She didn’t want to be pessimistic, but the battle was definitely slipping from her grasp.
Melisa could feel it in every muscle, in every heaving breath. Lady Belstadt moved with the precision of a predator, each spell cast with the confidence of someone who’d spent years honing her craft (and probably hunting various innocent nim around the world).
In contrast, Melisa was now struggling to keep up as exhaustion was beginning to set in.
[Man, I have not had a fight go on for this long before,] she thought, breathing heavily. [Even that fight in Javir’s house was mostly just me running away until the cavalry came. This is a marathon.]
"ACK!"
She ducked under another blast of Blood Magic, the heat and dark, sinister energy of it grazing her cheek.
Around her, the crowd had mostly fled by now, the once-orderly market now littered with overturned carts and abandoned stalls. Melisa spared a glance at her friends, hoping for some sign of reassurance.
Armia was barreling through people, sword and wand in her hands as she ripped Shadow Mages apart. It was kind of crazy to watch, knowing that a little while ago Armia would have never behaved like this, wanting to seem more delicate.
Instead, now, she was... well, beating the shit out of people, every punch landing with a sickening crunch that sent Shadow Mages sprawling.
Not far away, Isabella darted nimbly between her foes, her tail flicking behind her as she dodged a barrage of spells. Her wand twirled in her fingers, sending precise bursts of fire and wind to keep her attackers at bay. Despite the danger, the kitsune’s smirk never wavered.
Then there was Raven. Cold. Efficient. Deadly. Her knives glinted in the dim light as she weaved through the chaos, each strike leaving blood pooling on the cobblestones. She moved like a shadow herself, her dark eyes betraying no emotion as she dispatched one foe after another.
Melisa exhaled, steadying herself.
[They’re all fighting because of me.] The thought sat heavy in her chest, guilt threatening to pull her under. If it weren’t for her, none of them would be here. None of them would be targets for the Shadow Mages.
[No. Stop that.] She shook her head, gripping her wand tighter. [If they’re here because of me, then I have to come through for them. I can’t lose.]
Lady Belstadt’s voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.
"Distracted, are we?" she sneered, her hands moving in intricate patterns. "Tenebris, ferra, spirare!"
A whip of dark energy lashed out, cracking like thunder as it arced toward Melisa.
"Lumin, aegis, fragor!" Melisa countered, her wand tracing a crescent in the air. A shield of light burst forth, the dark whip shattering against it in a shower of sparks. The force sent Melisa stumbling back, but she held her ground.
Belstadt chuckled.
"This is almost entertaining. I suppose you’re trying your best, but really, it’s pitiful," Belstadt sneered, her violet eyes glinting with malice.
Melisa’s tail lashed sharply behind her, the frustration sizzling under her skin. She gritted her teeth.
[She thinks she’s won already. Alright, let’s see how smug she looks when this is over.]
"Yeah, keep laughing," Melisa said, her voice light, teasing. "I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve."
Belstadt raised an unimpressed brow, her lips curving into a mockery of a smile. She didn’t even bother responding, her stance poised like she was waiting for Melisa to inevitably fail.
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Melisa didn’t give her the satisfaction of waiting. She raised her wand, the runes flaring brightly as her voice rang out.
"Frigum, aures, nivis!"
A freezing gale surged forward, snowflakes spinning like shards of shattered glass. The wind howled as it barreled toward Belstadt, ice crusting on the cobblestones where the spell passed. The rush of frigid air left a chill biting at Melisa’s fingers even from a distance.
Belstadt didn’t flinch. Her hand moved in a smooth, almost lazy motion.
"Ignis, torrens, fulcio!" she countered, her voice steady. A wall of flame erupted in front of her, blazing brilliantly against the icy gale. The two spells clashed violently, steam exploding outward as the opposing energies neutralized each other.
The thick mist swirled around them, heavy and stifling. Melisa coughed as she took a cautious step back.
[... Alright, I honestly didn’t expect her to melt the ice that fast. But she’s not attacking yet. That’s something.] Melisa tried to calm down. [She’s still trying to see what I have in store for her. Well, either that or she’s doing that typical villain thing where they keep a fight going even though they could have won already. Either way, I’m not complaining.]
She pivoted sharply, wand already moving as she chanted again.
"Aqua, turris, collis!" A spiraling column of water erupted from the ground, its base frothing with power as it rushed forward.
The torrent slammed into Belstadt’s shimmering shield, drenching the noblewoman as it dissipated.
Water dripped from her elegant robes, her once-flawless hair now clinging in damp strands to her face. Her sneer twisted into a grimace.
