章節 184: The face of death (1)
Once again, we gathered in the arena, and Rizel, who had scarcely appeared these three days, emerged in a brand-new mantle adorned with a green thorny pattern. It fastened with a small brooch in the shape of a skull around her neck. Katrina, inspired by Seleria, was eager to engage in the battle and occasionally glanced in my direction with hope.
"Kat, could you hold onto this for me during the fight?" I led the princess aside and handed her a round topaz.
"This gem?" she asked.
"I'll explain later, just need to charge it a bit," I replied.
"Alright." I turned away, but Katrina stopped me. "Krito... Good luck to you."
"Don't worry, I won't lose to him for anything. Hopefully, we'll see each other in the finals."
"Mhm, yes, of course." Katrina smiled shyly and nodded.
The penultimate stage began. Today, there were only two battles, but the spectators awaited each one eagerly.
"Ho-ho-ho, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to your beloved commentator Vinila Vorson! We are now approaching the determination of the winner," a cheerful voice announced the beginning of the third round. "Today, there will be two battles back-to-back, so don't relax. We'll find out the names of the finalists today and, of course, witness the showdown between a necromancer and the most powerful lightning sorceress, an inquisitor and a clever street orphan."
With those words, our images appeared on the screen under the dome. Alfred wore a rather confident smile; he was already sure of his victory. Rizel leaned on her staff and didn't even look into the camera. Katrina was visibly nervous, but she maintained her fighting spirit. I glanced at the crystal, sighed, and turned away.
"First, we will have the battle between Princess Katrina and the shinigami, Rizel!! Contestants, please step onto the arena."
The girls headed toward the exit.
"Kat, is it just me, or are you trembling a bit?" Rizel's voice held a touch of emotion, as usual.
"Yes, I don't know how to explain it, but I've been looking forward to this battle," Katrina smiled at her rival, and Rizel nodded shyly. "The anticipation of fighting a strong opponent gives me a slight thrill."
"We shall fight fairly and honorably," the necromancer's voice hinted at a sense of joy.
The girls reached the center of the arena and distanced themselves considerably. It seemed that both planned to start with long-range attacks, thus maintaining over thirty meters between them.
"Here we have one of the most anticipated battles," Vinila took the floor before the fight began. "Rizel, the enigmatic necromancer about whom little is known, except for her unparalleled mastery of death magic and close combat skills."
The screen displayed a girl in a black mantle, and although the audience initially viewed her with suspicion and wariness, she had now won their affection through her strength and brilliant victories.
"And Katrina, the princess of Verania, recognized as the most powerful lightning mage in the last few centuries. But will she be able to break through the defense of the invincible Rizel!!!"
The screen showed the princess, and the crowd erupted in applause. Previously unknown and now beloved by all for her confidence and bravery, the princess easily won the love of her people.
"Let the battle decide everything!!"
As the signal sounded, Katrina raised her hands to the sky and began gathering lightning. She slowly spread her arms, and bright bolts of electricity flickered between her fingers. They shot up into the dome and converged into one enormous sphere. In just half a minute, the princess formed a massive ball of lightning above her, as large as a young dragon.
"I've long wanted to test the extent of my powers!" Katrina swung her arms and sent the massive sphere towards her opponent. "Your shield may protect against everything, but how long can it hold?"
Rizel positioned a silver staff in front of her and drove its tip into the ground. The spherical lightning collided with an invisible barrier, trying to break through it with a screech. The flash with sparks clashed against the unseen barrier, and under the strain of the spell, the necromancer involuntarily crouched.
Gathering her strength, Rizel pushed the lightning towards the top of the dome, and the spell exploded with a deafening roar. The explosion was so powerful that it threw the girls away from the center of the arena. For a moment, the flash blinded the audience, and only a muffled thud against the wall was heard. When the light subsided, the spectators saw Katrina rising to her feet near one of the walls. The impact had thrown her across the entire arena, but she had managed to protect herself from the blow and wasn't seriously hurt. Meanwhile, the black cloak lay motionless at the opposite end of the arena.
