“Well, if you wanna fight like that... fine then,” Asura said in frustration before activating her sword's explosive ability. She charged at the woman and slashed out to the left. The woman parried it with the shaft of the polearm and then pushed down on the blade end, bringing the edge down at her head. Asura brought her left hand up and caught the weapon, just below the blade. She then grinned wickedly as she shoved the naginata to the left and drove her sword forward. It struck the startled demon in the chest before exploding in an open flame.
“GAHHHH!” Yeana yelled and fell back. Asura charged forward and didn't stop her assault. Using her left hand to grab the naginata below the blade, she knocked it aside and struck the woman over and over with Excalibur.
“You haven't had much practice, have you? This kind of weapon only works if you can keep the enemy out of reach!” she said and kept attacking until the woman disappeared in a shower of red sparks.
“The winner! Asura the angel!” Once again the crowd cheered for her and chanted her name as she raised her hands in triumph.
“Yeah! I'm going to take this tournament!” she yelled moments before she reappeared in her room. She quickly dashed to the chair and took a look at how everyone was doing. Already over half the fights seemed to be done and almost a quarter of the participants had already been eliminated. She could barely contain her glee. If it continued at this rate the entire thing might be over before her parents logged on and saw what her form was.
She almost dropped the small chunk of crystal when she noticed two who had been moved into the loser bracket. B4hamutt and Scalios. She tried to find out who they fought against, but it didn't show. Maybe two of the other double masters? She paced, nervously this time, around the room while waiting for her next match. “Who could have beaten those two? Well, other than me. But those two are brutal! How could they lose so soon?” She shook her head and closed her eyes. “A mistake. That had to be it. Someone used something they weren't prepared for, like the shadow meld ability or some kind of combination, and took them by surprise. That's the only answer. No problem. They'll make it to the finals of the loser bracket and we'll meet up there.”
She glanced at the stone and let out a soft sigh. Only a few more minutes and her match would begin. She took deep breaths and calmed herself and soon enough, she felt the gentle rush over her skin as her body teleported from her room to the arena.
Across from her she saw a very pleasant sight. The grin forming her face was so wide it threatened to split her head in half. “For this round we have Asura the double master angel! Against her, aiming to end her winning streak, is Ripstern, the holy beast master!”
“I gotta say, I'm surprised to see you made it this far,” she said before walking towards towards him. “It's going to be a pleasure to knock you out.” Confidence oozed from her voice.
“What? Y-you know me? Have we met?” Ripstern asked before backing away, clenching his fist and getting into a defensive stance.
“Oh yes we have... kid.”
Realization dawned on his face. “H-hey. No need to get upset. You were the dragon, right? I was just playing. You know, cut down on the competition. No need for a bunch of-”
“No, I was the fae! Just how many people have you been trying that little ploy on?”
“A few. Doesn't matter though. You can't beat me, I'm a black belt in karate.” Ripstern's confidence returned as he watched her approach.
“... So?” she asked with a sigh. “You're going to be one of those, aren't you?”
“”I have real combat training, it- gah!” He dodged backwards when her sword tried to slice off his head.
“Good for you. But, actual real life training has limited use in this world. Namely since in real life things like this don't happen! Ray burst!” Rays of light shot at the man. They hit him straight in the chest, knocking him back.
“Regeneration!” he yelled and the slight wounds began to heal. He then charged and jumped into the air, kicking.
She ducked down and so he flew over her head, “Guiding blade!” Her sword slashed through his exposed underside and sent him hurtling to the ground.
“Ow... ow ow...” he said before getting back to his feet. “So you got lucky, big deal. I've still got this won!” Ripstern charged forward again and punched at her, she stepped back and sliced with her sword, but he caught the blade against his gauntlet and then struck out with his other hand. His blow connected and sent her sword hurtling from her grasp. His foot then lashed out and hit her in the stomach, sending her hurtling back.
“Ow...” Asura held her chest. She glanced to her sword, but it was too far away and the man was standing between her and it.
