Maria tests out the full capabilities of her power while I continue to attempt peering into her Soul Energy core to figure out what this pulsing sensation really is.
In between our exchanges, she feels multiple times weaker than the moment before our attacks collide.
I even test out using my other elements with telekinesis to throw multiple projectiles her way from varying angles while our main focus of a sword clash continues on.
The pulses in her aura allow for ice walls to form even separated from her body, mimicking the same increase in strength for a split second upon impact.
While it feels like matching a mid-level True Core is her maximum, every minute that passes during this clash adds small amounts of power to her base.
Thousands of new links are being formed all over the Dark Continent and 8 Great Regions, and the rate at which word spreads increases more and more about the extravagant perks granted to those that create links.
This allows an increasing amount of stats to be borrowed, slowly amping up the battle more with every collision.
I can feel her movements become fluid and instinctual, however, I can sense small amounts of the beginning stages of early divine energy poisoning along with mental and physical fatigue building up. The rate that it does increases drastically after each of the unexplainable core pulses.
I'm not too concerned, as with a few hours in hibernation using my skill, paired with Abby's restoration skill and a passive use of my self-regeneration skill, I'm sure she'll be fine. However, that takes time and brings us out of the flow state of training, so I want to hold it off for as long as possible and soak up as much experience as we can right now.
To make sure we don't completely overdo it, after about half an hour passes, we both stop and take a break, floating above the desert, but neither of us powers down our auras just yet.
The sun is beginning to set, and the mental clock in my head ticks away.
Once it rises again, there is only going to be one day left before the big three come to the Dark Continent.
Abby will be breaking through to her yellow core soon, and Ember should begin compressing his True Core by the time the sun rises too.
While it feels like I have limitless power at my fingertips, gaining 30x more stats than Maria has right now, I want to make sure I've done everything in my power to become stronger while there's still time left.
As these thoughts race through my mind, I feel a familiar True Core's aura approaching from the southern volcanic region while Maria speaks up and points her greater form's sword my way.
"Ready to go again? I can feel it, I'm on the verge of unlocking this odd sensation in my core... I just need a little more battle experience at this level."
I think to myself for a moment, picturing the pulses that only activate for fractions of a second at a time, then reply.
"I think you need someone closer to your strength to fight you. You're still subconsciously holding back and know I won't actually injure you. This was enough to get you used to this new power, but we're going to need to bring it up a notch if you want to have a breakthrough."
Maria raises a question back.
"Your greater form? There's no way— not yet—"
I smile and shake my head.
"No, something different. Get ready for a real fight. There's someone I want you to meet."
As Maria's gaze sharpens, I form a telepathy link with the True Core flying my way, and before I can even say a word, Raven's voice comes through.
"What's going on? Do we have trouble? This pressure is like nothing I've ever felt before. I can't tell— it doesn't feel like a True Core, but this is overwhelming mana control... Who— or what—"
I can't help but grin while I respond through our link.
"Come here and find out. It's about time you meet the people you'll be fighting beside."
With my perception covering almost a full third of the globe, I watch Raven's expression shift to one of confusion.
"This is one of your teammates? They weren't even orange cores the last I saw them. You're telling me this is a newly awakened's aura...?"
I reply as I feel her getting within visual range, now I'm positive Raven can see both of us.
"Yes, it is a little complicated. She's using a very unique buff to borrow power. But, there's no better first meeting for you two to get to know each other than a spar, am I right?"
Maria's aura grows in power as it appears I'm just standing in midair before her after telling her I'm going to step it up a notch. Simultaneously, Raven is silent through our link for a few seconds.
I reply back when I see her activating her own greater form and pulling out her silver blades with a look of determination.
"I guess I'll take that as a yes..."
Then, I open up a link between the three of us, and I float upward while a new True Core's pressure fills the air and the royal blue aura of the Ice Goddess becomes far more ominous.
"Maria, this is Raven, the True Core I told you about that has been helping me learn about the Order. Raven, this is Maria, the hunter I started my journey with. We were E-Class hunters together, and now we'll be challenging the entire world. I believe an all-out spar would be a much more productive greeting than a simple conversation."
As Maria's blue aura clashes with Raven's white-yellow aura, I can feel a barrage of emotions rippling through it that I did not expect to feel at all at first.
On the surface, both are extremely curious to see what the other looks like and how they fight, but I feel undertones of jealousy and desire with hints of killing intent from each of them.
I raise an eyebrow and decide to make the most of this situation. One of the reasons Maria wasn't able to fully awaken whatever her cores were trying to do was that we were not in a real battle.
I activate my own greater form and pull out my second sword, flooding the battlefield in a new aura tens of times heavier than before, making both of the women below me reflexively shiver. Their greater forms' eyes lock with each other while I send them another message.
"Neither of you should be holding back. Maria, I want you to give in to the intuition and raw urges that power your Soul Energy core. Raven, consider this another chance to go all out like our battle and become even more skilled with your blades. Aim to kill, and trust that I will stop the fight before any real fatal moves."
To make things fair, the instant their blades collide, I share my mythic grade All-Seeing Eye with both of them. An explosion of energy ripples off their clash that feels far more extreme than the prior clashes.
They don't stay interlocked for more than a tenth of a second, as both of their forms twist around to create a counterstrike and dodge the others, leading to another clash right after.
