To her surprise, this time he fought back. For the first time in her life, she felt fear.
In front of her stood a man towering over her, at least a foot taller, his face twisted with a maddening smile.
His teeth and face were stained with blood, and his laughter echoed through the air, mingling with the tears that streamed down his wide-open, maddened eyes.
He didn't stop crying, whispering dark words to himself as if lost in his own madness.
"Don't worry, mother, no, no, don't you worry! I'll pardon our sins for you, AHAHAHA! Even the gods will fear us... no, no, they'll accept our excuses!"
His voice trembled with a twisted kind of glee, the words coming out in a disjointed frenzy, as his laughter grew louder, more manic, his mind slipping further into chaos.
The stranger struggled to keep up with him. Without any technique behind his punches, he was nothing more than a beast in front of a storm.
Rubeus's movements were wild, unpredictable—a collision of raw power and madness, no grace or form, just pure destruction.
Every swing of his fists shattered the air, each blow seemingly aimed at everything but her.
His arms moved like wrecking balls, his body a force of nature, smashing through trees and rocks with the recklessness of someone who knew no restraint.
If not for her skill, if not for the sheer terror she felt as she danced around his rampage, she would have been crushed under his assault.
His monstrous energy felt like an unstoppable tide, erasing everything in his path.
She threw a punch to the left side of his face, sending him crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.
Rubeus couldn't figure out how to use his weight to his advantage. With feet planted awkwardly, his body was completely out of sync with the movement.
Each strike of his body against the ground was a chaotic mess of unrefined force, as if he couldn't find his center of gravity.
His balance was nonexistent, making him stumble like a wild animal, unable to stabilize himself, unable to even stand after the blow.
The power in him was raw and untamed, but without the control to direct it, he collapsed in a heap.
And right at this moment, she thought to herself, 'It's like I'm fighting a child... how can someone with a body like that not even know the basics of combat?'
Suddenly, something clicked inside of her.
'He's really a child... he's a contractor, an apostle.'
It dawned on her. The reason his blood had purple hues, and why his tears mixed with it, was likely tied to his connection through the contract.
It was the only explanation that made sense.
Still dodging his fists, she observed him more carefully, trying to figure out who he could have contracted with.
If he could tap into his contractor's power, it would be disastrous for her—something she couldn't even begin to defend herself against, unless she too did the same.
She started by analyzing his purple blood, searching for any connection to the five gods and seven witches, but found nothing.
Then she considered the possibility of a separate entity, but as a noble, she should have heard of such a being.
There was, of course, Olivia, the Witch of Charity, who was represented by purple and white. But her title and domains—Kindness, Selflessness, and Generosity—ruled her out as a possibility.
The most plausible option was Thanaril, the God of Death and Renewal. However, the purple would be accented with gold in his case, and he was known to have no apostle.
At that, somebody from death would, in no case, be as mad as this boy.
Then, she decided to take no chances and end the battle right there.
"You know, boy, I don't know how old you truly are.
After all, contractors are known to have their physical form change once they make their contract, and they remain that way for the rest of eternity, for it is their fate."
She paused, her expression hardening.
"And so, I am truly sorry for what will happen. I value my life above everything else."
Rubeus, completely lost in his own world, did not respond to her, his face twisted with that maddening grin.
His voice was low, almost feverish as he muttered his words, the madness clear in every syllable.
"Mother of sins, please bear witness as I, your only child, pardon the sins of me and my father… for my mother."
His eyes were wide, unblinking, his laugh almost slipping through as he spoke, his words slipping into a frenzy of twisted devotion.
The fightress lindgered for a woman and though,
''Mother of sins?''
But quickly dismised her tought, deciding to keep him alive for interogation as he could be anybody, like a spy, or a civilian under a curse.
As a hero of humanity, a noble, she thought that confirming his identity would be for the better.
It was her duty to ensure he wasn't a threat to her people, whether he was a spy or a victim of some dark curse.
Then, with unmatched strength, she hurled him once more against a tree, and spoke, or perhaps prayed.
''Tensia, my old guide, grant thy courage to me, Audra, princess of true war. Born from the very fruit of conflict.''
Her skin shimmered as if forged from steel, her bones grew as sturdy as stone, her might became as unshakable as a king's reign, and fear ceased to exist within her.
Then, she spoke, her voice thundering like the roar of a storm, loud enough for the entire world to hear:
''Now let the real fight begin.''
For another time, she surged toward him, breaking the sound barrier and appearing right in front of him, giving him no chance to think.
The mad grin on rubeus face seemed even more pronunced than before, as if excited to fight.
Audra then kicked him with her feet on his head.
Unfortunately, he did not budge and disapeard, appearing behind her and manadging to hit an attack.
He had learned from his mistake.
She gasped for air as she was thrown into the same tree, crashing through it and landing hard on a rock behind it.
Quickly, leaving no opening, she steadied herself and stood on her feet, turning to find nothing.
She remained in a fighting stance, ready and waiting for his next move.
After a second, he appeared before her, ready to land a blow. But she quickly dodged it, countering with a strike to his stomach.
This time, he didn't fly back like before. He stood firm, unmoving, like a mountain.
His grin widened even further as he clasped his hands together above his head, preparing to deliver a powerful blow.
She tried to dodge once again, but couldn't as he locked both of his legs around her, twisting them to hold his ground firmly.
Landing the blow, he paused for a moment, feeling something strange—it was as if he had struck solid steel.
She grinned in return, smiling wide, before seizing the opportunity to deliver an uppercut that sent him flying into the air.
Without hesitation, she jumped after him, clasping her hands above her head, and brought them down with a powerful blow.
He crashed to the ground, lying still for a brief moment, as if the impact had momentarily stunned him.
That split second was all Audra needed. She leaped onto him with precision, both of her feet crashing into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs and pushing him deeper into the earth.
Rubeus, struggling to regain control, quickly grabbed her feet, his hands like iron around her ankles.
With a powerful twist of his body, he attempted to fling her to his right, aiming to break her momentum.
But Audra was no stranger to his tactics. She twisted her body mid-air, using the force to her advantage, and broke free from his grip.
Her landing was swift and graceful, and she was back on her feet in an instant, eyes locked on him, prepared for whatever came next.
Managing to get back on his feet, Rubeus swung his fist toward her, but Audra was already gone, the air where she had stood now empty.
Before he could even process his missed attack, he found himself back on the ground, unable to react.
Audra moved like a storm, relentless and unforgiving.
She bombarded him with an ocean of consecutive blows, each one aimed at his face, her fists crashing into him with blinding speed.
His head snapped back with each hit, the blows disorienting him, but there was no escape, no time to think, only the rhythmic pounding of her strikes.
Rubeus could feel his vision blur, his mind struggling to keep up with her assault, his strength waning as he tried to block, to shield himself, but it was useless.
Audra was everywhere, her blows an unstoppable tide, each punch landing with precision, with purpose.
His body thudded against the ground again and again, unable to recover from the barrage.
His legs buckled, his arms hanging limply by his sides. He couldn't stand—he couldn't even breathe.
The madness in his eyes had faded, replaced by something far worse: weakness.
And yet, in the midst of the fury, his lips still twitched, a faint, twisted smile creeping back onto his bloodied face.
The mad smile on Rubeus grew wider and wider. Before Audra could react, his arm shot through her chest with brutal force, tearing through her flesh.
Pain exploded within her, but she didn't fall. Blood poured from the wound, her body trembling from the impact.
Rubeus grinned, his eyes wild, and twisted his arm further, his gaze filled with madness.
Audra, struggling to stay on her feet, gritted her teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of witnessing her in one of her rare moments of weakness.