*
"She can still live you know? You can run away with her and get some help, or kill me now then help her.
But make no mistake, I won't make it so easy for you to kill me. In fact, I'll kill you if you want to continue. Then I'll finish your friend off. Choose now. "
" Tch! When our superiors come back after killing yours, you wouldn't have any room to negotiate. Not then and not now, I'm sure Kisha wouldn't mind dying for our cause. The 'Stick' kept here is more dangerous than anything else, enough to plunge our world into darkness. If you want to defend that sick Eye God of yours, then fine. Let's fight to the death. "( Xeria)
She took of her black cloak, revealing determined eyes, cute nose, a healthy complexion and gritting snow white teeth. Her black curled up hair had dark red streaks at the end on the left side of her head, on her right her bangs had parted to expose her cute face.
Tch, it'd have been better for me if she kept the hood on.
Launching a punch with her entire body, she vanished for a moment before appearing in front of me. Her giant appearing to launch its own attack at my back. Her own body shouldn't have speed that I couldn't react to, it must be a skill. I'm not going to back down now. I twisted my body backwards to dodge the giant's attack, then twisted my torso to the right to launch my left fist into her abdomen. It made contact, but....
Even though her punch had lightly grazed my body, it sent my entire body into ground. I could feel my bones and skull creaking as my head was sent into ground, it bounced back up from the sheer after shock of her attack. Planting my feet into ground, I pulled my body back up with my spine before swinging another punch. It met hers head on and a shockwaves flooded out from the middle, cracks began to form in the ground at our sides like a straight line that travelled laterally between us.
More magical particles had begun to be spent into reinforcing our bodies and fist, matching punch after punch, kick after kick. It was like an intricate and savage dance soon it had devolved into not only punches and kicks, but also finger knives, slaps, pulls, blocks, skips, leaps and headbutts. No matter what, our attacks matched and cancel each other out.
A left kick and then a right punch. Her strength seemed to be rising to match mine, whilst I was doing the same. Launching our left fists under our interlocked right fists, they collided in the same way to unleash a larger shockwaves, riding its momentum the both of us jumped back to make some distance. She proceeds to take the initiative this time, sending a right jab that I had to duck before aiming at my new position with her left. I blocked her left with my left palm, twisting my waist and hips to launch a right kick, which she caught with her right hand, her wrist twisting violently to secure a grip.
My right arm was still free, so I thought to take the opportunity to punch at her face. She ducked to the left and launched her also free right arm at my torso. At that point she had already pulled back her left hand to turn her body to the side and fight with her right arm, so my left arm was also available to block the attack at my torso. Of course, it wouldn't go smoothly. My left arm bent to cover my stomach from left to right, so her attack slid over my arm skin to impact my abdomen.
I kick away the arm that hit my abdomen with my left leg, resetting our postures once more as we glared at each other. She was a formidable foe, that was all my adrenaline flooded conscious could muster. Formidable, formidable, formidable, how to defeat? At this point, we had both raised our physical abilities to match at incredibly high levels. I hadn't reach this far before, except for back then when I fought Frena. I could still go even further unlike back then, since I was still holding myself then, saving up my magical particles for a finishing attack.
This time there was nothing like that. A sheer physical battle, we had merely used up a small percentage of our wells to pull it off. If we were to use up everything from the start, my apartment and the ground surrounding it would be gone. They were probably saving their magical particles as they planned to kill off more of our soldiers, they were powerful enough to do so. The gap between a C-grade and B-grade isn't as large as the gap between A and B, but it was enough for her to kill multiple of them at once.
It looks like if we were to continue the fight physically, it would take a long wild to end. It was no good to be impatient and waste more magical particles, but it wasn't going to end at this rate.
"Second skill, [Falling sky]" (Xeria)
".... First skill, [Hollow calamity]."
"... Are you getting cocky? Well it would be for my benefit anyway." (Xeria)
She gets into a fighting stance, one arm in front of the other and one leg in front of the other. A basic stance, there aren't many instructors nowadays so fights have mostly been freestyle. If there was an opening, strike, if there was not, block. But the biggest hurdle was learning and actually fighting. It was a big step that involved having enough resolve to hurt someone else. Many magical girls were just normal girls who have awakened, people who were mostly from modern urban society. It was normal to hesitate and not get used to hurting others, even if they were to threaten your life. It was a hurdle of courage, one easy for a person to claim that they can cross it but not actually do it.
It seems her first skill was the one that summoned the giant, her second skill must have been the one enhancing her physical ability. I use my first skill instead of the second. Fighting head on was foolish, it would basically be a gamble at that point. Who had more magical particles than the other? I wouldn't take such a gamble, so I used my first skill to control the wind... And whip up a storm with the surrounding debris. I roll on the ground immediately as a fist rushes past above me and through my previous position.... And it was in an instant...
