The two stared at each other in silence, much like before.
"You looked at my status?" Lapis asked, not in an angry, accusatory tone, but she assumed that was how he knew.
Surprisingly, Sol shook his head. "No, I noticed another way."
He had seen her tethers and noticed one that stood out from the rest. Before, he could only guess what a tether did by inspecting it, but with his recently obtained law technique, [Lesser Channel Control], he gained deeper insights. One of her largest tethers, a light golden one, was far more developed than her other skills. He wouldn't be surprised if it was close to becoming a law technique, it just needed a bit more effort, and it wouldn't be long.
"I thought we were here to fight with all our strength. If you don't plan to take this seriously, I'll head back."
Lapis frowned slightly. "I want to win with my own power. I don't need her."
She still wanted to continue, but it had to be with her own abilities, without external help.
"Not your own power?" Sol found her stubbornness and pride ridiculous. "You, of all people, should know we need to use everything we have. If we stop using what we don't consider our own power, then what, are we going to stop using weapons too?"
If Sol followed her standards, wouldn't he be unable to use most of his skills? He hadn't created them; he took them from others. It was, in a way, stolen power.
"My spear is part of my power." she countered, finding his analogy incorrect. She was strong because of her spearmanship. Without it, she couldn't truly fight.
"Yeah, but you didn't make it, did you? It was forged by someone else. And what about allies? Are they not allowed to help you in fights?"
"If it's a real battle, then yes."
"Then treat this as a real battle!"
Sol swung his Lipon, sending another [Mana Slash] her way. Lapis leaped to the side toward her spear, retrieving it in one fluid motion.
As she readied herself, she felt the ground tremble slightly beneath her. Her instincts screamed danger, and she jumped away just as a ring of stone spikes erupted from the ground where she had stood.
Sol kept up his assault, sending attacks her way while Lapis dodged, increasing the distance between them. Her attribute enhancing skills were about to run out, and staying too close would leave her at his mercy.
"You're not getting away that easily!"
Before she could retreat further, a dome of shadows enveloped the two, spanning a hundred foot radius. She fired multiple magic spearheads at it, but the dome repaired itself instantly.
Trapped inside the barrier, Sol gave a final ultimatum. "You can either use it or surrender. But know this, if you surrender, I'll assign you to guard duty for three months. And on top of that, I will never, and I mean never, battle you again."
Her eyes widened in shock. "That's too far!"
While both punishments might seem mild to most, they were severe in Lapis' eyes. Like Sol, she abhorred guard duty, seeing it as a time consuming task that took away from mastering her skills. But the worst punishment was the latter. If she could never fight Sol again, she'd never have the chance to claim victory. Momentary defeat was one thing, but to never have the opportunity to win was unacceptable. Sol understood this well, which is why he added that condition.
Though still unwilling, she begrudgingly muttered, "Fine... you can help me."
Only Sol and Lapis were inside the dome, yet another voice echoed through the space.
"I'll help you, but your ungrateful attitude needs some work."
Suddenly, Lapis was enveloped in a golden light as a humanoid figure floated out from within her. It was a beautiful ethereal woman with long golden hair, glowing brightly. Her most striking feature, however, was the two extra sets of arms she had.
"To think you can't escape such a simple barrier. I'm truly disappointed in this incarnation of me."
She waved her arm, sending a golden pulse that rang like chimes. The pulse reached the shadow dome, instantly shattering it.
With the night sky now visible, the ethereal woman turned to Sol, who had been silently watching.
"I think you've made her run around long enough. Now, it's your turn."
Chakrams appeared in all six of her hands, her intent to attack clear. But before she could, Sol pointed below her and said, "Stop. Look at what you're doing to Lapis."
The ethereal woman looked down at Lapis, who was kneeling on the ground, panting, on the verge of collapse.
"She's still too weak to sustain me." the woman said with disappointment. "We'll have our duel another time. Take care of her."
As abruptly as she had appeared, the ethereal woman vanished back into Lapis. The golden glow faded, and while her breathing steadied, Lapis still showed signs of exhaustion.
Sol walked over and handed her some potions to ease the pain and speed her recovery. It took a while, but soon, the effects of the potions set in, and she was back on her feet.
"Thanks." Lapis said, trying to hide her exhaustion, though her body betrayed her.
Sol nodded. "I know she's you from a past life, but who was she?"
It was obvious to him that the woman had been powerful in her time, but he hadn't heard of anyone like her, especially not a six armed woman. He wasn't even sure if she was human.
Lapis thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't asked."
"You haven't spoken to her? Was this recent?"
Sol had thought Lapis gained this past life self when she was revived. It had been a while since then, and he found it odd that she didn't even know her name.
Lapis shook her head. "When I came back from the dead, she came with me, saying she was hitching a ride. She doesn't talk much, but when she does, it's to criticize what I'm doing. It was distracting, so I tried shutting her out, and it worked. I've mostly been ignoring her since then."
"Has she tried to do anything malicious?"
"No. If I die, she dies, though I don't think she'd mind too much if that happened."
"Well, if she's not trying to harm you, maybe you should work together. You saw how powerful she was. If you were stronger, she could've fully manifested." Sol suggested.
Lapis was still reluctant. "I want my strength to come from me, not her."
"Hmm. Fine. But that doesn't mean you can't make use of her knowledge. Someone that powerful must know a lot, including certain things about A-Rankers that I'm not allowed to disclose."
Her eyes widened slightly at his not so subtle hint, and she nodded. While she didn't want to use the woman's power, she wasn't against using her knowledge to improve.
"I'll ask her. Thank you."
"No problem. It just didn't sit right with me that you were completely ignoring her. You need to use everything at your disposal to catch up."
Lapis smirked. "Once I do, I'll come for another rematch."
"Haha, fine by me." Sol welcomed the challenge.
Her stubbornness and pride were her greatest strengths but also her greatest weaknesses. They pushed her to strive harder than anyone else but also held her back. That was her struggle to face, but the least Sol could do was nudge her in the right direction.