"So, what, am I supposed to give up on my training?"
I asked.
This is the first time I'm hearing this. Or so, I think. Aden-Lada smiled.
"No, but I'm holding myself back so much that you can defeat me. In terms of close-range combat, I'm the best in the Emperors."
"Yeah, yeah, less talk, more battling."
"Nice words."
I got back into my stance as Aden-Lada rushed toward me. I would like to somehow phase with Nightwalker but that's extremely painful and requires a lot of concentration. I don't have enough time to do it now.
Anticipate her next moves. Anticipate. Anticipate.
As she tilted toward me, on one leg, she barraged me with bullet-like kicks. Not even the Erebus gauntlets were able to block all of them.
From this position, she'll most likely either come at me from above or regain balance and follow through. Though, the faster option is...
Aden-Lada didn't attack. This time, she assumed a different stance. She had one hand out in front of her and the other by her side.
It looked dangerous.
Once again, no opening but I feel like if I don't throw a punch or kick, I'll be disadvantaged either way.
There are a couple of ways around this.
"Let's do this."
I told myself.
I got out of my position and whipped my hand out while casting Shadow Whip. I attacked her from a distance. In my other hand, I cast Shadow Sword, a spell I crafted during Azuka's training.
The Mortal Sin countered and attacked the air.
Suddenly, two or three shockwaves hit me. These were made by her sheer power.
Next, Aden-Lada followed up by dashing toward me.
I knew something like this would happen, that's why I made the sword.
And so, I threw my sword at her, scrapping her cheek, though it missed anything else.
Now I need something. Something different.
No spell I can think of now can help me so... What do I do?
The shadows from my arms shifted into the arm and became thinner. It elongated, at the top, it extended and sharpened.
"Huh?"
"You..."
A scythe. The gauntlets I had converted into a scythe. Erebus shifted forms.
I grabbed it and swung down on Aden-Lada swiftly.
It was an inch away from slicing her. However...
"There's no need for that."
She said, barbarically biting at the scythe and breaking it.
Eh?
Aden-Lada just... she just bit through my weapon like it was food.
The Emperor spat out the remaining pieces of the blade in her mouth.
"Your control with Erebus isn't absolute. Unlike Altair's. You'll be able to manifest Erebus within an hour or so. Hm?"
She looked at me, confused.
"What's with that facial expression?"
"You just bit my weapon..."
"Yeah and?"
"Don't 'yeah and,' me! You just fucking bit through a weapon that caused an Emperor's nose to bleed."
"I mean... I said that Mortal Sins are more powerful than Emperors. I am also an Emperor too..."
What the fuck is she?
I don't know what Erebus is exactly but I'm sure it's more powerful than my Shadow Gauntlets, so then, how the hell did she bite through it exactly?
"Want to go again?"
"Nah, I'll wait an hour."
I said, sitting down.
"Why?!"
She shouted at me like a child. It's hard to think that I was scared to death of this woman around two weeks ago.
"Well, you said I won't be able to manifest Erebus for an hour. So, I won't fight for an hour. I mean, I have no chance of winning without it."
"But... but..."
Aden-Lada looked like she was ready to cry.
"Just go back to eating or something. I'll have a short nap."
Is this really the woman who almost beat me to death?
"Ah."
Speaking of almost beaten to death, I wonder how Kuro is doing...
---
[9th June 2019]
"Who're you?"
A girl asked Kuroha at the door.
After the incident at Altria, all students were sent home. Since Kuroha had no place to stay, she thought about the one place that may let her in.
Shoya's place.
A girl with snow-white hair and crystal blue eyes greeted her. She dressed poorly though.
"Uh..."
She did not know what to say.
"I'm Kuroha Kuroika. The familiar of Shoya Sasaki. I don't have a place to stay, so... I thought that I may be able to stay here?"
"Familiar of my brother?"
The girl looked at Kuro up and down. She seemed slightly suspicious.
"I thought Familiars couldn't be humans."
"Well, that's because I'm not--"
"Show me your Master-Servant crest."
Kuro seemed surprised by the girl's sudden insistence. She showed her the back of her left hand, which had the Black Emperor's crest on it.
The girl inspected it.
"Hmmmm... Seems authentic..."
"Kei-chan... What're you--oh, Kuroha!"
Aihara appeared out from behind the girl, slightly drowsy, with a vest and shorts. She was holding a canned beer.
"You know her?"
"Yeah, she's a close friend of Shoya's. She was also in my class at Altheria."
"Altheria..."
Kei repeated.
"So, should I let her in?"
"What'd you mean?"
Aihara asked, dumbfounded.
"She says she's Shoya's Familiar."
Aihara stared at Kuroha without saying a single word.
"Aihara-nee... Did Shoya go to Altheria?"
The girl, Kei, asked.
"Yeah. He attended it."
Kei looked at Aihara, shocked.
"But... I thought he was... you know, normal."
"Let's just say that he had a sudden awakening."
"Sudden... what?"
Kuroha listened in to this conversation without showing interest.
(Shoya didn't seem to know about Streia, Magi and the like. His family knew but kept it hidden from him.)
"Anyway, you don't have a place to stay, do you, Kuroha?"
Aihara asked, chugging the rest of her canned beer before crushing it in her hand.
"No."
"You're welcomed to stay with us."
Kei did not seem to be content about it.
"Wait, who's room is she staying in?"
"Well, yours, of course."
"Hah?!"
"Shoya will be back any day now, so she can't take his room. Plus, your room has a bunk bed. Why not?"
"When you put it like that..."
Kei could not refuse.
"Alright! Come on in, Kuroha! This is the Sasaki Household!"