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Payne West.
One of the most surprising finalists of the competition, after all, he was the most competent swordsman in the kingdom, subordinate to the master of the sword, the hero of the sword.
A complete and loyal prodigy.
But he had a completely twisted and shattered personality, hidden above his good-natured skin, underneath he was a completely unchanging and unflappable person.
A man of iron blood, capable of cutting off the head of any traitor to his kingdom.
He received the title of Viscount as quickly as he proved his talent and was completely loyal to the royal family.
Mostly because of his heroic skill [Contract], able to make temporary contracts with the few divine gods that inhabit this world, though he is unable to make a contract with the direct gods, such as Melody the goddess of souls or the Multiversal god, the human monarch.
Although right now, he was observing with a completely serious look the person in front of him, a girl with long blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sky itself, the same one had slapped his hand almost no time ago.
She was looking at him as if the person in front of her was a plague that must be exterminated at all costs.
Payne then looked at her hand with curiosity, a part of him remembered the girl in front of him with sweetness.
But his rationality, a product of that strange force that brought him to life, prevents those locked feelings of that soul from clouding his judgment.
Why should he get angry at the annoying look of a simple stranger?
-I understand that my presence is not to his liking, but I still hope that in time we will get along well -he finished introducing himself while he kept the hand that was slapped by Linilla behind his back.
The girl, for her part, simply snorted with a bit of unconscious contempt as Payne retreated, she felt a hand touch her shoulder, causing her to catch Natsuru's presence again.
Who was puzzled by her behavior.
-I know I didn't show the greatest favorability in history, but it's not like I don't get along with him either... Why so much hostility, Linilla? -asked Natsuru surprised by his behavior, in fact Linilla, analyzing what happened, was also surprised by that behavior.
-I don't know... it's just that..." said Linilla trying to answer, but... her mind was blank, it was simply a hatred born from her heart that suddenly appeared the moment she saw the guy in front of her.
It's a feeling of repulsion born from her soul, as if they were both repellent by nature.
Or because of something else that she herself does not understand, would it have to do with that supposed reset?
She hasn't forgotten about it.
-Natsuru noticed her thoughtful face, but decided not to ask about it, after all, everyone has their secrets.
But he would be watching Payne's behaviors for more caution.
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-the next match is Payne vs...! -while the commentator was talking about the bouts, Linilla was concentrating while thinking about one specific thing.
"The Reset" thought Linilla with a half smile on her face thinking about it, recently she is thinking about everything she knows about it.
So far officially it's 10 resets that supposedly happened, so it could also be a good answer to the unknown that how she knows so much about this world and how to be able to adapt to this world easily.
But still, as unreal as it sounds, a part of her believes him... she recognizes Zelia through memories she knows she hasn't lived yet, but her soul feels she has already lived those memories, it's like an Dejavu.
Both blue irises slowly glowed a deep gold.
Thoughtfully, while manifesting the divine aura in her fists, she watched the battle from the corner of her eye.
It was a battle of swords, slashes were coming and going, both weapons clashing as if drawn to each other, though....
"He's holding back" thought Linilla as she watched serenely as Payne masterfully wielded his sword, but he seemed to be holding back as much as possible, his face was bored trying to entertain this ignorant audience.
Quickly, Payne gripped his weapon tightly, ready to end it all.
His opponent launched a quick slash in Payne's direction, but Payne quickly dodged it, wielding his weapon with all his strength, Payne launched a single slash that swept away the armor and sliced cleanly through the subject, causing the group to open their eyes in astonishment.
Although he didn't hurt him by using spiritual energy in his weapon, hurting only his magic circuits, leaving the subject completely immobilized.
Payne calmly put away his weapon with a completely serious look on his face, while the subject was finally stunned and fell to the ground.
-THE WINNER IS PAYNE WEST! -shouted the commentator with a big smile on his face, causing few to celebrate, although others were rather stunned by how cold he was in the attack.
No mercy, typical of the viscount.
Payne simply snorted at the various reactions, though his gaze fell sidelong on the blonde, the girl for her part simply watched the attack, thinking one thing.
"Too over the top" was what the girl with long hair like gold thought, as her eyes, both blue irises, simply flickered between that color and the bright gold.
Payne simply averted his gaze to continue on his way, although his chest felt tightened by that indifferent look of the girl.
-THE NEXT CONFRONTATION...! LISSETTE VS...! -the name seemed curious to him, his gaze caught the girl with long hair as blue as the crystalline sea, blue eyes and a large witch's hat.
