Sharone charged forward, her scythe slicing through the air with deadly precision. Korvus dodged and weaved, his whip cracking through the shadows as he summoned tendrils of darkness to ensnare Sharone. But she was no stranger to the macabre, and with a flick of her wrist, she summoned a wave of blood magic to wash away the shadows.
Korvus used his whip to lash at Sharone from unexpected angles. But Sharone managed to block all the attacks is with her scythe. Korvus however managed to wrap the whole around her angles and swung her into the sky. He flicked his wrist causing a wave to travel through the whip and hit her in the shoulder. She shrugged of the attack and threw her scythe at Korvus who managed to sidestep.
Her scythe bit deep into the walls. Korvus was about to taunt her about throwing her weapon mid fight but she appeared Infront of him,her fist glowing hard due to arcana reinforcement. A she sent him flying with a powerful upoerito the chin and pulled her arm back. The scythe detached itself from the wall and flew towards her,taking off Korvus' left arm as his rested in her right hand blowing wind behind her.
Korvus gripped his wound gritting his teeth in pain. Sharone pointed her scythe at him.
" It not too late Korvus. Withdraw and I'll spare your life" she said coldly.
" My how the times have chained." He said as veins popped out of his forehead and neck.
"You took my arm. The girl I knew was afraid of hurting others. No matter.Its good that you've improved. Now I can't fight you with holding back."
A shadowy tendril shot out of the hole in his shoulder the tip curving into a blade. He also enforced the whip with his Arcana,turning it black.
Sharone spun her scythe and made her stance. Korvus attacked with his blade. Sharone attempted to block but he used its curved edge to pull her closer then struck with his, its tip leaving bloody welts on Sharone's skin. But Sharone refused to yield, She used the scythe to hook Korvus and raise him above her. A magic circle formed above him and a bolt of red lightning blasted him into the ground.The ground smouldered with the force of the blast.
That was Sharone's Cherry Electrification. It was a move she developed when she trained with Adriana who was now learning to tap into the lighting attribute of her father's side.Korvus shot out of the crater like he was fired from a canon and the two warriors exchanging blows in a deadly dance. The force causing the surrounding structures to seemed to shudder and tremble with every strike.
Just then,the walls of the mansion erupted in a frenzy of bandages. The writhing strips of cloth burst through every wall, floor, and ceiling, filling the air with a maddening tangle of white .
Sharone charged forward, her scythe slicing through the bandages as she glanced up to see Weaver knocking Lin back into the mansion. For a moment, Sharone's attention was divided, and Korvus took advantage of the distraction.
Korvus pulled out a knife, its blade glinting in the dim light as he stabbed at Sharone. But the blade bit deep into a blood clone, which burst then covered Korvus. The spell, Ruby Encasement, hardened.
Magic circles appeared around the trapped Korvus with a bigger one under the the hardened blood, and released their energy.
She trapped the burst of energy in a barrier for a bit before dispelling it and forcing the explosion upward.
Sharone walked out of the shadows, her scythe spinning in a deadly arc aimed at his neck. Korvus broke his neck to avoid the attack and bound her with his shadow magic, forming a bubble around her that he then lashed with his whip, blasting her back. His head popped back into place and he lunged at her.He raised his blade to deliver the final blow, but before he could strike, a figure materialized from the shadows.
The figure caught him in midair and slit his throat with a swift and deadly motion, sending him crashing to the ground. Sharone's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the figure. The man stepped on Korvus' severed head crushing it.
Sharone was surprised.
" I don't know who you are but thank -" she began to say. He pulled out two sickles and attacked her. She barely blocked but a blast of wind knocked her back.
" Thank me? I'm here to kill you" he said and launched an assault on her.
" Who are you?" Sharone questioned, blocking an attack.
" Oh? You don't remember. Were our lives that insignificant to you?" He said as he headbutted her and delivered a punch to the stomach before gripping her hair and pulling her into a knee strike to the face. She stumbled but created some distance but creating an explosion between them. The man however dispelled the blast with his wind.
Blood Chains.
She fired several chains from magic circles which converged on him. He however appearer behind her and knocked her into the building with a spartan kick to the lower back.
" Now that I'm so much stronger,I see how pitiful you are. You wanted to know who I am? Im not sure myself. But you can call me the Nameless Knight. Prepare yourself. I am your end." He said spreading his arms and bending forward,his sickles shining in the sunlight.
Sharone charged forward, her scythe slicing through the air with deadly precision. But before she could even reach Namless, he was behind her, his two sickles flashing in the dim light as he unleashed a flurry of strikes. Sharone spun her scythe behind her and swung in a wide arc, a trail of red arcana following the swing but Namless jumped over it forming a wind arrow and blasting her into the ground. He landed and kicked her in the face but as she was sent flying she made a chain around his anckle and pulled him into a punch. They both landed and Sharone made several magic circles,firing several blasts of compressed energy at him. He ran forward, deflecting them with swung his two scythes,forming an X shaped slash. Sharone bent backward as the attack flew over her and dispelled her attack. Namless jumped into the air and brought both weapons down. She rolled out of the way and swung at his back which he blocked turned to face her. She spun the scythe backwards and blocked an attack from him. Both of them stared at each other as they tried to overpower each other in terms of strength.
