[Altair Brando]
As the stone staff came in my direction, I simply raised my right hand with an open palm, tensing my muscles in anticipation of the impact.
The Ruyi Jingu collided against my palm with a crash that reverberated through the entire simulation, sending shockwaves through the air, making my feet instantly lose traction. I was dragged backward, leaving two deep furrows in the ground as a curtain of dust rose around me.
I slid uncontrollably for a few meters until I dug my right foot deep into the ground. At the same time, my muscles contracted violently against the force of the staff, locking my arm against the stone column, stopping its advance.
As a first strike, it was quite solid, a bit more powerful than I expected...
Before I could complete that thought, the rhythmic sound of light footsteps echoed above me. An amused smile rose on my lips as I noticed the movement on top of the staff.
"Shrink!"
Olga's voice cut through the air, and the Ruyi Jingu obeyed instantly, retracting at an absurd speed. My head lifted, seeing Mash leaping into the air, having used the staff's retraction as a catapult. Her shield gleamed as she descended in my direction like a steel meteor, taking advantage of gravity and momentum to amplify the force of her attack.
I had to acknowledge, these two had good synergy.
A bit surprised, I glanced down at my fingers which had some scratches. Simply ignoring these injuries, I raised my hand toward the shield. Truthfully, the option to dodge her attack had always been present, but it didn't seem very fair to the pink-haired girl, especially considering I hadn't dodged the director's blow.
"Altair-senpai, watch out!" she shouted, her body spinning in the air as the shield cut through space toward my face.
I merely flexed my fingers, preparing for the impact.
In the next instant, the iron shield collided against my open palm with devastating force. The impact made shockwaves propagate through the ground beneath my feet, creating a web of cracks that spread in all directions.
Olga's blow had already superficially scratched the skin of my hand, and now Mash's impact had torn the skin of my palm.
Crimson drops trickled between my fingers, some dripping directly onto my face.
Normally, this would trigger my blood aversion to attack, but a strange euphoria was taking hold of me. Apparently, my [Mad Enhancement] was working a bit, suppressing some not-so-pleasant traumas.
With the warm blood running down my face, a predatory smile formed on my lips.
I guess I couldn't hide that I had a few screws loose.
Keeping the smile on my face, I swung my hand in a sharp twist. The blood on my palm functioned as a lubricant, making the shield slide to the side as if it were made of ice. Taking advantage of the momentum, I spun my body delivering a sharp kick toward her.
Mash raised the shield at the same instant my foot collided with the metal, forcing her to slide a few steps backward.
She spun the shield, redirecting the force of my kick to the side.
Without losing rhythm, she advanced in my direction, raising the shield above her head before swinging it diagonally.
Planting my foot on the ground, I leaned my body back, dodging her blow.
The exact moment my rear foot touched the ground, Olga appeared at my side, swinging the staff in a wide and clumsy horizontal arc.
I flexed my right hand, and sharp claws emerged from my fingers. I moved my arm, cutting through the air. My claws clashed against the stone staff, tearing sparks and leaving deep scratches on the surface. Without giving her a breather, I closed our distance, delivering another slash toward her torso.
Suddenly, Olga's pupils ignited in blood red.
Oh! She's using the [Golden Blazing Eyes] almost subconsciously.
With her new pair of eyes, she could read the flow of my attack. Even though I wasn't remotely serious, it was still a bit surprising to see her dodging my attacks.
When that thought crossed my mind, a cold shiver ran up my spine.
Dear Mash, attacking from behind isn't very polite.
Summoning the Ruyi Jingu, I spun backward in a perfect defensive arc, intercepting Mash's surprise attack.
The shield collided against the Ruyi Jingu with a metallic crash. Mash recoiled like a compressed spring and immediately attacked from another angle, only to be blocked again. She dove low, aiming at my legs with an upward strike, and the staff descended to intercept. Frustrated, she forced the flat edge of the shield upward in a thrust directed at my face, but unfortunately, once again, the Ruyi Jingu intercepted her movement.
