Karteira advanced toward Lucas, who transformed into a large human with no sense of self.


    The world flashed briefly, as she crossed the distance between them before even blinking.


    It took her constant training to perfect the light element, to a point she felt satisfied with.


    At first, she couldn''t see her surrounding well. Her eyes, and brain particularly, were unable to process the information as it moved too fast.


    She had to focus for weeks until she noticed changes, which was around the time she fought Orion.


    She glanced over her shoulder, noticing two glistening spikes of metal erupting from the ground where she was.


    ''Metal...''


    Seeing this matter created from magic brought back unpleasant memories for her.


    With the memories of her mistakes still fresh in her mind, she looked back at Lucas.


    This man, though corrupted, was still a powerful entity. Karteira knew from experience, from a time she was unable to contain her emotions against these beings, that they should never be underestimated.


    That''s why, she used everything in her power to finish this fight.


    Covered in light magic, Karteira appeared right under the man''s head, and arched her back, kicking its chin while doing a cartwheel.


    Placing her hands on the ground, she bent her elbow, before pushing on her arms upward.


    With the man sent in the air, she followed him immediately, leaving him no room to process what had happened.


    Yet, he glared at her, before clashing its two massive hands together.


    In the air, Karteira appeared unable to avoid being crushed under its hands. With a loud slam, the corrupted man fell back on its feet, and opened its hands to observe the mess.


    With a shocked expression, it found nothing.


    "Looking for me?"


    Sitting on his right shoulder, Karteira smiled. She waved as he turned its face to look at her.


    Rapidly, he swiped at her, but felt a sharp pain in his lower back as she went away.


    With her stinger, Karteira pierced his flesh and forcefully removed it. At a glance, it seemed to have caused damage, but she already figured that it was temporary, and barely effective.


    ''Here it goes...''


    She watched as the wound closed, and the flesh she threw on the grass melted into a dark puddle.


    ''This won''t work. I need to-''


    As she pondered on the way to get rid of the transformed soldier, the man''s muscles began to deflate to their previous state.


    Fumes flew out of every pore of his skin, releasing a stench so disgusting, animals would die from inhaling it.


    "I suppose this won''t do against you."


    The man stretched his body, and walked to his sword, which Karteira threw away earlier.


    Shocked by the sudden return to reason of the corrupted, Karteira observed with caution.


    Lucas picked up his sword, and slashed a few times in the air.


    The pure pressure released by each swing was incomparable to how he wielded the blade previously.


    ''That stench... was all this farce just to get rid of it?''


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    Analyzing the situation, she frowned. One swing of the blade caused the air to rush past her face, roughly lifting her hair in the air.


    Still, she wasn''t particularly worried. Unless the man was as fast as her, she had nothing to worry about.


    "!"


    During a single frame of inattention, Lucas stood in front of her, both hands on the sword''s hilt.


    Karteira took a step back, defending against the attack. Using the shield formed by her ''Cerulean Aegis'' ability, she blocked the blade desperately.


    The blade cut through the tough plates as if they were made of butter.


    It grazed her cheek, and continued on its path, pulling her blood alongside it.


    Then, the blade returned even faster. It flew from the other direction, and threatened to slash at her throat.


    Sadly for him, the surprise worked but once. Having recovered her composure, Karteira kneeled on the grass, leaving an afterimage of herself behind, as she swiped her leg in an attempt to make Lucas fall.


    His eyes focused on her, Lucas jumped, before plunging with his sword pointing at her.


    Knowing how sharp the blade was, Karteira refused to meet it head-on. Leaving a trail of light behind her, she jumped back while crouched, straightened, and lunged at the man, who was still plunging toward her previous position.


    Surprised, Lucas let go of his sword, and attempted to punch Karteira, who was coming at her at an absurd speed.


    Karteira dodged the punch, walked around his shoulder, and stepped behind him. She grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it into the ground with so much force, the sound of his bones cracking entered her ears.


