"Wow~!" Kaius whistled, watching the battle between Mira and Maria y out. "Those two are amazing!"


    Standing next to him, Cine nodded silently, her gaze nk. Kaius was transmitting what he saw directly to her mind, allowing her to watch such a spectacle.


    "Didn''t you say they were lovers? Why are they trying to kill each other?"


    "Well…" Cine lowered her head. How was she supposed to answer that?


    "...Love isplicated, I guess."


    "Damn right." Kaius nodded seriously. "Watching them makes me realize that my decision to stay single was the correct choice!"


    "..."


    "I already have enough people trying to kill me as is. I don''t need to add another weakness for them to exploit."


    Cine strategically kept her mouth shut despite wanting to say otherwise. Mira and Maria were trying hard not to be a burden to each other… even if it might not look like it right now. They just needed to ''talk'' things out.


    She turned her attention back to the battle, her ''eyes'' hardly able to keep up with the speed at which they both moved. If it weren''t for Kaius''s help, all she''d be able to see would be around a dozen dim lights moving at extreme speeds, followed by shes of light.


    "Who do you think will win?" Kaius suddenly asked with a grin.


    Cine frowned slightly. "...I don''t think it''s my ce to-"


    "My bet''s on the blonde one." He interrupted, but Cine kept quiet.


    Not minding her, he continued, "She''s putting her all into killing the fox. Every move is calcted, and she''s even overworking her body just to win."


    "So, you''re saying Mira isn''t?" Hearing his words, Cine grew curious.


    "Hmmm… I''m not sure. She''s obviously trying to win, but at the same time, not? Honestly, I''m not quite sure. The techniques she''s shown so far have been incredibly powerful, though a bit crude. She seems like the type of person only to have surekill moves. If she wanted to win, she might be forced to kill the blonde, but that''s just my spection."


    "..." Cine opened her mouth, surprised at how urate Kaius was.


    Although she didn''t know as much about Mira''s techniques as Maria, she knew that battles to the death against Mira almost neversted this long. Spars might, since neither side was trying to kill one another, but this was a different story.


    ''Is Mira holding back? No, I doubt even she''s stupid enough to do that. She has to know that doing so would be incredibly disrespectful.'' She thought, shaking her head.


    ''Or maybe this is exactly what Maria wanted… Maybe she had already taken this into ount before the battle started…'' If that was the case, then it wasn''t that Mira hadn''t gone all out, but Maria had gone into it, knowing Mira''sck of variety despite her overwhelming power.


    ''Maria might actually eke out a win…!'' Although she previously said that it wasn''t her ce, she was rooting for Maria.


    That was the whole point of this trip, after all!


    ***


    "AHHHH!"


    "HELP!"


    "RUN-AGH!"


    Screams and explosions resounded as people who were caught up as coteral damage were obliterated. Mira and Maria''s battle extended further than just the vicinity of the castle. They zig-zagged in and out of the blizzard, scattering the storm, reducing small biomes to mere remnants, and annihting small cities.


    The death toll from their ''duel'' started in the tens, then the hundreds, and is somewhere in the thousands now as their des shed at the speed of light, or so it seemed.


    Mira unleashed a flurry of strikes with her scythe, each swing generating deadly arcs of yin lightning that seared the air and scorched the earth. Maria parried each strike with her sword, the ng of metal on metal echoing like thunder.


    In a sudden shift, Mira''s clones vanished, leaving her alone against Maria. But this was no retreat; it was a feint. From the shadows, the real Mira emerged, her scythe aimed directly at Maria''s back.


    Maria spun around, her shield materializing in a sh of light to block the strike. The impact sent shockwaves through the area, toppling what few structures remained standing.


    "Not bad," Mira grinned. "But let''s see how you handle this."


    With a sweeping gesture, Mira summoned a vortex of yin fire mixed with destruction, the bluish-ck mes swirling around her, seeking Maria like sentient predators. Maria raised her sword, channeling the purest light she could muster into its de.


    She took the [de of Purity] to its extreme, and the sword burst into blinding luminescence, dispelling the shadows and evaporating the yin fire on contact.


    The two warriors collided once again, their weapons shing with such force that the resulting explosion of energy sent a shockwave rippling for miles. The ground beneath them cracked and split, creating chasms that swallowed the remnants of the once-thrivingndscape.


