"Alright, Lumi, I'm gonna attack you now.." she smiled.
Was she that confident in her abilities that she'd act so nonchalant about initiating an attack? Most likely.
Eris stood across from us, a five meter gap separating her from Mojito and me.
Suddenly, she stomped her foot down, causing the ground beneath her to crack from the sheer strength of her power. Eris then charged at me with a fiery red fist, determined to eviscerate me with one blow.
I barely managed to duck away, my cheek grazing the scorching heat of her attack. Mojito wasn't as quick, but he used his [Body Hardening] skill to reduce the damage and was sent flying out of sight.
Breathlessly, I panted out, "Let's talk it out, Eris. We don't have to-"
She cut me off with a chuckle, "I'm not really interested in that." Stretching her arms, she grinned like she was excited to fight.
I frowned, realizing I had to use every trick in the book to hold my own against her.
So, I activated my abilities to give my senses, energy, mobility, and defense a boost.
I used [Magic Detect] and [Enhanced Vision] to be aware of everything around me, [Spirit Magic] to amplify my spiritual power and let me move faster, [Spirit Aura] to shield myself from magic-powered attacks, [Mana Pressure] to lessen the damage of Eris's final blow if she got in striking range, and [Lightning Magic] as my final enhancement to all my boosts.
If there was enough time I'd have used 『Beginner's Luck』 and its [Higher Full Potential] to max out all my boosts.
"Here I come!" (Eris)
She launched another attack, and with all of my defenses up, I still barely dodged her.
"Crap, this girl's a powerhouse," I grumbled.
Rather than trying to defeat her, I thought of holding her off until backup arrived. I even considered the risky strategy of reverse summoning and summoning Serena, but it would cost me around 3000 to 4000 mana points.
Eris sneered, "Dodging again? You think you'll have that luck next time?"
I quirked an eyebrow, grinning wryly. "Oh, I'm counting on it," I teased, as I slowly backed away, hoping Eris wouldn't chase me.
Eris launched herself at me again, but I managed to sidestep her, despite the shockwave from her sprint making me wobble. I summoned up all my spiritual energy and remained firmly rooted to the ground.
She reappeared behind me in a flash with a roundhouse kick, but I ducked just in time to avoid it. She followed up with two more kicks and a punch, and still, I managed to dodge her attacks by a hair's breadth.
She charged at me again, and this time, I outsmarted her by dodging left, leaving a massive crater behind in her wake.
She immediately bounced back up and snarled, "You're not as quick as you think you are."
"Maybe not, but I'm certainly quick enough to dodge your amateur moves," I quipped, raising an eyebrow.
Eris growled and charged at me once again, this time with a series of fast kicks and punches.
I blocked most of them and managed to avoid the rest, eliciting a frustrated sigh from Eris. "You're no fun to fight," she grumbled.
"I'm not here to be your entertainment," I reminded her, standing my ground as she circled around me.
Suddenly, Skarz and Fasit appeared, panting heavily from the exertion of running. "We're sorry we're late," Fasit said apologetically. "We had to make sure everyone was safe."
"It's okay," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "Just glad you made it here in one piece." I then turned to Eris. "I hope you're ready for more company."
To my surprise, Sangria appeared in a cloud of black smoke. "Sorry for the grand entrance," she said indifferently. "I got held up on another assignment. I had to make sure she was the only person from the Feral Dominion that entered our territory."
Eris snickered. "Well, well, looks like we have a party now," she said with a smug grin.
I groaned inwardly. "Where's Serena and Isadora? We could use their magic right about now."
"They're maintaining a barrier to keep everyone safe," Skarz explained.
I sighed in relief, knowing that Serena and Isadora were safe. "Alright, let's get to work," I said, bracing myself.
Sangria quickly drew forth her magic bow and concentrated her power into creating a pitch-black arrow using [Shadow Craft]. The arrow was only the beginning of her attack, as she spoke the words "Black Web Incarceration," and at once the arrow split into several smaller arrows that diverged and converged to ensnare Eris.
Eris, who had planned to dodge the attack, was swiftly caught off guard as the arrows combined creating some sort of web-like trap that entrapped her. The once-arrow transformed into black strings that seemed unbreakable.
"Huh?" said Eris, confused.