    Lucas glanced on the side, saw his sword, and grabbed the blade without hesitating. After pulling the sword out of the ground, he tried to pierce the woman on top of him.


    Jumping away, Karteira saw the corrupted man standing up, blood pouring from his broken nose and cracked jaw, yet, it once again healed.


    ''This is a pain.''


    With a frown, she glared at the man.


    ''I was hoping to find a core inside this man, but to think Orion was actually right...''


    All she did until now was confirmation of the information Orion came back with after his fight in Noctelagia.


    ''No cores, and an unending recovery. Exactly as detailed. The problem now is...''


    ''How am I supposed to fight this guy?''


    She wasn''t a powerhouse like Amelia or Orion. With only her characteristics as a fairy to support her, and the recent acquisition of the light element, she had no idea how to deal with this soldier.


    The fact that he could recover indefinitely was a large conundrum for her, as it nullified every action she did against him.


    Even if the light element was strong in general, she could only use a fraction of its power, similar to Orion in its beginning.


    What she could do with it was limited to healing small injuries, and enhancing her speed. Besides that, she was unsure of how to use it.


    ''There''s no time to think.''


    She internally shook her head, and focused on the fight.


    ''I''m not someone who thinks. I act. I''ll find a way through fighting.''


    Her body transformed, as the plates covered her whole body. A red jewel encased above the base of her tail glistened, before its entirety disappeared under the thick plates.


    Lucas seemed ready for more, and looked eager to cut her tail off, which Karteira noticed without showing it on her face.


    Grabbing his sword with both hands, he took a step forward, and slashed at Karteira, covered in thick plates.


    Blasts of steam spewed around her neck, as the heat inside the armor intensified. Sweat formed on her cheeks, as she continued to avoid the blade stiffly.


    ''Now should be good.''


    Confirming the heat under the armor with her skin, she internally nodded. It was the right moment to try something different.


    An attack she used once, which devastated thousands of corrupted in one sweep.


    The blade came horizontally toward her face. Karteira buckled her knees, throwing the top of her body backward.


    She kicked the sword away, creating a brief instant of unbalance for her enemy. As Lucas fumbled a few steps backward, Karteira placed her hands on the ground, flipped backward to place her feet behind her, and jumped in the air.


    The strength she used was enough to sent her five meters above the ground, which cracked the ground where she was previously.


    Her blue hair swung gracefully behind her, as she aimed her tail at the corrupted soldier. Lucas, who finally managed to catch his footing, looked at the shadow at the corner of his eye.


    "Eruption!"


    The last thing he saw was a sphere of red flames, before being engulfed into a stream of condensed fire magic.


    "Taste Amelia''s fire magic!"


    The heat ray, large enough to engulf beings three times her size, devoured Lucas and the grass under him.


    It was so intense and energetic that Karteira remained in the air for two minutes while firing it.


    Depleting the entirety of the fire crystal above the base of her tail, she hoped to get rid of him with this.


    But for a strange reason, she was feeling uneasy. No screams, no grunts, not pained voices escaped the fire.


    It could only mean one thing in this situation.


    ''It''s not working.''


    The ability stopped the moment the steam under her armor was depleted. She dropped to the ground, breathing roughly, as the power she used burned her skin under the plates.


    She stood up, covered in a white aura. Her eyes stared intently at the spot Lucas was on, where she unleashed the full potential of the ability.


    In there, a charred body appeared, fuming a dark smoke. The grass had been entirely disintegrated, leaving only a burnt patch of dirt similar to how Bandir looked like behind.


    *Crack*


    A piece of Lucas'' arm detached from the rest of his body, before crumbling into dust as it hit the ground.


    The entirety of his body had been completely burnt like coal, slowly dissipating into ash.


    ''...''


    But Karteira knew. This wasn''t the end of it. The reason for her off-putting feeling?


    The flawlessly pristine blade in his other hand.