Mana flashed bright orange at the tip of the ritual dagger as the five axes preview momentarily flashed like a star. Orange tendrils of energy wrapped around the hilt, spiraling into a bright line that cut across the room. The line grew in diameter as it made contact with Drakva, splitting into seven beams unfurling like a flower.
Drakva’s red mana flared in response as he activated a warding spell that enveloped him from head to toe. The seven beams left trails on the warding layer as he side-stepped the attack.
The contact points sparked with splashes of fire as he dropped to a crouch while extending his right hand outward. He made a series of clicking sounds with his tongue. His weapon, a battle axe Manacer, came hurtling somewhere from the right and fell cleanly into his hand.
It was shaped like a bat attached to a metal rod. He gripped it tightly with both hands, raised it above his head, and dashed forward with a step that shook the ground beneath.
[Spell: Sense Sphere]
-3MP/s • Sphere• Timed 90s
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Darya’s skin flashed blue-white as mana burst from her skin pores in all directions. The spherical mist that engulfed her showed her the swing of Drakva’s battle axe cutting through the air.
She dashed out of the way barely in time to dodge the sharp end as it swung past her right side. Ducking to the left, she hunched forward, springing herself forward.
[Vainfall: Terminate]
She started counting again as she moved. Cutting through the mana cloud of the Sense Sphere, she kept an eye on Drakva’s four limbs.
[Skill: Wind Step]
-20 SP • 8s Cooldown
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Phasing through him and his weapon, Darya materialized behind him in the next split second.
One.
Moving slightly to the right, she switched the dagger to a backhanded grip, slamming it into Drakva’s lower back.
[Spell: Blast Weaver]
-293MP/s • Touch. Instant
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Mana burst from her forearms, rippling through the short length of the dagger. Unlike the Warblade, the dagger wasn’t sturdy enough to contain the chained blasts with its weight. Sinking the blade deep into Drakva’s flesh, she used her other hand to stabilize it while feeling some of the explosions shaking her own bones inside.
Two. That hurts like hell.
The mana exploding from the sharp edges rippled through Drakva like a wave, cracking his gray skin from the wound. She saw it all play out in prediction dots as she finished the attack.
Three.
Dashing back, she ducked under his arm, reappearing to his right. The battle axe was in a full swing to her right, missing her entirely. Drakva’s feet were arranged to bring the battle axe around for the next swing.
Half.
Darya touched the ground as the monochrome world faded, catching up to the prediction dots. The dagger slash propelled Drakva forward, bending his left knee at an unnatural angle as he slipped on the stone floor from the impact.
Blood spurted out from both dagger wounds in thick streams. Drakva didn’t seem to have any method to counter the bleed status effect of the dagger. The incarnation of the Eternal Demoness still hovered over him, trying to pry his ribcage wide open with her clawed fingers.
Roaring in pain and anguish, Drakva hurled himself at Darya while swinging the battle axe for momentum.
She saw it coming from her left, the red mana-infused sharp edge splitting the air like the wing of a fighter jet. Dravka’s mana changed forms from flashes of red coating to sticky, root-like lightning that uprooted the floor tiles as they accumulated towards the battle axe.
[Spell: Repelling Blast]
-419MP • Sphere. Instant
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Darya caught it at a slight angle to divert the momentum away from her. A blinding white flash of mana exploded from her in all directions, expanding outwards to meet the slamming battle axe. She caught glimpses of the red mana being stripped from the blade as the axe shifted on its axis.
Drakva’s muscles bulged as he pulled the handle back out, but the kinetic energy was already pushing him off-course. Twirling out of the way as the battle axe slammed into the ground, Darya primed the dagger for another lunge.
She leaned forward to charge, expecting Drakva to leave an opening. He used something just as she began to move. His eyes flashed red, sparking mana like a spider web.
Uh oh. That’s not good.
He slammed his elbow on the ground with a roar, shattering the stone. Red mana spread like roots from the point of impact, spreading outwards as he rolled to grab his battle axe again.
Darya leapt to dodge the ripple of mana, but she was caught mid-air as the ripple grew in size. Drakva’s mana cut through her skin like razor blades. She felt weird in her ankle and immediately knew something had been sliced.
Tripping to the ground with her injured ankle, Darya rolled on the floor, coming to a halt against a pillar.
Drakva slammed his fists and leapt in a straight line, charging at her with the axe in tow. Darya caught the first glimpse of his foot breaching the Sense Sphere radius straight ahead.
[Vainfall: Terminate]
She rolled off the pillar, pushing herself onto her feet as fast as she could. Gripping the dagger tightly, she charged forward at Drakva, now frozen mid-jump.
One.
She found an angle under his arm as she ducked underneath the battle axe, her shoulder barely scraping by in prediction dots as she drove the dagger forward. Drakva’s neck was in range, but the move required her to end up more tangled with him. There wouldn’t be an easy exit out of the situation if she pushed through the gaps straight into his neck.
That could be worth it. Two.
Pushing the extra few feet forward with a forward lunge, Darya slammed the dagger deep into the side of Drakva’s neck, pouring mana into the blade as she gripped it tightly. She was positioned between Drakva’s arm, folding towards his body. All he’d have to do is close it to hug her to his body.
