Chapter 124: Lucy vs Gracia
Iris stepped out of the ring of flames, her breath ragged, her body still burning from the exertion.
Ronel had been a far tougher opponent than she had imagined.
" Hey, you owe me something," she said, fixing him with a stare.
Ronel grimaced.
She hesitated for a moment, her hand clenched, then finally gave in and returned her loot.
Iris took her underwear without a word and tossed it into the flames.
They were instantly consumed, reduced to ashes.
" Thanks," she said, handing the violin to Sirius.
The moment he received it, the instrument dissolved into a light mist, then condensed again, taking the form of a ring that slipped onto his finger.
Once that was done, Iris exchanged a few quick words with Gracia and Lucy.
The three of them then moved behind a wall of ice that Gracia raised to grant them a semblance of privacy.
After changing and regaining a minimum of comfort, Iris lay down directly on the floor.
" Ah... I’m tired ," she complained.
Around her, the fight that had just taken place had deeply altered how the others perceived both her and Ronel.
Everyone silently noted that it was best not to provoke them or make them enemies.
However, this was only the first duel.
The next two duelists had already stepped into the ring of flames.
---
" Lucy, give it everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back," Gracia declared as she took her stance.
" You’d better do the same," Lucy replied, her gaze already hardened.
This time, it was Gramm who gave the signal.
" Begin."
---
" This fight is going to be close. Each of them knows the other’s resonance and how to react to it," Fidri commented.
Sirius, however, did not seem to share that optimism.
" No. Gracia has the advantage, and Lucy knows it. If she wants to win, she has to act within the first few seconds."
" What do you mean?" Elizir asked.
" Sirius might be right," Fidri admitted, adjusting his position.
" Gracia’s power gives her great versatility, both defensively and offensively.
Lucy, on the other hand, even though her resonance is extremely useful from a logistical standpoint and can be crucial in certain situations, doesn’t possess sufficient offensive power on her own. She has to rely on her weapons."
Elizir, however, disagreed.
" Not exactly. Lucy does have a devastating attack. Something destructive enough to end the fight instantly."
Fidri opened his mouth to respond, then froze as a memory crossed his mind.
" No... She won’t use that in a simple training match."
---
Lucy was the first to move.
She started running to put distance between herself and Gracia, her gaze focused, then activated her resonance.
<< Gate closure >>
The air tore apart.
A missile instantly appeared above Gracia’s head.
The impact was immediate. Time itself seemed to freeze.
" She did it...?" Fidri muttered, stunned.
Gracia had only a split second to react.
Purely on instinct, she materialized a dome of ice above herself, not even believing it would be enough.
Boom.
The explosion shattered the dome.
The shockwave swept through the arena, hurling the spectators against the wooden walls in chaotic crashes.
When the dust settled, a dazed Gracia slowly lifted her head.
She was unharmed.
A sphere of golden flames hovered above her.
Gramm had reacted at the very last second, sealing the explosion within his flames to contain its violence.
But Gracia frowned.
All around her, shards of ice littered the ground.
Lucy was gone.
(" Where is she...? ")
The answer came in the form of a brutal impact.
<< Switch >>
Lucy appeared behind her and struck Gracia violently in the jaw.
The blow sent Gracia crashing to the ground. Lucy gave her no respite and followed up immediately, her fist already swinging to finish her.
By reflex, Gracia slammed her hands into the ground.
Ice burst forth beneath Lucy’s feet, trapping them.
(" I’ve got her. ")
But Lucy vanished once again.
<< Switch >>
She reappeared in front of Gracia, her fist coming down with the same ferocity.
" << Ice Wall >> " Gracia shouted.
The blow was barely blocked.
Without slowing down, she followed through.
<< Ice Dome >>
The wall closed in, trapping Lucy inside.
Gracia inhaled, thinking she had bought herself a second.
Lucy vanished again.
She reappeared behind her.
" Teleportation... So you’ve mastered it now," Gracia said as she turned, her fist already cocked.
They lunged at each other.
Lucy opened the exchange with a straight right, instantly blocked by Gracia’s forearm.
The counter came immediately: a left hook that Lucy narrowly avoided.
The fight grew increasingly brutal, a savage exchange where both women fought like tigresses.
---
" Wait, since when can Lucy use teleportation?" Fidri asked, still in shock.
Elizir had no answer either.
Once again, Sirius stepped in to explain.
" It is teleportation, without really being it," he began.
" Lucy’s resonance allows her to store objects in a personal dimension, like a warehouse. Inside that space, time is essentially frozen, which lets her, among other things, preserve indefinitely the... awful dishes she cooks."
" Awful?" Elizir raised an eyebrow.
Sirius continued, ignoring the remark.
" What she just did is both simple and complex.
Instead of sending an object inside, she projects herself into it—or at least, she enters it.
She then moves within that timeless space and exits at another location.
To us, it looks like instantaneous movement."
Fidri shook his head, puzzled.
" Wait. If time doesn’t flow, how can she move inside it? And more importantly, how can she enter it while she’s alive?"
For once, Sirius didn’t have a clear answer.
" I don’t know. I asked her once, and she just said: ’Before, it wasn’t possible. Now it is.’"
" So even she doesn’t fully understand her own resonance?" Kritos asked.
Sirius could only nod.
" You could say that. Lucy has always acted on instinct."
---
Fortunately for Sirius, Lucy couldn’t hear any of this.
Her mind was fully focused on the fight.
(" She’s already getting used to my movements...") she thought.
Her teleportations no longer surprised Gracia, who was beginning to gain a worrying advantage in close combat.
Her ether reserves were dropping dangerously low.
She had already used too much by relying on Switch.
On top of that, she didn’t know why, but she felt slower, as if her body were freezing from the inside.
(" I have to finish this now." )
---
The clash grew even more violent until a final blow sent them both flying backward.
Seizing the opportunity, Lucy silently summoned a revolver into her palm, hiding it behind her back.
Then, feigning retreat, she raised the weapon... and fired at the ground.
<< Gate open >>
Before the bullet reached its target, she made it vanish.
Then, without even a second passing.
<< Gate closure >>
The bullet reappeared behind Gracia.
Bang.
---
Gracia immediately clutched her shoulder, blood slipping between her fingers.
She had heard the shot.
But she had never seen the weapon.
(" If I hadn’t shifted aside... it would have been over. ")
<< Cold >>
Ice spread over her wound, slowing the bleeding.
At that moment, their eyes met, and the same thought arose in both of them.
(" I have to end this now. ")
