"( What is this....? )" the Battle Maiden says to herself, for she did briefly senses the Aether from Ragna's body.
"( Such malice, and .... )"
"( Hatred.... )" she thinks for she can feel Ragna's hatred is increasing as well as the Aether.
< Hatred +2.000 >
< Aether +2.000 >
" Battle .... Maiden ..... " Ragna says to her.
" Why ... did ... you .... protect .... that ..... b**ch!!!? " Ragna asks as his Aether gets increased as well as his hatred.
The reason why his hatred is getting increased is that the priestess whom he fight earlier and currently, the one the Battle Maiden is protecting right now just says some unforgivable words, especially when earlier the priestess unmistakenly tells Ragna is a bastard child of his parents who dared to attack the Holly Battle Maiden.
Even though the priestess just says it at random and the fact about the word 'bastard child' is not true, but still, telling Ragna about his parents, the parents he never met since child back then since they were 6/9 feet under (dead) is the most sensitive thing one may talk about him.
For since he was a little boy, he was constantly being bullied for being parentless by the likes of Hugo Butcher, William Clarke, and some others who knows full well that he had no one to rely upon.
Not just that, many of Ragna's bullies often bullied him by saying bad things about his parents who are so unlucky to have an Ungifted son like Ragna as they connected the assumption with some myth regarding the Ungifted.
Those bullies like those other people in this world of Gifted Mortals believe and sincerely believe that if a child is Ungifted by the gods then there could be an obvious factor that can become the cause and that factor is, the 'Sins of the Parents', a great factor many people belief why the gods didn't give their Divine Gift to the child in the first place which over the years, many people had seen this matter.
Because of the Parent's sins, they believe the gods bring them their punishment by making their child Ungifted or even disabled as their Divine Punishment or even worse, killing the parents themselves for their Final Judgement.
From these factors, in Ragna's case, he had the most recognizable feature, being an Ungifted person, having some disability cases (like his AD-HD, which sometimes makes him hard to choose and his dyslexia back then), and the last recognizable things of them all which makes other people believe that he might be the product of his [Parent's Sins] is because both of his parents are dead which usually believed as the gods' Final Judgment.
Back to the present, as Ragna remembers the constant statement people engraved on him since he was a child makes him triggered as his parents are being spoken to by some random priestess which increases his negative emotions more.
As his emotions raised, the battle Maiden then attacks him to subdue him quickly but Ragna quickly cast his [Intangible Shield] to block the Battle Maiden's attacks which he found so difficult since Battle Maiden's level is 40 levels above him.
"( Dammit, I forgot that now she's at her peak!!!! )"
"( For a year ago, I see her on the news for her achievement of becoming goddess Athena's Divine Avatar. )" Ragna remembers as he recounts what he hears from the news that the Battle Maiden had been given the title 'Divine Avatar', giving her the privilege of having a great amount of share from Athena's Divine power by 97% which is one of the highest records of Divine Power gifted to a mortal by the gods.
As Ragna realizes that he needs more juice from the Aether, he then increases his Aether in order to fend off Battle Maiden's attacks for she seems to be so hostile towards him right now.
"( She must have been hostile to me for sensing my Aether... )"
"( Shit, during my flaring emotions I forgot that her being a Divine Avatar could have alarmed the gods / Diviner of me using the Aether. )"
"( But....., )" Ragna says while still fending, countering, blocking, parrying, and doing many more fighting moves he could muster to survive her attacks.
"( If I don't use the Aether then one of her attacks could fatally wound me for her power is almost on par with the goddess of justice herself. )" Ragna says while using all of his intelligence and senses to predict what will the Battle Maiden do next since she's locked on him.
< Divine Justice: Judgment Lock >
< Using this ability, Athena's Divine Power will enable the User to lock an enemy with countless judgmental attacks that could bombard damage to the enemy with overwhelming unending attacks. >
With her Divine Gift's skill and with her Sword of Justice, Durandal, a Dungeon Weapon that she converted herself with her Divine Power, enabling it to harness both her power and Athena's power as a weapon that brings justice to all of her enemies.
As her lock continues and with her Divine Power continues to imbue her Durandal Sword, Ragna then decides to dodge it by using the Aether to increase his movement as it does so by making him flee from her Lock.
" Grrhhh.... that was close....!!!!! " Ragna says while holding his sword.
" Dammit....!!!! "
" Guessss... I should've used.... Dainsleif from earlier.... " Ragna says while almost equipping Dainsleif but has to cancel it since the Battle Maiden uses her Slash attacks to attack him from afar which Ragna had no choice but to dodge using
"( He dodges it!!!!? )"
"( He dodges my attacks!!!? )" Battle Maiden gasps while still maintaining her senses.
"( No, he didn't just dodge them... )"
"( He faces them..... as if his fears just go away all of the sudden and he... )"'
*SLASH!!!!*
...
( At the same time. )
" Ragna!!!!! " Inquisitor Kara shouts as she looks at Ragna and gasps at what she had seen as she and some others who arrived there see Ragna locking swords with the Battle Maiden.
" That guy, how did he manage to hold off against a Divine Avatar like Battle Maiden? "
" On what number is his Gift Core Tier? "
" Tier 4 or a Tier 5? "
" No way, a new Tier 5? " the people discussed Ragna which made Inquisitor Kara worried for she feels that his Gift is not the case.
" I need to stop him now before they bleed each other!!!! " Kara then runs towards the two as she tries to stop the two before the Raid even begins.