The third day of the River City Tournament was drawing to a close.
The final matches were about to begin.
The arenas scattered throughout the complex remained packed.
The crowd cheered.
Merchants shouted.
Gamblers argued.
But at that moment.
The attention of EXO Guild and Beast Guild converged on a single hologram.
Arena 17.
Two names.
Two fighters.
Two friends.
Nicelle Saulos.
Aysa Giulans.
For a few seconds.
Silence fell over the group watching the display.
Hitori was the first to speak.
Hitori:
“Damn…”
Kamero adjusted his glasses.
His eyes scanned the names.
Kamero:
“I really wasn’t expecting this one.”
Yashina bit her lower lip.
Yashina:
“Aysa…”
Guma crossed his arms.
A smile appeared on his face.
Guma:
“This fight is going to be good.”
He looked at Mimi.
Mimi pressed her hands against her chest.
Mimi:
“Nicelle…”
Beside them.
Sarina gave a mischievous smile.
Sarina:
“At last we’ll find out which of those two perverts is the more dangerous.”
Immediately.
Mimi blushed.
Hitori laughed.
Kamero sighed.
Guma burst into laughter.
But the two fighters were no longer listening.
Arena 17 was full.
Some had come out of curiosity, while others simply wanted to watch those beautiful women fight.
The late afternoon light painted the sky in shades of gold.
At the center of the arena.
Nicelle and Aysa stood face to face.
Neither looked away.
Because both of them knew.
One of them would leave the tournament.
Hermes walked to the center.
The referee carried a sword at his waist.
His gray hair swayed gently in the wind.
His gaze passed over both of them.
Hermes:
“As you know, the same rules still apply.”
Hermes:
“Lethal attacks are prohibited.”
Hermes:
“The match ends when one of the participants surrenders or is no longer able to continue.”
Hermes:
“So I assume you both agree.”
Nicelle:
“Yes.”
Aysa:
“I have a question.”
Hermes closed his eyes.
Something inside him told him he wasn’t going to like the answer.
Hermes:
“Go ahead.”
Aysa pointed at Nicelle.
Aysa:
“If I win, you’ll have a drink with me afterward.”
In the stands, several spectators began to laugh.
Hermes covered part of his face with one hand.
Nicelle watched her opponent for a few seconds.
Then sighed.
Nicelle:
“You’re still a hunter, aren’t you?”
Aysa:
“Look who’s talking, Nicelle the Devourer.”
Nicelle:
“You still remember that?”
Aysa:
“I’ll never forget.”
Nicelle:
“The two most admired women.”
Aysa:
“Everyone looks at us with desire.”
A small laugh escaped the kitsune’s lips.
She hated to admit it.
But she had missed this kind of conversation.
Those exchanges.
That completely shameless way Aysa had of turning any situation into something absurd.
Even an elimination match.
Hermes decided to put an end to it before it got any worse.
Hermes:
“All right.”
Hermes:
“Let’s begin before this conversation gets even stranger.”
He raised his hand.
The spectators fell silent.
His arm came down.
Hermes:
“BEGIN!”
Neither of them rushed forward.
Which surprised much of the audience.
They began to walk.
Slowly.
Watching each other.
Like two predators studying the other’s next move.
Aysa acted first.
A knife appeared between her fingers.
She began to spin it.
The movement was so natural it looked like a habit.
Like someone absentmindedly twirling a pen.
But Nicelle knew that gesture.
She knew it very well.
Nicelle:
“You’re still using those knives.”
Aysa smiled.
Aysa:
“And you’re still using those ugly bracelets.”
Nicelle raised an eyebrow.
Nicelle:
“I never leave home without them.”
Aysa:
“That doesn’t make them any less ugly.”
A few laughs rose from the stands.
Then.
Aysa flicked her wrist.
The knife left her hand.
Spinning.
Not very fast.
Not very hard.
It even looked like a simple attack.
But Nicelle didn’t fall for that trap.
She watched the spin.
The position of the blade.
The angle.
The speed.
And most importantly.