"What even was that?" she growled, her voice sharp with irritation. "A spell for... splashing? Truly, you are grasping at straws."
Melisa fought the urge to laugh as she caught the flicker of annoyance in Belstadt’s expression. She twirled her wand with a flourish, letting a smug grin stretch across her lips.
"Oh, that’s nothing. Wait until you see this one. Ventus, firmus, plumbis!" she shouted, the runes on her wand blazing. A powerful gust of wind swept through the square, picking up loose dirt, straw, and shards of debris from the broken market stalls. The makeshift projectiles hurtled toward Belstadt like a sandstorm on steroids.
Belstadt’s shield flared again, absorbing the barrage with ease. She raised a brow as the debris clumped harmlessly at her feet.
"Really?" she asked dryly. "This is your plan? A mess of pebbles and filth?"
Melisa shrugged, though her pulse raced beneath her smirk.
[She’s still holding back. That’s good. For now.]
"You’re just throwing everything you have at me, aren’t you?" Belstadt’s tone turned mocking again, her poise returning. "You keep throwing things at the wall, but I promise you, none of it is going to stick."
"Maybe not yet," Melisa shot back, her wand already moving for another spell.
[One more. Just keep her reacting. Keep her on her toes.]
She dipped into her mental archive, recalling one of her stranger experiments.
"Terra, scintilla, volare!" she cried. The ground around Belstadt cracked, glowing shards of rock shooting upward like a swarm of missiles.
Belstadt’s shield cracked slightly under the assault, tiny fissures spiderwebbing across its surface before she batted the remnants away with a sharp flick of her hand. Her irritation was more evident now, her composure thinning with each clash.
Melisa pressed her advantage, circling her opponent as she shouted her next spell.
"Ignis, nebulis, flecta!" A burst of fiery mist erupted around her, the heat mixing with the lingering steam to obscure her movements.
The heavy air stung her lungs, but she pushed through, moving carefully within the veil of fire and vapor.
[Stay unpredictable. She doesn’t know what’s coming. That’s your edge.]
"Enough of this nonsense!" Belstadt’s voice sliced through the haze, her irritation boiling over. Her hand moved sharply, cutting through the air with a precise spell. "Ventus, purga, lucere!"
A surge of wind blasted outward, ripping through the mist like a knife. The fiery veil dissipated, leaving Melisa exposed once more. She cursed under her breath as the noblewoman’s figure came back into sharp focus.
Belstadt stood in the center of the square, her robes fluttering dramatically in the wind. The smirk was back, her expression a mask of control.
"You’re resourceful," she said, almost grudgingly. "I’ll grant you that. But it won’t be enough."
Melisa raised her wand again, her smirk refusing to fade despite the burning in her arms and chest.
"You keep saying that, but I don’t see you winning either."
[One more spell. One more chance. You are NOT coping. You can do this!]
Her fingers trembled slightly around her wand as she prepared for her next move, her heart pounding in her ears.
"You’re wasting time," she snapped, her voice tight with frustration. "None of these little tricks will change the outcome. You’re going to die today, nim. May as well just accept it."
"Eh, maybe," Melisa said. "But, you’ve already lost." Find your next read at freewebnovel
Belstadt froze, her eyes narrowing.
"What?"
"Look around," Melisa said, gesturing to the square. "Everyone saw what happened here. Everyone saw you start this fight. They saw me defend myself. Even if you kill me, this changes things. The people of Syux—they’ll remember this. They’ll remember you." Her voice dropped slightly, her smirk turning into something sharper. "You lost, Belstadt. Even if you win this little duel, you already lost."
Belstadt’s lips curled into a snarl. For a moment, Melisa thought she’d struck a nerve. But then, the noblewoman’s expression shifted, her sneer returning with a chilling edge.
"Not quite," Belstadt said, her voice low and dangerous.
Before Melisa could react, Belstadt raised her hands, her fingers curling in a motion Melisa didn’t recognize.
A dark, pulsing energy began to spread across the square, tendrils of shadow snaking toward the bodies of the fallen Shadow Mages.
[Huh?]
Melisa watched, horrified, as the tendrils latched onto the corpses, drawing streams of blood and Essence from them. The dark energy coalesced around Belstadt, her body glowing with an eerie crimson light as she absorbed the Essence into herself.
"What the hell is this?" Melisa muttered, her tail bristling as a chill ran down her spine. "Phase two!?"
Belstadt’s laughter echoed through the square, low and malevolent.
"You thought you could lecture me about winning and losing? Let me show you what true power looks like, little nim."