    Mira adopted a new strategy, her movements bing unpredictable, her attacksing from every conceivable angle. Maria responded with equal cunning, her light-based powers providing her with just enough foresight to anticipate Mira''s strikes and ''teleport'' to counter them.


    In a particrly close exchange, Mira''s scythe grazed Maria''s arm, drawing blood. Maria retaliated with a swift thrust of her sword, piercing Mira''s side. Both women staggered back, their injuries severe but not yet fatal.


    They jumped back in. Another round of attacks ensued, with Mira''s clones popping out of nowhere, attacking at the most random times, and Maria deflecting the necessary attacks and healing the ones that went through.


    At some point, Maria felt her Qi reserves starting to dwindle at a rapid pace. On top of consumption from her ultimate technique, [Sanctity of the Prime Radiant], the injuries she received were starting to build up.


    No matter how fast she was, how far she predicted, or how strong she seemed, fighting against so many Mira''s was too difficult. Fighting against one was already as difficult as ascending the Heavens! And now there were nine more!


    Although they weren''t quite as strong as the original, they were all connected to her.


    Gritting her teeth, she came to a conclusion. ''I have to end this. Now!''


    On the other side, Mira wasn''t any different. The more attacks she received, the more the damage piled up, the less her tremendous vitality kicked in, almost as if it was sealed.


    Worse, whenever shended a hit on Maria''s armor, a chunk of that Corrupted Light Qi would enter her body and wreak havoc!


    Fighting against Maria was like trying to kill an immortal, poisonous porcupine that was as fast as the speed of light. There wasn''t any good option. Attacking hurt her. Defending hurt her. Maria was too fast to retreat, and facing her head-on only led to more injuries.


    ''However, I''m still not done!''


    ''[Blood Burst!''


    ''[Reverse Restoration]!''


    Both of them exploded with power at the same time. Veins protruded all over Mira''s body as copious amounts of power-filled blood pumped through them.


    On the other side, Maria''s body shriveled up everywhere except her legs and sword-wielding arm. She concentrated every ounce of vitality she had into those parts, continuously pumping more energy into them.


    Mira''s [Blood Burst] technique filled her with a ferocious, almost primal strength, her eyes glowing red with murderous intent as she faced off against Maria, who, despite her drained appearance, emanated a focused, almost serene power with her [Reverse Restoration].


    Kaius, still sharing the vision with Cine, couldn''t contain his excitement. "They''re pushing beyond their limits! This is what truebat looks like!"


    On the battlefield, Mira became a blur of motion andunched herself at Maria. Her scythe cut through the air, aiming to rend not just flesh but the very fabric of Maria''s being.


    Maria met Mira''s attack with a deft parry, her de glowing with an intense light that seemed to pierce the gathering darkness.


    The sh was monumental, sending waves of disrupted energy cascading across the battlefield, toppling the remaining ruins and uprooting centuries-old trees.


    Mira summoned her clones back into the fray, each one copying her movements, creating a mass of destruction aimed at overwhelming Maria.


    But Maria anticipated and countered each strike. Her movements were a blur of light, her sword shing through the clones, dispersing them like shadows at dawn. Yet, with each clone she destroyed, the toll on her vitality became evident, her movements growing slightly morebored, her breaths more ragged.


    Back on the battlefield, Mira, realizing the toll her clones were taking on Maria, intensified her assault, ripping pieces of flesh off with every strike.


    Maria knew she had to end the fight soon or risk being overwhelmed.


    With a burst of speed born from sheer willpower, Maria closed the distance between them, her sword aimed at a vital point.


    Mira barely managed to deflect the strike, but the force of Maria''s attack sent her staggering back.


    Seizing the moment, Maria let out a battle cry and used every ounce of Qi left in her body to end this!


    Schlick!


    As if it had teleported there, a de pierced its way through Mira''s chest, with Maria standing right in front of her.


    "Not yet!" Mira yelled and ordered the remaining clones to attack! They immediately burst out with power with their scythes raised and struck.


    "Hahaha~! I''ve already considered that!" Maria shouted with a crazy smile. The wings on her back concentrated on a single point and pushed her forward, acting as thrusters that shot the two forward.


    The two tumbled on the ground, with Mira''s clones stabbing into them. They both felt pain all over their bodies, but when the dust cleared, Maria was seen sitting over someone, covered in blood and still holding onto the sword in Mira''s chest.


    "...I win." She muttered, a bloody smile crossing her face as she fainted.