(What is this ominous air?)
Alice grimaced as she saw Myraliana raise Ascalon above her head. As she breathed in, she felt chills travel down her back. Mana particles gathered from the atmosphere and converged into the blade of her sword.
There was something else peculiar about Myraliana.
"ASCALON!"
The blade burst into blue and yellow flames, crackling continuously, gathering more and more power. There was something else in the mix of the mana and flames.
"This feeling... aether?!"
As well as small blue particles, white particles also entered the blend of energy. The flame flared fiercely. The roof above them blew away, revealing the full rage of the flames.
"Aren't those usually rare? I've heard there are only a thousand in the entire world... Why do you have a Rupture Armament?"
Alice tried to ask Myraliana, but the crackling of flames and the gust of wind muffled her voice.
Rupture Armaments were weapons of ancient civilizations. A few were found before the Grand Impact, however, there was no way to activate them. To use a Rupture Armament, that has not been activated for centuries, it needs to come into contact with mana.
Myraliana put her left leg forward, tensing every muscle in her body. It was a risk, but she planned on putting all of her strength into the weapon's Combustion.
"No matter how fast your sword is, I'll still nullify the attack, even if it is a Rupture Armament."
The jelly coating around her arms thickened as she put her hands in front of her, ready to catch the blade.
(She's about to attack. I can catch the blade but if I fail too, then I'll suffer a major injury. Despite my anger, I can't help but have a little fun when someone strong appears.)
In actuality, she was sweating. Alice convinced herself that she would be able to catch the blade, however... there was no set possibility.
Alice had already begun regretting her decision. She should not have allowed Myraliana to charge up her Rupture Armament.
Stopping the process was impossible. Jumping into the Combustion would be the dumbest option. It was at the rate of completion. Dodging would simply leave her open if the Combustion was more than a single strike. Taking the risk against a Rupture Armament like that would be dangerous.
Her only choice was to catch the sword as it sliced towards her. Alice doubted her ability even with her Jelly Coat.
Now, with all of her muscles and being, Myraliana struck down. The blue and yellow flames followed.
The blade cut down swiftly. It did so, causing the flames to seem invisible.
After that, the blade itself disappeared. Alice knew she had made a mistake. Luckily, she was already in motion.
Before the sword cut down, Alice had given up. She pulled back, barely dodging the path of flames that the blade developed.
The floor underneath them cracked. It would break and fall within three seconds. However, it would only take one and a half seconds for Myraliana to strike a fatal blow.
(Good! She missed! God! I shouldn't have messed around with her! That was too—!)
One second later.
Ascalon's blade was only a few inches away from her. Not in her face, but rather, in her arms.
Half a second later.
Blood.
It filled the air and Alice's sight. A sharp, sizzling pain scorched her left arm. The grotesque scene of her arm detaching from her body was engraved into her eyes.
"GAH!"
She screamed as the ground beneath them collapsed, bringing the two of them with it. They fell through a multitude of floors until they hit the final one.
Alice struggled to get up, shivering in pain.
"Shit..."
She used her Jelly Coat to stop the bleeding on her left arm. Unfortunately for her, she could not use it to substitute for another arm.
The woman looked behind her when she saw a blue light.
"Fuck. We're down here..."
The Everheart was kept in a large glass tube filled with blue liquid. It was a heart, connected to a massive by tubes and wires.
(No matter, her Combustion must've ended by now.)
Myraliana rose from a mountain of wooden rubble. She had Ascalon in hand. Alice smiled. No flames were emanating from the blade.
(That's all from her. I'll kill her and...)
"EXTENSION! COMBUSTION!"
The girl screamed at the top of her lungs, aiming her sword at Alice. It flared in flames and soared past Alice's face, stabbing the Everheart.
"...!"
She did not stab the heart directly but the tube began leaking the blue liquid that had been keeping the Everheart preserved.
"You—!"
The crimson-haired woman stopped. Myraliana collapsed as Ascalon disappeared from her hand. She was out cold. Using her Rupture Armament's Combustion three times in a row completely emptied her mana supply.
"Tch. Her goal was never to kill me or to beat me in a fight. I thought that her Dual Burst Combustion was luck but she ended up turning it into a Triple Burst. I knew she would try to destroy the Everheart but I didn't think she had enough strength. I guess it's my fault for underestimating you."
The woman admitted.
"Nevertheless, it's time to kill you."
She said, sauntering towards the girl.
A flash of light and the roar of thunder. Lightning struck down before Alice. A boy revealed himself before her. A white-haired boy with monotone eyes. He was veiled in lightning.
A big smile appeared on her face.
"Alpha! You finally showed up!"
Kazuya glared at her.
"The Everheart is broken now, is it?"
He asked.
"No, I can restore the damage with an extra person or two. And so, did you come here to die?"
Alice asked him, almost like a gluttonous beast.
"No. I didn't come here to beat you either. I came here to knock some sense into you. If I destroy the Everheart and leave, the people will have no place to go. Meanwhile, if I change your mind and then leave, your source for the Everheart will change."
"Really now? I don't give two shits. I won't change my mind. Besides, you killed my best friend, Reiko Hinamachi. I'm going to kill you now."
The boy sighed.
"Do you think that's what my mother would want?"
Kazuya's voice reverberated in her ears. She tensed up.
"Shut up. You don't get to say that after killing her."
Alice growled.