Lia allowed Saro to take over, and the minor lapse in strength allowed the creature inhabiting Yura's body to throw her backward. She was launched.
Saro flipped in the air and stabilized herself using her wings. Hysteria was in her right hand. She flew quickly towards the creature that was bearing down on the group of three.
It was about to cast some form of magic, and Saro recognized it as curse magic. Its hands were high above its head as magic swirled in the air, choking everyone with its intensity.
Saro's leg hit Yura's body, launching her to the side. Saro's strength was nearly double that of Darkova's, and the creature was completely outmatched in terms of strength.
The casting of the spell was interrupted by the sudden force. The creature screamed in frustration, launching itself toward Saro.
She sidestepped its lunge and brought her knee up, hitting it into the air. The creature whirled around, seemingly immune to the pain of her blows. Saro looked at it curiously as her eyes glowed red.
'I see. So it's been possessing her for quite some time...It's rooted itself deep into her mind. I can't expel it, but I wonder why it appeared now.'
The flow of mana within Yura was being majorly aided by the creature, almost as if it was helping her grow stronger. It was difficult to determine its purpose based on mana flow, and Saro didn't want to jump to any early conclusions. Yet...something seemed off.
Saro clicked her tongue as the black and purple hue of curse magic lit up the sky. Sharp tendrils of magic began to rain down, assaulting her. The area around them was utterly decimated in a short period of time.
The remaining group grabbed the orc leader and fled. They stayed as a group, which was Lione's idea. He knew it wasn't smart with a creature after them, but he didn't trust the orcs enough to split up. 'Better to stick together and be in more danger than lose their targets', he thought.
Saro expertly dodged each one as her wings began to shake. She took flight, weaving in and out of each tendril's reach, coaxing them to attack her. She was only hit once; it pierced her shoulder as she neared the creature.
Saro could feel the magic attacking her body. It was powerful. Darkova was quickly weaving magic in their headspace trying to counteract it but she was barely able to slow its rapid advance.
Kova's voice was barely heard in Saro's head. 'Saro, end it quick. I'm not able to hold it off for long.'
Saro flew in front of Yura's body. Curse magic was now rippling across her skin. The skin around her hands was now black, and her veins were a deep purple. Saro gritted her teeth. The excessive amounts of curse magic were causing adverse effects on Yura's body.
She spun in the air, performing a front flip, and slammed her sword into Yura's body with both hands. It collided with her torso and sent the creature spiraling toward the ground. It landed hard, sending a cloud of dust and debris outward.
Saro dropped, entering a mid-air dive. Hysteria was plunged into Yura's arm, and Saro gave it a sharp twist. The creature roared, and Saro couldn't tell if it was in pain or anger.
The twisting of the sword released an explosion of magic, and Saro was thrown backward. She was sent tumbling across the ground. She rolled until her body collided with a building. She was extremely tired.
The pain was something she was growing accustomed to, but her left arm no longer worked. It was charred black, although the wound from the curse magic had finally stopped bleeding.
She glanced up to see Hysteria lodged in the creature's arm. Saro activated "Limit Breaker" and stood up. With the extra endurance granted by the skill, she wandered over to Hysteria and yanked the sword out.
The creature was unmoving, and it glared at her, hatred in its eyes. Saro ignored it and yelled out. "Where the fuck is the staff?!"
There was silence, and the creature began to stand back up. Saro tightened her grip on the sword. "Fuck..."
The creature lunged at her. Saro was quickly becoming exhausted, but Limit Breaker was keeping her reflexes in perfect shape. She ducked a hand aimed at her throat, indenting to decapitate her. She thrust the sword out toward the body's torso.
Hysteria glided through Yura's torso like it was paper, but the creature seemed unperturbed. It began another round of blows, and Saro had taken more than a few hits. Her body was now shaking with pain. The white noise that caused her head to go numb with pain was beginning to return. The boiling blood that caused her veins to feel like they were bursting was back.
She gritted her teeth and kicked the creature in the chest. It stumbled backward, and Saro kicked its legs out from under it, knocking it onto its back. She swiftly plunged the sword into its other arm and twisted.
Another burst of magic sent Saro flying. She hit the wall doubly hard and slumped there. Her limbs were beginning to burn, and her chest heaved, barely able to take breaths.
The curse magic corrosion had now spread to her torso and down onto her left thigh. She spoke, and her voice sounded tired. Not worried, or upset. Just...tired. "Hysteria. I can't stand up."
There was a flash of light as Hysteria flew toward Saro. She transformed and stood in front of her, a mock version of her sword form in the girl's left hand.
The creature didn't move. It seemed like it was trying to, but something was preventing it. The last thing Saro remembered was seeing Silvana's face stepping out of a portal.
.....
Lia Darkova and Lia Sarovitch stood face to face. Much like the first time they met after the awakening ceremony. By this time, the two of them were somewhat aware of what was happening to their body.
They could tell they were no longer in the second portion of the tournament and were now lying down on a bed. They were likely in the infirmary.
Saro spoke, catching Darkova off guard. "I have something to show you. It's a little strange, but, look."
She pulled up the System window and slid it over to Lia.
Ascension System:
Lia Darkova [Sarovitch]
Species: Pure-Blooded Noble Vampire
Level: 8
Magical Aptitude: Light (Low) Neutral (Low) Black (Perfect)
Titles: Blessed By The Moon, Shattered One, Maiden of Night
.....
**Stats:
Strength- 25 [40]
Agility- 25 [75]
Endurance- 40 [60]
Stamina- 30 [130]
Mana- 200 [25]
MR (Mana Recovery Rate)- 50 M/P [4 M/P]**
**Stat Points to allocate: 14**
**Skill Points to allocate: 1**
Skills:
**Lia Darkova: Attunement to Black Magic.**
**Lia Sarovitch: Invisibility, All Seeing Eye, Instant Acceleration**
**Shared: Blood Covenant, Maiden of Night's Transformation, Limit Break (Updated)**
.....
Darkova looked confused. "What is this?"
"A system. They're set in place to make one grow stronger much more quickly. Doing quests awards you XP and you can increase your physical attributes and/or Mana. I was waiting to show you until after the tournament, but you're here so I figured I should tell you now."
Lia looked thoughtful. "I see...So we have 14 Stat points? Skill Points are used to upgrade skills, yeah?"
Saro nodded. "Mhmm. It's relatively simple on design."
Lia nodded. "The skills, what do they do?"
Saro just pointed and said: "You can inspect them yourself. Take a look at it while we wait to wake up. I'm not sure if the stat points are one person use, or if we each get to pick, so I didn't use any yet."
She paused. "I assume the skill points are shared, but stats probably aren't."
Lia nodded. It made the most sense. Without another word, she began inspecting all of the skills.