NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 10 Training (Part 3)
“Fwaaaaghh”
“Haaaaaghh”
“Morning Sharon” Amelia said as she crawled out of her bed
“Good Morning Amelia” Sharon replied as she sat up, her hair covering her face
“Ready for today?”
“I gotta be. It’s my first time fighting an S-Rank person before”
“Heh. you will wish it will just be Lance your fighting today” Amelia added with a small chuckle as she walked towards the wardrobe in the room
“What does that mean?” Sharon asked, a bit concerned
“Who knows? Who knows…” Amelia answered, the dodging making Sharon even more concerned
Sharon followed Amelia and hopped off her bed, she walked towards the restroom door inside their lodging, washing her face before taking a full soak inside the tub provided. Sighing to herself as she felt relaxed and comfortable inside the tub. Amelia on the other hand had sat back on her bed, crossed her legs, and went into a meditative state. Clutching the crystal Ophelia gave her in her hand and taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes.
[Ophelia? hello? ] she called out into the void
[Yes my love] Ophelia’s lovely response, making Amelia smile
[I just wanted to hear from you again…it’s been a while hasn’t it?]
[Fufu, I know it has been. But from the tone of your voice, I can tell you have something on your mind my dear] Ophelia answered, her warm voice making Amelia fight back the tears welling in her eyes
[You can always tell…well yes, I do have something in my mind that I wish to speak with you about, but only when we reunite…having to speak with you like this without seeing you is…difficult for me] Amelia’s tone and voice shaking as she could feel tears running down her cheeks
But as she felt the tears run down her cheeks, so too did she feel the sensation of a warm hand caressing them, wiping them away with a single stroke.
[Open your eyes my love] Ophelia’s voice filling her mind
At her request Amelia opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of a crystal blue figure that looked exactly like Ophelia, the figure was being emitted by the crystal that was clutched in her hand.
[Did you forget it could do this?] Ophelia asked, a playful smile flashing across her face
Amelia nodded and held onto the Wisp-made hand that caressed her cheek, feeling the warmth that was emanating through it. Amelia then took a good look at the figure being projected and noticed that Ophelia wasn’t wearing her typical two-piece dress and scarf, but instead a set of plate armor,
[Why are you in plate armor] she asked
[Well, it is a long story but in short I am about to fight a dragon, specifically a divine beast that is a dragon] Ophelia replied with a smile
[What?!] Amelia exclaimed, confusion in her face
[I will explain better when we meet up, for now. Why don’t we have a chat. It can be about anything] Ophelia stated as she cupped Amelia’s face
[Un. ok then]
The two of them spent the next hour catching up, Amelia retelling her experiences on using the new magic she had learned from the book left behind, as well as the experiences of training Sharon by just throwing her against strong opponents and intervening when it was necessary.
[So you basically did what I did to you no?] Ophelia remarked as Amelia finished recounting that detail
[Yeah pretty much, although I have yet to spar with her…on that note, I was able to rebuild things with Lance]
[Oh? Lance Triost was it?]
[Yep]
[Well, that’s good. I know how much you valued your friendship]
[Well, it is less than it was before, thanks to all of those things that happened]
[That is understandable Amelia, no one should shame you for what you did] Ophelia said as she patted Amelia on the head
At that moment, the crystal began glowing and both of them had frowns on their faces,
[Looks like it’s time for me to go. Keep doing what is necessary for the plan Amelia. I know you can do it] Ophelia reassured her with a smile
[I will. Good luck with whatever you're doing…and…I love you]
Ophelia smiled as she cupped the cheeks of her love and kissed her
[Thank you, my love. Thank you]
Were the final words as the wisp figure disappeared into a million balls of light and went back inside the crystal Amelia was clutching, wiping a tear away, she looked at the bathroom door and saw Sharon wrapped in a towel, her hair let loose and flowing on her back, supporting her chest by placing her left arm under it, staring at Amelia as she was leaning on the doorframe.
“How long were you there?” Amelia asked as she got off the bed and began undressing
“Long enough…I am amazed you both could still talk to one another” Sharon answered as she walked forward and handed a towel over to Amelia
Amelia smiled as she took the towel and plopped it down on the bed, unbuttoning her shirt and slipping out of her pants she revealed her baby smooth and silky skin. Her well-endowed figure made Sharon a little jealous as she scanned her best friend up and down, drinking up all of the details that her beautiful and voluptuous body was revealing at the moment.
