Chapter 304: Weapon of Choice Part 2


    The towers enchanted horn red across the coliseum.


    OUR DUELISTS SEEM READY TO FIGHT! Mark yelled.


    Jane cupped her hands together and shouted into the horn, THEN LET THE 9TH MATCH OF THE CHALLENGE OF SPELL & STEEL BEGIN!!!


    Diane didnt need another cue, orange mana surged into her veins and empowered her body with agility magic. She ran across the arena straight at Sylvie. Sylvie didnt move. Diane raised her swords. Still, Sylvie didnt react. The orcs des glistened in the sunlight, but the dire vampire simply smiled casually.


    The sands underneath Dianes feet shifted and the ground exploded in a solid wave of stone. She yelped out in surprise as the groundunched her twenty paces away. She spun her body in mid-air andnded in a roll, knocking the sand up in a cloud around her.


    Diane coughed and shook her head, then jumped to her feet.


    Sylvie ced her hands on her cheeks and gasped dramatically with wide eyes, Oh no! Is the swordmaster in fact at a terrible disadvantage!? Who would have guessed that magic trumps steel!?


    Shut up, you damn giant oaf, Diane muttered angrily.


    Oh, Im just kidding, Sylvieughed lightly. Steel kills mages as easily as anyone else. Its just that in this case, Im the better mage. Plus I have the better weapons.


    What did you just say? Diane sneered.


    Im saying that I have an aegis, dummy. Your swords will never reach me, but my ax will definitely reach you. So you might as well give up alread


    Diane didnt wait for her to finish. She rushed back in. The sands shifted once more and exploded underneath, but this time she was ready. Diane vaulted into the air and the stone wave passed beneath her harmlessly. Sylvies lips formed an o shape as she looked up at the swordmaster falling down above her.


    Sylvie flicked her hands; blue mana instantly coalesced into a giant glob of water that vaguely took the shape of a hand. The aquatic hand pped Diane out of the air and straight into the ground. Diane gasped in pain, the wind knocked out of her. A dull stone pir exploded from the sand and smashed into her stomach, sending her flying back into the air. She fell a dozen paces away with a hard thud.


    Sylvie groaned loudly, <em>Come on</em>, its rude to cut someone off when theyre speaking.


    Diane grimaced and coughed up bile mixed with blood. After a few moments, she pushed herself to her feet in an unsteady stance. ...You don''t take this seriously, do you?


    Hm? Sylvie cocked her head to the side.


    Diane wiped the blood off her lips with the back of her hand, You dont take <em>any</em> of this seriously, do you? Not me, not this fight, and not even this tourney.<em> Do you</em>?


    Sylvie shrugged, I dont even know what that means. Im here to fight like everyone else.


    <em>No</em>. No one is here to fight. Theyre here to prove themselves. But you, Diane narrowed her eyes, Its like youre here just to y like this is a party or something. Whereas everyone is putting their lives on the line just to be here.


    What? Do you want me to be scared of those two little metal needles? Sylvie pointed at the swords on the ground. Sorry if Im not afraid or worked up like you.


    What are you even after? What do you want?


    Sylvie smiled, To win, obviously.


    I hate people like you the most, she sighed and picked up her des.


    Those swords wont help you, you know.


    Ill be the judge of that.


    Diane pointed her clenched fist at Sylvie. A plume of mes zed to life and thrashed towards the vampire hybrid. The aquatic hand swiveled in front of Sylvie and met the raging fire in an explosion of steam.


    The aurum aegis ignited to life. Bronze and golden specs of light red around Sylvies body and formed a protective shield from the heat. As the steam cloud slowly diffused the crowds gasped in surprise. Sylvie hadnt moved an inch, but Diane was right behind and above her, trapped and suspended in mid-air by a web of shadow tendrils emerging from Sylvies silhouette.


    Sylvie slowly turned her neck back and looked up at Diane, You used the steam as a distraction to try and jump me from behind? Not bad. But even if I hadnt stopped you, my aegis would have protected me just the same.