The red fluid coating the metal.
Nicelle shifted her body to the right.
The knife passed beside her face.
But it wasn’t the knife she was watching.
It was the fluid.
Tiny red droplets separated from the blade during its flight.
Falling onto the arena floor.
Behind her.
To the left.
To the right.
Nicelle narrowed her eyes.
Nicelle:
“Same old trick.”
Aysa smiled.
Because she had been found out.
Hitori leaned forward.
Hitori:
“What is she doing?”
Kamero answered immediately.
Kamero:
“Preparing the field.”
Hitori:
“Preparing it?”
Kamero pointed.
Kamero:
“Look where the drops landed.”
Hitori looked.
Finally, he understood.
The liquid had not been scattered randomly.
Each throw created another marked area.
Like pieces being placed on a board.
Hitori:
“So she wasn’t trying to hit her?”
Kamero:
“No.”
Kamero:
“She was creating favorable terrain.”
In the arena.
Nicelle decided to act.
Because allowing Aysa to prepare the battlefield would be a mistake.
Her feet became covered in fur, the form of a fox beginning to emerge over her legs, and then she charged.
The stone groaned beneath the pressure.
Her body leaned forward.
And then she launched herself.
The distance between them disappeared rapidly.
The wind swept her hair back.
Her tails swayed.
The golden bracelets emitted a gentle glow.
Aysa did not retreat.
On the contrary.
She smiled.
Because she had been expecting that charge as well.
Nicelle clenched her fist.
The punch followed a short trajectory.
Without exaggerated movements.
Without wasted motion.
Straight toward Aysa’s stomach.
Aysa twisted her hips.
Trying to evade.
But she was too late.
The blow landed.
Not completely.
But enough.
The impact made the witch’s body slide back several centimeters.
Aysa felt the air leave her lungs.
Nicelle took advantage.
She gave her no time to recover her balance.
She spun her body.
Her elbow came immediately afterward.
Aysa raised her knife.
CLANG!
Metal met metal.
The bracelet blocked it.
Sparks flew.
The two remained close.
Very close.
So close they could hear each other’s breathing.
Aysa smiled.
Nicelle smiled too.
Because at that moment.
Neither of them was thinking about the tournament.
They were thinking about the old days.
But neither would admit it.
Aysa slid backward.
The heels of her boots scraped against the arena floor.
The blow to her abdomen had not been strong enough to knock her down.
But it had been enough to remind her of one thing.
Nicelle had become stronger.
Much stronger.
The kitsune no longer looked like the girl who used to spend entire nights in front of a notebook complaining about impossible quests.
Now her movements carried discipline.
Precision.
Strength.
And that amused Aysa.
Aysa:
“So this is how you welcome the one who taught you all that?”
Nicelle kept her guard up.
The golden bracelets reflected the late afternoon sunlight.
Nicelle:
“You threw the first knife.”
Aysa:
“And you punched me.”
Nicelle:
“You liked it.”
Aysa placed a hand over her chest.
Pretending to be offended.
Aysa:
“I’m being attacked physically and emotionally.”
Hitori:
“What are those two even talking about?”
Kamero:
“They knew each other before. That must be it.”
Aysa spun the knife again.
But this time.
Nicelle noticed something different.
The red fluid coating the blade was not the same as before.
Its viscosity was different.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Like freshly spilled blood.
Nicelle:
“Another fluid?”
Aysa smiled.
Aysa:
“You’re becoming observant.”
Nicelle:
“You’re always predictable.”
Aysa:
“Keep provoking me.”
Nicelle:
“If you like it, I will.”
The knife disappeared from the witch’s hand.
Not because she threw it.
But because she spun it behind her back.
At the same time.
Three new knives appeared between her fingers.
Each coated with a different shade of red.
One dark red.
One bright red.
One almost black.
Kamero watched carefully.
His eyes narrowed.
Hitori noticed immediately.
Hitori:
“What is it?”
Kamero:
“She’s using the new strategy she developed.”
Hitori:
“Did she learn a new spell?”