“So, give up?” he asked before stepping back and putting a foot over the blade. “Or do I have to beat you up some more?”
She spread her wings out and took to the air, flying above him, a smirk on her lips. “You don't play often, do you? Ray burst!”
“Gah!” Ripstern jumped to the right as the rays missed him, only to be hit by a second burst a moment later. “Get down here you coward!”
“Nuh uh, make me,” She called back and shot more bursts of rays at him. Most of them he managed to dodge, but a few managed to hit and slowly lower his HP. She flew around and slowly shot out the rays while making him run. With him sufficiently distracted she dove down and grabbed her sword before flying after him again. “Crescent flash!” she called out so her body teleported in behind him and slashed across his back.
“Gahhh!” he said before he turning around and slashing at her, but she had already flown back up out of reach. “Coward! Cheater! Noob!” he yelled.
She snickered before calling down, “Why don't you try using spells? You have them for a reason!” She quickly activated the explosive ability of her weapon. “Must not do much PVP, huh?”
“I... oh. Right. Rock sp-”
“Crescent flash!” she called out before appearing in front of him again and slashing with her sword, enveloping him in flames. She didn't stop though and began swinging into him over and over, the flames disorientating him and soon he disappeared in another flurry of red sparkles. Despite the cheers, she felt hollow inside.
She sighed and sheathed her weapon before reappearing in her room. “I can't believe I let him disarm me...” She walked to the magical crystal and looked to see who had been eliminated. Scalios wasn't listed yet, but she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that B4hamutt had not only finished his third match, but had managed to not be eliminated. She was a little shocked when she saw Andremedia's and 5t4r D3s7r0y3r's names, still in the winners group. Seemed the two were better than she thought, or lucky. “I'm going to have to ask her about fae-stepping backwards sometime.”
She looked through the list some more, checking up on some others. She grinned when she found out Evealie had been eliminated this round. She was then annoyed as Yeana's name popped up as having survived another round.
After waiting a while more, Scalios finally came up, having won his match. She glanced at the clock and let out a sigh. There was still an hour until she had to worry about her parents coming on, if they even showed and got on right away. She took a deep breath before readying herself for her next match. When the timer hit zero she reappeared in the stadium, opposite her opponent. Her eyes went wide. The wings. The robe. The way he looked at her with a bored expression. Only one person it could possibly be.
Suportano.
Chapter 8
Age: 16 years, 4 months
The two angel's stood watching each other when the announcer began. “Now we have yet another explosive match! Two double masters, and both are the first angel masters we've ever had! Suportano and Asura! Both wield the legendary sword Excalibur! Both have a second class mastery under their belts! Both have made it to their fourth round! But one of these amazing fighters are going down, who will it be?”
Once again the crowds erupted and the two watched each other. Asura slowly drew her sword and dagger, but
Suportano left his sword strapped at his side. “Aren't you going to fight me?” she asked cautiously.
“I will. I'm just not much for melee fighting. I much more prefer this kind.” He raised both hands. “Tornado!” Winds suddenly picked up around her and began spinning. She jammed her sword into the ground and tried to outlast the winds. Her eyes went wide when she saw how much damage she was taking from it, B4hamutt's magic didn't hurt nearly as much.
“Not bad!” she yelled out before aiming a hand at him. “But you're not the only one who can do that kind of spell. Tornado!” Winds enveloped him. Instead of trying to resist them, the other angel flew up and soon escaped.
“I see your magic stat isn't that high,” Suportano said once the winds around Asura died down. “I'm guessing you decided to go full defense with your masteries.”
“Just the dragon. Its ability is great. Crescent flash!” Her body darted out to try and slash him.
“Ice shield!” the other angel called out and a wall of ice materialized between the two, blocking her attack. He jumped back and his wings began to lightly flap, taking him into the air. “Fireball!”