“You know…” Amelia began as she noticed Sharon’s staring
“This is mostly an illusion”
“What?” Sharon reacted
“I am not kidding”
“Can you please show me then?” Sharon asked, crossing her arms and focusing on her friend
“Alright then”
A small smile flashed across Amelia's face as she undid the illusion magic she had cast,
“What the-?”
Amelia’s body then let out a visible colorless wave that revealed scars running along her body, several of which were located on her arms, legs, back, and chest areas’. Sharon was lost for words when she saw all of the damage Amelia’s body was hiding. She stepped forward and cupped the breasts of Amelia, inspecting the scar that was running down from the beginning of her neck all the way down to her right breast. Stopping above the place where her heart relatively should be.
“What is this scar here?” Sharon asked as she pointed towards it
“I can answer that another day, let’s get ready for your training” Amelia answered as she walked over to the bathroom,
“R-right”
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
The morning sky was clear and bright, not a single cloud in sight and the sun was shining brightly on a field outside the town of Shander. It was at the base of several mountains and surrounded by dense a dense forest, the monsters in the surrounding area had all been killed or driven away by the SS-Rank presence they could sense from the field. That SS-Rank of course was Amelia, and she was sitting on a foldable chair she had pulled out of her inventory. Opposite to her were two people clad in plate armor, one had the pristine white and gold plate armor with the golden griffin insignia of the imperial knights while the other was clad in the rose gold armor of the Halfriva Dutchy.
“Alright, both of you know the drill. It is a simple sparring match, do your best to win. I have set up several barriers to prevent any fatal injuries so if you do manage a fatal hit, it will be null and void and you will be perfectly fine. It will still hurt like hell though”
“Understood”
“Alright then”
Both of them nodded at Amelia’s words as they listened attentively
“Alright, now both of you go to one of end of the field, and get ready to fight”
“Got it!”
“Oke doke”
Amelia had a small smile as she saw both of them walking away and heading towards to sticks on either end of the field that she had placed earlier.
‘C’mon Sharon…show me what you learned so far’ she thought with a grin as she crossed her legs and took out a still-hot meat skewer from her inventory.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
‘Breathe Sharon. Breathe’ Sharon thought to herself as she her end of the field, turning around, she saw that Lance had done the same, he had reached his end of the field and she could see he was also preparing himself.
Sharon kept feeling her limbs shake and goosebumps could be felt forming. Taking several deep breaths just to stay calm and collected, visualizing the spells to cast in her head as Amelia taught her so that she can silent cast. She looked down at the weapon she was holding, it was no longer her family halberd that had an obsidian black head and an oak handle, but it was now a halberd that was jade green and intricately detailed.
Name: Hydra’s Halberd
Weapon: Halberd
Special effect: Double-Headed halberd, able to split off into two full-length halberd’s if the user disconnects the center locking piece
Sharon was surprised when Amelia gave it to her earlier as a gift for her training so far, she was even more impressed on how it looked and when she took a few practice swings and thrusts with it she was pleased that the weapon was lighter and faster than her family halberd.
‘I have a good weapon…I just hope I can use it well’ she thought as she spun the halberd in her hand with skill and grace, making the weapon move just like a parade baton. Finishing her little trick by going into a ready stance as her nerves had subsided.
‘Let’s do this’
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
On the other side of the field was Lance, a calm expression across his face as he stretched his limbs, getting himself ready. As an imperial knight, he had fought dangerous opponents before as part of the job, from bandits running rampant near the coast to the hostile tribes that dotted the far west of the empire.
‘Breathe’ he thought to himself as he brandished his sword and entered a ready stance, he had seen Sharon fight before during the academy tournaments, but he was curious and a bit nervous now since Amelia was supposedly teaching her
‘If I hadn’t hurt her would she have been willing to teach me as well?’ he thought as he glanced over to Amelia who was eating a skewer and looking at Sharon. His heart sank as he recalled that the girl he idolized and cherished as a great friend was already taken and that he had hurt her alongside the rest of the people she considered ‘scum’
‘Guess I’ll never find out’ he sighed as he raised his blade and stared down Sharon, who was in a ready stance of her own.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Amelia saw that both of them were in ready stances and smiled to herself as she raised her left hand, watching as both of them got deeper into their respective stances, a small smile on her face as she could see the will to win in both of their eyes.