"Rizel? What happened there?" Vinila worried for her friend, but the crystal barrier, still heated by the powerful spell, hindered her from seeing what was happening in the arena. "Who's there in the center?"
The black mantle lay on the ground without movement, as the clasp had been torn off by the explosion. The owner of the mantle was not inside; she stood ten meters away from where she boldly met the most powerful attack. The staff's tip was buried ten centimeters deep in the floor, and it was only with its help that she managed to remain standing.
"Wow!! Finally!!!" Vinila's joy was entirely understandable. The shadow that had enveloped the necromancer began to dissipate, and she appeared before the audience in her true form.
She was a tall, slender girl, perhaps even too skinny, but it made her quite elegant. Her eyes were sharp green, shimmering with a mysterious light. The left eye was slightly covered by bangs, making it hidden under the hood. Her skin was pure white, as if it had never been touched by sunlight, and she had delicate rosy lips. Her long, almost silver-white hair cascaded to the ground, reaching her ankles, and was fastened by a silver skull-shaped hairpin at the level of her ankles.
Her outfit, if it could be called that, was also quite unusual. It wasn't a two-layered skirt like other girls wore. She wore a closed black velvet top, with sleeves that ended at her shoulders, and it ended at her thighs. The belt was designed as an ornament with intertwined bones and a skull-shaped buckle. From the belt to her chest, several rows of silvery ribbons encircled her waist, resembling ribs in some way. The outfit had a high black collar with a silver trim. On her hands, she wore long, slim gray gloves with a black stripe on the outer side, reaching almost to the short sleeves of the outfit, leaving a thin strip of pure white skin visible. On the slender legs of the necromancer were similar gray silk boots, reaching up to her thighs and revealing a thin strip of skin that tantalized the gaze of male spectators.
But the most astonishing part of her attire was the skirt made of dark translucent material that seemed to grow and move as if it were alive, starting from the girl's waist. It constantly changed its form, and its edges were blurry; I doubted there was any material in the world with such incredible properties.
"Kaaat!! Now I'm really getting angry!" Rizel narrowed her eyes discontentedly and swung her staff. With one rotation, she directed it towards the ground, and in response to its mistress' will, it unfolded. The skull and bone-shaped tip extended forward and sideways, revealing a long, sharp blade. The girl swung her weapon twice, and flashes of violet flame spread out in furious whirls. The dark flames of decay blazing behind her and the two-meter-long silver braid perfectly complemented the image of the mistress of death, leaving the spectators impressed.
"Ohhhh!! What a beauty!!!!!" Vinila's high-pitched voice almost ruptured my eardrums. "Verny, quickly order 200 portraits and figurines of Rizel!!"
"VIIIIIIIIIIINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rizel raised her scythe above her head and, slightly blushing, shouted at the vendor, "What are you doing behind my back!?"
"Hmm, indeed, where are my manners? Verny, 300 figurines, and preferably in this pose; it will be even more popular."
"Oh, you!" The necromancer swung her staff, and a stream of violet flame crashed into the barrier.
"Dean, is the barrier going to hold for sure?"
"It will hold, it will hold. By the way, can I order a couple of figurines too?"
"Of course, we'll agree on the price later, hehehe."
"What on earth are you all doing there!!! Stop it!!" Rizel's pale face flushed with color with each passing second.
"Don't yell at us, you have your own business to attend to!"
Rizel flinched and turned towards Katrina. The princess waved her hand, trying to get her attention.
"Well, have you finished?" Katrina wasn't sure if they should continue the fight.
"It's all right, I'll deal with her later," Rizel coughed, covering her mouth with her hand, and muttered ominously, "cruelly and bloodily."
The necromancer tucked the scythe handle behind her back, directing the blade parallel to the ground. The black skirt slowly dissolved in the air, while the girl's shadow began to grow. As the transparent material disappeared, huge bony wings emerged from the shadow behind her. And when the entire skirt dissolved, the wings flapped widely, and Rizel leaped into the air. With two rotations, she brought down the blade wrapped in violet flames on Katrina. The princess jumped back, and the blade entered the ground, spreading destructive force around. The earth at the impact site instantly turned into scorched wasteland.