"It's no use, you won't be able to move," Sangria taunted with a cunning smirk. "This elastic trap is made up of shadows mimicking the properties of rubber and taffy, making it nearly impossible for you to break free."
"Which means physical strength is useless in this area.." Skarz remarked, amazed.
Neat ability.
Next was Fasit's turn to make her move.
"Now's our chance!" she said.
She activated her Additional Skill called [Destruction Circle] which created a grand red-colored magic circle that expanded to a diameter of thirty meters.
Fasit snapped her fingers, and the trap imprisoning Eris was then blasted with a powerful surge of flame. The flames grew so large they punched a hole in the clouds, dissipating them instantaneously.
Skarz raised his eyebrow in surprise, "Did we... win?"
"I doubt it.." I said.
We weren't sure—that is until we heard a massive roar from within the pillar of flames.
In an instant, Fasit's blazing red flames dissipated, and we were disheartened to see that Eris was still standing, albeit with her clothes gradually regenerating.
Her attire was made of mana threads that could regenerate after being damaged, provided she poured mana into it.
"But that's impossible! I have Rank S+ [Fire Magic]..." Fasit said.
"That doesn't matter to me," Eris arrogantly spoke.
If her [Fire Magic] was useless against Eris, I doubt mine would fair any better.
"Thanks for the heartfelt efforts, but your magic attacks are useless against my Additional Skill, [Magic Impeder].." Eris grinned.
A skill that reduced the effects of magic spells. The range of effectiveness depended solely on what rank the skill was per user. If Erisʼ [Magic Impeder] could effect a 30m diameter attack then most likely it was around Rank B to A+.
However, this was pure speculation.
"Leave this to me, my lord." (Skarz)
Skarz wasted no time in waiting and unsheathed his sleek, glittering longsword, Star Cleaver, its metal humming as he charged towards Eris in a blur.
However, Eris held on to his blade and raised her now crimson eyes, letting out a chuckle, "Nice try."
With [Mana Pressure], Eris released a blast wave filled with pure mana, knocking Skarz off.
In an instant, I reacted and unleashed my [Water Magic], erecting a spherical shield of water around him to cushion his fall, much to his relief.
"Skarz, are you okay?" I took a knee beside him.
And if he could talk, he was still coughing out water.
"I apologize my lord, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use." His disheartened demeanor showed with his apology.
"It's fine." I comforted him, "Now, are you okay?" I asked again.
"Yes, my lord," he said, smiling.
"That's all I needed to hear.." I smiled back.
I took a deep breath, summoning my strength as the leader of the domain; I stood up straight and approached Eris with measured steps.
"No my lord," said Sangria. "We'll fight her ourselves!"
"You don't need to do this, we'd lay down our lives for you no matter what, let us fight on your behalf!" Fasit insisted.
This proved their loyalty to me and the domain.
I shook my head, smiling at their concerns, "I won't be worthy of my title as ruler if I don't stand and fight alongside you guys.."
Raising my index finger, I winked, "Besides, I'm pretty strong."
Eris responded, cracking her knuckles, and said, "Finally, you're done playing chicken. Will you fight me yourself, or will you keep letting your subordinates do the work?"
--- Status ---
Name: Eris Fergonius
Race: Supreme Beastperson
Age: 14 Y/O
Titles: The Devastator
Class: Martial
Physical Strength: 15,000/15,000
MP: 33,500/33,500
Magic Arts: [Fire Magic] (Rank E), 「Arcane Magic Series: [Gravity Magic] (Rank A), [Meteor Magic] (Rank B), [Crash Magic] (Rank B)」
Magic Skills: Integral Skill: [Night Vision] (Rank A), [Enhanced Hearing] (Rank A), [Enhanced Vision] (Rank S), [Enhanced Olfaction] (Rank A), [Enhanced Strength] (Rank S) | Additional Skill: [Magic Impeder] (Rank A), [Rapid Regeneration] (Rank A), [Mana Pressure] (Rank A+), [Super Strength] (Rank A), [Wings of Hermes] (N/A) | Unique Skills: 『Immortal Beast Eye』, 『Dominate』 | Apex Skill: 『Beast God: Fangorath』
Sacred Benefaction: Immortal Beast Kingʼs Crest of Strength.