3 more giants appear out of nowhere, their power seemed to be fully recovered as I couldn't follow their speed at all. The only thing guaranteeing my safety right now was the thinning storm of debris. Friedra's magic must have worn off because Xeria's giants have began to run rampant with extraordinary strength. I'll go back into the ground and send spikes flying at her from the ground.
*BANG! *
A fist plunges through the ground, collapsing the fragil covering of the underground tunnel I made. Xeria and her giants ahd arrived in an instant, her attack barely missing me by less than a metre away. I was close enough to feel the shock wave push me down. They must have cleared out the storm in an instant... Now I'm surrounded.
A loud and violent barrage, numerous fists filled the space I was in, it was like a painful rain of fire that never stopped... Well that would have been the case if I just stopped in my tunnel.
"Huh? A dummy? Tch the real one got away." (Xeria)
I won't run away again. In order to face the least amount of regrets, I will continue to fight. But in the first place I must survive, and I can't think of any other way other than hiding, those giants are way too fast... And my passive skill for identifying and detecting substances... It was very clear just now, even if it was just for a very short distance... She had teleported.... It must be a skill similar to Kanou's, but it's clearly weaker.
... Wouldn't it mean that she couldn't follow her own giant's movements? Or does she borrow their vision too? How can I deal with them... I can't spend too much time thinking or she may go after Myuu... I need to deal with her quick... Range. If I keep myself hidden and keep launching projectiles, perhaps she will crumble under the barrage? No her physical ability has reached an insane figure at this point, shooting projectiles would only be wasting my magic while she gets to conserve hers. A long range barrage attack would only work on weaker enemies, she clearly has the upper hand right now, so I wouldn't consider her weak...
Welp here goes, I've used up around 20% already, but what else can I do? 80% of my magic supply, current full power activate. I could feel all my pain and my wounds rapidly clearing up and recovering away. My body has never felt this light other than the fight with Frena... No, I feel stronger than that time. I've worked hard after all, it was natural for my well and my will stats to grow with me.
Using this much energy, she would of course feel it from even a distance away. She can easily detect me and ambush me now. But before that, she seemed to also be using the rest of her well. Both of us were at full power. I think her second skill's ability is to fix her fist into space, teleporting and generating large amounts of force at the same time. Mine is the movement of substances, physical combat wise they both simply enhance physical strength. That was why we were at a stale mate earlier. But I understand what I have to do now.
[Conditions fulfilled, confirm Stick creation? It'll be a very weak Stick as it's brand new, but it increases in power and may unlock more options over time. ]
It felt like a sick game as these words appear in my mind. But it was not some arbitrary system that empowered me for no rhyme or reason. I already have a gist of what I need to do. Maybe these words were a mere hallucination as I have nothing to confirm, I only have things to execute. It is my final option I suppose, the information from Kanou about sticks, the deciding factor of combat being skills. I have nothing left but my skills, I understand them, but perhaps I have not been using them to the fullest.
I can already create a vacuum sword to fight with like last time, it was sharper but more magica particle cost intensive. By using either of my skills, I can create such vacuum items. So to make a Stick, I simply need to embbed my skills into one such item, to make it self-sustained and permanent as an item. Instead of using my well as a source to power its existence, I can emb my second skill in it to keep absorbing magical particles from the surroundings.
But since its created by my own skill, I can also dispel it or leave it in the world for someone to abuse its power. Of course I would be the one abusing it now, I need to win this fight. I spent my magical particles to take out her partner, so I had less the whole time. Even at full power, I was at a disadvantage. This was my last card, Stick creation with the use of my second skill. To recognise magical particles as a substance.
This Stick will be in the form of S-shape horns, perhaps demon horns due to their black hue and utter lack of curvature. They looked more like curved blades as they floated on my palm, the magic sucking light in like a black hole. Its functionality... I could always use my skills before, what good would it do now to embed it into an item?
Xeria was patiently waiting above ground, she was either assured of her own victory or simply wary of the underground. No, she's waiting right above my head. She had faster speed, so it would be easier for her to kill me if I approach her myself huh.
Flicking the demon horns into the air, they naturally float to attach themselves to the back of my head. Now to test it out, long range substance manipulation. Xeria had put all her magic into enhancing her physical abilities, she was therefore sturdy due to her enhancements. But that was physical sturdiness. Her magic defence was still the same as before, so if I crack it open with my skill and attack her flesh with my horns....
New, finishing technique- Pain-filled inner turmoil. Her defense against magic attacks was pried open, and the horns specialising in long range and consistency inverted her organs before twisting them out. Her body severely weakened, lose its hold on the summons. Their vague outlines and intimidating forms vanish. I use my skill to push up the ground under me, reaching the surface once more. There she was, laying in a pool of blood.
Her arm twitched, struggling to lift herself back up. She utters out one last cry before going limp.
"... How..ridiculous..I forgot I was relying on my teamate for that... " (Xeria)