Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
April, x788.
Shortly before Elicia reached the eastern gate of Magnolia, a tall, muscular man wearing a spandex purple turtle neck under a black suit, black gloves with oval patterns on the knuckles, and black shoes was approaching the same gate.
This man also had black hair in a buzz cut with a receding hairline, a small skull tattoo in the middle of his large forehead, small black eyes, a prominent nose, high cheek bones and a long jaw, leaving a lot of room between his chin and comparatively small mouth.
"Hmm…? It looks like there's a barrier surrounding the town." The man, Jacob Lessio, said as he stopped just outside the gate and looked up at the dome shaped barrier, that should be invisible to onlookers, surrounding Magnolia. "I wonder what it's for. It doesn't look like its meant to stop people from entering."
Shaking his head, as the purpose of the barrier was of no consequence, Jacob started walking again. And as he passed through the gate, no one seemed to notice him. And that was thanks to the magic he specialized in, [Stealth Magic], also known as Assassination Magic.
This [Stealth Magic], much like Elicia's [Camouflage Magic], allows Jacob to render himself invisible to sight, sound, and smell. It also allows him to extend the same effects to his weapons. However, curiously enough, Jacob is unable to see anything he places the effects of his [Stealth Magic] upon, which is a stark difference from[Elicia's Camouflage Magic].
On top of that, Jacob's magic allows him to see and interact with things that would normally be unseen, such as spirits or ghosts, something Elicia's magic is incapable of.
"Now, I just need to find Irene and Brandish." Jacob said to himself as he walked down the street. "I doubt they've been captured. There shouldn't be anyone on Ishgar strong enough to do that."
A few moments later, Jacob saw a sleek magic vehicle approaching from down the street. He also noticed the brown-skinned woman with shoulder-length, straight black hair behind the steering wheel.
"Oh, that's quite the impressive magic vehicle." Jacob said in an admiring tone. "Perhaps August would enjoy such a toy. I should find a way to bring one back for him when I return to the Empire."
A moment later, after noticing that the magic vehicle was headed straight towards him, Jacob, who knew the driver should not be able to see him, calmly stepped to the side of the street, almost pressing his back against a nearby building. And when he did, he saw that the young woman's eyes followed his movements.
"Huh?" Jacob exclaimed in surprise. "Can she see me?"
A moment later, Jacob shook his head.
"Impossible." Jacob said to himself. "There's no way she can see through my [Stealth Magic]."
As if to mock his answer, Jacob saw the young woman, Elicia, smile before she violently spun the wheel in his direction. Then, his eyes widened as the magic vehicle slid into a drift, stopping less than a foot away from him.
"Now, why would someone with so much magic power be sneaking into Magnolia while in [Stealth]?" Elicia asked in a cheerful tone. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind coming with me so we can talk about it, Jacob Lessio."
"What?" Jacob exclaimed in surprise once again. "She really can see me! And how does she know my name?"
In fact, Elicia was not able to see or hear Jacob. However, thanks to [Magic Power Detection], she knew exactly where he was.
"We should probably take this outside of the town, though." Elicia muttered as she wiggled the fingers of her left hand. "Wouldn't wanna hurt any of the people walking the streets, would we?"
Hearing Elicia's words, Jacob raised his hands to clap, intending on using his other magic, [Transport Magic]. However, before he could clap his hands, he felt thin threads wrapping around his wrists, stopping his movements. Then, he felt his torso was quickly wrapped by the same threads, as well.
Before Jacob could react to the situation he found himself in, Elicia stepped on the accelerator, pulled the emergency break once again, shifted the magic vehicle into gear, and spun the steering wheel. As a result, the entire Huracán basically spun in place, just avoiding the wall of the building Jacob was pressed up against, before speeding towards the town gate.
Meanwhile, as the magic vehicle turned, Jacob was whipped along with it. Then, as it took off towards the gates, he was dragged along behind it, damaging his suit in the process.
"This woman… Just who is she?" Jacob asked while trying to make sure that his head did not strike the ground while he was being dragged. "And how did she see through my [Stealth Magic]."
Less than a minute later, Elicia had driven a mile from Magnolia's gate. Around the same time, Jacob somehow slipped a knife into his right hand. Then, he cut the threads entangling his body. As a result, he rolled along behind the Huracán, though at a much slower pace, until he came to a stop.
"He managed to cut my threads." Elicia muttered as she stepped on the break and spun the wheel, once again causing the magic vehicle to drift to a stop. "Well, what did I expect from a member of the Spriggan 12? They're on a different level from most of the wizards on Ishgar."
By the time Elicia's Huracán stopped and she stepped out of the driver's seat, Jacob was picking himself up from the ground. And when he was finally standing, he could not help but look down at his ruined suit. On top of that, he had dropped his [Stealth Magic], thinking it useless as Elicia could detect him.
"How unfortunate." Jacob muttered as he gazed upon his suit filled with tears. "It looks like I'll have to find a tailor before I go back."