Kamero:
“Aysa has been training since the fight against the wolves, and after our battle against the Lotus Flower Guild, she decided she had to change her fighting style.”
Yashina:
“She’s been working really hard.”
Aysa threw the three knives.
But this time she didn’t aim at Nicelle.
The first struck the ground.
The second hit one of the arena’s side pillars.
The third passed over the kitsune’s head.
Nicelle frowned.
Nicelle:
“What are you trying to do?”
Aysa:
“You’ll find out.”
Then the witch snapped her fingers.
The red stains scattered across the arena began to glow.
Not brightly.
But enough to be seen.
Nicelle felt something strange.
A slight weight on her shoulders.
An unpleasant sensation.
As though the air had become denser.
Aysa:
“Numbing Fluid.”
The witch’s smile widened.
Nicelle:
“What? You didn’t even hit me.”
Aysa:
“I don’t have to touch you.”
Aysa:
“You just have to breathe.”
Nicelle immediately jumped backward.
The distance between them increased.
But the sensation remained.
Her movements felt slightly slower.
Her reflexes.
Her mana circulation.
Even her thoughts.
Nicelle:
“What an annoying ability.”
Aysa:
“Thanks. It took a lot of work to improve my technique.”
“It took me months to create it.”
Hitori’s eyes widened.
Hitori:
“So now she can use paralysis without touching someone?”
Kamero:
“Exactly.”
The fight had changed.
It was no longer just combat.
It was territory.
Control.
Planning.
Nicelle took a deep breath.
And then.
Her eyes changed.
Her pupils took on a more feline shape.
More feral.
Closer to those of a true fox.
The crowd noticed immediately.
Guma smiled.
Mimi smiled as well.
Because they recognized that look.
Nicelle was beginning to take the fight seriously.
A small flame appeared behind her.
Floating near her first tail.
Purple.
Beautiful.
Hypnotic.
And dangerous.
The temperature of the arena began to drop.
Gradually.
As though summer were being replaced by winter.
Aysa felt a chill run down her spine.
Nicelle:
“I was trying to take it easy.”
The purple flame grew larger.
Nicelle:
“But you made that impossible.”
For the first time since the fight had begun.
Aysa’s smile disappeared.
Because she knew those flames.
And she knew exactly how dangerous they were.
Years ago.
When they still played together.
She always said the same thing.
“If I ever found a skill like that in an MMORPG, it would be completely overpowered.”
Now.
She was standing right in front of it.
In real life.
Aysa:
“So you’re finally going to use it.”
Nicelle slowly raised her right arm.
The golden bracelets began to emit a bluish glow.
The purple flame flowed across the metal.
Like water running through a river.
Nicelle:
“Tsk, don’t think you’ve already won. Let’s see if you can keep up.”
The kitsune’s body became covered with more fur.
Her legs grew stronger, and her fox form became more robust and powerful.
Nicelle’s paw sank into the stone arena floor.
Aysa noticed immediately.
Aysa:
“Still overpowered.”
Nicelle:
“Say whatever you want.”
Aysa:
“Your fox.”
Nicelle:
“Witch.”
Aysa placed a hand over her chest.
Hitori:
“That form…”
Yashina:
“Nicelle is going to accelerate her circulation using mana.”
Kamero:
“That’s right. She has the advantage because of her Therian form.”
Nicelle charged.
This time it wasn’t a run.
It was a burst.
Her body practically slid across the arena.
Aysa raised two knives.
The right bracelet met the first blade.
CLANG!
The left one deflected the second.
Aysa spun her body.
A third knife appeared between her fingers.
Aiming for the kitsune’s neck.
Nicelle lowered her torso.
The blade passed over her head.
Cutting only a few strands of hair.
Nicelle took advantage of the opening.
She spun on her axis.
Her heel came toward the witch’s ribs.
Aysa crossed her arms.
The impact launched her backward.
She slid nearly three meters.
But remained standing.
Aysa:
“You hit harder than you used to.”
Nicelle:
“You’ve gotten tougher too.”
