Elesch's mind raced. The void manipulation granted her temporary strength, but it demanded too much; her mana pool was depleting fast, her lungs burning harshly.
"Struggling already?" The Kuwaiti girl's voice carried amusement now. She approached slowly, purposefully, savoring every second of Elesch's exhaustion. "You're not as composed as I thought. Maybe your rank is just for show."
Elesch's grip tightened around her rapier, her knuckles pale. She tried to focus, letting the void's rhythm flow through her arm, steadying her breathing. Then she dashed forward, swinging upward with a flash of darkened steel.
The Kuwaiti girl dodged, countering with a point-blank ice spike aimed at Elesch's ribs. Elesch barely twisted out of the way, but the sharp edge tore through part of her uniform, leaving a shallow cut.