"Oh, you need a tailor?" Elicia said cheerfully as she walked towards Jacob. "Then, you ran into the right person. I'm the owner of the Taylor Shop, the the most popular clothing store and tailor shop on Ishgar. And once you've answered a few questions, I'd be happy to make a suit just for you. I'll even give you a discount. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to let you go home, though. Sorry."
Hearing what Elicia had to say, Jacob looked up from his ruined clothing. And based on the expression he wore, he was not happy that Elicia was mocking him, either. However, he did not flare up in anger. Instead, he studied his opponent.
'She's got quite the amount of magic power.' Jacob thought to himself. 'She's probably on par with Brandish or Serena. And from the way she moves, she's a trained martial artist, as well. And because she can see through my [Stealth Magic], getting away from her to complete my mission won't be easy. *Sigh* I guess I'll have to kill her. Though, I'd rather not kill a woman if I could avoid it.'
"So, will you come along peacefully" Elicia asked while tilting her head cutely and smiling brightly. "Or… will we have to do this the hard way?"
"Sorry, Miss." Jacob replied as he started taking off his blazer. "But I've got a mission to complete. So, I'm going to have to put you down."
With is blazer now removed, Jacob revealed that his turtle neck was sleeveless. At the same time, he reached into his pants pockets, taking out a magic gun and a knife as he pulled his hands out.
"*Sigh* I was expecting you to say that." Elicia muttered as she took her fighting stance. "I'm gonna be late for my quest because of this. And that means I'll be away from Mar'e for even longer. Wait! I could just go back home and see him again before leaving after I capture you."
While Elicia was talking to herself and considering how she should proceed after the fight ended, Jacob raised the magic pistol in his left hand and fired several shot at her. However, to Jacob's surprise, the bullets penetrated Elicia's body without her even reacting. Then, when her image began to fade away, Jacob widened his eyes in disbelief.
A moment later, Jacob dropped to one knee. As he did, he felt a gust of wind blow past the place where his head used to be. Looking up, Jacob saw Elicia's leg that had just swung past his head.
"Your instincts are pretty good." Elicia said as she lowered her leg, using it to pivot, and swung a low kick at Jacob's back.
In response, Jacob jumped over the kick. At the same time, he spun his body in mid-air and threw the knife in his right hand at Elicia.
Reacting quickly to the incoming knife, Elicia ejected threads from her fingertips. Then, she caught the knife before flinging it back at Jacob, who once again raised the pistol in his left hand and shot it down.
Landing on the ground a moment later, Jacob swung his left hand at Elicia's head, intending to pistol whip her. However, Elicia tilted her head back, narrowly avoiding the strike. Then, while continuing her rotation, she threw her other leg at Jacob's torso.
Allowing the kick to strike his torso, Jacob slightly twisted his body to mitigate the force. Then, he clamped his left arm down towards Elicia's leg. At the same time, he raised the pistol, aiming at Elicia's back.
"Uh oh!" Elicia exclaimed.
*Bang!*
Just before Jacob squeezed the trigger, Elicia flung her body upwards while twisting her body. As a result, the bullet passed just below her. At the same time, Elicia's free leg lashed towards Jacob's head. And with no time to react, Jacob was kicked in the side of the head, sending him flying as he released her leg.
A moment later, Jacob slammed into the ground, rolling a few times to bleed off the momentum, before pushing himself back to his feet.
"That hurt." Jacob muttered as he rubbed the side of his head. "You really pack quite the punch, Miss."
"I do what I can." Elicia replied as she once again took her fighting stance.
After Elicia spoke, Jacob once again raised his pistol before firing the remainder of the bullets at her. Elicia, on the other hand, while watching the muzzle of the pistol, dodged each shot while approaching Jacob. At the same time, she stealthily extended her threads towards him.
"That won't work a second time.' Jacob said as he reached for the belt at his waist.
A moment later, Jacob pulled the belt from around his pants, revealing it to be a whip. Then, he lashed the whip at the threads. And although he was unable to sever them, he managed to keep them from approaching close enough to wrap him up again.
Despite keeping the threads at bay, Jacob was unable to stop Elicia from closing the distance. And with his pistol now empty and lacking the time to reload, he tossed the gun away. Then, he lashed the whip at Elicia.
In response, Elicia coiled her threads into a whip of her own before lashing it against Jacob's. And for the next few moments, they exchanged blows at high speed.
'It's a good thing I've trained with Lucy so much.' Elicia thought to herself while defending against Jacob's whip strikes. 'Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to keep this up so long.'
Despite her thoughts, it was clear that Elicia would eventually be overwhelmed, as she was not truly a whip wielder. So, she began using her threads to harass Jacob, causing him to split his focus between Elicia's whip and the threads she sent to entangle him.
Around that time, Irene, who had started moving as soon as she felt Jacob enter Magnolia, arrived, floating above the battlefield.
"I guess it's been too long since the last time I sent a report." Irene muttered to herself. "Well, I should have expected them to start suspecting something was wrong sooner or later. Anyway, it looks like Elicia can handle him. But I'll wait right here just to be sure. I wouldn't want Alfonzo to go on a rampage if anything were to happen to her."