For a moment.
The two smiled.
And the memory returned.
Several years earlier.
Eudos Accounting.
The office was busy.
Phone calls.
Computers.
Papers.
Spreadsheets.
Everything followed the normal pace of a Monday.
Nicelle stood in front of the manager’s desk.
Nervous.
It was her first job.
Her first day.
Her first contact with that world.
Manager:
“You’ll be working in the accounting department.”
Nicelle:
“Yes, sir.”
Manager:
“One of the employees will help you.”
The door opened.
A girl walked in.
Long red hair.
A full bust.
A confident gaze.
A provocative smile.
And an impossible-to-ignore presence.
It was Aysa Giulans.
Aysa:
“So this is the new girl?”
The manager nodded.
Aysa walked closer.
Looking Nicelle up and down.
As though she were evaluating merchandise.
Nicelle felt uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
Then Aysa smiled.
Aysa:
“Nice to meet you.”
Aysa:
“I’m Aysa.”
Nicelle:
“Nicelle.”
Aysa:
“I like you.”
Nicelle:
“What?”
Aysa:
“I don’t know.”
Aysa:
“I’ve got a good nose for these things. There’s something about you that captivates me.”
Nicelle:
“Okay… that was weird.”
Aysa:
“You’ll get used to it.”
Arena 17.
The knife grazed Nicelle’s shoulder.
The kitsune spun.
Avoiding it by centimeters.
But this time.
Aysa had already expected that.
A second blade appeared.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
All thrown in sequence.
Like a rain of steel.
Nicelle raised her bracelets.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Sparks flew.
One of the knives was deflected upward.
Another struck the ground.
A third passed close to the kitsune’s face.
But then.
The fourth touched her arm.
Only a graze.
Nothing deep.
Nothing serious.
But enough.
Nicelle felt it immediately.
Her arm became heavy.
Her fingers lost part of their mobility.
Nicelle:
“Paralyzing fluid…”
Aysa spun another knife.
Aysa:
“That’s right.”
Nicelle smiled.
Even as her arm began to grow numb.
Nicelle:
“Congratulations. You hit me.”
The nine tails moved behind her.
Slowly.
As though they had lives of their own.
And from them, a purple flame emerged and moved toward the arm that had grown heavy.
Nicelle:
“Purple Spiritual Flame, Flame of Souls.”
The purple flame was the Flame of Souls.
It was capable of freezing mana, and at that moment it was freezing the flow of Aysa’s paralysis.
Nicelle:
“Now it’s my turn to attack. Orange Spiritual Flame!”
A second flame appeared behind Nicelle.
Orange.
Different from the purple flame.
While the first seemed cold and silent.
The second was alive.
Violent.
It looked like a small sun dancing behind her.
The heat spread quickly across the arena.
Aysa watched it carefully.
Aysa spun a knife between her fingers.
But for the first time since the fight began.
Her smile faded.
Aysa:
“You’ve really changed.”
Nicelle:
“So have you.”
Aysa:
“I’m prettier.”
Nicelle:
“You’re still conceited.”
Aysa:
“Thank you.”
Nicelle sighed.
Nicelle moved her right arm.
The orange flame slid across her bracelet.
Like a river of fire flowing over metal.
Then she charged.
Aysa noticed immediately.
This was different from her previous speed.
Very different.
The kitsune’s body seemed lighter.
More aggressive.
More feral.
The distance vanished.
Nicelle appeared in front of her.
Her right bracelet traced a horizontal arc.
Aysa ducked.
The metal passed over her head.
But the heat did not.
A scorching wave struck her face.
Several strands of her hair were burned.
Aysa:
“Hey!”
Nicelle:
“That was an accident.”
Aysa:
“Liar.”
Nicelle:
“It really was.”
Aysa:
“You’ve always been terrible at lying.”
The witch spun on her axis.
Taking advantage of her low stance.
A knife shot toward Nicelle’s thigh.
The kitsune jumped.
But not completely.
The blade sliced part of her clothing.
