Kapitel 25: Fighting A Sigil Bearer

Standing in the cage, Alice focused her mind while peeking through some of the gaps. She noticed that the patrons are already in the arena and compared to the usual patrons, they seemed more serious.

Without an introduction, the cages were slowly raised into the arena as Alice immediately analysed their surroundings and looked to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage. High ground, cover and so on.

Similar to the round with the spider, there was tall walls surrounding the place with steps hammered into the side to allow for easy climbing while also having small wooden walls. A variety of barrels, boxes and even broken debris were placed within the arena.

"Look up." Lilia whispered as Alice glanced up and saw a large wooden board with names written on panels. Beside the names were numbers that seemed to be the money that was being betted on each of them.

"12 names… If working in groups of two, that's 5 other teams." Alice furrowed her brows. Looking at the bets, she could see that their duo was rather high up, presumably due to the fact that she had killed the spider in the last round. The same spider that killed a three Sigil Assassin.

'That also means more groups will be focusing us if they saw what happened in the arena.' Alice thought with a frown. If more teams focused on them, the chances of survival will dwindle rapidly.

'Will my Sigil even be potent enough to disarm the other groups? Would the hosts allow it? There will definitely be questions if I use the Sigil. Better save it until the last moment even if we're outnumbered.'

"Let's try set up traps once we're a little further away from the cage. I can probably hide in some debris and wait for a good chance." Lilia said as she adjusted her grips on the daggers that she had picked.

"Okay."

Right after finishing their plan of action, the doors to the cage dropped down as the two looked at each other and nodded their head.

Running to the right side, they made their way into the forest of tall walls. However, they noticed something strange upon entering the area. The walls were different compared to the fight with the spider as mechanical parts could be seen around the top and the edges. As the gears started to turn, a row of turrets were mounted at the top of certain turrets near each turn and exit.

A bad feeling surfaced in Alice's heart as she couldn't help but doubt their choice of entering this area.

"Can't go back now. If we do, there might be a group waiting for stragglers. Without the advantage of a surprise attack, it'll be more disadvantageous for us." Lilia furrowed her brows while looking up at the turrets.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to test her luck by climbing up since there's no telling what will happen if she does. They might fire on sight and that wasn't a risk Lilia wanted to take.

"I'll go on ahead and find some hiding spots. It'll be harder to take them by surprise if I'm always by your side."

Hearing this, Alice nodded her head as she watched Lilia sprint ahead. Now that she was on her own, Alice started to investigate the rubble around her. She wanted to see if there were any spare weapons or tools she could use.

Unfortunately for her, there was nothing at all.

Scratching her hair in annoyance, she started to walk towards where Lilia had ran off to. She was going to conserve her stamina where possible.

'Lilia should've had enough time to hide. I don't hear any fighting yet… Not sure if the patrons are enjoying the silence.' Alice though to herself while glancing towards the crowd. They seemed to be whispering amongst each other while pointing towards her location.

Feeling that something was wrong, Alice wanted to get away from her current location when the turrets that she had walked pass started to turn towards her location.

Widening her eyes, Alice's instincts were warning her as she immediately started to run away.

From the turrets, a wave of fire rushed out, burning the path she had just come from. With the wall of fire rushing towards her, Alice had no choice but to run.

'Are they just forcing people to meet now?' Alice thought to herself with a frown since she could see the other turrets activating as well. With several paths now cut off, she could only grit her teeth and keep running towards the fight with no other option left to her.

Turning the corner, Alice felt the surface of her skin tingle with goosebumps on the left side. Trusting her instincts, she jumped towards the right and bent her body back.

Watching a sword miss the side of her face, Alice widened her eyes and rolled back before adjusting her body so that she was back on her feet.

"Eh? I could've sworn that would've taken your head off. No matter, just means I'll have to use more effort to kill you. I don't even know how a brat like you got such a high bounty. Did you even kill that spider? Or did you just get lucky?" A guy asked with a crooked smile.

Despite being a slave, he seemed a little different than the others and had more armour on. It reminded her of the main attractions of each event.

He wore a dark red shirt and jacket that showed off his chest with a variety of belts, buckles and armour around the shoulders. A pair of leather pants and brown boots. Attached to his belt was two sheaths, one still having the sword inside while the other is in his hand. He had short brown hair and a pair of blue eyes that found interest in seeing how Alice was able to dodge his surprise attack.

'He doesn't feel as dangerous as Lars or the Assassin… Perhaps he's got less Sigils than them?' Alice thought to herself while slowly backing off. She didn't know where his partner was since this was teams of two.

"Though I suppose I can see how you could get lucky considering that you dodged my attack. But if you get lucky multiple times in a row, can it really be called luck?" The asked while slowly approaching Alice.

He had one hand on his sheathed sword, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

"Where your friend? Thought this was teams of two?" Alice asked as she adjusted her grip on the dagger.

Since he was most likely another Sigil bearer, it was going to be hard to outrun him.

"Hou~? Are you asking that because you want to fight us two against one, or are you asking that because you're worried that he'll sneak attack you while you fight me? Either way, it's just me around here so don't worry." He smiled while dashing towards Alice with his sword swinging down in a downward motion.