    Diane tried to move, but the shadow tendrils wrapped around her more tightly. She growled in frustration, Easy for you to s


    The shadow tendrils suddenly pulled back andunched the orc across the arena. Diane fell in a sprawl of limbs. She groaned in pain and tried her best to breathe through what was undoubtedly a broken rib or two.


    See! Its annoying when people cut you off isnt it!? Sylvie yelled.


    With slow measured breaths, Diane gingerly stood to her feet and picked up her swords.


    Sylvie furrowed her brow, Are you seriously still going to try and fight? Dont you get it? It doesnt matter how strong of a swordmaster you are if your sword can never reach me! Why even bother fighting!?


    Diane smiled painfully, ...Heh, its easy for you to say when youve been handed everything in life. A rich little princess whose parents spoiled her with an aegis and a gold one at that!


    Its called an aurum aegis, Sylvie said, a trace of anger in her voice. And what do you know of my family? You never met them.


    And yet I know you inherited their powerful magical legacy. Not only that, life itself deemed you worthy enough to be born a Dire. You are a being that physically, magically, and financially towers over others. Everything muste so easily to you that youvee to actually believe you somehow deserve that power. But you dont.


    Youre wrong, I worked hard and earned every bit of my power.


    Bullshit. Ive known countless kids who spent their entire lives working to reach even a tenth of your power and they still failed. So donte here trying to pretend like you deserve to stand here with the rest of us. You dont and you never will.


    Youre <em>wrong</em>, Sylvie said tersely.


    Am I? Dianeughed, I finally get it now. Thats why youre here, isnt it? You want to feel like you belong? Dont you? She spat at Sylvies direction, Look around you, take a good look at all the faces in those crowds. You see it, dont you? You. Do. Not. Belong.


    Sylvies face grew solemn, bereft of expression. Her eyebrow twitched. And for a brief moment, Diane spotted something behind Sylvies scarlet eyes she hadnt before. Unbridled rage. Diane felt a shiver crawl up her spine.


    Sylvie closed her eyes, took a deep slow breath, and smiled serenely, I already told you, youre wrong about me. I dont need my magic to prove that to you.


    What?


    Sylvie unsped the silverce chain around her neck and pulled off her aurum aegis; a golden medallion riddled with arcane sigils and a magestone embedded deep within.


    Diane licked her dry lips, W-what. What are you doing?


    Its simple, Sylvie slipped the aegis into her pocket and picked up her two-handed ax. No magic. I already bested you as a mage. This time Ill best you as a warrior. Let this be a Challenge of Steel and Steel alone.


    Diane chuckled at the absurdity of it all, You cant be serious. You already broke my ribs.


    You want to win, right? This is the one shot youll get. Sylvie gripped her ax tight, Here Ie!


    Sylvie charged her and swung the ax down.


    Diane raised her swords in a crossed stance and blocked. She gasped and fell to one knee from the sheer force of Sylvie''s single attack.


    T-that wont be enough! Diane said through gritted teeth andbored breaths.


    Who said I was finished! Sylvie pulled back her ax and prepared for another swing.


    Diane rxed her breathing and let the life force residing in the core of her body flow into her muscles. She abruptly kicked off the ground and narrowly evaded the axs edge. Yet Sylvie pivoted and shed out with another attack. Diane clenched her teeth tight and blocked the blow. She stumbled back a step, but quickly regained her footing.


    Sylvie didnt let up and assaulted her with an onught of swings. Dianes feet shifted and she was forced to retreat. Sylvies long arms and her axs shaft gave her a reach that far extended beyond Dianes swords. Her dire strength made each ax blow crash down with the force of a wild beast. Even worse, Sylvie was fast, faster than anyone Diane had encountered.


    Even with life force energy strengthening Dianes muscles, she could hardly stop the attacks. Every block sent pins and needles of paining running through her arms. And yet despite the pain and ferocity of the attacks, Diane kept blocking. Her swords fell into a familiar rhythm and she found herself shifting the force of the axs swings away from her until eventually not a single blow could reach her.


