Sarla glares at the Angel, she was foolish to believe that simply impaling would have worked, but that won't happen a second time. A Magic Circle appears over the wounded calf, encasing the wound in a thin layer of crystal. The woman stood up steadily, determined to finish this fight quickly. Circles form above and around her as she gathers her Aura in her hands.
Siphiria brandishes two swords, each the same colors as her pupils. In her right hand resides a longsword, its blade emitting a red luster that keeps the darkness away, its guard and handle are both a mix of white, black and gold. In her left hand dwells a single edged sword, several times thinner than the longsword. It looks so abnormally thin that a seemingly strong attack will be able to shatter it.
The human takes the initiative and shoots crystalline javelines out of the nine Circles she conjured, but that is not all. Ash shaped like sharp sickles, each growing four additional blades as they fly through the air alongside the javelines. The Angel raises her longsword, its red shimmer intensifying as she stabs it into the ground. A Magic Circle carves the dirt, extending three meters around Siphiria, she watches on as crystal and ash approach dangerously fast, her face devoid of emotion, then in the blink of an eye, they fizzle out of existence.
Sarla's eyes widen in shock, the Angel has not moved an inch and the Circle remains inactive, so where did her spells go? Siphiria doesn't give her the time to form the beginning of an answer, she retrieves her longsword and lunges with the single edged sword, the blade coming down in a diagonal trajectory. The human responds in the obvious manner, by forming a crystalline barrier to block incoming strike. She has Aura gathered in her other hand to counterattack,
The thin blade is a hair away from colliding against the crystalline wall when, just like the spells a moment ago, it vanished, leaving the human woman in confusion. The Angel remains stoic as she stops her motion and goes in the opposite direction, swinging the handle from below. Sarla is left even more confused at Siphiria's maneuver. Why is swinging a handle like it is a weapon?
This time, she doesn't need to think about the answer, it appears right before her in the form of a red arc that slices her waist up to her shoulder, perfectly following the Angel's swing. The human remains frozen for a breath before blood erupts, her brain still attempting to process what happened, not even a scream escapes her lips. Siphiria doesn't wait however, she swings the handle again and again and again...
The red arc slices Sarla according to the Angel's swings. Barely a handful of seconds has passed between the first slash and the following twelve. Blood erupts, painting the ground and the Angel's face in red, "Come on, don't tell me you gave up already. I haven't used anything you didn't see."
Sarla grits her teeth and unleashes the Aura she had gathered in her hand earlier, pushing the Angel away with a blast of ash. Just like she did for her calf, Sarla crystalizes her wounds. But it is just a temporary measure to make sure her wounds don't worsen, she can't just crystalize her blood vessels. Despite her dire circumstances, she can't help but grin. "You just made a fatal mistake." She declares.
Siphiria looks up while sighing. The blast obscured her vision more than actually push her away but it isn't its sole function. Around the Angel is a prison of Magic Circles. "I'll be honest... It took you far too long to figure my trick out. You proclaimed you'd kill me but until now..." She stabs her longsword into the ground once more, dismissing her previous Circle and remaking it under her as the Magic Circle prison just crumbles down. "... I haven't seen anything of the sort."
Sarla summons crystalline daggers in each of her hands, lunging forward while gliding on a crystalline pathway. She has a plan that, according to her, will put the peaky Angel out of commission and all she needs is a single hit, be it a stab, a slash or just a scratch.
Siphiria shakes her head, retrieving her longsword. She swings her single edged sword in multiple directions, watching as the woman ducks, bends, slides and jumps out of the way of the red arc, all without breaking eye contact. Less than half a meter is left between the two, Siphiria stomps forward, longsword raised and gleaming with red light.
Sarla suddenly accelerates as the ground below her ruptures, not even her blur was perceptible, leaving the Angel surprised but it does nothing to stop her as she still brings her blade down, unleashing a blast of red mana that obliterates a large surface in front of her. Only a crater remains but she remains on guard.