By the time Irene finished her thought, Elicia had reached a range where the whips would no longer be effective. So, like he had done with his pistol, Jacob tossed it way. Then, he reached behind his back, producing two more knives.
*Swish!*
Immediately after Elicia got into range, Jacob swiped his left dagger at Elicia's throat. However, she was able to bend her back just in time to avoid it. Then, she fell to her back and immediately pushed off with her hands, propelling herself towards Jacob's stomach, feet first.
"Ugh!" Jacob grunted as the wind was knocked out of him by Elicia's kick.
In the next instant,, Elicia, now standing on her hands, pushed off with her left hand, spinning on her right, as she sent both of her legs flying at Jacob's head and left shoulder. In response, Jacob raised his knives to defend. On top of that, the sharp edges were facing Elicia's legs.
Unfortunately for him, Elicia was expecting Jacob's defense. So, as she threw her kicks, she surrounded her legs with hardened threads. As a result, when Elicia's legs and Jacob's knives made contact, the knives were pushed back, their blunt sides slamming into Jacob's head and shoulder a moment later.
Once again, Jacob was sent flying. However, this time, he was able to regain his balance mid-air.
"[Thread Magic: Thread Entanglement]." Elicia changed, reeling in all the threads she spread around the area as she did so.
Then, as soon as he landed, Jacob began whirling in place, cutting all the threads that were moving to entangle him. And to Elicia's surprise, he did so successfully.
"*Sigh* He really is good." Elicia muttered as she stood up on her feet.
["If you would have just used me, this could have all been taken care of much easier."] Scylla said from Elicia's inner world.
'Yeah, I know.' Elicia replied internally. 'I just wanted to see if I could take out one of the Spriggan 12 without you. But I guess we both know the answer to that question, don't we.'
["Tch!"] Scylla clicked her tongue disdainfully. ["Although that's true, you didn't even think to use my sealed state at all, did you?"]
'Nope, not in the slightest.' Elicia said cheerfully.
["*Sigh* It amazes me that you can even take care of Mar'e."] Scylla said in an exasperated tone. ["It seems like when you're with him, that's the only time you ever think all your actions through."]
'That's because he's the most important thing in this world to me.' Elicia replied. 'Anyway, let's stop playing around. I'm gonna catch this guy, go see Mar'e again, and finally get moving on this quest.'
"[Mend the Seams of Reality, Scylla]." Elicia chanted, releasing Scylla's first seal.
A moment later, after a bright golden glow, Elicia's hands were covered in golden dragon scales, leaving Jacob in a state of disbelief.
"What is that?" Jacob asked in dumbfounded amazement. "How did your hands change like that?"
"Sorry, that's a secret." Elicia said with a smile as she pointed her right hand at Jacob. "[Needle Storm]."
In the next instant, all the scales covering Elicia's right hand shot towards Jacob, transforming into dragon motif golden needles in midair. On top of that, they were all connected to Elicia's hand by thin threads. Threads she could use to manipulate the needles to move however she wanted.
Like before, Jacob began whirling in place, deflecting all the incoming needles as they circled him and tried to stab into his acupoints. And thanks to the added force because of Scylla's release, it was clear that Jacob was struggling to keep up.
Despite his struggle, Jacob managed to remain unharmed. However, he was completely focused on the flying needles. So, when Elicia approached him at a low angle, he completely missed her. And when he finally noticed her, her right foot was shooting up towards his prominent chin.
*Bang!*
In the next instant, Elicia's foot connected with Jacob's chin, sending him rocketing into the sky. Then, after another instant, Elicia vanished from where she stood before appearing behind Jacob in the air. Then, she wrapped her arms around Jacob's arms and torso while also wrapping him with her threads and stabbing her needles into his acupoints, paralyzing him temporarily.
"Damn it." Jacob muttered.
"This is gonna hurt." Elicia said as she started spinning herself and Jacob at high speed. "I probably shouldn't use the name of Lee's attack, though. Don't want him thinking I stole it if he ever sees this. So… [Izuna Drop]."
*Boom!*
A moment later, Elicia reoriented herself and Jacob to fall head first while continuing to spin them. Then, after about two seconds, they slammed into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud on impact.
Not even a second later, Elicia flew out of the dust cloud, her right hand once again covered in dragon scales. Then she started dusting the dust out of her hair and clothes. At the same time, Irene descended from the sky.
"You've grown a lot since I first met you, Elicia." Irene said as she landed next to Elicia. "To think you could defeat Jacob on your own. Truly impressive."
"*Sigh* Not as much as I would have liked, though." Elicia replied while sealing Scylla once again. "I still had to unseal Scylla to beat him."
"Don't sell yourself short, Girl." Irene said sharply. "I doubt even Ur would have been able to defeat him without using Yuki-Onna."
"I guess you're right." Elicia replied as she looked towards the dust cloud that was dispersing. "Anyway, let's get him back to the guild hall and report to Ur. Then, I'm gonna go see Mar'e again."
With that, Elicia and Irene started walking towards Elicia's Huracán. At the same time, Elicia dragged Jacob behind them before fastening him to its roof. Then, they drove back towards Magnolia to report at the guild hall.