Blue and yellow explosions light up the sky, and I can feel the essence of true battle in the air.
After about a minute of even clashes, Raven activates her divine stealth skill and catches Maria off guard, landing the first true hit, piercing through her greater form's side; however, it doesn't sink deep at all.
I'm watching this fight take place with laser focus, and the moment Raven's invisible blades pierce through Maria's defenses, her Soul Energy core vibrates faster than I can even perceive.
It shrinks and constricts unlike any other time before, then pulses, sending the same eerie intimidation wave through the desert, just like earlier in our training session. However, somehow, it just jumped in power again, even briefly slipping through my greater form's mental barriers.
The shiver I get makes me smile wide as Raven feels this aura and momentarily freezes to be struck by the Ice Goddess' blades.
Both of their greater forms fly backward and each of them coughs up blood, but the emotions and smell of battle in the air only heighten.
Raven yells through the link.
"There's another one of you? A battle maniac that grows after every hit. You sure do know how to pick 'em!"
Maria yells back.
"You're not too bad yourself! I couldn't sense you at all for a second there, that kind of hurt."
Then the line goes silent as the sky fills with blue and yellow explosions.
Every few minutes, a deadly aura ripples from Maria when she finds herself in a tricky spot, and as my eyes watch the battle go on, I can't help but believe Raven's sword style is shifting and getting better.
It looks like she's surpassed the skill level she showed during the height of our battle and somehow is keeping up with Maria despite her small increases in stats every minute or so as the battle goes on.
"Is that all you got?"
"Too slow! Gotcha again!"
"I'll make you tap first!"
"No way, Jay is going to have to save you before me!"
Every dozen or so strikes, I hear them yell something new through our telepathy channel, and I watch both of their bodies become riddled with near-fatal injuries.
Blue and yellow slashes glow all over Raven's greater form, while Maria's becomes riddled with True Core yellow threads as well.
I send telepathy transmissions to all my doubles and have them all stop what they're doing and go farm pure mana from the artificial mountains to bring it to me fast. No matter who wins this battle, the aftermath isn't going to be pretty for either one of them.
However, I'm mesmerized by the sight before me as the sun sets completely, and the sky overhead becomes dark.
The massive light show in the sky here makes it basically as bright as day.
While earlier, I didn't want to push Maria too far with our training, as we may have to give everything we have in a war in just one day; now I don't dare stop the sight before my eyes.
Both the women before me are improving at a rapid rate, while the emotional auras rippling out of them shift as well.
Before it was unease, skeptical, jealous, and borderline hateful emotions in the air, but now there is great respect for each other being shared through every collision.
There's only so much I can extrapolate from just watching; their blades connecting tell a deeper story between the two of them. They've come to some kind of understanding.
This shift has also led to far more frequent pulses in Maria's core, and instead of raw, eerie, mysterious power, they feel far more controlled, and the power being used each time is just enough to block or counterattack rather than wasting it in a pulse of intimidation through her surroundings.
I'm still not quite sure what she's tapping into, as there is no description for it in the system, but whatever it is, she's beginning to figure it out; so I'll learn in time too, and maybe I'll be able to do the same with my Soul Energy Core.
Another twenty minutes pass, and the final rays of sunlight disappear from the horizon, while there are so many injuries covering the two women's bodies the residue is enough to light up the sky.
It's been a few minutes since either of them has improved any further, but they're still going at it, matching each other's attacks, and always finding a way to avoid a fatal blow, so I never have to step in.
Their movements even seem to be slowing, and at the same time, I feel my doubles coming near but stopping about 100 kilometers away because the divine aura is too strong for pure mana manifestations to survive in.
As the day comes to a close, even the links of loyalty have slowed down their rising as there is far less socializing at this time of night.
The atmosphere changes as everyone knows this battle is coming to an end, and simultaneously, Raven and Maria both charge their greater forms' blades for what looks like a final attack.
The eerie aura comes back while Raven completely disappears, and the jet black night sky above, paired with the endless abyss of a crater below, adds to the ambiance.
As they both charge at each other, ready to kill, my instincts tell me this is where I need to step in, and attempting to get in the center of this clash might actually be quite deadly if I just use the form I'm in now.
While I am a few times stronger than them, these two attacks that are about to collide are the culmination of a life-or-death battle where they've both used up their last bits of power and desperation for a final strike. Neither wants to lose.
I fly forward and pull up my rising emperor's domain interface and select just 1% of all stats and all mana control for over 5.5 million links of loyalty, matching the boost that Maria has right now
Maria's densest blue sword strike is swung toward Raven's neck and Raven's most precise and deadly swing of her silver blades is thrust through the divine stealth pocket dimension using her True Core's perk to aim right for Maria's heart.
At the same time, I feel over 5 million stat points per stat rush into my status. My eyes widen as it feels like time is slowing down around me, and my vision somehow becomes far more clear, making me thankful I didn't decide to pull more than 1%, because that might actually have been more dangerous than helpful at such close range.
It feels easier than breathing to create mana barriers that surround both of them, blocking these strikes like a twig hitting a metal wall.
At the same time, I let out a light pulse of intimidation to stop them from hurting themselves on the barriers I've created.
The final attacks that would have ended this battle in a draw are stopped moments before they can be fatal.
Both women pass out instantly, and their greater forms fade away to show faint smiles on both their faces.
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Author's Note:
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