Asura shrieked and tried to jump out of the explosion, but she was too slow and sent hurtling. “O-oh yeah? Two can play at that! Fireball!” she yelled out before fire shot from her hand to envelop him. “We're both max level, my spells hurt just as much as yours!”
“That's where you're wrong,” the angel said once the flames died down. “Your second mastery is dragon. Isn't it?”
“Yeah. So?” Asura gripped her sword tighter and watched for an opening.
“Mine is demon. That means I've unlocked both the magical damage and magical defense cap. You've only released the defense and magical defense cap. Rock spear!”
Asura jumped out of the way of the piercing stone. “What is that supposed to mean? What cap?” She spread her wings and took to the sky before casting out another spell. “Storm!”
A black cloud enveloped the other angel and lightning crashed around him. While normally that was a rather weak spell, against a flying angel it was extremely dangerous. It only lasted about thirty seconds, but by the time it ended she was in position.
The cloud dispersed, revealing Suportano surrounded in an ice sphere. Asura dove straight down at him as the ice shield melted away. He turned to face her and, unable to cast in time, he fell backwards and drew his sword. Their longswords clashed for a moment before she drove her dagger down into his chest and kept shoving him. After a few moments they crashed into the ground below, her landing on top of him and driving her knee into his stomach for good measure.
“Heh. I've got you-- grk!” She was cut off as the man's free hand wrapped around her throat.
“Rapture,” he said softly. Her HP was cut down to about a quarter as pain flew through her body, eliciting a scream.
“O-oh yeah? W-well now you can't cast any more. I've got this in the bag,” Asura said before she stabbed into his chest, confidence swelling inside her. She pinned his sword down and smirked, panting lightly. “No more spells and I'm in close range.”
“Dark echo,” he said. Her eyes went wide as her HP plummeted and disappeared.
She disappeared in a shower of red sparks before returning to her waiting room again. Her mouth fell open while she tried to register what just happened. “He... he used rapture. He can't cast spells after that! It's part of the cost! He won't have any MP for a while after that! How did he...” she trailed off and brought up her own spells and checked out the specifications. “Right, no MP. How could he...” she sat down and groaned when it dawned on her.
Asura navigated to her dragon end game spell, hell fire. “Of course. No MP cost. Just the penalties for casting the spell. I can't believe I never thought of chaining them like that. I'm such an idiot!” She kicked her chair, though it only moved a few inches. A moment later she sat down and took a deep breath. “No. Calm down. He used the spell now. That means if I win in the loser bracket I'll get a second chance to fight him and win.” She took out the tablet and glanced through the winners. Well, none of her friends had been eliminated yet, but 5t4r D3s7r0y3r had been put in the loser bracket.
Asura went limp in the chair and closed her eyes, trying to think about what the other angel had said. “How does going demon give him extra magic?” she asked before she brought up her character stats. What she saw made her mouth hang open. Her base defense and magic defense were huge, nearly twice as high as her other stats. “How... these weren't nearly as high as when I first maxed the class. Even with the penalties from using the item pouch, my defenses are super high...”
“Figures. I spend all my time leveling other classes that I never even notice my first class getting stronger and stronger,” she said with a sigh. “Mutt and Scales are going to freak when I tell them about this.” The thought of that did make a little grin form on her lips. “It'll probably be common knowledge soon anyway, with all the new masters. Someone is bound to tell everyone about it. I wonder how many in the tournament already know?”
Asura glanced at the tablet and let out a sigh of annoyance. It seemed some matches still weren't done and she was getting tired of waiting. She tried to send B4hamutt a message but found she was blocked off. “Come on,” she said in annoyance before leaning back. “There has to be something I can do!” With an exasperated groan, she jumped to her feet and began pacing. She glanced at her little teleporting stone, it still held the infinity symbol. “Ugh. I'm borrrred. Hurry up!” She gave the wall a swift kick. A moment later pain shot through her foot as she hopped around, clutching it. “Ow ow ow ow! Stupid force feedback!”
