*
The purple aura around my body intensifies in colour, becoming a more vigorous and deeper purple that flared across my surroundings, it stretches off into a large pillar that encapsulates my entire being and extends endlessly into the sky. I can't feel this pillar, I can't feel magical particles. Even this extremely sought after and slimly grasped achievement was nothing but wind behind my ears, my hair flutters violently behind my back as if to sarcastically clap for me.
A faint purple radius begins to expand while originating from my feet, it initiates the engulfment of this entire seperate realm as the skies and floor are dyed in my own colour. The thick concentration of magical particles surrounding my body seemed to give my skin a modest glow as tiny specks of light lit up my complexion further, lastly, my light grey hair has become a clear white that was pure as driven snow. A soft halation emanated before it faded away along with the specks of light.
Title: Kaori, bloomed warrior of fate, Kaorin(Magia retainment 110%)
Magical girl effectiveness level: B(S)
Perimeters:
- Physical: A(S)
- endurance: B(S)
- speed: A(S)
- will: B(S)
- well: B(A)
I look at Kanou as she returns my gaze. It looked like the world had been turned upside down with another apocalypse, due to the ridiculously purplish sky and chaotic landscape, the ground has been made uneven with sporadic twists and turns as it seemed warped beyond conventional shape. It had a subtle disorienting effect on whoever stepped into this warped land akin to countless roller coasters cramped together, an intense bombardment on the senses as light and sound didn't flow normally here.
My breathing slows down as my body gets used to its own newfound pressure, my soft gasps became softer on my left side and louder on my right, an abberant feature due to the air flow here. Kanou uses her first skill to launch an attack. She sends her usual barrage of intense punches, and honestly the physical aspect of this fight wasn't much different from before.
She would throw a savage wall of inevitable punches, not that I would be able to dodge even without her expanding the range of her attacks. The only thing that held her back was the gap of time inbetween her attacks, she had to consciously activate such a violent skill by willing it as it had an active nature rather than a passive one, forming an inscrutably tiny lapse in her offensive that would add up to give me a chance and use last pace. Her attacks last from 3 punches to anything above depending heavily on my focus.
But in this place that bends to my will, in my Oblivion Magia space doesn't work as intended. Despite how her semi-teleporting flesh devastating first skill can avoid any and all obstacles, ultimately she was travelling in a given trajectory and passing through any obstacles instead of physically teleporting. Her skill can warp space around herself or something to that effect in order to fulfill this need to ignore obstacles, but rather than presenting an obstacle that wouldn't impede her, what if I simply alter the path that she travels itself.
I would to spend most of my conscious efforts on predicting her trajectory, and even then there was no guarantee of working. This wasn't a playground to test new techniques, but if nothing else works before her power which was a behemoth compared to my own, what other chance is there? First I need to observe her eyes and stance, but the moment I do so her attack hits in an instant. I have to do it faster...
I continue running with last pace, the abnormally warped ground didn't prove to be much of a help as she didn't depend on sight to land her attacks. It seemed that she had something similar to my own passive as her attacks still land accurately, though as she can't follow last pace with her eyes I manage to dodge most of her attacks with erratic movement. We were both transitioning between 2 different speeds rapidly in the heat of battle, it was like walking across a tightrope but the rope was finer and we had no arms.
In a few moments, I dodge her punches by the skin of my teeth and become more used to multitasking. There were instances where my confidence slightly grew and I knew her attack would miss, and instances where her attack would reach too close for my comfort, my body and mind slowly adapting to know when I had leeway to be relaxed with my dodging and when to exert more effort into it. I was learning as I fought and it allowed me to divert efforts into predicting her attack trajectories.
A few of her attacks still land, at these times I have to grit my teeth and dodge the followup or I would receive even more damage. Even after Magia Retainment 110%, my body still took quite a beating, her attacks were simply too destructive for my body to endure even after 110% augmentation. The exchange of punches and kicks had become one sided since the start, while she was practically spotless, my body felt like it could collapse at any moment.
After a bit of dodging and tanking a few hits, I had to gag out the blood stuck in my throat. Without my sense of touch and pain, I can't gauge my internal damage or if blood had gathered in my lungs or not, so it actually caught me by surprise opening me up to her barrage. 1 2 3, dodge! Despite having no sense of pain, her attacks arrive with such hot blooded intensity that the air trembles around me, it felt like my mind was assimilating with the surroundings as it trembled along with the air.
It was terrifying. Not knowing when my body would give out, given that it could happen at any time with the damage I have sustained. Everytime an attack arrives, the air is knocked of my lungs and I could sense ruptures forming inside of my body with my paasive. It was as if I was a walking corpse that didn't know when it will inevitably break down.
After a long while filled with my vigorous evasion and Kanou's unending fury, she finally stopped her pursuit as she grasped at her own swollen arms under her hakama robe. Her outfit was quite a weird match, with a modern looking black body suit outfitted with leather armour, silver padding and military achievements worn under an antique looking hakama. Her body shivers even though I didn't lower the temperature in this Oblivion Magia.
