Lovira's met Aina's gaze, a smoldering fury within their depths.
"You two, don't you dare interfere. If you do, I'll kill you personally."
Marcy and Farra looked toward each other somewhat helplessly. On the one hand, they knew that they needed to deal with Aina. Not only were her actions a humiliation to their Pavilion, but she could also jeopardize their mission once the final phase truly began.
However, on the other hand, it was too difficult to deal with Blood Sovereigns. Their healing factors were out of this world, their ability to scale their abilities beyond their limits was greater than in any other path, and when you paired that with a stubborn attitude like Aina, the results could be disastrous.
Up above, the members of the Star Force Pavilion were already chuckling and laughing at them, but Lovira had already stepped beyond the threshold of no return. Her temper was too fiery. And it definitely didn't help that she wielded not one, but two top ten Lightning Forces.
Violet Bolt Force, known for its piercing power and Crimson Implosion Force, known for its explosive power. When the two were put together…
Lovira shot forward, her speed fast and her palms already rising into the air to reveal a greatsword with a blade that was two meters tall and two feet wide. It swirled with a violent tempest of red and violet lightning and it descended like a howling wind.
Aina's gaze flashed, her ax arching backward and then swinging upward. A moment before the collision, her wrist shifted ever so slightly, causing her ax's blade to nick the side of Lovira's greatsword and knocking it to the side.
BANG!
Lovira's greatsword glanced by Aina's shoulder, its spark of lightning tearing into the latter's white leather and plate armor almost down to her shoulder's tender flesh. Then with a harsh sound, it collided into the ground, as Aina's Ax Force blazed to life.
Enlightened Ax Force trembled, wavering between a golden and a white color before settling on the latter.
By all rights, Aina had the advantage. With a single glancing blow, she closed the distance between herself and Lovira, the latter's greatsword still stuck in the ground as Aina transferred the upward momentum of her battle ax one again into a downward momentum.
Her ability to shift and use strength that she had already accumulated was immaculate. Every movement was seamless and not even a hint of energy was wasted. There was simply no one who understood her body better than herself.
However, the gap between her and Lovira was too large. While it was clear to anyone that Aina's skill was greater, Lovira could close the gap with sheer raw power.
Lovira took a heavy step back, forcefully changing the momentum of her greatsword and pulling it out from the ground to block Aina's blow.
Aina's wrists trembled, her ax threatening to fly from her hands but she had already prepared to use this new momentum to swing down again.
Unfortunately, Lovira, after making Aina go numb once, forced her to do it again, and then again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Collision after collision resounded and Lovira pushed Aina back a step with everyone. At first it was even, but Aina's losses became more and more pronounced with every exchange. And to make matters worse, the sparks of purple and red lightning were having residual area of effect impact.
Aina's white armor became charged in several places, and if it wasn't for it, the results would have been far more difficult to handle.
Lovira's attacks became faster and faster as Aina's counters had no choice but to become less skilled. The stronger Lovira's attacks, the more difficult it was for Aina to prepare an adequate rebuttal, and the more pressure she had to face.
Lovira's expression only became more savage. As enraged as she was, she hadn't lost her mind yet. This was as much power as she was willing to use because this wouldn't impact her battle prowess later on. But it still infuriated her that Aina could last for so long.
She sneered when she saw that the web of Aina fingers were accumulating more and more blood. So what if they continuously healed, she would still make this junior who didn't know her place suffer.
BANG!
Aina skidded backward, her expression still placid.
Lovira held out her greatsword, the tempest of lightning around it growing by another measure.
With a heavy stomp forward, the ground quaked and a surging tide of red lightning split the ground.
"HA!"
Lovira released a low shout, her greatsword waving forward and causing a scythe of Lightning Force to shoot for Aina.
Aina's eyes narrowed. Rather than retreating, she took a heavy step forward as well, her ax swinging down with all her might as a crimson aura condensed around her.
"HA!"
Aina's out shout came out like a sonorous bell, an odd resonant feeling gripping the hearts of those who heard it.
At the instant before the two attacks met, the crimson aura around Aina seemed to respond to the shout, multiplying in force by tenfold just the instant before they met.
BANG!
Aina stumbled backward, her ax almost flying out from her hand, but her grip remained true. The ground cracked with each one of her heavy steps until she finally managed to stop on the third, a small exhale coming out from her pink lips.
Lovira's eyes widened.
She survived that without being heavily injured? How is that even possible?
It didn't make any sense. That attack was already enough for even the likes of Tybth to take seriously, let alone a small time disciple like Aina.
Just when Lovira was about to break her own rules and use more strength, she suddenly felt as though her soul had been plunged into the depths of hell.
Her head snapped up, only to find a boy years her junior looking down at her from the ledge of a shattered window.