Sharone looked carefully at the so called Nameless Knight. He looked familiar. She didn't know what she had done to make him so angry. But she must have met him somewhere before.
" Hey. I don't know what I've done to make you so angry. Maybe we should talk this through instead of fighting." She said trying to persuade him.
" Your attempt at being a good person is pissing me off." He yelled pushing her back.
" Then you leave me no choice." She said hunting the ground and throwing up a dust cloud. The dust turned to mist and engulfed the entire area.
Sharone attacked him and he struck with all his might. His sickles bit deep into the shaft of the scythe breaking it. Sharone used the mist to knock him back. He tried to advance but the mist acted as an extension of Sharone herelf. He sliced at it but was still getting knocked around.His wind magic howled around him creating an opening for Sharone to attack, knocking a sickle out of one of his grasp with a clawed hand. He jumped back and she pounced on him. He took in a deep breath.
" I didn't want to use this ability but you've proven to be stronger than I anticipated. Even in my redefined state I'm still struggling. It's no wonder you beat Ricci." He said. Sharone hesitated.
Ricci does this mean....
Her Isolated Space dispelled and she was suddenly flung into the air. She sliced through the wind and did a backflip landing some distance back.
" Are you one of Ricci's men?" She asked." Are you Courier?"
" So you do remember." Courier said.
" Yes I was one of Ricci's men. We were mercenaries true but we were a family. At least that's what it was to me."
" They killed people for money and engaged in evil for the thrill." Sharone pointed out.
" We had to make a living somehow. I was abandoned and on the verge of death. It was Ricci who took me in. That job was supposed to be our last job." Courier yelled.
" You and I both know that's not true." She said.
" Shut up. What could you possible know about us. From the looks of it your an entitled noble girl who doesn't kniw about the struggles of us lower class. We had to fend for ourselves somehow." He said.
" And killing people worse off than you is what you call surviving. "
" Be quiet." Courier whispered.
" Surely there was a part of you that knew that what you were doing was wrong." She pleaded trying to appeal to him.
" I Said Shut Up!" He shouted unleashimg his aura. Sharone tried to attack but her blood magic suddenly stopped working. Courier stabbed her shoulder but she pushed him back with a palm strike and jumped back. She struggled under his relentless assault which left cuts all over her body.
" What's the matter. Can't use your power?" He yelled.
" Its a gift I got from my benefactor Faust. The special ability, Semantic Reversal
I can temporarily exchange the meaning of concepts. Like the meaning of your blood magic with the word powerless. It's a small aspect of his own Redifinition."
Sharone gazed at him and saw his blood flow. The life of a being was in the blood and she could tell the outline of his soul at a glance. Meaning he couldn't fully alter her ability. She noticed a brand on his soul.
Sharone closed the distance between them and began exchanging blows hit Courier with punches ,jabs and kicks. Courier was overconfident thinking that taking away her powers would weaken her but she still held her own and was even overpowering him. The gap in experience was too great.
Sharone had become serious . He aimed a blow at her chest but she caught it with her bare hand. She glared at him and the killing intent caused him to jump back.
"You don't have to be this way," she said, her voice becoming compassionate as she again tried to reason with him.
"You can still be a better person. You have the chance to start over. All you have to do is take the first step." Courier's eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, Sharone thought she saw a glimmer of recognition.
Courier screamed as something snapped within him. He charged at her and swung his weapons in a frenzy. Sharone was able to easily navigate his moves as he'd become predictable. She was able to push him back but still. His powers ment that the change was only temporary. She needed to create an opening. The two were evenly matched.
Just as she was pondering how to create such a diversion, a commotion erupted outside. The doors burst open, and Lin strode in, accompanied by the prisoners. Marconni was chained and being dragged along.
Courier's eyes flicked towards the new arrivals, and for a moment, his attention was divided. Sharone saw her chance and took it, dashing towards Courier.
She reached deep within herself, calling upon the power that lay within her veins. As she did so, she felt a surge of energy course through her body.
Sharone closed the distance between herself and Courier and with a swift motion, wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close as she pressed his head against her chest.
" You don't have to fight anymore." she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of Courier's ragged breathing.
As she held him, she used her blood magic to break the seal, freeing Courier from the control of those who had manipulated him.
Courier's body relaxed in her arms, and Sharone knew that he was finally free. "You weren't fully under control," she told him, her voice soft and gentle.
"Your grief made you prey to manipulation, but you're free now. You can choose your own path. You're no longer bound by gratitude." She let go of him.
Cherry Electrification.
A blast of lightning knocked him out. She sighed.
" Glad that's finally over." She said as her wounds closed.
Lin walked up to her.
" Hey." She greeted.
" You're hurt." Sharone said noticing her broken arm.
" Nah it's fine." Lin said with a smile.
Sharone used her blood magic to heal her.
" Thanks." Lin said stretching.
Just then something flew out of the mansion grabbed Couriers body and flew off.
" It's weaver" Lin was about to go after them.
" No,let them go." Sharone stopped them.
" Let's get these people looked after." She said glancing at Marconni who was bound by chain.