The arena was deathly still, save for the crackling energy radiating from Amanda's sword. The air was thick with tension, almost suffocating. Her eyes, completely black now, locked onto mine as the purple aura surrounding her seemed to reach its peak.
"This is your last chance to surrender," Amanda said, her voice layered with an otherworldly echo. "I admire your resilience, but I won't hold back anymore."
I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, a drumbeat of desperation. My legs were weak beneath me, but the armor Bernia had summoned kept me standing tall. Amanda's power was overwhelming, like a storm I could barely comprehend.
"Thy foe's strength hath grown mighty," Bernia's voice rumbled in my mind. "Yet fear not, for thou art not without thy own tricks. Heed mine words, child, and thou may yet triumph."
I swallowed hard, gripping my chakrams tighter. "Alright, Bernia. Then tell me what to do."
A pause. Then, softly: "Thou must trust me."
Amanda's stance shifted, her movements deliberate and precise. She was a predator preparing for the kill.
With a sudden burst of motion, she leapt forward, her blade cutting through the air with terrifying speed. The energy trailing behind it tore through the ground, leaving jagged scars in the arena floor.
I barely had time to react. My hair lashed out instinctively, forming a barrier between us. Amanda's sword collided with the barrier, and the impact sent shockwaves through the air. The crowd gasped as the force of the strike pushed me back several feet, my armored frame sliding across the dirt.
"You're just delaying the inevitable," Amanda said, her grin sharp and wicked. She slashed again, this time faster, the energy radiating from her blade sharper and more volatile.
I dodged to the side, using my hair to propel myself upward. From above, I hurled my chakrams at her, the spinning discs slicing through the air.
Amanda spun, her sword glowing with kinetic force. With a single swing, she deflected both chakrams, sending them ricocheting into the arena walls.
"You're starting to bore me," she said, her tone mocking.
Bernia's plan revealed itself.
"Child, thou must awaken thy latent strength," the voice said urgently. "Release thy hold upon me, and I shall guide thy power to its zenith."
"Release you?" I asked, panting as I dodged another of Amanda's devastating strikes. "What does that even mean?"
"Thou hast shackled thyself in fear and doubt," Bernia replied, her voice growing sharper. "Cast it aside! Allow me to fuse wholly with thy spirit, and together, we shall transcend this mortal struggle."
I hesitated. Trusting this entity, this Bernia, felt like stepping into the void. But Amanda's strength was beyond anything I could match alone.
"Fine," I said, swallowing my fear. "Do it."
Bernia laughed, the sound echoing in my mind like a bell tolling. "Very well, mortal. Let us become one."
A sharp pain shot through my head, and for a moment, everything went black. Then, my vision returned, but it was different—sharper, clearer. I could see Amanda's every movement, the energy rippling around her, the tension in her muscles as she prepared for her next attack.
The armor of hair around me shifted, becoming sleeker, stronger. My chakrams returned to my hands, but now they felt alive, humming with an unfamiliar energy.
"What is this?" Amanda asked, her eyes narrowing as she took a cautious step back.
I didn't answer. Instead, I lunged forward, my movements faster than ever before. My chakrams clashed against her sword, and for the first time, I forced her back.
Amanda's grin faltered. "So, you're finally getting serious."
The clash between us became a blur of motion, a deadly dance of blade and chakrams. Amanda's sword hummed with kinetic power, each swing creating shockwaves that threatened to tear me apart. But Bernia's guidance allowed me to keep up, my hair moving like an extension of my will.
"Thy foe groweth weary," Bernia said. "Press thy advantage!"
I didn't hesitate. My hair lashed out, wrapping around Amanda's legs and pulling her off balance. She fell to one knee, her sword still glowing with dangerous energy.
"You're not going to win!" she shouted, slamming her hand into the ground. A pulse of kinetic force erupted outward, breaking my hold on her.
I staggered back, but I refused to give up. "We'll see about that."
Amanda stood, her aura blazing brighter than ever. The ground beneath her cracked and splintered as the energy around her reached a fever pitch.
"This is it!" she shouted, raising her sword high. "Riftbreaker!"
The blade erupted with light as she brought it down, a massive wave of energy ripping through the arena. The force was so intense that the air seemed to split apart, the shockwave roaring toward me like a tidal wave.
"Bernia, now!" I shouted, bracing myself.
"Fear not, child," Bernia said. "This battle shall be ours."
My hair surged forward, weaving itself into an intricate shield. The wave of energy collided with the shield, and for a moment, I thought it would hold. But then, cracks began to form.
"Thy strength is not yet sufficient," Bernia said grimly. "I must lend thee mine own."
A surge of power flowed through me, and the shield solidified, glowing with a faint silver light. The energy from Amanda's attack dissipated against it, leaving her standing in stunned silence.
Before Amanda could recover, I struck. My chakrams flew toward her, slicing through the air with precision. At the same time, my hair lashed out, wrapping around her sword and pulling it from her grasp.
Amanda gasped as her blade fell to the ground, its glow fading. I stood over her, my chakrams hovering at her sides, ready to strike.
"It's over," I said, my voice steady.
Amanda looked up at me, her eyes no longer black but filled with exhaustion. Then, to my surprise, she smiled.
"Well done," she said softly. "You've earned this victory."
The crowd erupted into cheers, but I barely heard them.
As Amanda fell to her knees, the realization of what had just happened hit me. The fight was over, but something inside me had changed.
"Thou hast done well," Bernia said, her voice softer now. "Yet know this: thy journey is far from over."