I was finally given a breather, though I was still quite on my toes due to the ruthless nature of her attacks. I had 2 approaches to this at this point in time, then I can apply the method I thought up around the start of the battle. If I didn't tense up my muscles... Would I be trembling as hard as her right now? Unlike her... I don't have the luxury of taking a rest. That is why I've chosen one of the 2 approaches of dealing with her attack trajectory.
I either study up on her habits and predict her attacks based on past behaviour, or I retroactively improve my reaction time so I can predict her attacks reactively. One way or the other, it still took a large burden on my mind as I was trying to improve in the middle of battle. Even with a training regiment, people would usually take days or weeks to eke out a tiny instance of improvement. I was speeding that up by being in a life or death battle, after all I either adapt or lose my life. It was a given isn't it? I don't want to die after all!
"Haah~ haah~, I'll give you a chance to rest. But know that this is not my all." (Kanou)
Heeding her words, I stopped running but kept my body tense. But what she said was true, I had brought out my very first Oblivion Magia and was driving last pace ragged like a work horse, yet I was still struggling pathetically. I've been using the first approach, of studying her behaviours in relation to her attack trajectories, and I'll use them to based the predictions on. Then I'll put this Oblivon Magia to good use, I'll used everything I learned to force her attack to miss, causing a gap in her guard.
I doubt a single surprise attack like that will put her down. But with nothing but this Oblivion Magia left to give me hope, I have to try everything I have at my disposal. She's not letting up at all, it spoke volumes about her experience in conserving her own stamina and wariness even as she faced a weaker opponent like me.
"You ready to start?" (Kanou)
She was nice enough to let me know when I'll die... But that was of no concern to me. As far as I know about myself, I'll ruin my body as much as I can to eke out a slight victory. If it meant saving Gerald or fulfilling my wishes, I'll do it. I can't taste pain anyway, so even if I don't know the physical limit of my body, I should be able to endure more than a normal amount.
"Yeah."
I crush my right fist into my left palm, signalling that I was ready. Using last pace, I jumped to right side at a diagonal arc, launching an immediate axe kick by spinning my entire body around. She launched her own fist, aiming right at my kicking leg as the impact shook the air vigorously with a deep bass. Our limbs clash, though I was in mid air and hadn't expected that. I had assumed she couldn't follow my movements if I use last pace, since last pace was faster than her base speed. I was careless. Just as I was learning her movements, she was studying mine as well.
My effort to alter her attack trajectory clashed against her effort to intercept last pace, it was an invisible timer that measured us against the other in learning speed. My entire body was sent flying from that one hit alone as it tumbled rolled over the ground, my joints felt like unoiled machines as she must have damaged my skeletal joints and more. I stabilised my position by landing in my feet before using last pace to dodge her next attack, spitting out blood as I ran.
....?!
"I told you didn't I? I'm not going to hold back." (Kanou)
I couldn't use my skills right after she punched me, and by extension I couldn't use my techniques to form a pseudo last pace. I was a big red target, ready to get perforated and slaughtered like a lamb.
"....?! " (Kanou)
"Neither would I. I am Kaori... I will bear my own fate!"
I successfully took control over the space in my Oblivion Magia and deflected her killing move away. I was immobile for sometime, but this Oblivion Magia wasn't under the category of any skills. It was all I had left and it paid off handsomely. I used my normal speed and readied my fist, leaping at her the moment she showed a sliver of an opening through her slight surprise. She regained her composure at the last moment, but it was too late even for her speed.
The deflection against her most trusted attack had left her distraught for a moment, so even if she regained her calmness to observe me during battle, she couldn't intercept it in time. She threw her own right fist while readying her left to throw the next attack, but I had slipped past the first right hook and launched my fist at her neck.
I had attempted to knock her off balance with that hit, but her guard was so high that she was practically an immovable mountain. What had happened instead was that she tried to endure all the force carried by my punch and began vibrating vigorously. I threw my left fist and it struck hers straight on as if she predicted my move with absolute certainty. This time the collision reverberated through my body as if it this was her way of giving payback.
From the high level techniques used, our fight descended into a fist fight. Her attacks hit much harder and faster as they knocked me around like a ragdoll. I lose the initiative and begin getting struck nonstop by her deadly knuckles. Blood sprayed out of my nose and lips and her strength devastated my flesh. Maybe she thought that she was winning as I could see a small smirk at the side of her mouth. Yeah, anyone would be happy to know they could live for another day. She sent a constant barrage, aiming to incapacitate me by aiming for the face.
But I won't black out just yet. I discard the second form of my magical girl combat dress. It was similar to the first form, just that it had covered way more skin as it was no longer sleeveless and it had a light cloak that covered my chest and shoulders. Anyone would get a second form after unlocking their second skill.... As for me, I didn't have that experience. I woke up with no memories and in the second form. It felt comfortable, so I've never done this before.
Just as I discovered a new part of Kaori when I untransformed, I find a new form as this felt more 'original'. The 'first' form of my magical combat dress. It had a light and airy collar around my neck which directly attached to my dress, so there was a large opening where my shoulders were as the cloth converged towards the centre of my chest, revealing some of my skin above my chest. It no longer had sleeves, and in its place were just 2 simple bracelets with a small gem in the centre of the top of my wrist. The small chest cloak was also gone.
Now I was ready to fight.