Without reaching her skin.
Nicelle landed.
Immediately.
A second knife appeared in front of her face.
She raised her bracelet.
CLANG!
The impact sent sparks flying in every direction.
The third knife came immediately after.
Then the fourth.
Then the fifth.
Aysa gave her no room.
She attacked in succession.
Changing angles.
Changing rhythm.
Changing trajectories.
Like a dancer.
An extremely dangerous dancer.
Kamero watched closely.
Hitori:
“She’s pressuring Nicelle.”
Kamero:
“No.”
Hitori:
“No?”
Kamero:
“She’s preventing Nicelle from accumulating mana.”
Hitori looked again.
Then he realized.
Aysa wasn’t trying to land decisive blows.
She was interrupting.
Forcing Nicelle to defend.
Forcing Nicelle to spend energy.
Hitori:
“She’s controlling the pace.”
Kamero nodded.
Kamero:
“Exactly.”
In the arena.
Nicelle realized the same thing.
And smiled.
Because that was so typical of Aysa.
Aysa had never been the strongest.
Never the fastest.
But she had always been the most annoying.
The memory returned.
Gouvet Bar
Music filled the room.
Glasses clinked.
Bottles were opened.
People laughed.
Talked.
Celebrated.
Nicelle was seeing all of that for the first time.
She had never gone to places like that.
Never.
Aysa was already on her second drink.
Or third.
Or fourth.
Nicelle had lost count.
Aysa:
“I knew it.”
Nicelle:
“Knew what?”
Aysa pointed at her.
Aysa:
“When I saw you.”
Nicelle:
“That sounds worrying.”
Aysa:
“I knew we’d become friends.”
Nicelle almost choked.
Nicelle:
“Do you always say strange things?”
Aysa:
“Yes.”
Nicelle:
“I see.”
Aysa:
“You’ll get used to it.”
A few minutes later.
The two were already laughing.
Talking nonsense.
Commenting about work.
Complaining about the boss.
Complaining about the customers.
Complaining about life.
And for the first time.
Nicelle felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Relief.
Aysa:
“So.”
Nicelle:
“Hm?”
Aysa:
“What’s your type?”
Nicelle nearly spat out her drink.
Nicelle:
“How did we even get to that topic?!”
Aysa burst into laughter.
Aysa:
“I knew it.”
Aysa:
“You’re fun.”
Arena 17
A knife passed close to Nicelle’s face.
Another struck her bracelet.
A third was deflected.
But then.
The fourth hit her shoulder.
This time.
More deeply.
Nicelle stepped back.
Feeling the fluid take effect.
Her arm became heavy.
Her muscles began responding more slowly.
Aysa:
“Numbing Fluid.”
Aysa:
“Improved version.”
Nicelle:
“You give your techniques terrible names.”
Aysa:
“And you sound like an old woman complaining.”
The two smiled.
But now both of them were breathing heavily.
Because the fight was beginning to demand its price.
And this was only the beginning.
Nicelle’s shoulder burned.
Not because of the cut.
But because of the fluid.
She could feel the substance slowly spreading through her muscles.
First came a feeling of heaviness.
Then sluggishness.
As if her own body were resisting the commands sent by her mind.
Nicelle rotated her shoulder.
Trying to regain her mobility.
Aysa watched.
Her smile returned.
Aysa:
“It’s working.”
Nicelle:
“You keep inventing annoying things.”
Aysa:
“And you keep complaining.”
Nicelle:
“But my purple flame won’t let it.”
Nicelle summoned more purple flames around her arm.
They burned with a cold fire, slowing the numbing fluid.
The two were beginning to feel the weight of the battle.
Hermes watched in silence.
His experience told him something.
That fight was heading somewhere dangerous.
Neither of them wanted to lose.
And neither of them would accept defeat.
Nicelle took a deep breath.
Then stepped forward.
Aysa noticed immediately.
Her stance had changed.
Her shoulders.
Her breathing.
Her eyes.
Everything.
Aysa:
“Ah…”
Aysa:
“So we’ve reached this part.”