"Down here." Sarla calls, directing her crystalline daggers toward Siphiria's heart but the Angel doesn't remain idle. A quick red arc slashes the woman across the face, but she endures as her blades plunge into the Angel's chest but missing her heart but a few centimeters,
"... That's it?" Siphiria asks, seemingly disappointed as she stabs her longsword into Sarla's back. The woman coughs a mouthful of blood while groaning but she tightens her grip, refusing to let go as she whispers...
"Ashen Invasion..." The daggers shatter, leaving Sarla with the handles. All she needed was a scratch but she got way better, two stabs into the chest. While that alone cannot put an Angel out of commission due to their unique biology, they aren't immune to an attack from the inside. That is what Ashen Invasion.
Siphiria's eyes widen, something creeps inside her veins. It is painful as that feeling is also tearing her nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and other vital tissues to shreds. She cannot even utter a scream. Her eyes become lightless as her head droops.
"... Hehehehe... Serves you right!" Sarla gloats, coughing another mouthful of blood. The longsword pierces her stomach, intestines and kidneys. She can prevent the damage from going out of control but she needs a healer ASAP.
"Now now... Where are you going?"
Sarla's heart freezes, "H-how...!?" She inquires frantically, lips pale and bloody. Her eyes stare in disbelief at the Angel. That attack should have completely annihilated her insides so how was she alive?
"Confused? It's simple really. One, you were being prideful. You should've make sure your ash gets into my head first, that would've gotten me. Two, Angels are the best at manipulating Mana, Elves are second in that regard, I just needed to block the ash before it got to my heart. Plus, we boast a decent healing factor, while weak because of my current status and also when by compared to Demons at the same status, it's enough to get us out of a bad situation.
Three, the Virtue of Humility. I never thought of taking you lightly, and to be honest... I thought I almost did too much but underestimating an opponent, no matter their race is never a good thing. Four... Crystalline Workshop: Ashen Invasion."
The Angel bends over, grabbing Sarla's throat as she forces her golden blood in her mouth via her lips. The woman tries her hardest push the Angel out of her but the latter simply twists the wrists holding the longsword, keeping the former in place. Sarla, understanding what Siphiria plans to do, focuses on the ash she forcefully swallowed alongside the golden blood, she can desarm it before it kills her... That's what she thinks.
"Oh and last detail..." Siphiria releases her grip on the woman's throat and pulls her weapon out. "Anything spells made with my Workshop doesn't belong to you anymore. Don't bother fighting it off."
And truth be told... It is true. Sarla's body shakes frantically as ash ravages from inside. She wants to scream but her vocal cords are not working, she wants to curse the Angel but nothing comes out. She simply falls on the ground, her eyes rolling to the back of their sockets.
"Now for the best—" A powerful pulse stops Siphiria, freezing her stiff. The red eye embroided on the woman's outfit blinks, releasing malevolent energy as the body floats in the air. The Angel would gladly do something about it, but that energy is so incredibly foul that she is left paralyzed and there's nothing she can do at all. It is like the evil of the entire world is standing in front of her as a person.
The eye glares at the Angel contemptuously, but it simply blinks before vanishing alongside Sarla's body, unleashing a dreadful blast of red malevolent energy that ravaged the already ruined village.
***
Kon can feel his bones creaking, his feet sinks into the dirt as he pushes against the crescent-shaped purple flames. His muscles swell as he infuse them with even more of his Aura. "Hhhrrrrrggg...!" He grunts with clenched teeth, the soil shatters around him as the flames keeps on pushing him down. "So insanely heavy!" He remarks to himself. He has fought another person with a Grimoire, although the situations are different, the two share at least one characteristic. They are overwhelmingly powerful. And that irritates him.
"RAAAAAAHHHH!" Kon roars furiously, unleashing all of his gold feral and malevolent red Aura in a devastating burst that not dispersed the purple flames but also leveled the area, turning the closest trees into nothing more than thoughts and searing the farthest into ash. Saki is also caught in but she manages to recover with just a few burns here and there.
"I WILL NOT LOSE AGAIN! NOT TO ANOTHER ONE OF YOU CHEATERS!" Kon roared again, the ground shakes terribly with every word he speaks. His Aura gleams brightly as it takes the shapes of a golden lion, the mane a mix of malevolent red and feral gold.
