"Hey, Spherea! What's the plan?" Koji asked his shadow with a hint of apprehension.
"Relax. The spheres are coming back."
Koji's body was still adjusting to the external energy, and although he had managed to use it instinctively, he knew he was far from mastering it. Additionally, Alaric had a clear advantage in speed and strength.
He quickly turned his head and saw his energy spheres entering the area. They spun around him like a natural defense, bringing him a sense of calm. He was more familiar with his spheres, but he still needed to integrate them with his newly awakened external energy.
"Hey, Spherea, how are the spheres supposed to help me now? How do I use them with the external energy?"
"Let's see… You don't need to worry about that. You know what you're going to do?" Spherea moved closer to Koji and placed a friendly hand on his left shoulder.
"No?" Koji looked cautiously, unsure of what Spherea was about to suggest.
"Look closely… Alaric is probably a new wielder, but he grew faster than usual. He might even be your age. He's hyperactive and proud."
"So, what's your point?"
"You still don't get it? Come on, Koji! Do you ever understand anything when I hint at stuff?"
"Of course not! You never get straight to the point. You always drag it out."
"What I'm saying is that Alaric is just an idiot like you, who got hold of a strong technique. So, call him a rebellious teenager, a wannabe, an indie kid, a goth, a nerd, whatever. Just piss him off."
"Are you kidding me? That's your idea? What a terrible plan."
"It's a great plan. You need to realize he's a young adult who cares about criticism. I bet he's either attempted suicide, been in a cringe rock band, or is some revolutionary kid who doesn't even make his bed but wants to save the world."
"Fine… Fine… I'll give it a try, but I admit I'm hoping it fails."
To break the calm, serene atmosphere of the place, Alaric rushed forward with an explosion of speed, his body enveloped in an aura of external energy.
Koji had no time to react as Alaric materialized in front of him, throwing a punch. He tried to dodge, but the impact was inevitable. The blow landed on his shoulder, sending him flying backward.
"You're just a kid playing at being a wielder!" Alaric yelled, launching another attack.
Koji barely raised his arms in time, blocking the next blow, only to be hit with a hard punch to the left side of his face.
Meanwhile, Lyanna walked toward Spherea, her face cold and calculating. Her expression and posture were serious, but Spherea, always mocking, kept a carefree smile on his face and said:
"That serious face... Are you trying to scare me?" Spherea laughed, but Lyanna continued approaching. "You know I don't feel fear, right? You know… I'm a demon, intangibility and all that."
She didn't respond, but Spherea wasn't scared in the slightest and found her approach strange.
"It's funny… You're clearly getting close to do something against me. But any wielder would know demons in shadow form are intangible to everything. That just confirms something I've already suspected," he said, raising his right hand and pointing at her. "You're not a true wielder, are you?"
"It's interesting how you talk about 'knowing' with such confidence. Maybe the problem isn't my knowledge but your lack of discernment about what it means to be a wielder."
She showed no signs of unease or nervousness, only total control and rationality.
"What nonsense. A wielder is a wielder, and a human is a human. There's no such thing as this 'discernment.'"
"Tch. Why don't you just shut up?"
Suddenly, she lunged, attempting to land a swift kick. But her foot passed through his intangible body, causing no damage.
"Huh?" Her eyes filled with surprise.
"Hahaha! Didn't you hear what I said?" Spherea laughed, floating slightly backward. "Either you're borrowing a technique, or you're hiding something big. But honestly, I think it's the first one. You're not a real wielder."
Lyanna gritted her teeth, her previously serious and composed face now showing anger. She raised her arm and conjured:
"Web of Order!"
Invisible strands of mental control began to spread, trying to organize Spherea's chaotic thoughts and emotions. However, Spherea just smiled.
"Seriously? You're trying this on me? Is this a joke?" He shook his head in disbelief, also waving his arms dismissively. "You know, demons don't have minds like yours. This is just going to make you... more vulnerable."
But something felt strange to Spherea, who thought to himself.
"When she conjured her technique... she didn't call out her demon's name before… She just activated it, and it worked. This proves she's not a real wielder and that this technique is borrowed from someone else. It's impossible for a true wielder to activate their technique without summoning their pact demon's name."
Quickly, Spherea created a dozen spheres almost instantly.
"Koji's gonna love knowing I can control these beauties..."
The spheres rose into the air, and with a gesture, he launched them at Lyanna. The spheres spun like missiles, forcing her to leap and dodge at high speed.
"I can't let him keep his distance. I have to get closer," she thought.
With speed in her legs allowing her to rush forward, she closed the distance and stopped to the right of Spherea, crouched and ready to strike.
But suddenly, swoosh! Her right forearm was severed by a quick sphere attack.
"Ugh! What?" She looked at her right arm and saw the scene. Half of her arm had been torn off, and blood stained the ground red.
"Sorry about your arm," she heard Spherea say, his head lowered in apparent sympathy.
And then, Spherea phased his intangible body through hers, his forearm piercing Lyanna's chest. She coughed, blood spilling from her mouth and soaking her lips as the wound in her chest throbbed painfully.
"One thing you should learn—demons in shadow form are intangible to everything, but everything is tangible to us."
"How... how can he be so fast?" she thought, the metallic taste of blood flooding her mouth, and her body, always so controlled, trembled under the pressure of pain.
"Are you still standing?" Spherea asked as he pulled his forearm out of the deep wound he had inflicted on her.
At that moment, her eyes locked with Spherea's, and he was briefly caught off guard by the look of regret in them.
"She's dying..."
With her body weakening, Lyanna collapsed, and even with difficulty speaking through the pain and blood, she muttered as she gazed at the sky.
"Lord… forgive me…"
"Her expression is completely different now," Spherea observed.
Calmly, Spherea glanced down at her body, noticing a mark on Lyanna's left calf.
"I knew it… She was marked and used."
When Spherea looked back at her face, Lyanna was no longer alive.