“Begin!” she shouted as she dropped her hand
And as the words were shouted, both of them disappeared for a moment
CLING!
before reappearing in the center of the field with weapons locked together. Both of them with serious expressions as they locked eyes with one another.
{!} Amelia was surprised at the two of them
‘This will be interesting’ she thought as she leaned back into her chair and watched the fight unfold.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Sharon moved first as she jumped back to get some distance from her foe, her longer weapon practically useless in close range if she couldn’t use it right. Using the spells <Body Enhancement> and <Magic Enhancment> to greatly boost her fighting ability at the cost of both spells gradually draining her over time.
“Oh no you don’t!” shouted Lance as he closed the distance, his sword having a red aura around it
“You think <Endure> is going to beat me?! Come on then!” Sharon shouted back as she aimed her weapon towards him
SWISH!
CLANG!
Sharon swung her halberd down, trying to catch Lance before he could close in. the swing forced Lance to quickly parry the axe head, also forcing him to keep his distance.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Capitalizing on this, Sharon sends out several more slashes, but each one is blocked by Lance who is able to read them easily.
SWISH!
THRUST!
CHING!
“Arggh!”
Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Sharon fires another slash before immediately following up by thrusting her halberd forward, catching Lance by the shoulder. Making him shout in pain as the tip dug deep before being pulled out.
SCHWING!
TEAAR!
“gAH! Fuc-”
BWAK!
Quickly recomposing from the stab, Lance dashes forward and lands a clean upward slash that tears a whole from Sharon’s lower right torso all the way to her neck, making her scream in pain and sending a gush of blood outward, before following up with a turning side kick that sends her down to the ground.
“Oh shit!” he said as he saw the results of what he did
“Ghhh! Fuck! Damn that hurts!” Sharon exclaimed as she gripped her wound,
“Sorry about that!” Lance exclaimed as he ran over to her and began applying his hand to the wound
“Don’t you knights have some sort of magic to heal me?!” Sharon shouted as she kept pressing her wound
“Uhh, I am not really a medic so…” Lance answered with a wry smile
At that moment, their surroundings began giving off a green aura that coated the entire field, and small green balls of light floated around Sharon and her wound. The small orbs all compressed into the wound and a bright flash blinded both of them, as the flash subsided, the wound was fixed up and the armor had been restored.
“You shouldn’t have allowed him to get close Sharon” Amelia said as she walked over to them,
“If it were someone else and if the barrier were not here, you would be dead”
“Gughhh. Sorry”
“Don’t apologize to me, do better. I don’t want my best friend dying to some shmuck with a single sword, no offense Lance”
“None taken”
Amelia then stretched out her hand to help Sharon up, dusting her off as her best friend got to her feet. She then picked up the halberd on the ground and inspected it, dusting off some of the dirt that got on the handle before handing it back to Sharon
“This halberd has two heads. Use them” Amelia said with a grin
“Got it” Sharon replied as she nodded her head and understood Amelia’s hint
“Right, both of you go back to your corners and run it again, we will be here all day or until I am satisfied”
“Understood”
“Alright then”
Amelia then watched as both of them walked back towards their respective corners, once again pulling out a hot meat skewer from her item box as she sat down and looked at both of them, a small smile forming on her face as she used her <Appraisal>
Name: Sharon Halfriva
Race: Human
Power Rank: A (Bordering S)
Status: Healthy (Regeneration Barrier, Life Saving Barrier, ACTIVE)
Age: 20
STR: 1001
DEF: 980
MP: 980
DEX: 970
SPD: 1000
Skills:
Halberd Heaver [All Halberd Based Attacks will triple in speed and damage]
Lightning Step [Instantly dash in any direction with the speed of lightning]
Appraisal X [Able to see stats of those weaker than the user]
Heavy Weapon Handler XX [Proficeint in using any double-handed heavy weapons. A.e Warhammers, Halberds, Bostaff, Pike etc.]