The other boy who seemed to handle the bow began his attack with a shower of arrows that the girl, named Lissette only watched out of the corner of her eye without much attention, missing Linilla.
"If she doesn't do something, she..." but Linilla's thoughts were interrupted because a large chain of magical symbols appeared in front of the girl, who kept her gaze neutral, these symbols began to flash magic of various types.
One of earth that raised great walls, stopping the rain of arrows.
The boy watched stupefied as large spheres of fire went in his direction, so he was forced to dodge quickly, but many ice stakes pierced almost perfectly all the fabrics of his sleeves and part of his pants, destroying any defense.
-¡! -But he could do nothing, when he raised his head Lissette was already with his staff, and he had already conjured a lightning spell.
-I surrender..." declared the young man defeated and with his pride destroyed, the girl simply snorted sideways in boredom while undoing his spells, making everyone applaud, not for nothing was the ace of the Hero Mage, one of the most neutral heroes of the continent.
It is not for nothing that counting on the help of the Hero Wizard is too difficult.
He moves more than anything else to help anyone who needs his help.
So, the intense rumor that he recruited a trial heroine as his disciple rumbled in the foundations of the whole continent, who could be the only one capable of moving the Hero Mage's heart to such an extent to win his favor and become his apprentice?
And there we can see her.
-THE WINNER IS LISSTTE ANNA, THE HERO WIZARD'S APPRENTICE!" shouted the commentator with great joy, introducing the winner, who was only adjusting her hat, one of her eyes was shining spectrally, when suddenly she seemed to react with something.
Her gaze fell directly not only on Natsuru, but above all, on Linilla.
She was surprised, as if seeing a friend she hadn't seen for too long.
"Linilla... Erder" thought Lissette full of joy as one of her eyes lit up spectrally.
And the aforementioned was no better off than Lissette, a huge headache hit her, as if her mind wanted to split in two, memories of two girls came to her mind sporadically....
"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS MEAN!", her mind really wanted to explode, but she was slowly regaining all of her self-control, she needed answers.
This [Reset] has her full of questions.
And there is only one person now who can answer part of her lost memories.
-Lissette Anna," she uttered with her lips, the girl full of determination and courage in her soul.
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Natsuru was quietly sipping a glass of wine, the afternoon meetings were going to be quicker than in the morning, after all there is no reason to put this off stupidly.
He watched out of the corner of his eye as someone stood behind him, but didn't so much as glance at him.
He knew perfectly well who it was.
-Natsuru..." -the words full of honey, coming from the lips of princess Sarasha no longer cause anything for him, before he had faithful feelings towards her, but after learning about the true colors of the royal family, and especially hers... little by little he lost interest in her.
Right now, she just seems like any woman, a girl who could sleep with anyone... just for power and money.
Very different from Linilla.
-What do you want now, Sarasha? -asked Natsuru curtly, but Sarasha sadly tried to hold the Duke's hand, but as fast as light, Natsuru slapped the blonde's hand.
-Natsuru... I," she tried to say something, but she looked at those blood red eyes in terror, a Duke who was forged in the royal battlefield and aristocratic wars, a person of iron, cold heart... when he cries it is said that no tears fall from his eyes, blood is spilled.
-Sarasha... stop trying to make excuses for that day, I hope you remember that because of you I became the man I am today... something that by the way I have to thank you too," I commented in a contemptuous way while I looked at the girl who only lowered her head in pain.
-I heard that... you have a girl in your mansion... and that she is a candidate for Duchess -she tried to express herself while she moved her hair, her blue irises looked at the Duke with affection -surely it is an unfounded rumor... Isn't it?
-You mean Linilla? Just hearing that name made the princess' blood burn with anger, in a few words he, that cold-blooded duke, took a girl to his house.
-Eh... -his eyes flashed the feeling that the girl had at that moment, Natsuru for his part looked in the same contemptuous way to the girl who still has hopes of something that will never be.
-And in case you are wondering... yes, she will be the Duchess," finally from the Duke's words it was confirmed what many feared, he wanted to make Linilla, the Duchess of Windey.
To make the hostess of the goddess of life, the Duchess of his duchy....
-Natsuru... Are you going to challenge the throne? -that fear that falls deep in his soul, was showing on his face, his mask was slowly dropping to the lowest.
-If it is for that girl, yes," the Duke withdrew from the place, leaving the princess with tears in her eyes, trembling with pure fear.
She can't let Linilla Erder win this event, she can't allow it.
Biting her nails, she went straight to the royal dais, she has to talk to her father.