Saki raises her curved greatsword in response but she jumps to the side as Kon dashes past in a flash of red and gold, his straight sword arching like claws. Saki's eyes bulge in surprise, Kon has clearly missed his mark but the wet feeling on her stomach says otherwise. Blood black like a night sky drips from her wound and onto the ground, she was racking her brain for an answer but Kon isn't going to sit and wait.
The man turns on his heels, ears flat and eyes locked on the Demoness as he dashes again. Saki snaps back, unleashing blazing purple and black flames, swinging her greatsword. The Lionide and the Demoness clash, purple, red, black and gold illuminating the dark sky. Kon's muscles bulges as he pushes the Demoness off her feet, slinging her weapon out of her grasp while she is sent rolling.
He then raises his straight sword, both hands squeezing the handle as a beam of gold and red shoots into the sky. "Lion's..." The pillar of Aura morphs, splitting and taking the shape of a lion but not just one but an entire pride! "...PRIDE!" He roars, bringing down his blade and unleashing the pride onto the Demoness.
Saki gets back to her feet, her entire body is shaking from the impact but that is the last of her worries. The pride of lions is headed right toward her, she has no weapon and her fist alone won't do much against twenty of them. Her only option is defense, so she raises her arms in a cross and infuses her Aura into her muscles and skin. The pride is upon Saki but instead of striking head on, it splits and surrounds her, spinning around like a typhoon of red and gold.
Claws strike from every direction, maws snap as they rip chunks of flesh and black blood paints the ground. Saki remains firmly rooted to her spot but her consciousness is falling her and before long she falls to the ground, her limbs too heavy to move. Every lion jump to finish her off, Kon watches on from afar, his intuition is telling him something is off.
Saki lies on the ground, flesh rended by claws and maws, warm blood pours down from her wounds, forming a black pool under her. She regains consciousness for a moment but it doesn't grant her the strength to move, it just allows to feel the pride's sharp teeth as they rip her apart. The pain assaults every inch of her body, she should be screaming but she can only grin. She is unbearable levels of agony but strangely enough... It feels good. Her consciousness fades again but one thought remain... "More."
Each race possess something that makes them dangerous. For humans, it's their adaptability and their determination, Elves and Dwarves have their Mana and Aura, Beastfolks have their animalistic nature, Angels their Virtues and Demons... Their instincts.
Kon narrows his eyes as he walks toward the pride of feasting lions. "Was I wrong?" He asks under his breath. His intuition told him that something was off but looking at the Demoness being feasted on, he couldn't help but be confused. Why is he feeling such unease? Suddenly, he jumps back, his ears perking up as tens of chains shoot out, skewering the lions. The responsible is none other than Saki.
Purple flames highlighted by black flames burn wildly around her form. Two long black tails wave through the air calmly, a pair of ears stand up on her head as she sits inside the blazing flames, licking the claw wounds on her arms. The chains retreat, letting the lions dissolve back into Kon's Aura. "... What even are you?" Kon asks. He has fought Demons before, he knows how dangerous they can be but something was different about the one in front of him. Demons don't have animalistic features, and when their instincts overwhelm them, their Sins and powers skyrocket but not like this.
The Lionide looks at the Demoness, perplexed. "She looks more like a Beastfolk than a Demon... Maybe that's why I couldn't figure out that uneasy feeling..." He mutters, raising his straight sword, preparing to unleash his Lion's Pride once again. Saki turns her eyes toward him, sclera black and irises in vertical slits. The pool of black blood under her boils like magma, melting the ground.
She jumps to her feet, still licking her wounds and without breaking eye contact at all. Kon looks back, his Aura shooting in the sky and splitting apart once again as a pride of lions descend onto the Demoness. Saki finally stops licking her arms, the blood beneath her feet erupts in a tornado of black flames.
The pride still dives at her, ready to the Demoness to shreds but there is one thing that haven't realized... They aren't hunting Saki anymore, she is the one hunting them. A chain swings through the tornado, cleaving every single lion in the blink of an eye but she only just started. The chain twists mid air, slamming the spot where Kon stood on a few seconds ago. After seeing how easily the Demoness had slashed through his Technique, Kon was prepared for something of the sort.