Single Wield IX [Proficiency in using weapons with one hand]
Dual Wield XIII [Prodiciency in using weapons with two hands]
Paladin Perseverance (Passive) [All fatal hits are negated as long as the user has the will to keep fighting]
Blessing of the Saintess [When a fatality is ensured on the user, skills <Regeneration> and <Saintess Boost> are activated to keep the user alive until health arrives. Can be deactivated by the user if the user wishes]
Resilience [Negates poison damage]
Unstoppable Advancing Tower [Unable to be staggered or slowed by skills and magic that causes <stagger> and <slowed> ]
Iron Brace [Tougher skin than usual]
Skull Buster [Attacks on skull/head of target is tripled, ignores special defense]
Silent Caster [Allows silent casting of magic and skills]
Magic
Body Strengthening Magic [Boosts body ability to max for power level, Uses spells such as <Body Enhancement> (Strengthens the body to the maximum potential it has for power rank) ]
Magic Replenishment [Replenishes Magic overtime, drains energy from user to do so]
Magic Enhancement [Boosts Magic ability and strength of spells and enchantments]
Lightning Magic II [Basic lightning attacks are able to be wielded]
Fire Magic X [Advanced fire attacks are able to be wielded]
‘Hmm. Sharon does love to get in Halberd range, using her quick speed to try and destroy her opponent with overwhelming strength…the biggest drawback is that she is still slower than most single weapon users…unless she learns how to utilize her double-handed weapon and magic in close range effectively, it will always be a weakness’ Amelia thought as she finished looking at Sharon’s status.
She then shifted her gaze over to Lance and took a peek at his stats.
Name: Lance Erwin Triost
Race: Human
Power Rank: S
Status: Healthy (Regeneration Barrier, Life Saving Barrier, ACTIVE)
Age: 20
STR: 1100
DEF: 900 (+400) = 1300
MP: 1290
DEX: 1200
SPD: 1300
Skills:
Endure [All blocked attacks will add to attack power when striking back, unblockable when unleashing power used by the skill, the user into a ‘softlock’ state where no movement or casting can be made (lasts 5 minutes)]
Knight’s Resilience [Fatal attacks have a 50% chance of being ignored]
Single Wield XIV [Proficiency in using weapons with one hand]
Dual Wield III [Prodiciency in using weapons with two hands]
Instant Dash [Allows the user to instantly appear in the desired physical area that can be viewed by eyesight]
Endurance Trained [Increased Defence (+400)]
Appraisal XI [Able to see stats of those weaker than the user]
Resilience [Negates poison damage]
Triple Slash [Unleashes three fast slashes in quick succession, able to ignore special defenses]
Knight of the Empire [Able to activate ‘Fanatic Attack’ which increases user’s attack speed at the cost of defense (-900 to defense)]
Iron Slash [Unleashes a power single slash that decimates most targets (either if the target is weaker than the user or in equal strength) and also forces the user into a ‘softlock’ state where no movement or casting can be made (lasts 5 minutes)]
Magic:
Body Strengthening Magic [Boosts body ability to max for power level, Uses spells such as <Body Enhancement> (Strengthens the body to the maximum potential it has for power rank) ]
Wind Magic X [Advanced wind attacks are able to be wielded]
Magic Enhancement [Boosts Magic ability and strength of spells and enchantments]
‘Hmm, a short-range glass canon? While he does have good ranged magic in the form of those advanced wind spells, the fact is that he can’t stand at least one hit from Sharon if she’s able to land it…getting in close and doing as much damage before retreating and sending out multiple air cutter spells are what I imagine him doing…annoying but very easy to counter…especially since his defense is way below what I expected it to be if he uses <Knight of the Empire>’ Amelia thought as she finished reading Lance’s stats.
A sigh escaped Amelia’s lips before eating another part of the meat skewer, raising her hand and watching both of them get into their stances.
“Round 2. BEGIN!” she shouted as she let her hand down.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
HUP!
SLASH!
CLING!
SLASH SLASH SLASH!
CLING CLANG CLING!