Katrina gathered a charge in her hands and released two lightning bolts in succession towards her opponent. Bouncing off the invisible shield, the lightning veered away and struck the statues around the perimeter. The princess pushed off the ground and, in the blink of an eye, found herself in front of the necromancer. Kat surrounded her hand with lightning and attempted to strike her opponent's neck.
Rizel quickly released one hand from the scythe and half-turned away from the attack. Using her other hand as a lever, the necromancer pushed the scythe's handle down and pulled it out of the ground. The scythe described a graceful arc in the air and landed perfectly back in its owner's hand. With momentum, Rizel struck at the princess's neck with the scythe, but Katrina stopped the scythe's handle with an electric field on her hand.
"I thought so," the princess smiled contentedly. "Your Thanatos Shield is not like Alfred's barrier, Grain's shield, or Krito's dispersion power. It's something different."
"Ha-ha-ha," Rizel smiled slightly, playfully flashing her eyes. "And what conclusion have you drawn?"
"You put up and take down the shield too quickly, and besides using it for defense, you also use it for offense," the girls were still standing entwined. "Necromancers are masters of mental magic; they can control souls."
"Andddd, what are you saying?"
"It's telekinesis, which all mages possess to some extent, but you have it in an excellent measure. When using the barrier, your aura or electric field changes significantly, becoming much larger. You manipulate your own soul, enlarging and reducing it as needed."
"I didn't think you'd figure that out. I simply summon spiritual hands and use them to shield myself from any attack. Since they consist solely of my mental energy and are not connected to my physical body, spell effects don't affect me."
"But this power exhausts you, even if you only put up the shield when going into close combat."
"Don't worry about that; I have enough strength for it," Rizel sharply pulled the handle towards herself, and the blade quickly passed through Katrina's fingers.
"AAAA! "Katrina grasped her hand, trying to stop the blood, but there was no blood. "What was that? I felt your blade cut off my hand."
The princess's hand was intact, but she still couldn't move her fingers.
"Let me reveal one secret," Rizel ran her hand along the sharp blade, gathering some mysterious blue energy from it, and sent it towards Katrina. "This is the Blade of the Soul, there are only three such weapons in the world."
The princess looked at her hand, the sensitivity returning after the blue energy entered her body.
"It doesn't attack my body."
"Yes," Rizel smiled mysteriously. "This blade tears apart the enemy's soul, but of course, I can return it. So I advise you not to get hit."
Rizel wrapped the silver blade in the flames of decay and poised the scythe for an attack. With a single swing, she sent a powerful wave of death towards her opponent.
Katrina gathered mana in her knees and quickly leaped aside at maximum speed.
"Darn it, Riz, you could've killed me!" Katrina got up from the ground, dusting off her dress, and noticed something at the edge of her outer skirt.
"Don't worry, I listened to Rumy's advice; this flame won't harm you," Rizel looked at the hem of Katrina's skirt with a smirk. The very bottom of the skirt was charred, leaving a decent hole that exposed the princess's knees. "But I'll get back at you for ripping my cape."
Rizel took the scythe by the middle of its handle and began spinning in place, sending waves of dark energy around her. Violet flames spread across the entire arena, scorching the ground and vegetation, leaving no room for the princess to retreat.
"You won't catch me like that!" Katrina leaped with all her strength under the arena's dome and gathered a charge in her hands, releasing a hail of lightning towards the necromancer. The attack forced Rizel to stop, and she positioned the scythe in front of her to defend against the lightning.
The lightning continued to clash with the Thanatos Shield, reflecting off the ground, walls, and statues around. The flames in the center of the arena subsided, and as Katrina landed, she continued to shower her opponent with discharges. All the lightning was successfully redirected by the barrier, but the princess managed to alter the trajectory of one of the lightning bolts and send it back to Rizel's back. Without encountering any obstacles, the small discharge struck her shoulder.
"Ouch!" It was as if a tiny bee had just stung her, and Rizel tried to reach the spot of impact. Abandoning her attempts to touch the area, the necromancer nonchalantly turned the scythe around and scratched her back with the cursed blade. "That hurt a bit."
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
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