บท 33: -And The Great One's Party
[One hour before…]
-Clank!
-Twing!
-Clank!
Her hands gripped the handle of her sword, as sweat began to trickle down her face, her shirt already soaked. Lia didn't have much choice in being on the defensive as Alan had never given her the chance to do so.
Constantly, his attacks coming swiftly and with great force, they almost always knocked her off balance, which would have left her exposed.
And then dead.
But as Lia grit her teeth, her muscles burning like fire, she could only suck it up and make the most of what she was given.
And that was her speed.
For several minutes they had traded blows, matching each other's strength and speed in each attack, though Lia knew that would soon end, as the force behind Alan's attacks grew and grew.
Soon, they would leave her in the dust, creating a gap she could never hope to cross. And it would be her inevitable defeat.
But that was only what it appeared to be on the surface, as Lia had secretly been building up her saved mana, just for this very moment.
'When I'm knocked down again, he'll go for my head. That's when I need to strike.'
Throughout their entire battle, each time Alan gained even a little ground against her, he would respond with a flurry of attacks, no logic leading them, only sheer anger and rage.
The same anger and rage would cause a mistake, eventually. And it was precisely because of this, that Lia had been buying her time, waiting for the moment when she could strike.
And just as that thought left her head, she found herself flung to the ground on one knee, bracing her sword with two hands above her.
Just as she predicted, Alan's attacks grew in number, as did the force behind the attacks, fueled by anger and hatred.
-Clang! -Clang! -Clang!
Alan's face contorted in anger, as Lia's fell into desperation, as she forced herself to circulate the mana left inside her body faster.
'Shit…I didn't expect this time to be different. I need to hurry.'
Though the scene was just as Lia had predicted, what Lia didn't think to account for, was the force Alan's hatred would have, and the effect it would have on her.
'I'm already weak from my fight with that Tank. At this rate I won't make it much longer.'
With each attack, Lia felt her other knee and calf begin to give out, the shock of the blows creating strain on her body, and her mind.
Her eyes searched around for an escape, one that would allow her to leave the disadvantageous position she was in, but also allow her to land a major blow on Alan.
And she found it.
"Do you think you can escape?"
-Clang!
Alan had taken notice of Lia's wandering eyes, and quickly put together an idea of what she was trying to do, and attempted to stop her.
"Gah!"
Alan bore down his entire weight on Lia, forcing her to lean her body backwards, arching her back, to keep his sword from sliding against the surface of her own, and leaving a nasty gash in her head.
It was because of this that Lia let out a subtle sound of pain, her eyes betraying her fear.
"Did you really think you could win?"
Taunting Lia, Alan tried his best to break her mentally, as he was already winning in strength.
But even with his entire weight bearing down on top of her, Lia did not give up hope, as this was all within her expectations.
Arching her back even more, Lia's body inadvertently positioned Alan's in a leaning position, one that would be the deciding factor in her next steps.
"Why do you say that?"
Lia asked, not bothering to hide her taunting attitude.
"Were you afraid of losing?"
At the sound of her words, Alan's eyes widened in anger, as his lips began to spread apart, showing his clenching teeth, and the anger he had within.
'Fool.'
Though Lia was leaning backwards, she did not make the mistake of sitting on her leg or foot, but instead, sat on the stone ground. Because of this, Lia was easily able to arch her back even farther, using Alan's momentum against him, lifting his feet off the ground, and tossing him overhead, following the path of her arching body.
The result of this maneuver left Alan crashing against the ground with Lia now on top of him. His arms were pinned by her boots, as it was now her time to attack.
And the attack she did.
Just as she was about to land her first blow on Alan, her body suddenly felt lighter, her strength returning, and her mana capacity skyrocketing. It was a moment that lasted for only a second, but in that second, it had felt to Lia like someone had just turned back time.
What luck.
Using the method Cain had taught her, Lia activated Drifting Winds, and used the skill in quick bursts of movements, preferably in her arms.
The result of which was a speeding, almost unseeable flurry of punches that all found their mark on Alan.
In total, Lia guessed she had landed at least twenty to thirty punches on the man as her mana slowly drained out, and Drifting Winds was deactivated.
Though he made no sound, Lia could tell that he was in pain as his arms continuously tried to free themselves to cover his face.
But Lia didn't allow it, as her boots dug deeper into his flesh.
As Lia raised her fist again, ready for another flurry of punches, she was unaware of how close her head actually was to Alan's.
She soon found out as Alan quickly head butted her, sending a lightning bolt of pain into her head, as she instinctively held her bleeding nose, where the full force of the blow had landed.
She knew, instantly, that it was broken.
But that wasn't the end, as the shock of the attack had caused her feet to lose their grip on Alan's arms, allowing them to slip through, and land a solid punch on her head.
Clutching her head, Lia didn't take any notice of her body slowly slipping to the floor as Alan rushed to get out from underneath her.
Grabbing his sword, he quickly raised it above his head, attempting to bring it down on her. But he was left disappointed as his sword came in contact with the ground, shattering the smooth stone.
Lia had seen Alan raise his blade, and quickly, using Drifting Winds, shot herself out from under him, covering the distance of several feet in a second.
Now, they were back to square one.
***
As Alan and Lia stood there, mere feet apart, the only thing betraying the silence between them was the sound of their labored breathing.
Alan's mind began racing, his thoughts filled with doubts and questions.
'Was that a skill? Did she use it before? Is that how she survived for so long against Bear and his tanking maneuvers?'
Already his mind was writing everything that had transpired between the two as the work of skills and mana, rather than pure fighting force.
The mere thought disgusted him.
To him, it appeared as though Lia had always been relying on skills to last against his allies and against him, rather than using her own strength to fight.