“Hah..hah..hah”
“Haa…haa…”
A few hours passed as both of them continued their bout, Sharon had been beaten down multiple times, and each time she was told to get back up, the feeling of being slashed open multiple times just because she had a slower reaction stung her. Sweat had now drenched her body as she continued to keep fighting, the wounds in her body and her muscles being reinvigorated each time thanks to the barrier Amelia had set up. Lance on the other hand, was looking as if he had barely broken a sweat, he was still getting tired thanks to the hours of sparring but he was mostly alright, a grin even on his face as he felt himself getting better.
Both of them gripped their weapons tight as they were about to dash at one another again,
“Ok stop” Amelia said as she appeared between both of them,
“Lance go wait in your corner, I have something to discuss with Sharon”
“Understood” Lance replied as he sheathed his sword and walked to his end
Turning to Sharon, Amelia had a disappointed expression on her face as she snapped her fingers and the sweaty Sharon had become the prim and pristine one from before. Sharon’s expression changed from tired to regretful as she looked away from her best friend, a feeling she was familiar with bubbling up inside.
‘Dammit Sharon’ she cursed herself as she continued to avoid eye contact, making Amelia cross her arms and sigh,
“No need to feel that bad Sharon”
“But..but I’ve been doing nothing but losing these past few hours” Sharon replied as she covered her face and sat down on the ground.
Amelia’s expression softened as she sat down next to her friend
“Hey, no one has ever gotten stronger without at least experiencing the pain once or twice” She said to ease her friend's mood
“That’s easy for you to say Amelia. You already went through it” Sharon replied,
“Yeah…I did…” Amelia said with a saddened tone as she recalled Ophelia,
“Dammit Sharon” the tone made Sharon curse herself again as she realized she had said something she shouldn’t have
“Sorry…I didn’t mean that”
“It’s ok, you were just venting…”
“I…I just don’t want to disappoint you, you told me that you would be helping me turn stronger in just one month but my performance so far has…not been great. I just don’t want to disappoint you and I don’t want to disappoint my mother…” Sharon added as she looked at Amelia, a saddened expression visible on her face.
“I won’t be disappointed if you lose from time to time Sharon, and even if you don’t get stronger by the end of the month, it really isn’t the end of the world. If anything it will just make us readjust our plans, and that would mostly be it” Amelia replied as she gave Sharon a smile that made her blush.
Heaving a sigh, Sharon stood back up and dusted herself off, helping Amelia up in the process,
“Alright, Amelia. What do I need to do to improve?” Sharon asked, a newfound resolve and confidence brimming from her tone and expression.
“Alright let me tell you” Amelia replied with a grin before casting a silencing barrier around them both
“First is that you should make full use of the skills that you have at your disposal, a.e the skills named <Heavy Weapon Handler>, <Halberd Heaver>, and <Lightning Step>, you keep using only these three skills in the attempt to crush Lance quick and easy”
“Well yeah, he only wields a sword and I wield a giant ass Halberd”
FLICK
“Oww!”
“That’s precisely why you keep losing, you keep underestimating him and his weapon, sure he may have a shorter reach, but that won’t mean shit if you keep getting close enough for him to block you”
“Alright alright, get some distance got it. Anything else?”
“Next is that you have to use your skills wisely, use that Megamind of yours to its maximum fighting potential. You have skills like <Paladin Perseverance> and <Unstoppable Advancing Tower> and lightning and fire magic that literally allow you to keep up the pressure for as long as you like and him at a distance, meanwhile, Lance has to do as much damage as he can to beat you before he gets into a ‘softlocked’ state which makes him so vulnerable!”
Amelia’s words set off a light in Sharon’s head as her expression went from listening to understanding and realization in a few moments. A large grin was on her face as she realized what she now needed to do.
“Heh heh heh…I see, alright then Amelia, I will win this time!” she stated with a toothy smile
Amelia smiled as well as she placed her hand on Sharon’s shoulder, a glint in her eye
“Then show me”
As the two of them were chatting, Lance who was on his end of the field could only speculate what they were chatting about, he felt a little uneasy as he felt that Amelia was giving pointers to Sharon on how to beat him.