Seeing this, Alice wanted to parry the blade to the side but eventually decided against it. She was fast enough to dodge so there was no need to risk things just yet.

However, the main thing she noticed was that he was lying. His friend was around here somewhere just like how Lilia was waiting in the dark. With both sides keeping one partner hidden, it was going to be a fight of who forces the other first.

'If Lilia appears first, we'll be at a disadvantage. I need to hold my ground and try push him into a bad position. Let's try force out his Sigil powers.'

Narrowing her eyes, Alice decided to go for the initiative.

With the man missing his cleave down, she rushed in from the side and stabbed towards his armpit with her dagger. She wanted to injure his shoulder to remove the threat of him being able to dual wield.

"That's pretty vicious of you." He laughed while blocking her dagger with his sheath.

Twisting his body, he wanted to sweep Alice off her feet but she was prepared.

She had flicked her wrist upwards and the second dagger was flying towards his face while she jumped over the leg sweep.

With no other choice, the man parried her dagger with his sword and managed to dodge the attack in time.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Alice decided to stab towards the thigh instead.

Surprised by Alice's ruthlessness, the man stopped smiling and pulled his leg back before creating some distance between them.

"You know, I have to say I was rather confused. These underground fights are usually done with slaves that only have two Sigils. Once we win one of these fights, we'll be allowed to see the Shaman to take a bounty for a third Sigil. After that, we'll be a main attraction for the fights. Yet somehow, you and your friend were chosen for this fight despite not having a single Sigil. I underestimated you and for that, I'm sorry." The man apologized as he unsheathed his second blade.

"Clearly I'll be making a fool out of myself if I don't take this a little seriously so don't hold it against me." He narrowed his eyes. Shadows lurked around his body before converging towards his chest and forming a Sigil on his collar bone while a second Sigil formed around his eye.

'Two Sigil user!' Alice widened her eyes.

She understood that she had been sabotaged. The VIP that brought the spider must've been annoyed that she killed it after the main attraction died.

Gritting her teeth, Alice couldn't help but curse the VIP in her mind while trying to keep her focus up against this man. She had never fought another person never mind a two Sigil user. One wrong step and this was going to be her end.

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Kapitel 26: Using The First Sigil

With things as they were, it was very risky for Lilia to reveal herself.

'Every contestant in this arena has two Sigils, if what he said was correct. While I do have one Sigil, Lilia doesn't have any. The moment she appears, she'll most likely get killed by the other person that's hiding.' Alice thought to herself.

"Before we start fighting for real, care to tell me your name?" The man asked with a smile.

"Only if you tell me yours."

"It's only natural of me to do so. Alright, the name is Tristan. Now, may I know the name of the lady I'm about to kill?" Tristan asked as he entered a battle stance with his blades.

"Alice."

Right after finishing her reply, Alice dashed forward. She had to pressure him and force his partner to reveal himself!

Just before reaching Tristan, she stopped her momentum and kicked dirt towards his face, causing him to frown before swinging in Alice's direction.

Missing his attack, Tristan immediately backed up while preparing the second blade for a follow up if Alice revealed herself.

A small hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, preventing him from swinging the second blade.

"!!!" Widening his eyes in shock, Tristan watched as Alice swung herself behind him with her momentum in an attempt to stab him in the back. Using his main sword, he parried her attack before letting go of the other blade.

Grabbing Alice by the wrist, Tristan attempted to swing her over his shoulder and into the ground. However, just as he swung Alice over his shoulders, a dirty foot kicked him in the face, some dirt entering his eyes.

Stumbling back, he let go of Alice and wiped his face to get the dirt out of his eyes.

Once he managed to open his eyes, Tristan watched a blade enter his vision, threatening to cut his head in two.

'Is this really a girl with no Sigils??? She fights more viciously than some of the beasts I've killed in the past!' Tristan screamed in his mind as he bent his body back, narrowly avoiding the blade.

Before he could counter, Alice had already abandoned the sword that was more than half her size, knowing she could not recover fast enough for a follow up swing. There was simply too much momentum for her to stop.

With the blade now tossed aside, Alice returned to her original spot after picking up the dagger she threw earlier.

Seeing that Tristan was not harmed in the slightest, she clicked her tongue in frustration. She had tried her best during that barrage of attacks, yet none of them landed.

Panting softly, she was trying to catch her breath since it seemed as though Tristan was also taking a moment to recover. As much as she wanted to attack him again, she didn't have the stamina to keep up a fast-paced assault like that back-to-back.

"No more playing around!" Tristan gritted his teeth as his first Sigil lit up with a purple glow. Dashing forward, he twisted his body, putting his full force into the swing.

Watching it in slow motion, Alice caught a small flicker of lightning on the blade. She knew she had to dodge. Putting as much force into her legs as she could muster, she barely dodged a streak of lightning that exploded forth from the blade.

*KSH!!!*

Striking the wall behind Alice, the wood was ripped apart and set aflame. She couldn't help but sweat at the thought of what might have happened if it hit her. If she wasn't able to dodge in time, she would've been taken out of this fight.