The tornado finally dissipates, Saki reveals herself with a new sets of weapons: chains wrapped around her arms attached to hiltless blades black like her curved greatswords but far thinner. The Demoness retrieves her chain with a simple yank, she lowers herself to ground, practically getting on all fours before rushing forward. Kon's eyes widen as he raises his sword, intercepting the chained blades. The purple and black blaze was only a few centimeters away from his face.
He has seen the Demoness get on all fours, he had expected her to rush him down but she had just vanished from sight. The only reason he managed to block the attack was pure luck, and even then he can't do much. His feet are sinking into the ground, he pushes his muscles to their absolute limit just to be able to hold his ground, which he begins to lose by the second. Left without another choice, he let his Aura flare up, unleashing a burst, similar to what he did before.
The already ruined area is ravaged once again by his burst but it doesn't grant him the same breathing room as before. Sure, he managed to get the Demoness off him but he is immediately forced on the defensive once more as the chained blades come like a thunderbolt. The Demoness, standing on her hands, swings her legs. She had also wrapped her legs with the same chains.
Kon's sword blurs, deflecting strikes after strikes. His breath becomes ragged, his arms are heavy but he doesn't relent one bit, he cannot. Saki suddenly switches her stance, jumping back on her feet as she rushes in, gripping her chained blades. Kon stomps hard, unleashing his malevolent red and feral gold Aura as he rushes in as well, swinging in an arc, his body a blur of red and gold. The Demoness jumps over his attack, letting him run by. She throws the blade into the ground, pulling herself to the ground in an instant.
Kon pivots on his heels as he rushes in once again, and this time around, he does hit the Demoness, driving his straight sword into her shoulder. Black blood drips on the ground as Kon pushes his blade down into her torso. The Demoness has a playful grin on her face, black flames burst from the gash on her shoulder, Kon is left in disbelief as the injury just mend itself. Saki twists her body, forcing the sword out by her ribs, then she drives her chained blades into Kon's stomach.
The Lionide tries to jump back but the Demoness follows closely, she pushes the blades deeper with a kick. Kon feels blood pooling in his throat but he holds it in and thrusts at the Demoness, aiming for the neck this time but he misses as Saki kicks off him, retreating safely. She yanks out if her chained blades and swings them around. Kon retracts his arm, blocking the first hit with his Aura infused sword but the Demoness doesn't relent, she keeps swinging wildly, her chained blades glowing with purple and black flames.
Kon focuses all his energy on defending but upon deflecting the fifth strikes, something happens... The Aura he had on his sword thinned with each strike. He tries to move back but the moment he lifts a foot, the Demoness slips past his defense and strikes his back with a knee, leaving stumbling for a second. Saki plants her blades into his back and spins like cyclone, slashing and burning his flesh in a matter of seconds.
Kon turns around and blocks with his sword, then the worst thing that could have occurred happens... The blade snaps. The Demoness's chained blades mercilessly cuts through his skin, despite being infused with all his Aura. It's like a hot blade cutting through butter. The cyclone of black and purple keeps striking for a good five minutes before Kon finally falls to the ground, completely exhausted and battered.
He breathes heavily, his torso is slashed open and burned. His arms and legs feel like they weigh thousands of tons. He has reached his limit. The Demoness stops her assault, she sits on the ground and licks her arms as if mocking the Lionide.
"Come on, finish it already!" Kon urges the Demoness but she seems uninterested.
"Oh don't bother." A new voice catches his attention. A woman dressed in white and red with blonde pigtails approaches. "Wow, you really disfigured the entire area." She remarks, looking at what was once a forest.
"... Who are you?" Kon asks.
"I'm Siphiria, nice to meet you, subjectless king." Siphiria bows respectfully. "I'm guessing my other part had her fun with you, judging by the burns."
"... Your other part?" He turns his head toward the Demoness, who is still licking her arms. "Things are getting even weirder..."
"Tell me about it. When have you seen an Angel and a Demon being a single being? That's absurd, right?"
Saki hisses at Siphiria's remark, which catches the two's attention.
"Hey, no hissing!" Siphiria removes one gloves and slaps the Demoness, sending rolling. "And how long are you going to remain like that, you pervert?"