Many roots began to germinate throughout Ulex's arm, of which when they opened in the center of where his arm should be there was a cannon-shaped vulva which suddenly began to come out small seeds with a lot of power directed towards Shiko, he seeing how dangerous they were decided to use "Blade shield" To cover himself from them, when they collided with the magic shield of the sword, he could feel that they were very hard and powerful, if they had hit him it would have been serious. -I'll take the lead; I'll cover every attack he uses so you can hurt him! - Asuka shouted at her duo as she ran quickly towards Ulex, he made roots come out of the ground which Asuka cut with her magic quickly while running, she stopped very close to Ulex to challenge him -Hey you, use your damn plants!" Let them come to me if you think they are so strong!- exclaimed the young woman, then stuck out her tongue to mock the guardian, who let himself be mocked by the words, making a cocoon grow around her to lock her up as well as Alba -Ah, it's very dark in here, it's very ugly!" the magician shouted from inside, then she used "Magic shoot" to hurt the cocoon from the inside and thus be able to cut it. When the girl was able to destroy it, it came out of the cocoon full of very viscous sap -Ew! No wonder Alba fainted so quickly being in there! - while Asuka complained about this, Shiko ran to Ulex shouting "Hey! It's not the time for you to be playing!" Asuka smiled at him and replied:
-Asuka: I'm not playing! Just because I'm complaining doesn't mean I don't take this seriously. Have you noticed how fast you run?
-Shiko: Have you used your "Boost" on my shoes?
-Asuka: Of course! Everything is under control!
-Shiko: Okay, but you said you were going to go ahead.
-Asuka: Don't worry, you go get it!
Shiko continued running and turned to look at Ulex -Darn you, you're going to see! - were the words full of fury that Shiko let out when he was about to throw himself to hurt his enemy, but foreseeing the attack made more roots come out of the ground which did not have a chance to reach Shiko thanks to Asuka using her paralyzer on them. Ulex began to get annoyed to see that both of them had a way too good coordination for him to face them, to which he locked himself in a cocoon, and from within it he caused many plants to come out with vulvas cannons to hurt his two opponents. The young swordsman knew that the cocoon was very hard, so he decided not to attack but to use "Dashing" to run around it and avoid being hurt by the seeds coming out of the vulvas.
There were six roots in total, three shot Shiko and the other three Asuka, the young mage could easily stop the seeds that attacked her with a new ability that she had not been able to try which she acquired after Shiko gave her a part of Deaby's experience, this ability was a magical shield capable of repelling any ranged attacks. As the guardian continued to shoot these seeds, Asuka shouted at him from afar to provoke him again.
-Asuka: You're a big coward! All the mess you've caused has been by setting traps and playing dirty, you've got nothing strong! You're the most pathetic enemy I've ever met!
-Ulex: How dare you make fun of me!?
-Asuka: If you weren't a coward and weren't inside that cocoon, you could see that your attack isn't effective against either of us I'm not even lifting a finger to repel it!
-Ulex: I'm going to show you the power level of the great guardian to shut you up, little fools!
Ulex opened the cocoon and could notice how easily both opponents repelled his attack, to which he became enraged and was willing to attack with another skill, but since that was just what the two wanted, the swordsman saw the opportunity and decided to attack without deactivating his ability "Dashing", the young man appeared very quickly on top of Ulex and attacked but when he saw the movement he could barely dodge it, without avoiding being scratched by the edge of the common sword being injured in part of the torso.
Ulex, very enraged, he rose up in the sky and brought out a wall of thorny roots so that his enemies could not reach him. Seeing the cowardly strategy that his enemy applied, Shiko and Asuka went pair to par, the young swordsman gave the magic sword to his magical partner so that both of them could break through the huge wall. Then both of them from a magical burst they used were able to devastate all the roots created by the guardian, having the pass clean to hurt him, it was then that Shiko once again used "Dashing" to reach his opponent in the air. This time, Shiko's punch was accurate, and he split his target in two. However, this was nothing more than a decoy, when Shiko turned to look at his enemy, he noticed that it was a plant in the shape of his target, thus Ulex was still intact. The real guardian came out of the earth, and without wasting time he pointed at Shiko with another vulva from which instead of seeds coming out, a huge magic ray came out which hit the young man hurting him and causing him to go into the air until he fell to the ground very injured. Ulex saw Shiko on the ground again and pointed at him again, "You're a human, a very, very annoying one." he said with great resentment, from the ground Shiko stared at his enemy again –And you're a guardian, a very, very... idiotic one- were the words with which Shiko replied to him, then suddenly the guardian turned back and there was Asuka, who with a magic beam propelled herself to reach the sky, and with the magic sword that Shiko had given her cut her target in two. Asuka threw herself at the guardian, who was able to come out alive from the attack but not unharmed, he was able to dodge the attack but not completely, Asuka instantly cut off Ulex's entire left arm making him very injured, and with little control of his plants.
While he screamed in pain for his lost arm and did not stop dripping blood, he desperately grew more roots which hit from side to side without a goal -My arm! You have dared to take my damn scum arm from me! You are going to pay for doing this to me, puny humans!- screaming with all the anger and pain he felt, to which he made more and more roots come out of the ground, Shiko got up and decided to go to Asuka -Asu, use three bursts of flames from the sword, they are able to instantly eliminate all the roots!- Asuka, without hesitating to make the move, began to incinerate all the roots that came out of the ground, spending more and more of her magic power.
