. I couldn't outrun them. I couldn't escape.
Laila raised her hand, and I froze, watching in horror as a massive pink energy ball formed in front of her—a flower cannon, as powerful as anything I'd ever seen. It was the size of me, three times larger, and it was moving fast. There was no way I could dodge it.
The cannon released with the force of a small bomb, a burst of energy that obliterated everything in its path. I tried to block with my barrier, but it wasn't enough. The blast hit me full force, and I was sent crashing through the air, screaming as I tumbled backward. The pain was immediate, intense, but I couldn't afford to let it stop me. I had to keep fighting.
Laila rushed toward me, her face filled with concern. "Akira!" she called, but I wasn't done yet. I couldn't afford to let her close.
I had been charging behind my back, creating a thick tail of energy within my barrier. The beam I fired was a surprise—too quick for her to stop. It hit her squarely, and the shock on her face as she was sent crashing into the ground was unmistakable.
But I immediately regretted it. "Laila, I'm sorry!" I called out, guilt eating at me. I hadn't meant to hurt her. It was just a tactical move.
Laila slowly stood, brushing herself off. Her eyes softened as she understood, but before I could say more, she came at me, not with anger, but with a smile.
She used the petals and roots like an extension of herself, a seamless integration of power and grace. The petals spun around me, trapping me in a cocoon of sharp, swirling blades. Roots lashed out like whips, drilling into me, slamming me into the ground. I tried to defend, but there was nothing I could do.
She had me. And she knew it.
The battle ended with her standing over me, a soft smile on her face. I was breathing heavily, bruised and battered, but I couldn't help but admire her skill. She was a force of nature, and no matter how much I learned, I realized I wasn't ready to face her head-on just yet.
But we both learned something. About our strengths. About our limits. And about the bond we were building as a team.
"We'll get there," Laila said softly, offering me her hand. "Together."
And for the first time, I truly believed it.