While blocking Mash's blows with economical movements, in the middle of this storm of stone and steel, I noticed Olga launching the Ruyi Jingu at me again, with all her strength. I reacted instinctively, spinning my own staff and intercepting the attack with the base, the impact reverberating through my arms.
The two girls exchanged a quick glance and began attacking almost in perfect sync.
I responded to their coordination with a rain of quick and precise strikes, my staff moving between the two. Each impact against Mash's iron shield sent a cascade of orange sparks through the air, creating a spectacle of light.
Smiling with the adrenaline of combat, I advanced aggressively and began swinging the Ruyi Jingu in a somewhat more devastating manner, seeking to break their defensive formation.
Mash raised the shield, absorbing the impact. Pushing my staff to the side with the shield, she fired a side punch using her only free hand.
I tilted my head dodging, feeling the wind from her fist graze my cheek. Without losing rhythm, I released one hand from the staff and grabbed a lock of her hair, pulling with enough force to make her scream in pain before violently throwing her against the ground.
Without hesitation, I pivoted on my feet, pressing her against the ground, while moving the Ruyi Jingu backward, making it collide against Olga's. The vibration from the impact traveled through her arms, and I could see her face visibly pale as she was pushed back, stumbling to maintain balance.
Behind me, I heard Mash groan in pain as she tried to raise her body. But in seconds, she was again under my foot. This time, I stepped firmly between her shoulder blades, pressing her chest against the cold ground as she struggled to breathe.
Thanks to my peripheral vision, I saw a massive stone pillar shooting in my direction. Olga had channeled all her remaining strength into this last desperate attack.
Spinning the Ruyi Jingu in the palm of my hand in a perfect rotation, I simply pushed it forward.
"Grow and expand!"
Both commands left my mouth like a roar. The stone staff obeyed instantly, shooting forward while expanding in both length and width. It intercepted Olga's pillar in the air, deflecting its trajectory with ease before stopping a few centimeters from her pale face.
[Al... she can't continue... you must have already noticed her body's new condition.]
Yes, in the middle of the fight, I managed to notice the disadvantage of her new body. A bit problematic, but it's manageable.
Meanwhile, the silence that followed was broken only by the heavy breathing of the two girls.
"I think we should stop here." I lifted my foot from Mash's back as the stone staff dissolved, disappearing.
"Mash, are you okay?" Ritsuka ran to the pink-haired girl.
"I'm fine, Senpai," she replied, getting up.
Meanwhile, Olga murmured:
"But I can continue." She tried to get up, kneeling on the ground. Her body was pale, sweat running down her face and décolletage.
I raised a hand, scratching my head, already noticing the flaw in her new body.
"No!" I responded firmly, walking in her direction. "You haven't noticed your body's condition."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You're very pale, Director," Mash murmured, leaning on Ritsuka.
"I'm just a little tired."
"No, it's not just that." I crouched to her level. "Whether you like it or not, this isn't your real body. I suspected it, but now I'm certain."
"Certain of what, Al-kun?"
"My clones need mana to sustain themselves. They're created with a limited amount of magical energy. If they're not destroyed before that runs out, they disappear instantly. It seems this also applies to you."
"But that means..."
"Yes. If you ever experience magical energy depletion, you'll disappear. You're still far from that point now, but it's better not to push it and let your body naturally recover."
A heavy silence fell between us. Her eyes filled with tears at my words.
Without thinking, I approached and hugged her.
"I know it's not the best news, but it's not all bad. Unlike my clones, you produce magical energy."
"Really? Won't I disappear before becoming someone? I'll still be able to prove my worth?" Her voice trembled as her hands grabbed me tightly.
"Yes, you won't disappear. But you've already proven your worth. You are someone, Olga Marie Animusphere. You're an incredibly special girl." I stroked her white hair as she cried in my arms, holding me tightly.
Through the tears streaming down her face, her delicate hands grabbed me with possessive intensity, as if trying to fuse our bodies. Her nails, sharp and desperate, dug into my skin, leaving marks that screamed the emotions she couldn't verbalize..
I just continued running my fingers through her long white hair.
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