"Go, end this…" The Slave Master smirked as he looked at the girl in the hood.
She nodded and walked onto the stage without a word. Lydia who had recovered herself now approached me.
"I'll go up!"
"No!" I shook my head. "We'll just surrender."
"Master… I can do this."
"Lydia…" I could only look up at her helplessly.
"Hehe… so your slaves can only protect you this much?" Lord Tibult spoke up tauntingly. "It's a miracle you survived!"
The girl's expressions turned ugly. For Lydia, Miki, Terra, and Celeste, protecting me was a part of their bottom line, and Lord Tibult had just crossed it.
Lydia jumped up onto the stage without saying another word.
"Lydia!" I stood up, an angry expression on my face. "Get back here! It's an order."
"Can't even control your slave, and you call yourself a master," the Slave Master mocked.
She turned back and smiled with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Master. I can't follow that order. If I don't fight, Master's honor will be sullied."
The only way I could make her obey was with Order Slave, and there was no way I'd use that skill on her. In the end, I could only trust Lydia, even though the Japanese woman's strength was completely unknown. I looked up to the Prince and nodded, giving my assent, even though the reluctance was clear on my face. As for Princess Eliana, she was watching me curiously, a strange expression on her face.
"Begin!" the Prince called the start of the match.
Unlike the tanks who pulled out their defenses first, Lydia immediately sped at Shao. Her sword was drawn like lightning and she moves so fast it was difficult to see it. Yet, as soon as her sword struck out, a clanging sound rang out. Shao had blocked it with her sword, even though she hadn't moved a step. Her sword seemed to suck in light, and it was thicker and longer than Lydia's which was typically a long, thin sword. Between the pair, it was clear Shao's sword had more weight to it.
Not only had no one seen Shao draw her sword, but she hadn't taken a single step back despite Lydia's attack. She suddenly pushed her sword forward, and Lydia flew back as a gust of wind erupted from her just giving a single strike of her sword.
"I hate this world…" Shao said the first words she had spoken in this world. "Stand in my way, and I will destroy you."
"I can't do that…" Lydia responded. "Master is behind me. Always."
"Then die!" Shao leaped out moving just as fast as Lydia.
The two women began to battle, but compared to the slow, powerful movements of the previous fight, this was on a completely different level. Both women moved like blurs, leaping across the stage. Each exchange of swords usually involved multiple strikes. Clanging sounds filled the air, and sparks burst off between the pair of them. However, as this went on, Lydia's face grew more haggard, and it was clear that she was being suppressed by this woman.
At this rate, Lydia would only be defeated!