She can't let Linilla win, ever.
-GOOD EVERYONE! SORRY FOR THE WAIT! FINALLY, WE'RE IN THE QUARTER FINALS! -shouted the commentator full of jubilation, as he prepared to introduce this match.
-ON ONE SIDE, THE GIRL WHO DECLARED HER IMMUTABLE STRENGTH, SHATTERING ANY CONVENTIONAL THINKING OF WHAT WE KNOW...LLINILLA ERDER! shouted the commentator, introducing the sky-blue-eyed blonde, Linilla Erder, who prepared herself.
-ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE ONE WHO RUMBLED EVEN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE KNOWN, THE ONE WHO MANAGED TO WIN THE FAVOR OF THE HERO OF MANY, THE GENIUS OF MAGIC... LISSETTE ANNA! -shouted again the happy commentator, introducing the girl with the wizard's hat, who had a look between serious and indifferent, although her gaze was fixed on Linilla.
Many of those present were surprised by her majesty's decision, this was not normal at all, for the more intelligent ones, they were perfectly aware of the intentions of the royal family.
They wanted to disqualify Linilla in any way.
They feared that Linilla Erder would win the event.
That only made Natsuru's smile spread even wider, making even the Hero Mage, who was neutral, wish deep inside him that his disciple would win this match.
Because if this monster beside him was the one who trained that girl, it will be anything but normal.
The mage girl raised her staff just as the commentator moved out of the way, rewriting at an absurd speed several magic spells, but....
Linilla had already lunged at her using [Third Fang], moving like a beam of light cutting through all the magic circles.
Lissette's eyes opened wide, this was not normal, never before had Linilla developed her powers so effectively so fast.
Taking position by the action of her mind, she blocked the slash with her staff causing a thunderous sound to be present, Lissette's eyes that were of a different color collided with Linilla's sky blue ones.
Quickly, several chains caught Linilla off guard, grabbing her arms and legs with the same, Lissette moved her staff sending the blonde girl flying away from her, stepping hard, she rewrote several magic circles which were activated quickly.
Linilla, gripping her weapons tightly, began to turn on herself -[Cosmic Flux - Seventh Fang].
Her blades filled with that divine energy began to spin together with herself, cutting off all attacks directed at her.
Falling firmly to the ground, Linilla exhaled a little... she was slightly exhausted after all, the restraint of her powers sapping her concentration.
As exhausted as she was, facing a mage was at her limits.
-You should stop limiting yourself," that comment from the girl's lips made Linilla's eyes widen slightly, for the heck did she know about her own limitations.
-How is it possible...? -Linilla tried to reply, but several magic circles made her react by jumping from that place, dodging all the attacks of that girl.
She now had an annoyed look on her face.
-The Linilla Erder I know doesn't hold back from anyone, she will always give her best! -Lissette shouted with a great anger in her being, while she growled and moved her staff generating several magic circles.
Linilla Erder, who simply stopped dead in her tracks, her soul writhing at what she heard, because it's the truth... Why did she hold back so long?
She never holds back from anyone...
With a serious look, she took her weapons, which began to flash a lot of divine energy that began to flutter generating great waves of wind, which alarmed everyone present.
Lissette, on the other hand, was smiling big, while her staff generated magical energy on its own, ready to end this battle with a single blow.
Linilla as she let all her energy finally be free of her being, her eyes began to change to a bright golden, her hair golden, some locks turning albino.
Several magical circles of various sizes and shapes came into existence firing many magical attacks, while from the staff she fired a large magical beam that went straight towards the blonde-albino.
-Linilla shouted that final technique, stepping hard on the ground, a beam of light flashed at an absurd speed and went towards the attacks, that cut was slicing every magical attack that was going towards her.
-DIMENSIONAL CUT!" -with that final shout, Linilla reached the opposite side of everything, making Lissette's eyes widen.
Her staff was destroyed, cut in half, her attacks as well, in fact, even she herself had a cut all over her chest, Lissette only smiled slightly as she fell to the ground, totally defeated.
Everyone was shocked by that final event, Linilla smiling sideways simply ended up collapsing totally exhausted about it.
THE WINNER IS LINILLA ERDER! AND SHE'S THROUGH TO THE SEMI-FINALS! -shouted the commentator with a big smile on his face, being happy to have witnessed such a match.
Sarasha was biting her nails in anger, Alex just sighed.
Natsuru was only smiling sideways arrogantly, finally everything will be defined.
"You can do it, Linilla" were Natsuru Von Windey's thoughts... she really wanted Linilla to win.