Gritting her teeth, she lunged towards Tristan in desperation. There was no telling how many times she would be able to dodge the lightning. She couldn't hold back.

Shocked that she was able to dodge the lightning, Tristan paused for a moment before quickly recovering as he adjusted his grip and thrust his sword forward. A streak of lightning arced towards Alice's face, but once again, she was able to dodge it. She had relaxed her legs and rolled across the floor. She could feel her hair stand up from the lightning.

Throwing her dagger, Alice took the small window of time to drag the blade of the other dagger across her palm.

Since her first Sigil was in her blood, she wasn't sure if it was a passive effect that permanently changed her blood or if the poison was something she had to activate manually. Either way, it was a good time to test its effectiveness.

As long as she cuts him or finds a way for her blood to enter his body, she should be able to test if it worked passively or not!

With a plan in mind, she jumped towards him with her dagger hidden behind her.

"You damn brat!" Tristan shouted out in frustration, his composure long gone. He couldn't believe he wasn't able to kill a brat despite having two Sigils.

Closing his left eye for a moment, he reopened it as Alice felt the fear of death.

*BANG!!!*

Before she could react, a bolt of lightning dropped down from the skies and struck her body. The power of this lightning was weaker than the previous strikes, but it made up for that in terms of activation speed.

Seeing Alice drop to her knees while struggling to stay conscious, Tristan sighed in relief.

He couldn't admit that a no-Sigil brat actually made him panic, but it was the truth. The way she moved, her reaction speed and her instincts were all top tier. Had it not been for the unseen surprise attack thanks to his second Sigil, he didn't think he would be able to catch her without exerting himself to the limit.

But now that Alice was defenseless, he sheathed his second blade and prepared to kill her with his main sword.

'NOW!' Snapping her eyes open, Alice glared at Tristan who had walked within her range and lunged towards him despite being riddled with open wounds and burns.

'She can still move in that state!?!?' Stumbling back in shock, Tristan was unable to react in time as Alice managed to stab her dagger deep into his forearm. With her blood now entering his body, she gave the dagger a twist just to make the wound bigger.

Just as Tristan wanted to throw Alice away, he buckled over on one knee as strength left his body. His muscles fell limp as he seemed to be struggling against something.

Seeing this, Alice realised that her blood had indeed changed; it was passively acting as the Twilight Hunter's poison. However, the potency of the blood was severely weakened as Tristan snapped out of his stupor and grabbed Alice by the head before slamming her against the ground.

*COUGH!*

Feeling the wind being pushed out of her lungs, Alice was not able to move her body at all.

With anger in his eyes, Tristan no longer wasted any time and tried to stab her with his blade.

"ARGGGG!"

Before he could kill Alice, Lilia appeared behind him and stabbed his heel. Forcing him to collapse onto his knees, she sighed in relief seeing the sword miss Alice. Her life was spared, for now.

Changing her target to his neck, she was about to end his life when a wave of spikes shot towards her location. Quickly jumping back, she grabbed Alice's body and created some distance between them.

"Don't smell blood. Careful." Alice muttered as Lilia furrowed her brows. However, she had already breathed in the fumes. Her body was continuously losing strength.

Widening her eyes, it reminded her of what happened to the Assassin against the spider.

'It can't be…' Lilia furrowed her brows since Alice shouldn't have been able to get a Sigil from that kill. However, if she had seen a shaman before arriving at the docks, it would make sense why she was adamant on killing that Spider.

But these were questions she could ask later, once they got out of their predicament.

"Kill them both! Especially that flower eye brat! Make sure she dies painfully!" Tristan ra as he was clutching his heels in pain.

His friend that had arrived was dressed in a similar fashion only with his forearms fully exposed. Spikes could be seen growing out from his forearms towards his fist and it was these same spikes that had forced Lilia to back off.

He was also a two Sigil user as a Sigil could be seen on his forearms and on his neck.

"Alright." The man nodded his head as the Sigil on his forearms lit up with an orange glow.

Flicking his arms, tens of spikes launched towards the two of them as Lilia grabbed some nearby planks and used it as cover. However, the spikes easily demolished the plank as though it was nothing.

But Lilia's goal had been reached and it served as a small protection against the lethal spikes.

She covered for Alice and was littered with wounds from head to toe.

"Things are looking a tad rough huh? If you have any more Twilight Hunter blood, this might be the time to use it." Lilia forced a smile since facing against a duo of two Sigil users was not what she had expected coming into this.

"Alright." Alice nodded her head. This was no time to hold back.

She understood that her first Sigil now had a passive effect, one that was slightly weaker than the Twilight Hunter poison. But there was something more. She could still feel that her Sigil could grant her another ability, an active ability.

Alice just had to reach deep inside and pull out the abyssal power that dwelled within her body. One that required her to active her Sigil.

Taking a deep breath, she could feel a wave of shadows squirming towards her arm as it solidified into her first Sigil. A deep crimson energy pulsed out as a new sensation filled Alice's body.

Seeing the Sigil on Alice's arm, Lilia was shocked speechless, but a smile appeared on her face. She understood that Alice was something that could protect herself when needed. She wasn't something that needed Lilia's protection constantly.