Behind Nicelle.
An orange flame began to form on each of her nine tails.
The spiritual flames condensed.
Taking shape.
Gaining volume.
Gaining presence.
The audience fell silent.
Because even those who had never seen a kitsune understood.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The purple flames flowed along the fox’s tired arms.
The orange flames wrapped around her tails.
Like spiritual serpents dancing behind her.
Hitori’s eyes widened.
Hitori:
“She was hiding all of that?”
Kamero:
“No.”
Kamero:
“She was conserving mana.”
Guma smiled.
Guma:
“Now it’s getting interesting.”
Mimi watched in silence.
But her fingers gripped her clothes tightly.
She knew that state.
She knew it very well.
Because it was similar to her own Passive Form.
In the arena.
Nicelle slowly raised her bracelets.
The flames began to envelop them.
The golden metal took on violet and orange hues.
Aysa sighed.
Aysa:
“I really hate it when you do this.”
Nicelle:
“Then you should have surrendered.”
Aysa:
“Not even in your dreams.”
The two charged.
At the same time.
Aysa threw two knives.
Not directly.
The blades crossed paths.
One coming from the left.
The other from the right.
Nicelle didn’t try to dodge.
She spun her arms.
The bracelets intercepted both of them.
CLANG!
CLANG!
The knives were knocked away.
But at that very moment.
Aysa was already close.
Very close.
The witch had used the knives only to hide her approach.
Her knee drove toward the kitsune’s abdomen.
Nicelle crossed her arm.
The impact made her body slide back several centimeters.
Aysa took advantage.
A new knife appeared.
A short movement.
Straight toward the ribs.
Nicelle spun.
The blade cut only part of her clothing.
But the kitsune did not remain on the defensive.
Aysa tilted her head.
The blow grazed past.
But the orange tail did not.
The heat struck the witch’s face.
She felt her skin burn.
Aysa jumped backward.
For the first time.
Serious.
Nicelle:
“What is it?”
Nicelle:
“Getting tired?”
Aysa smiled.
But it was a different smile.
Less playful.
More competitive.
Aysa:
“I was just remembering something.”
Nicelle:
“Hm?”
The memory returned.
Several years earlier.
The clock read three in the morning.
Nicelle’s house was completely dark.
Except for one room.
Her brother’s room.
Two notebooks lit the room.
Two young women completely addicted.
Two young women completely unable to sleep.
Aysa:
“I can’t believe it.”
Nicelle:
“What?”
Aysa pointed at the screen.
Aysa:
“You stole my item.”
Nicelle:
“It dropped for me.”
Aysa:
“Because you ran ahead.”
Nicelle:
“That’s called skill.”
Aysa:
“That’s called theft.”
The two argued.
For nearly five minutes.
Over a virtual item.
Until they started laughing.
Because neither of them actually cared.
Aysa:
“This game is dangerous.”
Nicelle:
“Why?”
Aysa:
“Because I’m starting to like it.”
Nicelle smiled.
Nicelle:
“It was already too late for you.”
Nicelle’s left arm still felt heavy.
The numbing fluid circulated slowly through her body.
It wasn’t enough to incapacitate her.
But it was enough to interfere.
Every movement required more effort.
Every reaction took a fraction of a second longer.
And against an experienced fighter.
A fraction of a second could decide a match.
Aysa noticed.
Of course she noticed.
She had always had an irritating talent for finding weaknesses.
Aysa:
“You’re slower.”
Nicelle:
“You’re older.”
Aysa:
“I’m going to beat you.”
Nicelle:
“Get in line.”
Aysa spun a knife between her fingers.
But this time she didn’t attack.
She watched.
She waited.
Because she knew Nicelle.
She knew the kitsune hated being pressured.
And that when she got irritated…
She made aggressive decisions.
Exactly as happened.
Nicelle charged.
Her right foot crushed the arena floor.
Small cracks spread across the stone.
Her body shot forward.
Faster than before.
Fiercer.
More feral.
The orange flame intensified.