Seeing the opportunity, Ulex germinated a huge pointed root where the arm that was cut off should be, thus heading from behind Asuka who was distracted cutting the other roots and without realizing it, this root that came directly from Ulex, as like with Lisa, it pierced Asuka's stomach. Shiko was left without reacting to this, but despite being in a difficult situation Asuka decided not to feel bad about what happened, to which he used his paralyzer on the root that he had in the middle of her stomach -Shiko, remember the words you said to me the time we fought Nancy!- Find the solutions!- The young woman, unafraid of pain and death, threw the magic sword towards Shiko so that he would finish off his enemy, which by being connected to the root that pierced the young mage, he got paralyzed as well.
Shiko with all his fury used his "Boost" twice in a row in his body to multiply his strength and then he used "Dashing" once again to cut Ulex in half and in te process, cut the root that came out of the hollow of his left arm. Half of Ulex's body fell to the ground and he alone with half of his body, agonized and screamed from the pain, non-stop dripping blood from his waist and his left arm "M-Me and my plants! W-we are i-immortal! They can't kill us!" he screamed in desperation without finding anything else to do. Asuka spent all her magic and stopped paralyzing the root, which came out of her body after she was separated from Ulex, to which the seriously injured young woman fell to the ground –Shiko…I've given you all my power, it's now or never... finish him- she said with little strength she had. Shiko, seeing that Asuka was slowly dying, hesitated to continue with the battle to come to her rescue and Asuka, seeing the stupidity that the young man was about to commit, yelled at him very loudly -Don't worry about me! Kill him now! Don't you see that it's just a Jenga piece without movement!? - Shiko came to his senses, and aimed at his enemy once more with both swords in hand and seeing him fixedly one last time, with all the hatred he felt, he said:
-I won't allow you to continue murdering people! -
The young man raised both swords that he had in his hand and from them came two huge bursts of magic, the burst coming out of the magic sword was filled with burning flames -Double Slash!- exclaimed the young man with all his strength, and without being able to move Ulex was hit by both gusts being totally deteriorated by them, without having the opportunity to say anything and without even letting it be noticed what color was the light in which he disappeared, the gusts ended the life of the guardian instantly. From the bursts fell two items and bags of experience, the items were "Antidote" and an "Elemental Orb" but Shiko did not pay attention to them, with the little energy he had left from the fatigue of the battle the young man went to Asuka who was badly injured, he held her in his arms and with tears that began to flow from his eyes he addressed her.
-Shiko: Asuka... You... You can recover, can't you?
-Asuka: Shit... I'm sorry to inform you of this, sir... but... I don't have magic left to do it...
-Shiko: Asuka... you have to resist... Your magic has always been the necessary resource in critical moments, there has to be something left that we could do.
-Asuka: Ha... those words are too flattering... I know that I have always been the Most valuable player of the team...
-Shiko: Stop your jokes right now!
-Asuka: Shiko... I... I... I think you look like an imbecile crying...
-Shiko: Is that all you have to say? Asuka, Look for a solution!
-Asuka: It hasn't been long... but I had fun in this place... hey... in a few days... It's strange that this happens in me but... in a few days Shiko, I can say that I got a certain appreciation for you... and if I'm going to leave, I really want you to know even if it's rushed, even if it feels like the plot is being forced...
-Shiko: Could you stop!?
-Asuka: Shiko... that appreciation I feel... I think I like you... I've started to feel a little attracted to you...
-Shiko: Why do you think of saying these crazy things at this time!? I can see your Hp getting lower and lower! It is running out!
-Asuka: What if you kiss me idiot? I'm about to die, do you fulfill that wish?
Between the critical moment that the young people were facing, Shiko was full of mixed feelings for Asuka's words, for her health, for his own feelings... that's when he decided, Shiko kissed Asuka, joined his lips with those of the dying young woman... then Asuka said her last words to him.
-Asuka: Shiko... my Hp... my Hp... My Hp have stopped going down and are starting to go up!
-Shiko: What!? I can see it! What the hell!? Was all this you're doing!?
-Asuka: I love to joke around, but I wouldn't do this kind of thing! I feel warm, and I can feel my pain go away!
It was then that Ana's voice was heard from afar:
-Hahahahahaha! The princess stopped looking tired while she slept and I could tell that she was no longer poisoned, so I assumed that Ulex was defeated! I came here and found you both, obviously I wouldn't let that young woman die if she was part of all this, my healing magic is very powerful and look she's fine!
It was then that the two noticed that they were in a very embarrassing situation and after looking at each other they moved away and blushed a lot while Ana laughed at their reaction, she told them:
-Hahahaha! Wow Shiko, apparently Asuka thought she was going to die for real and she declared herself to you! Asuka... now that you're alive and Shiko knows it, what do you plan to do about it? Uhh... the two kissed very nicely Hahahaha!
Then the two of them very embarrassed shouted at Ana to stop, which stopped her words while laughing, after this the same sorceress went to see if the cocoon where Alba was had opened which indeed was, only her unconscious sister was full of sap. When going to see the cocoon, Ana left the two newly victorious fighters alone, to which Shiko blushed again saw Asuka and said:
-I... I think also... I appreciate you; you could say that I like you too...
And without letting Asuka react, he went to pick up the items thrown by Ulex...
To be continued…