‘I mean she was straight up losing to me for the last few hours, so her giving her pointers is not an unreasonable assumption…makes me uneasy though’
And given the fact that he was on the receiving end of Amelia’s beating only yesterday, that feeling continued to build as he saw them both smiling at one another, he recognized the glint in Sharon’s eye
“Oh no…I don’t think this next fight will be so easy…” he muttered to himself
“But to see them smiling like that…I wonder if Amelia smiled like that when she was Duchess Ophelia…” he muttered again as he began to think about his 4th year in the academy
“Now that I think about it…Amelia always said she had somewhere to go to with someone, she always said batchmate but never mentioned who whenever one of us asked her out…now I know who it was and I am amazed I did not notice that earlier”
Lance then looked back at Amelia and saw that she was laughing alongside Sharon,
‘Looks like I will have to stop pulling my punches this time…’ he thought as he felt a shiver go down his spine, like a premonition that the next round was something that was going to be different from the others.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
A few minutes later, Amelia patted Sharon on the back as she walked back to her chair, raising her hand as she looked at both of them, nodding to each one and getting a nod in return.
“BEGIN!” she shouted, and the battle was underway.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
‘Lightning Step’
“Instant Dash!”
CLANG!
Both of them thought as they immediately closed in on one another in the middle of the field, their weapons locking with one another, Lance had a determined and serious expression, but opposite of him, Sharon had a smile on her face, and a glint in her eye.
‘Uhh..I think this is worrying’ he thought as both of them threw slashes and thrusts at one another, before jumping back to get some distance.
“Endure!” Lance said as he activated his skill, his sword coated in a red aura, locking eyes with Sharon as he took a step forward,
‘C’mon make a move’ he thought as he steadied his stance, keeping an eye on her
‘Lightning strike!’ Sharon shouted in her mind as she raised one of her hands at Lance, firing a bolt of lightning.
KRAKOOOM!
“What the!?” rolling out of the way, Lance dodged the lightning bolt that was fired at him,
Quickly reorienting himself, he saw that Sharon had disappeared,
{!}
SWING!
CLANG!
He then turned around and narrowly parried the head of the halberd that nearly bore down on him, forcing him to arc backward as the pressure from the blow was greater than ever before, looking down, he saw that Sharon was still smiling, as she reeled back the head she used before slashing upward with the second head of the weapon.
VWOOOSH!
{!}
CRAAAACK!
Lance jumped back as he dodged but his senses alerted him to continue dodging as he saw that the weapon of Sharon had extended in length, the head bearing down on him which forced him to roll to the right, looking at the ground where he was, he saw that it was cracked. He gritted his teeth as he charged in,
“Triple Slash!” he casted and he rapidly fired off three slashes
SLASH SLASH SLASH!
CLING CLANG CLING!
But Sharon was able to block, them. However, the pressure from the slashes making small cuts on her skin as they were able to pass through, making Lance smirk as he at least did something.
{!}
VWOOSH!
CRACK!
Rolling out of the way, Lance saw that the ground he was standing in was cracked the same as before, Sharon then rushed him and he did the same.
SWING SWING SWOOSH!
CLING CLANG CLING!
VWOOSH! SWOOSH!
TWANG! CLANG! CLANG!
THRUST! THRUST! THRUST!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Both of them traded slashes and thrusts, Lance barely dodging Sharon as she wielded her halberd differently from before, no longer did she only use one head, but now she used both ends and treated the heavy weapon more akin to a simple bo staff. Twirling it around with ease and using either head to slash or thrust at him.
{!}
VWOOSH!
CRAAAACK!
Rolling to the left as he sensed the overhead slash that smashed where he was standing, Lance began to feel fatigued as he looked at the impact area. ‘A bit slower and that would’ve cleaved me in two’ Lance thought as he reoriented himself, steadying his blade. Trying to calm himself down, Lance remembered he still had one last trick up his sleeve smirked as he locked eyes with Sharon
“Impressive display Lady Sharon, but I am ready to end our little dance here” he stated as he pointed his sword towards her,
“Oh? And how do you plan to do that?” Sharon asked, a hint of cockiness in her voice
“Hah, I am an imperial knight Lady Sharon, and although I had yet to fight someone who wielded a weapon such as yours..this has been a very enlightening experience. But as with most things, it has to come to an end”
“Pshh, your confidence is baseless Mr. Triost, I have learned much from those hours of brutal beatings. Now let me see how you intend to finish me” Sharon replied with the same cockiness Lance had, pointing her weapon at him.