The heat became almost suffocating.
Aysa raised an eyebrow.
Aysa:
“Ah…”
Aysa:
“So you got irritated.”
Nicelle didn’t answer.
Her right bracelet came first.
Not as a punch.
But as a sweeping strike.
Aimed at Aysa’s head.
Aysa ducked.
The bracelet passed overhead.
The wind from the swing made her hair dance.
But Nicelle had already anticipated that.
She twisted her hips.
Completely changing the direction of the attack.
Her knee shot upward.
Straight toward Aysa’s abdomen.
Aysa crossed her arms.
The impact hurled her backward.
This time several meters.
The witch slid across the ground.
Her boots scraping through the arena floor.
The crowd reacted immediately.
Because it was the first time one of the two had gained a clear advantage.
Guma smiled.
Guma:
“Now it begins.”
Kamero kept his eyes fixed on the battle.
Kamero:
“Not yet.”
Hitori:
“What do you mean?”
Kamero:
“Neither of them has shown her trump card yet.”
In the arena.
Aysa placed one hand on the ground.
Recovering her balance.
She felt pain.
A great deal of pain.
Nicelle’s blows felt like hammer strikes.
But instead of being frightened.
She began to laugh.
Nicelle sighed.
Nicelle:
“I’ve always thought that was strange.”
Aysa:
“What?”
Nicelle:
“You laugh when you’re getting beaten up.”
Aysa:
“That’s because it usually means I’m winning.”
Nicelle:
“You’re still irritating.”
Aysa:
“And you still fall for my tricks.”
The memory returned once again.
Several years earlier.
Nicelle’s house.
Two empty bottles on the table.
Bags of snacks scattered around.
Two notebooks powered on.
And two women completely focused.
Aysa:
“HEAL!”
Nicelle:
“I’M HEALING!”
Aysa:
“MORE HEALING!”
Nicelle:
“I’M NOT A GODDESS!”
The screen flashed.
The dungeon boss advanced.
Gigantic.
Terrifying.
Aysa:
“RUN!”
Nicelle:
“I’M RUNNING!”
Aysa:
“NOT TOWARD THE CLIFF!”
Nicelle:
“WHAT CLIFF?”
Her character fell.
Straight into the void.
Silence.
Aysa looked at the screen.
Then at Nicelle.
Then back at the screen.
And burst into laughter.
So hard that tears filled her eyes.
Nicelle:
“It’s not funny.”
Aysa:
“YES, IT IS!”
Nicelle:
“We lost three hours!”
Aysa:
“But it was funny!”
Nicelle crossed her arms.
Trying to look annoyed.
She failed.
Because she started laughing too.
Arena 17.
The memory disappeared.
And reality returned.
Aysa drew three knives.
Then four.
Then five.
Each coated with a different fluid.
Nicelle immediately became alert.
Aysa:
“Let’s raise the level.”
The knives flew.
Not in a straight line.
But along different trajectories.
One from above.
Another from the right.
Two from the left.
One skimming the ground.
Nicelle dodged the first.
Blocked the second.
The third grazed past.
But then she realized something.
The knives weren’t the real attack.
The fluids began to spread through the air.
Mixing together.
Kamero stood up.
For the first time.
Kamero:
“Aysa?”
Hitori:
“What?”
Kamero:
“She showed me this before.”
Hitori:
“And what is it?”
Kamero:
“The witch is on the loose…”
In the arena.
Aysa snapped her fingers.
The entire battlefield glowed red.
And at that moment.
Nicelle understood.
She had walked into the trap.
But she smiled.
Because finally.
It was her turn.
Purple and orange flames began flowing through all nine tails.
Like living serpents.
Aysa’s eyes widened.
Nicelle:
“It’s been a long time since I last used this.”
The temperature of the arena began changing violently.
Heat.
Cold.
Heat.
Cold.
And for the first time since the battle had begun.
Aysa realized.
She was starting to enjoy herself too.
Silence fell over Arena 17.
Not because the fight had stopped.
But because everyone had realized.