Three. I have to use another Terminate to phase out if that happens.
[Spell: Blast Weaver]
-293MP • Touch. Instant
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Her hand shook, splashing prediction dots as the dagger cratered Drakva’s neck. She drove her hand across, slowly cutting across his windpipe. In the rush, her hand sank into his flesh along with the dagger. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to pull it out.
Half. Now or never.
It was better to be safe, and she had mapped several macros to chain Terminate commands.
[Vainfall: Twice Terminate]
The monochrome world flickered as Drakva’s forearm clamped her. She activated the macro right before he could squeeze her. He froze with the second activation that came with some visual artifacts.
One.
Darya let go of the dagger, which was now hilt deep inside Drakva’s neck. First splashes of blood had already begun to spurt out of the wound, as Blast Weaver rippled down his chest, cracking his gray skin from the inside.
Two.
Darya jolted in place, expecting to phase through, but she promptly stopped when she noticed her own body turning into prediction dots. Drakva’s predicted movement was too fast for her to counter without using a skill.
Three. Slide out. Hit him from the back.
[Skill: Smooth Slither]
-30 SP • 30s Cooldown
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She phased out of the side in a split second, slid on the ground, and pivoted on her heel like a dancer. Bouncing right back with a dash, she used two more Skills as she anticipated the next Terminate of the chain.
[Skill: Strengthen]
-25 SP • 10s Cooldown
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Half. Here we go.
Clenching her fist, Darya rotated behind Drakva, bringing it down like a hammer on his neck.
The monochrome faded a bit but immediately flickered back with distortions. Drakva managed to move only a few inches during the time, perhaps registering for the first time the dagger lodged deep in his neck.
One.
Darya slammed her fist on the nape of his neck.
[Skill: Hammer Fist]
-15 SP • 280s Cooldown
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She felt the full strength surge through her forearm, the bones rattling inside as she cracked her knuckles on his neck. She made contact deliberately slowly, watching the prediction dots splash in a crater of skin and flesh as Drakva’s head was predicted to slide at least three inches instantly.
Two.
She held the punch an inch deep without pushing any further than needed. She was going to suffer some damage in exchange, and she certainly didn’t want to phase through his neck and slice her hand open on the dagger inside his chest. Preparing her body for retreating, she kept an eye on the prediction dots that showed the trajectory of the dagger, which had loosened with her punch.
Three.
Pulling back, she ducked away from Drakva again, sliding across as she reached for the hilt of the loosened dagger. Keeping her hand close to grab it, she waited patiently for the Terminate to finish.
Half.
The world caught up to all the prediction dots, and Drakva received the mortal wound that he hadn’t been able to protect himself against. His neck bent unnaturally as he fell forward. Darya grabbed the bloodied dagger hilt on the way down and pulled it clean off.
Drakva’s flailing arm slammed her lower leg in his desperate struggle to grab his spraying neck. Falling right next to him, Darya rolled as he screamed like an animal, drowning in his own blood.
“Princess! finish him off!” Sarka yelled as Darya rolled to a stop.
“He is finished,” Darya said, panting as she pushed herself onto her feet. She didn’t know how long the fight had lasted, but she was out of breath and energy. It couldn’t have been a minute. She met Drakva straight out of the tunnel. High-level Berserker or not, he wouldn’t have had anything to counter her Terminate commands.
Gripping the dagger tightly as more mana poured into the blade, Darya aimed it at Drakva, struggling on the ground to catch his breath again. His battle axe slid across the stone floor and came to a stop in a trail of blood.
The incarnation of the Eternal Demoness grew even more powerful. More hands burst out of her shoulders, weaving over her existing limbs. Sharp claws dug into Drakva’s chest as he screamed in pain. He wasn’t capable of saying words anymore. He was screaming like a cornered animal.
Darya squeezed the hilt tighter, and the Demoness dug deeper into his chest. Red mana splashed from the opening, twisting up the forearm of the Demoness. Drakva's back arched once and he twisted like a dying fish, flopping his legs a couple of times before going completely still.
“The others are coming!” Sarka warned.
“Tunnel, right?” Darya asked, panting as heavy footsteps clattered inside the tunnel behind her.
Turning on her heel, she aimed the dagger at the tunnel opening. She wasn’t ready to fight a bunch of others just yet. The Seer was surely coming through the same tunnel as well.
[Spell: Comet of Volaria]
-514MP • Bolt. Instant
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Mana twisted around the dagger, traveling the length of her forearm towards the tip. It exited like a bullet, hitting the tunnel entrance at an angle. She watched as the orange bolt splattered and ricocheted, startling whoever was running in.
“Where’s the girl?” she asked, grabbing Drakva’s foot.
“On your left, through that circular door!” Sarka said urgently. “There are others nearby.”
“How many?”
“Four. They’re already calling reinforcements!”
“From where?”
“The fighters! They’re going to release the fighters.”
“Remember when I said I needed a favor from you?” Darya asked Sarka as she dragged Drakva’s body to the side.
“Yes…?”
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