    Sylvie stopped attacking and looked at her in surprise, How did you?


    Youve really underestimated the title of swordmaster, Diane smiled ferociously. She stepped forward and swung her des in a blinding sh of steel.


    Sylvie raised her ax and blocked the sh from the right, then the left, then top, and then Sylvies eyes flittered around as she tried to stop each oing attack. Dianes des didnt have the incredible strength behind them like her own, but the orc somehow anticipated where her ax would block, and then Diane would shift her des somewhere else.


    The title of swordmaster is only given to those of us whove strived beyond any other! Diane yelled as she shed her des in a flurry of steel. You mock the sword, but you dont know what it means to wield one!


    Its just a stupid sliver of metal! Sylvie yelled.


    Despite Dianes overwhelming skill, she could not close the gap between them both. Sylvies reach was too great and she knew it.


    Sylvie grinned, Those flimsy swords cant touch me! You should have gone with a spear!


    All I need are my swords! Diane narrowed her eyes and kept attacking. The pain in her ribs melted away amidst her endless strikes. The sword is my will! My vision! It is the legacy of everyone who came before me! And I will not let you ridicule them!


    Thin streaks of green life force swirled around Diane. Her feet shifted in a blur and her body skipped forward like an arrow, past Sylvie altogether. Sylvie stiffened and nced down at her ax, the wooden shaft had been cut clean in two.


    That was close Sylvie muttered.


    Youre wrong. I finally reached you, Diane turned back around and smiled triumphantly. She raised her sword, the tip of her de was dyed red.


    Sylvie slowly raised her hand and touched her cheek. A small gash bled below her eye.


    I fucking hate swords, Sylvie cursed under her breath. She tossed away her broken ax and opened her arms wide. Fine! I was wrong. I underestimated your sword


    <em>Swords</em>, Diane raised both des.


    Nah, dual-wielding those flimsy needles is still stupid, she grinned.


    Is that right? Diane smiled coldly and abruptly swung her des at Sylvies left arm.


    Sylvies body spun with pale red light and the des passed by her harmlessly. Diane''s amber eyes widened in surprise, she tried to retreat but she had overextended. Sylvie sharply mmed the side of her hand down over Dianes wrist. The crunch of bone resounded in both their ears.


    Diane cried out in pain. Her wrist went limp and dropped the sword. She jumped back and stared at Sylvie with a mixture of pain and shock.


    That red light. It wasnt magic Diane muttered warily.


    Nope, Sylvie said casually.


    It was a manifestation of concentrated life force energy?


    Yup.


    Diane frowned, Only a master warrior can manifest their life force


    So they say.


    But thats not possible Diane shook her head vehemently. You didnt use any energy techniques against me! I defeated your ax!


    Yeah, I guess you did, she shrugged.


    Then how!? How can you!


    Sylvie dug her foot underneath the fallen sword, flipped it up, and snatched it from the air. She twirled the defortably in her hand and tested its weight. Hm, how indeed?


    Diane paled, No. It cant be. You cant be!


    Sylvie spread her legs apart and lowered the de behind her back. Soft red life energy crept over the sword. The wind began to blow around her as if pooling around her very being. The breeze lifted her blood-red hair up in a mass of scarlet strands and the sunlight dyed her hair in a red glow.


    Dianes jaw went ck. This was more than a simple energy technique. This was precise life force control and terrifying sword skill fully realized.


    Why!? I dont understand! Diane screamed. You said you hated the sword!


    I do.


    Then why!? Youre a swordmaster, why!


    Sylvie dashed forward, her figure a red blur. Diane raised her sword and tried to block. The air imploded in a sh of steel. Dianes sword snapped in half and her arm was torn apart from the pressure of the raging life force. She spun from the sheer force of the attack and copsed on the sand in a bloody mess of nicks and gashes.


    Sylvie looked at her fallen opponent indifferently. She tossed her sword away and turned to the crowds cheering her name.


    She waved and smiled widely, though it did not reach her eyes.