I've had my fair share of fights so far.
Even so, I never came across a situation like this.
"You are certainly stronger than the others who came before you, but even so..."
In the blink of an eye, a jagged spike of electricity surged towards my heart. My body twisted and contorted, the [Sky Footwork] allowing me to evade the lethal blow by a hair's breadth.
But it was too early to relax.
Another bolt of lightning forked towards me with blinding speed.
Reacting on instinct, I channeled my Magical Power into my Sword, the steel taking on an incandescent azure hue as electricity crackled along its length.
With a sweep, I met her strike head-on.
Red and azure lightning clashed in a brilliant flash, raw energies colliding with the fury of opposing thunderstorms. The very air ionized and shimmered from the magnitude of power unleashed.
A percussive shockwave rippled outwards in rings of distorted air, the visible concussion slamming into me with staggering force.
I grit my teeth, muscles straining as I bore it without calling forth my slime bodysuit, the deafening boom of the explosive impact ringing in my ears.
Static danced across my skin as I fought against the buffeting cyclone left in the clash's turbulent wake.
But it was not for no reason.
[Your Talent [Sword] has cut the Lightning—]
[Lightning Autho—]
[...]
.
.
.
Gathering my wits, I steadied myself amid the howling winds, eyes narrowing as I prepared to press the advantage.
Pouring more Magic Power into the thrumming blade, I surged forwards, azure arcs of electricity writhing across the steel as I took aim to cleave her in two, as she was likely not expecting me to bear through the shockwave like that.
But even so, her reaction was fast to come.
With a flick of her wrist, a blazing red sword made out of pure lightning burst into existence, the radiant blade crackling with energy.
'Is it possible that she's using a technique similar to Alexia's [Thousand Sword Art]?'
The thought randomly crossed my mind.
Our blades met in another blinding eruption of power, energies colliding and holding in a trembling stalemate.
With my heart pounding and every nerve tingling, I was fully alert. This wasn't just any fight; one wrong move could be fatal, and the weight of that truth hung heavy over me.
Even though I was no stranger to death, the danger felt like stepping onto thin ice. I had too much at stake to let myself fall now.
Each time Lilith attacked, I reacted swiftly, relying on my [Sky Footwork] to dodge her blows and launch my own counterattacks. In a battle where every moment seemed to stretch into eternity, even the slightest edge could mean the line between life and death.
Even when I thought I had her cornered, Lilith remained unfazed, her demeanor cool and collected.
"Is this all you've got?"
Her confidence was palpable, each syllable laced with certainty.
The provocation she threw my way was like a mocking sign. No matter how many times I'll be able to act differently from what she expected, it would not be a problem for her to react.
"Well, if that's how you see it, it's fine by me" I replied, keeping my tone steady.
Her arrogance only fueled my determination. If she wanted to play that game, fine. I'd use every moment she gave me to study her, to learn her moves and weaknesses.
I'm confident in being able to do that more than anyone else.
After all, I'd managed to hold my own even when I couldn't react to her at all just moments before.
"So, there were others before me?" I pressed, determined to unravel the mystery surrounding Lilith.
Caught in a deadlock, I had no choice but to continue probing for answers, hoping to glean any insight into the information I wanted.
From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I sensed there was more to her than met the eye. Her demeanor, the subtle reaction when she saw me for the first time—all hinted at a complexity beyond that of a normal being.
Despite her attempts to maintain a façade of indifference, I couldn't be fooled. My [Mind's Dominion] granted me unparalleled insight, allowing me to scrutinize even the tiniest nuances of her expression.
Armed with this ability, I pieced together clues, each minuscule detail leading me closer to the truth.
She might not grasp the full extent of my existence or the System's, but she's definitely onto the fact that I'm not from this world.
Her awareness must be on another level.
This is one of the main reasons for me to be wary of her.
If possible, I'd like to use [Mind Manipulation] Magic on her later, but...
I doubt it'll be possible.
Just like lightning itself, her temper is unpredictable and fierce. As much as it pains me to admit it, it seems unlikely that she'll ever bend to my will, even under heavy torture.
It's really a pity.
A trasure trove of information is in front of me, but I can't open it.
At most, I can take a quick peek, but it's not really satisfactory.
"You just thought of something really rude, didn't you?"
Instead of replying to my question, she directly called me out on my inner thoughts.
That means further conversation would be useless.
---
As I evaded another lightning strike, I began to discern a pattern in the Lightning Empress' attacks. Although her methods of delivering lightning were unpredictable, there was a subtle rhythm to her movements that I could follow.
When I managed to find an opening to counterattack, she was always ready to receive it. However, I noticed a distinct difference in her reaction to physical attacks compared to magical ones.
When I imbued my sword with lightning, my attacks were both physical and magical in nature. However, Lilith seemed to be more cautious when it came to physical attacks.
Instead of simply dismissing the blow with her own lightning, she would either create weapons to withstand it or evade it entirely. This told me that physical attacks had a higher chance of dealing damage to her.
Despite her immense speed and control over the fight, I could tell that this was something she was used to.
It was as if fighting had become a mechanical action for her, devoid of any real challenge. I wondered how many battles she had fought with the same outcome, to the point where it had become ingrained in her bones.
However, I knew better than to underestimate her. Even if she seemed like a rusted machine, she was far from weak.
If she ever found herself in a situation where her life was at risk, she would immediately revert back, and things would only get harder for me.
As I dodged and countered her relentless onslaught, a glimmer of possibility sparked in my mind. There was a subtle detail, almost imperceptible, that could hold the key to turning the tide of battle in my favor, even possibly end it faster than planned.
To exploit this weakness, I'd need her to underestimate me, to believe that I posed no real threat.
It's easier said than done, though.
Despite her arrogance, I sensed a layer of caution in her demeanor, likely a result of my identity.
It occurred to me that my predecessors may have exploited this caution, luring her into a false sense of security before launching a devastating attack. That history of close calls likely contributed to her guarded nature.
But even then, that's not a problem.
In fact, I have been using those few minutes we engaged in a full blown fight to concoct a decent plan which could work.
...It will require me to get hurt a little, but it's better than nothing, I guess.
---
Author's Note:
For those not on discord, I posted a few days ago about the reason for my inability to post, but in short, I had to attend an event.
For that reason, I was not able to write nor really do much at all, but don't worry, now I can focus on finishing this Trial :!
The stage will be set for the real, true, absolutely not-joking ending of this Trial. Oh God, I'll probably have to light up fireworks when that chapter finally comes out.
Next chap will actually end this fight, Oh boy. I thought this moment would never come.