'So she's just like the others. A true summoner to the end.'
Though summoners were marveled as people of great importance and prestige, not only for the power they wielded, but also for the knowledge they held over others.
But secretly, it was a widely known fact that summoners relied on their summons to fight, leaving many, especially those in Morden who valued strength and honor above all else, to see summoners as weak.
Though it was never - except for a few occasions, depending on the person - said out right, everyone had this belief at one point in their lives, even if it was for barely a second.
Again, the mere thought enraged him.
'Overrated.'
It was all he could think. Summoners and summons, being hailed as the pride of the world and the mightiest of all heroes and warriors, were nothing but overrated garbage in his eyes.
A sword is a sword, no matter if it's decorated in gold or iron. Gold may be more valuable than iron, but at the end of the day, a sword is a sword.
A weapon for killing.
To Alan, it didn't matter if it was gold, silver, copper, or rusted iron. If it killed, it killed.
"That skill is impressive. If this had been a normal fight, I would have expected you to use your summons to fight. Gods know, you're going to need it."
In the end he couldn't help but voice his disgust about the battle out loud. But what he saw next, was nothing like he had expected.
For a moment, Lia's face looked surprised at his words, before her eyes moved behind Alan to the fight between Cain and the Tank, before quickly snapping back to Alan.
'Is there something I'm not getting?'
As Alan thought over Lia's recent actions and her look of pure surprise in her face, he began to think that he might have missed something. Something important, involving that man.
Alan shivered, just from the mere thought of Cain, and his extensive knowledge of who he was, and his past.
In all honesty, it had shocked him when he heard just how much Cain knew about him.
'Perhaps when I win this little battle, I can use her as leverage to force him into telling how he got that information.'
Though Alan had come here with the intent to kill Lia, he did not expect Rain and Cain to have been present as well, throwing his plans into some makeshift war tactic.
But if Alan had to choose, he certainly could say that he feared Cain much more than he feared Lia, given all that he knew.
'At least she hasn't called out her summons yet. That much I can be grateful for.'
If Alan had to choose between fighting Lia or her summons, he much rather preferred to face off against the weak Lia, than whatever summons she had called forth to deal with such a large army of spiders.
Just the thought made Alan's mind race in fear.
As Alan's eyes locked with Lia's, they both, as if speaking to each other in their minds, could tell that the other had decided to continue.
But just as Alan was readying himself to attack, his mind racing between ideas he had to bring Lia to the ground, he stopped, and his eyes widened in shock.
Then, the thunder struck his ears.
But this was a chance he would not soon miss.
***
Lia's body was on fire, both in pain and exhaustion. But it was also burning with power, the limits of her body felt as though they didn't exist.
The burst of power in her blood gave her new hope. Never before did she believe that she could fight with such certainty, but she was wrong.
'This must be Cain.'
The feeling was extraordinary, but Lia knew it wasn't some work of a miracle or fate.
There was always logic to the illogical.
Power surged through her veins and the increasing mana in her body skyrocketed. Lia could only imagine the damage she could deal against Alan if her body wasn't in the state it was in.
As of now, she was exhausted. More so than she let on.
Having used Drifting Winds to fight, at the start of the battle, her mana had already depleted far below what she had originally hoped for.
Not to mention fighting with the Tank, his strength and dexterity overwhelmed her, leaving her body sore in places she never thought were even possible.
And now, after all that, with barely a break, she was fighting again, against an opponent she had no confidence in defeating.
'It just goes to show just how weak I really am. And how much I need to improve.'
Firming her respite, Lia straightened her back, preparing for the fight she knew would more than likely end her life.
'I can't keep relying on Cain. I need to show him I'm worthy of being his summoner. That it wasn't a mistake or a mishap. But fate.'
As her eyes paused on Alan, his own locked with hers.
'He's ready.'
Though they never spoke, and never showed any signs of agreement, they both had reached a firm decision.
'This is it. The last exchange.'
Whoever was to walk away from this fight, breathing with fire still in their chests, would be the victor. The other?
Well….the dead don't comment.
Lia raised her blade, her sword mimicking the motion of Alan's, which raised to meet her's.
'Here we go.'
Their eyes locked, their muscles burning, their bodies prepared. And in one final moment, they took a step towards one another.
And then the world crashed around them. Or rather, around Lia.
-BOOM!
Lia felt the ground beneath her give way, as she fought to keep her balance on the already cracking stone.
Debris and dust were flying everywhere around her, and the sound of a faint, but easily recognizable sound of bones breaking, sounded out through the chamber.
-Crack!
Lia's head instinctively turned to the sound, as the dust settled before her eyes, revealing a large pillar, several meters long. Or rather, once in height, now measured by length.
Even though she couldn't see it, she knew there had been someone underneath that pillar. But what shocked her more was that she knew who it was.
'The Tank. Then that means…Cain-'
But just as her eyes were searching the cleaning dust cloud for her ally, a gut wrenching sound pierced her ears.
-Squench!
It was a sound she had heard, though rarely before, and it was unmistakable.
Flesh.
The sound of a weapon piercing flesh.
She felt nothing, as her eyes widened at the sight of blood and her vision blurring.
Instinctively, her head glanced down, only to find more blood pouring out from a gaping wound, a metal sword tip jutting from her stomach.
'Ah…so that's what it was.'
And with that, her body collapsed, and the sword was pulled from her body in one clean motion.
The last thing she saw was the faint and blurry image of a man, his hands pressed against her wound though-
'Wait, are those hands. They look so big.'
The sounds of a fading battle, stone breaking, and loud crashing noises began fading into the distance, as her mind and thoughts left her.
She was dead.
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