After far to long her teleporter began to vibrate as she took it out and glanced. Only a few more minutes and her match would begin.
------
Asura's next three matches went by easily. She didn't face any more double masters and the players she did face still weren't certain on how to best use their powers. She was able to crush them through experience and skill. To her displeasure, Suportano was knocked into the loser bracket two rounds after her.
After her third win in the losers bracket she was beginning to get confident again. Best of all, she had managed to keep both her end game spells in preparation for the final match. She only had to win a few more, and the pool of challengers was getting smaller and smaller with each victory. A few of her friends had already been eliminated, but she didn't worry to much. She figured whoever beat them likely wasted their mastery spells to do it.
When she was finally brought in for her seventh she let out a soft groan. “Another fae? You gotta be kidding me. I swear over half my matches have been against--”
“For this match we have another double master, folks!” the announcer yelled. “Asura, the double master angel! Versus Andremedia the master fae! Who will go on to the next round and continue their goal of attaining the championship, and who will be sent home for good? This is sure to be an explosive match either way!”
“Media? That's you?” Asura called out in surprise. The girl's fae form looked so... different from her leviathan form. While Andremedia's leviathan form had been a bit bulkier and strong looking, with thick muscles, the fae form was tiny and practically had tooth picks for arms. Realization dawned on her. “Of course. This is why I couldn't remember you. Your fae form is so much smaller and more... compact, than your leviathan form.”
Andremedia twitched slightly. “I hope you're ready for a tough match, Asura.” She drew her black bow, her eyes narrowed.
“Heh. I guess. You know after this match I need to ask you some things. So no hard feelings if you lose, okay? I really am sorry I had such difficulty remembering you,” Asura said before drawing both her blades.
“Sure. No hard feelings either way,” the fae said said before sending out three rapid shot arrows. The angel dived to the right, eyes wide in surprise.
“Wow, how did you shoot so- eek!” She dove to the ground and an arrow shot over head. The fae didn't let up, shootin
g arrow after arrow. Her right hand was a blur as she drew the string back again and again. Asura struggled to get out of the way, but there were just to many of them. “H-how can you do that?” She hated to do it, but she had no choice.
Asura reached into the little sack at her side and took out the speed potion. It was pink, thick and tasted like strawberries when she downed it. It wouldn't last long, but she didn't imagine she'd need too much time. She jumped to her feet instantly and ran at the woman, her movements far faster and responsive now.
Asura managed to dodge most the arrows by zigging left and right while charging at the fae. Within moments she was on the woman and stabbed straight at her chest.
Andremedia didn't falter. Her bow drove down and slammed across the side of the sword. Knocking the blade aside, she stepped forward and kicked the angel's feet out from under her while shoving Asura's shoulder, sending her tumbling forward. “Tornado shot,” the fae said before turning around and shooting another arrow straight into the angel's back, right between her wings. Powerful winds picked up and sent Asura hurtling away, moments before a flurry of arrows began to pepper her again.
“Gahhh!” Asura yelled. She crashed into the ground, moments before arrows lodged into her back. She rolled to the side and held out her hand. “Fireball!”
“Tornado,” Andremedia said instantly before jumping back. The fire was sucked into the spiral of wind while Asura stared in awe.
“I... I was not aware you could do that. That's-- eek!” Another arrow lodged in her chest, cutting her off. “Damn it!” Asura jumped to her feet and ran towards the woman again. This time even her zig zagging didn't protected her while the fae shot arrow after arrow into her. They weren't missing and Asura was beginning to notice something bad. The first few arrows did only a small bit of damage, but each one seemed to do more than the previous. Her HP was almost zero when she finally got within range.
Asura slashed forward again, except this time when her blow was parried she kicked out with her right leg at the woman's side. Andremedia flipped her bow around and drove the sword away while catching the foot with the edge of her weapon. “Gust,” Andremedia said before she drove her free hand into the angel's chest and sent her flying backwards.
Landasy Reality: Angel's Escape Page 18