Emerald chuckled softly. "Indeed... it's sound and mana." She tilted her head with an amused smile. "But how exactly do you intend to defend against it?"
Unable to locate her opponent, Lexa immediately reacted.
Six blood-forged swords materialized around her, forming a defensive circle with their tips pointed outward like crimson sentinels guarding their master.
Vexion, meanwhile, was already under attack.
Her tyrannical aura spread several meters around her, carefully controlled so that it stopped just short of Lexa's position. Anyone entering that space would immediately be suppressed.
Then Emerald's calm voice echoed once more. "Mana... obey me. blunt her control." The surrounding mana instantly trembled. Vexion's expression darkened. Her control over the surrounding mana plummeted to just seventy percent...
Barely. Even the pressure emitted by her aura noticeably weakened.
"Tsk." Closing her eyes for only a fraction of a second, Vexion relied entirely on instinct.
Something, caught her senses to her one o'clock. Without hesitation, she lashed out. Her fist exploded forward with terrifying speed and it connected.
Or rather...It almost did.
Emerald leaned back just enough for the punch to graze past her face before flipping backward through the air.
She snapped her fingers.
"Mana. Go boom."
Ambient mana condensed into a dense sphere before violently compressing.
Vexion's pupils contracted. She instantly redirected her weakened aura into a repulsive force. The explosion detonated where she had been standing only moments earlier, sending a violent shockwave through the room.
Landing several meters away, she immediately shouted,
"Lexa! Work with me! Master must have had a reason for making us fight Lady Emerald together!"
Lexa, still plagued by distorted sounds and phantom footsteps, immediately nodded. Using one of her floating swords as a platform, she launched herself toward the voice she assumed belonged to Vexion.
Thankfully...She had guessed correctly. Landing beside her, Lexa frowned.
"I can't use my skills properly and there are footsteps everywhere."
"My senses are completely confused."
Vexion eyes and senses sharp barely acknowledge her words "I'll explain later."
Vexion's eyes never stopped scanning the room. "She's testing you. She doesn't know what your abilities are. That's why she's being cautious."
Lexa nodded before asking, "Then why not use your shimmering clones—"
"They're useless." Vexion answered immediately. "Her perception ignores illusions."
"I'm not much weaker then her in fact you could say I'm stronger she is...but she fights like Master. Nothing she does follows common sense and this ends up with our battles always becoming a fifty-fifty battle."
She suddenly stopped. Something invisible wrapped around both of her ankles.
Looking down...Nothing. Without hesitation, her aura erupted once more, violently shattering the invisible restraints. "She's not a close-combat fighter! She specializes in speed, mana, and sound manipulation! Stay with me!"
"Do not separate!"
A cheerful laugh echoed throughout the room.
"Alright. I've seen enough." Emerald appeared directly before Lexa. Even Vexion barely caught the movement. Instinctively, Lexa slashed. Emerald smiled.
"Mana...make her miss."
Lexa's sword drifted away by barely an inch. It should have struck. Instead... It cut empty air. Before Lexa could react, Emerald's palm gently rested against her abdomen.
"Mana."
"Harden."
"Condense."
BOOM.
Compressed mana exploded through Emerald's palm.
Lexa's body blasted backward like a cannonball. Vexion clicked her tongue this was so annoying. Every exchange and every movement, Emerald forced them to fight on her terms. Although she was only Level 8...
Her combat ability felt several levels higher. Not because she possessed greater power... But because every one of her skills perfectly complemented the others. She was essentially fighting as though she were five levels stronger.
"Mana."
"Disrupt Vexion's skill control." The command came at exactly the right moment. Vexion's invisible repulsive force weakened just enough. Emerald slipped around it effortlessly before dashing forward.
This time...Vexion met her head-on. Her tyrannical aura exploded outward once again, slowing Emerald's movements. At the same moment, Lexa attacked from behind.
A blood-forged sword screamed through the air while Lexa herself charged in immediately afterward, intending to strike if the projectile failed.
Vexion's fist crashed toward Emerald said camly "Mana Shield." An invisible barrier intercepted the blow. Although cracks instantly spread across it...It held.
Emerald used the impact to pivot, whipping a spinning kick toward Vexion's face. THUD. The kick landed cleanly. Emerald flipped backward before creating distance once more. She pouted slightly.
Older Brother really found himself an excellent subordinate.
I'm spending most of my mana disrupting her abilities... And she's still this troublesome.
Ignoring Vexion for a moment, Emerald accelerated toward Lexa. Lexa reacted immediately. Her sword, along with two blood-forged blades—slashed simultaneously.
One horizontal.
One vertical.
One aimed directly for Emerald's neck.
"Mana."
"Block."
Invisible barriers intercepted all three attacks. Without slowing down, Emerald spun into a roundhouse kick aimed directly at Lexa's knee. Two additional blood swords appeared just in time to intercept it. Unfortunately...
The kick was simply too fast. The impact shattered Lexa's stance, launching her across the room.
At that same instant—"Pull." Vexion's "pulling" force caught Emerald mid-charge. Her speed abruptly collapsed. Before Emerald could recover—pressure descended from above.
A crushing force threatened to pin her into the ground. "Mana."
"Make Vexion stop."
For half a second...
Vexion's skill ceased and that half a second...Was enough. Emerald appeared directly before her. Her punch carried the full momentum of her previous acceleration.
BOOM.
Vexion was sent flying. She flipped repeatedly through the air before sliding across the ground, finally stabilizing herself. Blood rose into her throat and forced her self to and swallowed it.
Her aura exploded outward once more. Emerald immediately felt her body grow heavier. Even her thoughts slowed. "Mana."
"Disrupt her skill again."
Vexion cursed inwardly, it was clear Emerald was focusing all her disruptions on Vexion and barely considereing Lexa. Vexion felt annoyed at this, nonetheless She charged anyway.
Lexa rejoined the battle. Four blood swords tore through the air toward Emerald from four different angles.
"Mana."
"Block."
Invisible barriers intercepted the projectiles. Exactly as Vexion had anticipated. Her aura surged to its absolute limit. The oppressive force flooded nearly half the training hall. It was overwhelming and Unrestrained. The embodiment of tyranny itself.
Emerald clicked her tongue. Her greatest weakness had finally become apparent. She could issue commands to mana...
But only simple ones. Against opponents like Vexion and Lexa, whose abilities demanded complex, layered responses...that limitation was becoming increasingly obvious. Emerald cursed inwardly 'I really wish I had more-'
"Combat skills"
Watching everything from behind the reinforced observation glass, Dante calmly took another bite of his sandwich. He smiled.
"She's doing incredibly well, but control alone can only weaken an opponent. It can't take a head or crush a heart unfortunately. And that's exactly what she's missing. Skill suited to finishing fights"