Charles took another step back, sweat beading on his forehead.
Lira's room, with its plush rugs and out-of-place TV, felt like an impromptu battlefield.
Lira stood before him, fists clenched, breathing heavily, hurling insults as she tried to land blow after blow.
"You're useless, Rian!" she shouted, throwing a punch that sliced through the air with a "Swish!"
Charles dodged by a hair, twisting his body to the side.
"You've always been useless! What do you think you're doing now, huh?"
Lira didn't let up.
A kick came next, swift and precise, aimed at his ribs.
Zip!
Charles leaped back, feeling the air graze his tunic.
Lira growled, visibly frustrated.
"Stop scurrying like a rat!" she snapped, advancing with eyes blazing with fury.
But as her anger grew with each missed strike, something in her expression shifted.
There was a faint glimmer of surprise, almost imperceptible, mixed with her rage.
She was going all out, and Charles knew it.
Her goal wasn't just to humiliate him; she wanted to knock him out, to force him to see reason.
In her mind, Lira couldn't believe it.
'This idiot… how's he dodging so much?' she thought, throwing another punch, a hook that Charles blocked with his forearms.
Servants had told Lira that Rian spent time training at the fountain, doing push-ups and weird exercises before Toren Vask's sons chased him off.
There were also rumors he locked himself in his room to do the same, alone, like a maniac.
'All that pointless effort… and it's still not enough!' Lira thought, furious. 'He can't win two back-to-back fights with this! It's impossible!'
"Fight back, Rian!" Lira yelled, her voice echoing through the room. "If you don't, this'll never end!"
[Order detected…]
[Error]
The exhausting fight had dragged on for minutes: her attacking with fists and kicks, him dodging and retreating.
Both were sweating, their breaths ragged.
Charles felt heat creeping up his neck, his muscles screaming from constant movement.
Then, finally, he saw an opening.
Lira had thrown a high kick, and for a split second, her guard was down.
'Now!' Charles thought, raising his fist to strike back.
But his body didn't respond.
[You do not have the authority to do that]
'Damn it!' he growled in his mind, feeling his arm freeze mid-air.
Why did the system keep demanding authority to hit someone?
And worse… what was that error from earlier?
The opportunity slipped away, and Lira regained her balance, shooting him a scornful look.
"Pathetic!" she spat, seizing his hesitation to throw another punch.
Charles dodged on reflex, but the effort was taking its toll.
His legs trembled, his arms burned, and sweat blurred his vision.
'I can't keep this up much longer,' he thought, desperate. 'I feel like I could pass out any second, and she…'
The worst part wasn't just Lira's speed or strength.
With Toren Vask's sons, Charles had felt the static building in his hands, the electricity he later unleashed at the fountain.
But now, against Lira, there was nothing.
No tingle, no spark.
Instead, he felt a searing ache in his arms, back, and waist—a fatigue that seemed to burn him from the inside.
'What's going on…?' Charles thought, panting as he dodged another kick. 'Is it her? Is she doing something?'
For a moment, he wondered if this was like those unbeatable bosses in video games, designed to make you lose the first time so you come back stronger.
But Lira's terms didn't offer a rematch.
If he lost here, there'd be no second chance—just a life as her servant.
'I'm… a gamer,' Charles thought, grinding his teeth. 'I've spent hours tackling impossible bosses, grinding levels, hunting for strategies. And my first loss is going to be to some girl in this crappy world?'
The idea was unacceptable.
Losing to a dragon, a demon, a god—that he could stomach.
But Lira?
'No way in hell!' he swore to himself. 'I'm winning this, even if it kills me.'
"Give me everything you've got, Rian!" Lira shouted, her voice slicing through his thoughts.
Charles was so focused on his resolve that he didn't notice the edge of a rug underfoot. He tripped, losing his balance, and fell backward with a dull "Thud!"
The floor slammed into his back, and before he could scramble up, Lira was on him.
Crack!
Her boot planted firmly on his chest, making him gasp.
Lira was breathing hard, her hair sticking to her sweat-damp forehead, but her expression was unrelenting.
"If this were a real fight, you'd be dead," she said between breaths, pressing harder with her foot.
Charles felt the air flee his lungs, pain spreading through his torso.
"Admit defeat, Rian. Now."
Charles looked up at her from the floor, his vision blurry from exertion.
"Repeat… what you said before," he rasped, his voice hoarse but steady.
Lira frowned, confused.
"What? I said admit defeat!" she repeated, pressing down harder.
"No, not that," Charles said, shaking his head as much as he could. "The earlier thing."
Lira stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
"What…? You mean when I said 'give me everything you've got'?" she said slowly, her tone heavy with disbelief.
Suddenly, the same message appeared before him again.
[Order detected…]
[Permission granted]
Charles closed his eyes for a second, ignoring the pain, and gritted his teeth, his face twisting into a strange grimace that made Lira eye him warily.
"What are you doing, idiot?" she muttered, leaning slightly to get a better look.
Then, he felt it.
A faint tingle at first, like tiny needles pricking his hands. Then it grew, surging through his arms, chest, and legs.
It was the electricity, finally waking up.
'Yes!' Charles thought, his heart racing.
He snapped his eyes open and, without hesitation, grabbed Lira's heel with one hand.
"Take this!" he shouted, and a burst of electricity erupted from his palm.
Crack!
The lightning lashed out like a wild whip, blue and brilliant, racing up Lira's leg.
She let out a sharp scream:
"Aghhh!" Her body stiffened as the current surged through her.
Her eyes widened, and for a fleeting moment, Charles saw something in her expression he hadn't expected: pure shock, almost fear.
The electricity crackled in the air, lighting the room with erratic flashes.
His plan had worked!