Chapter 182 - Hard Stare

Morgeux opened her arms, "Come to me, boys. Show me what you got?" Kavocz and Areia stepped back to let her have her fun. "And please, don't go easy on me. You'll regret it."

Sun's sword glowed brighter and hotter. A vortex appeared around the burning blade, carrying the fire around the sword. Sun raised his sword then slashed the air. The vortex spun out from the sword's pull and traveled across the beach forming into a twister that was heading straight to Morgeux.

The flames engulfed Morgeux. The fire was so hot the sand it traveled on turned to cracked glass, but for Morgeux, it felt more like a steam bath. "Is that all?" She asked.

Lo pointed at her habit, "That is imbued with mana. We'll have to get rid of it."

Sun didn't trust Lo, so he checked for himself. Surprisingly, he was right. There was a powerful and bountiful presence of mana knitted into the habit. "How did you know?"

"She's an Entente," Lo slammed his fist together, "They always wear holy relics and blessed clothes. It keeps them safe, which is why," His gauntlet began to transform, turning its fingers into sharp blades, "I'm going to tear it to shred. Distract her for me." Before Sun could reply, Lo sprinted across the beach and away Morgeux. Sun sighed, then leaped into the air and began to cut away the air with his sword and rain down hellfire at Morgeux.

The flames covered the beach, turning sand into glass, but none of them penetrated the nun habit. Morgeux found it amusing while she danced in the rain, blissfully unaware of Lo and his schemes. He stopped in his track and took a pitcher's stance, but what he was planning to throw was not a ball. Lo's gauntlet began to morph out from his skin.

Then he threw his right claw, leaving a trail of sand attached to his arm. The claw traveled through the smoke and dust and slashed through Morgeux's habit. On its return, the claw hooked itself on the fabric. "Hook line and sinker!" Lo bellowed out. Morgeux grabbed the gauntlet and glared at Lo. Her eyes were filled with rage. How dare he ruin her holy habit and interrupted her dance, she thought.

Mana began to flow out from her arm and into the sandy arm and turned it into stone. Then she crushed it into dust. "You're real arm is next!" She yelled before dashing towards Lo. Her hand reached out to him, but he parried it with his sand gauntlet.

But not without a price to pay. His left hand fell to the ground and slightly sank into the sand. His gauntlet has turned into stone, cold and heavy just from touching Morgeux's skin. She tried to grab him again, but Sun managed to hit her with his fireball which exploded on impact. Lo and Morgeux weere blown away. Sun ran up to Lo and gave him a hand. "Looks like your plan worked. That fireball managed to hurt her. You're actually pretty smart." Sun's compliment, unfortunately, wasn't enough to put Lo in a better mood.

Meanwhile, Areia laughed nervously. On the one hand, he found it entertaining that her overconfidence led to her habit of getting ripped, but on the other hand, she's close to losing her temper. "Calm down, Morgan girl!" He yelled.

Morgeux took a deep breath. She wiped the sand off her clothes and began to slowly walk to the two stragglers. Sun punched Lo's stone gauntlet hard enough to break it apart without harming Lo. "We're f.u.c.k.e.d," Lo said.

Sun grabbed his sword and pulled Lo back on his feet. "Not yet!" Sun sprinted towards Morgeux, who continued to walk slowly. "Sol's Touch!" He shouted. His blade burst into flame. The world around the sword became distorted as a large amount of mana concentrated into the sword. Then he leaped through space, cutting reality around as he passed through the air and into Morgeux. And when he stopped, the sound knife cutting through a wooden plank echoed, followed by a fiery explosion.

But none of it harmed Morgeux. She continued to walk straight, passing Lo. Then she stretched out her arm and placed her hand over the White Pearl, which finally freed itself from the beach. "White Hand, come out." As she whispered these words, the White Pearl began to move to her. She was pulling the ship with her mana.

"Lo, stop her!" Sun ran back to her. "Stop her now!"

Lo dug his hand into the hot sand. "Don't get stuck on my quicksand now!" His mana made the sand beneath their feet loose through vibration, imitating a quicksand.

Morgeux began to sink into the sand. She did not mind though. What did catch her attention was the serpopard running on water. It was Lo and Kee's exotic pet, Minthe. The serpopard tackled Morgeux on the ground and wrapped his neck around her body. Minthe stood up with Morguex restraint. "Good girl!" Lo happily said.

Morgeux giggled then her eyes glowed green. Suddenly, Minthe's neck turned into stone, and she broke free from its coil, killing the animal. "No!" Lo yelled. Minthe's head and neck littered the ground next to its slump body.

Sun's eyes also began to glow redder. The color growing in intensity as the adrenaline continues to pump his spirit to move. One of his strongest attacks, and what he believed to be a secret weapon, failed to get noticed. And now, Lo's pet has died. Sun teleported behind her and thrust his blade into her lower back.

Lo did not hesitate to catch up with Sun. He formed a new set of gauntlets, hardier than the first and he smashed Morgeux face. But nothing could have harmed her or her smile. Morgeux grabbed the two by the arm and turned them into stone. Sun and Lo collapsed to the sand, weighed down by their petrified arms.

She laughed at their agony, but Areia quickly reminded her why they were here. He clapped his hands together and yelled, "Enough. I think it's time to end this charade."