Lia sat down after returning from up her third match. She didn't know how many to expect overall, but her previous two opponents had forfeited almost immediately. She was the first one back, and it was quickly becoming the norm. Hysteria appeared next to her, and Lia raised an eyebrow.
"I never did ask you what your actual abilities were. Can you explain them to me, Hysteria?"
She nodded "Of course, Miss." She touched Lia's forehead, and a whole slew of information about Hysteria appeared in her mind.
She began to examine the information. 'Non-magical weapons are unable to block her. There's also a minor special ability that lets her slashes close distances via spacial magic. Decay mana runs in the blade, and can be activated to disperse mana. I think there's a feature to absorb it instead, but that's just a hunch. Hmm... when Saro and I were fighting the specter, I used her as a catalyst for pure mana explosions. I think Hysteria has a natural ability to conduct mana.'
.....
With the update to their Limit Break skill, fighting Lia while it was active was like fighting two people. Their combat prowess had jumped to obscene levels.
**Limit Break (Shared): Shatters the limits of the system alongside the user's limitations. Senses are shared between both Lia Sarovitch and Lia Darkova. Allows both hosts to act at once. (Can be Leveled)**
Essentially, the updated skill allowed Lia to cast magic while Saro was fighting, giving them a type of parallel thought. The benefits were obscene, as Saro could physically fight unimpeded, and Lia could cast magic behind the scenes. Alternatively, Lia could borrow Saro's strength, or vice versa. It was extremely helpful.
.....
Lia looked at Hysteria and smiled softly. "You're quite strong. Also, please don't call me Miss." She guessed that her sword picked it up from her interactions with Silvana's dolls.
Hysteria spoke without a hint of hesitation. "Very well."
Lacey suddenly appeared with the distinct glow of teleportation magic. Her appearance cut off the two's conversation. She looked pretty haggard and beaten up. Lacey was covered in wounds. None of which were very deep. To Lia, they were all just surface wounds. It looked as though she had a tough match.
Groggily, she made her way toward Lia and sat down heavily. She didn't speak, merely focused on breathing.
Lia raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright? How did the match go?"
It took Lacey about a minute to respond. "I lost...just barely though. The opponent said they were dead-set on facing you for the title of the strongest."
Lia smirked. "Oh? Well, I welcome the challenge. Anything you can tell me about them?"
Lacey nodded as she leaned her head back. "Yeah. They are an elven swordsman, and most of their strength lies in their speed. I think they have some form of fire-based elemental control, but I'm not sure."
Lia just nodded silently. "No one else who lost has returned, why did you come back?"
Lacey sighed. "Because I wanted to. I declined the option to enter the second tournament, and instead was sent back here."
Lia nodded. "I see, well try and get some rest. You look like hell."
Lacey nodded and leaned her head on Lia's shoulder. Hysteria remained on her lap and she spoke after a few seconds. "You have another sword."
Lia nodded, taking out the blood-red katana. Hysteria gave the sword a scornful stare. She spoke one word at it's appearance. "Why?"
Lia sighed. "Hysteria, don't be jealous over a non-sentient sword."
"Why do you need another weapon when I am right here?" She seemed agitated, and Lia wasn't sure how to placate her.
"Uh, what if I need a weaker weapon?" She asked, more frantically than anything else. She was sort of scrambling to find a response to Hysteria's jealousy.
"I can just seal my abilities. Put it away." Hysteria demanded, rather than asked.
Lia sighed and put the sword into a bag. She would maybe take a look at it later, without Hysteria's influence.
Hysteria nodded in satisfaction once the sword was out of her sight. She seemed more peaceful, and Lia handed her a cookie.
"If you could seal your abilities, why didn't you offer before?" Lia had asked out of genuine curiosity.
"Mn...because like you, holding back is boring." Hysteria responded with a tilt of her head.
"I see.", was all Lia had said in response.
..... (Meanwhile, in arena 4)
"Tch, I wanted to fight the vampire. Instead, I got stuck with your low-quality ass."
The man standing across from this brazen woman felt like his head was about to explode from annoyance.
"Pfft. As if You're that strong, little lady. I wanted to fight the vampire, and I got stuck with your two-bit fire-wielding ass."
These two contestants were currently ignoring the fighting, and arguing over who was going to fight Lia.
..... (Meanwhile, In Arena 5)
A man lay on the ground, covered in blood. The opponent was straddling him, completely pummeling him into the ground. The crowd was watching with abject horror.
Despite being in the middle of a beat-down, the man's only thoughts were: 'Damn, this is hard on my mana. Should I give up on this dream? I have to supply enough mana to heal more than usual, because the formation would send me out regardless of healing.'
In the middle of his beatdown, the opponent stopped and seemed to just watch him. After a moment, they stood up with a sigh.
"Ugh...I guess I forfeit. This guy seems to be unhinged."
The announcer spoke hastily. The match lasted much longer than anticipated, even with the combatant's unusual methods.
"WINNER: FRED"