It was changing.
Up until that moment.
Nicelle and Aysa had been testing each other.
Provoking each other.
Analyzing each other.
Remembering.
But now.
The two of them were beginning to fight for real.
The nine tails swayed behind Nicelle.
The flames flowed through each one.
Purple.
Orange.
Purple.
Orange.
As if small stars were dancing around the kitsune.
The temperature of the arena became unstable.
Near an orange tail.
The air shimmered with heat.
Near a purple tail.
The stone began to freeze.
Hitori watched carefully.
Hitori:
“Those tails…”
Mimi lowered her head.
Mimi:
“Nicelle is ready to use that.”
Guma crossed his arms.
Guma:
“She’s taking this fight seriously.”
In the arena.
Aysa had noticed it too.
And for the first time since the fight had begun.
Her smile disappeared completely.
Because she knew Nicelle.
And she knew exactly what that meant.
Aysa:
“So we’ve reached this point.”
Nicelle:
“You wanted a serious fight.”
Nicelle raised her bracelets.
The flames flowed across the metal.
The golden color disappeared beneath the spiritual glow.
Nicelle:
“Now deal with it.”
She charged.
But this time.
She didn’t run.
She didn’t leap.
She didn’t burst forward.
She simply appeared in front of Aysa.
The witch’s eyes widened.
Because not even she could follow the movement.
Instinct.
Pure instinct.
Aysa crossed her knives in front of her body.
CLANG!
The bracelet struck the blades.
The force of the impact traveled through the witch’s arms.
Her muscles protested.
Her legs sank slightly into the stone floor.
But that was only the beginning.
Nicelle spun her body.
One of the orange tails followed the movement.
Like a whip.
Aysa jumped backward.
Barely.
By a hair.
The tail passed in front of her.
The heat distorted the air.
Part of her sleeve caught fire.
Aysa immediately tore the fabric away.
Aysa:
“That was dangerous.”
Nicelle:
“That was the idea.”
The crowd erupted.
Because at last the fight had reached another level.
Aysa took a deep breath.
Then closed her eyes.
For just a second.
When she opened them again.
Her fingers were already holding six knives.
Each coated with a thick, vivid red fluid.
And each required enormous concentration.
Aysa:
“You know.”
Nicelle nodded.
Nicelle:
“I do.”
Aysa:
“Then don’t complain afterward.”
The six knives flew.
Not toward the kitsune.
But toward specific points in the arena.
One struck the ground.
Another hit a wall.
Another struck a pillar.
Another embedded itself in the ceiling.
Kamero stood up.
Hitori noticed.
Hitori:
“What is it?”
Kamero:
“She finished it.”
Hitori:
“Finished what?”
Kamero:
“The domain.”
In the arena.
The red marks scattered across the battlefield began to glow.
All of them.
At the same time.
Aysa:
“Crimson Witchcraft.”
The entire ground was covered in red symbols.
Runes.
Circles.
Marks.
Like a gigantic web.
The arena’s mana began to move.
Nicelle felt it immediately.
Her magical flow became heavy.
Her tails lost some of their glow.
Her movements became slower.
Aysa smiled again.
Aysa:
“Got you.”
Nicelle remained silent.
Watching.
Feeling.
Analyzing.
Then she smiled.
Aysa froze.
Because she knew that smile.
It was the smile Nicelle wore whenever she was about to do something outrageous.
Nicelle:
“Not yet.”
The purple flames erupted around the kitsune.
Not in a sudden explosion.
But like a growing storm.
The runes of the Crimson Witchcraft began to freeze.
The mana flowing through them began to stop.
Because those were not ordinary flames.
They were flames capable of freezing even mana itself.
A chill ran down Aysa’s spine.
For the first time in the fight.
She realized.
Maybe she had gone too far.
But retreating was no longer an option.
Not for her.
Not for Nicelle.
The two smiled.
Just as they always did.
Before starting some crazy adventure together.
And then they charged.
Straight at each other.
While everyone in Arena 17 watched the battle intently.