“Hah, prepare to lose then” Lance declared as he gripped his sword tightly
“Not if I stop you first!” Sharon replied as she raised her hand again
‘Lightning Stream!’ she casted and a large, continuous stream of blue lightning fired from her hand, but Lance was quick and blocked the entire stream with his sword that still had his skill <Endure> active. The skill absorbed the attack in its entirety and the sword began to glow an ominous red, making Sharon give a terrified expression.
“Hah! Your final mistake” he declared with a smirk
“Knight of the Empire” he yelled and a white light engulfed him, as he dashed forward, sword raised high
“Enduring Iron Slash!!” he yelled again as he activated <Iron Slash> and combined it with <Endure>
“Instant Dash!” he yelled again as he activated another skill and dashed forward at tremendous speed,
‘Fire Wall!’ Sharon casted but it was too late,
Lance simply dashed through the wall of fire and although blinded by the smoke,
SLAAAAASH!
He unleashed his attack,
BOOOOOOM!
A loud ringing noise was heard as his attack shattered whatever or whoever was on the receiving end, a satisfied grin on Lance’s face as he heard the blast.
{!}
“What!”
But as the smoke cleared his view, he only saw a huge row of destroyed trees that stretched a few hundred meters, but no sight of Sharon.
“Hahahahahah!”
{!}
THROB! THROB! THROB!
“Hnnggg!” Lance grunted in pain as he swiveled around before his entire body fell into the ‘softlock’ affect, thanks to his skills.
“Wha…what?!” he shouted as he saw her standing in the middle of the field, still in perfect condition with a smile on her face a very much still unharmed Sharon, who was now grinning from ear to ear.
“Amelia had told me that you had certain skills that would force you to get into that ‘softlock’ state…and given the fact that the time stacks, I have more than enough time to use the opening effectively” Sharon said with confidence. Making Lance seep a little fear out.
Sharon smiled as she could feel the shift from determination to fear in Lance, she glanced at Amelia and saw her nod. She then took a deep breath as she gripped the center rings of her weapon before pulling them apart. Splitting the double-headed halberd into two, the staffs of both then extending into their normal lengths. Leaving Lance shocked at the transformation.
“It has been a hard and brutal few hours Mr. Triost, but now, now I am going to get my revenge for it” Sharon stated as she twirled both halberds with grace, taking a deep breath as she locked eyes with the still paralyzed Lance
“It’s my turn now” she said as she channeled fire and lightning into each halberd,
Dashing forward, Sharon smiled as she raised both of her weapons
‘Skull Buster’ she casted as she swung with her left halberd,
HUP!
SLICE!
Slicing right through him, and landing behind him. She then twirled around and then used her right halberd and casting ‘Skull Buster’ again
HUP!
SLICE!
CRAAAACK
“AAAAAAAGH!”
This time, the halberd landed straight and square on his head, a loud cracking sound being heard. Before he collapsed onto the ground.
“Hah…hah…hah…I…won” Sharon said as she then collapsed onto the ground, near Lance.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
“Nice, she did well, so did Lance” Amelia said as she walked over to both of them,
Looking down, she saw that Lance was now out cold thanks to that influx of pain from being hit on the head, and Sharon was out cold too as she had used up a lot of magic and energy to keep herself on his level.
“Nicely done both of you, that was impressive” she muttered before removing the barriers around them and picking them both up, slinging either one over a shoulder,
“Now let’s head back to town”
A/N: Hello!! sorry this one took so long! Had to juggle doing this and finishing my academic reqs for a while this time, I originally wanted to do the fight scene in three different chapters but decided against it, I thought it was going to be more of a hassle. This is the longest chapter I have written so far and its a fight scene that I personally think I did pretty well all things considered. anyways, as always, if you have any thoughts on the chapter or the series as a whole, feel free to comment down below! and thanks again for taking time to read my work! I also plan to update some of the older chapters but I don't know when to do those hehe