Friends in Body, Not in Soul (III)

[Agility: 78 --> 110]

_Hehe, this is my advantage—not only can I supercharge a stat, but right now, at these low levels, any increase is massive when compared to the whole._

_So, just like that, I'm a little over 40% faster..._

[Mp: 74/140]

I relaxed and let out a cold breath; the air was no longer suppressive.

_My movements feel keen again, and they're still used to my slower movements._

I paced myself, taking a few slow steps forward, closing the gap between us.

They readied themselves, believing they already had a firm grasp of my ability.

Kesef's body tensed in expectation as my gaze lingered on him, while Arshe had yet to move, apparently wanting to observe my initial action.

"You can't beat al..."

My body flared with an instantaneous velocity.

I rocketed forward and swung down my heavy blade in a diagonal arc.

Laurie reacted fast but was still severely caught off guard.

She tilted her body, using the long side of her blade in a meagre attempt at redirecting some of the force.

Of course, it wasn't enough.

Her blade wailed at the instant of collision.

I forced through her faltering grip, breaking her defence, and lifted her off her feet.

She flew back with startling speed, crashing into one of the dense wooden pillars supporting an open building, its shape deforming around her spine as it shattered along several points of impact.

Despite the massive shift in my speed, the others quickly recovered.

I went to turn, and a rich golden ethereal energy wrapped itself around Kesef's fists.

It slowly warped and swam through the air like an undulating, viscous flame.

I braced myself, expecting him to launch at me, but instead he thrust his strength into the ground.

A nest of cracks spread for several metres around him, but the growing energy followed him and swept into the earth, unleashing an even greater destructive surge.

The earth shattered, the powerfully deep sound stinging my ears.

_Some kind of rebound attack?_

Huge chunks of stone launched into the air, throwing me off my feet.

I was disoriented, flipping through the air.

Only after the apex did I recover enough to slow my rotation by extending the sword at the right time.

_There's not enough time to recover._

I was ready for an attack, but instead a faint golden wave washed over the entire area, visible even to my normal sight.

On instinct, I switched over to my mana sense, grimacing at the possible implications.

_There's another ward... but there are no changes to my body._

Confused, I narrowed my eyes and tried to look closer.

The colour settled down, returning to grey; however, the colour and the aura remained, encircling those around me.

_You're joking? Some kind of boost?!_

I had to resist twitching my eye in irritation.

The crunching sound of stones quickly picked up around me.

Portions of the crumbled ground all began to vibrate, sliding across each other and forming large piles.

I glanced around, gaining my bearings, only to notice Kharn using healing magic on Laurie.

It slightly distracted me, seeing how different it was from mine.

_He's also the one making these stone puppets... All into mana, huh._

Lightning entangled the blade at my side, and I prepared myself to rush in for the first stone warrior.

_Adding these large opponents will scramble the battlefield._

I'd analysed all of them and felt I had a rough grasp of their strength; however, against my expectations, the enormous stone fist grasped Kesef and launched him through the air.

He used his wings to slightly adjust his positioning and appeared at my side in a mere moment.

My mind caught up with what I'd seen, and I could only block his leg with my blade while rooting my feet into the cracked earth as if mimicking a tree withstanding the forces of nature.

However, that wrathful golden magic rebounded as before, piercing into my flesh as if I wore no armour at all—there were so many that I flew back, sliding across the ground.

I held my breath, waiting for the pain to subside while looking around.

My spine suddenly tingled, and I violently swung behind myself, but Laurie was already prepared.

She kept herself acutely low to the ground, taking the opportunity to grasp one of the many deep cracks littering the earth and sharply pivoting upward, thrusting her foot into my back, causing me to lurch in the other direction.

_They're too good._

_I'm being too aggressive._

Thoughts shot through my mind in an instant as I tried to dissect the flow of the fight.

A stone fist swung for my body, and I aptly slid beneath it, maintaining the speed that kick had given me.

Still, Laurie wasn't far behind, using that same arm as a stepping stone to move herself even faster.

I could sense Kesef staring at me, having circled me from the side.

_To them, my reactions have slowed; I can see it in their confidence, but to me, I'm waiting for the right moment._

[Mind: 10 --> 58]

A breath passed; I was swarmed, but my blade raised half a breath faster, aiming for no particular direction—only down.

[Siege]

A vast surge of energy erupted through my body and funnelled into my blade like a violent whirlpool.

The blade rattled, and I tightened my grip.

I thrust this energy down towards the ground, and an equally immense pressure pushed back against me as if there were some invisible shield coating the ground.

Abruptly, it snapped, and a colossal wave of force diverged outward into the air, transforming me into the focal point of an invisible explosion.

Their eyes widened; they reacted in time, but that was the point.

My situation was reversed in an indefensible white flash, their bodies flinging away like leaves in a storm; even the stone warrior vanished into dust and scattered into the wind, as if it had not been struck by any force at all, but had simply eroded by time.

The earth ruptured far more than it had previously, deforming into a precarious environment and disrupting movement.

They had their wits about them and had managed to protect themselves with their mana and whatever ward aura they had received.

I switched away from my mana sense and smiled lightly.

_I remember Karin and Alark using that little trick, though it seems horribly inefficient—a last resort to mitigate damage._

_They used so much._

_But how much? I don't know; I can only be certain their mana must be extremely low. Kharn is obviously the master of magic in the group, so he must have the most mana, which also means the least health..._

At the same time, Kesef has already used a few powerful attacks, but he was likely pacing himself, unlike what I just did.

_In fact..._

[Syrin, you are inflicted with [Mana Vein Rupture]]

[MP will recover 50% more slowly, and MP capacity is reduced by 25% permanently, limited only to Agent: Adrian.]

A cold drop of sweat dripped from my brow.

_That must be the sharp stabbing pain in my spine..._

_That's... good to know._

At least none of us will have much magic right now, but there's a clear difference between gathering mana and expelling it, so I doubt they've also had the mana vein rupture.

Finally, some room to breathe.

I'm simply too poor with this blade. Even with the skill, it doesn't suit me at all. I'm going to have to be defensive and rely on my senses...

The sword has outlived its use in this fight.

I remained standing tall, heaving out long, purposeful breaths, and suddenly dropped my weapon to the ground with a harsh clatter.

They were still recovering but had stopped their movements.

_It's getting even darker, and seeing, harder._

_They likely thought it would be over by now._

Confusion overtook them, and they passively watched to see my next move, forgetting their tactic of maintaining the initiative.

Occasionally they eyed each other, seemingly conversing with mere glances alone.

I continued, unbuckling my armour piece by piece.

The gauntlets fell to the ground; they were just the first. Then the chest plate, the bracers, and even the armour covering my legs—it all fell away with a sharp thud.

For the first time, the air washed around my body, the lightness revitalising my energy.

_I feel like I can actually move again, though it's still nothing compared to my body._

_But it's enough; I want to be faster—to be less cumbersome—so I can fit into my natural style all the better._

"W-where... you haven't evolved—just where is this strength coming from? Even if you hid it, it's simply beyond anything I've seen without bloodline refinement."

For the first time, Kharn's voice cut through the battlefield.

We all looked at him, and I could tell from the other two that they'd agreed not to talk and distract themselves; despite that, there was a tacit approval in their lack of rebuttal.

This is too strange for them to understand... So even now, they haven't figured it out. It's just that inconceivable.

"It's not just strength... It's your speed; it's your mana. All of it is too high; there's always been a theoretical total limit at each stage, and nobody can overcome that. Ability is always distributed..."

He spoke coolly, an unquenchable curiosity breaking through his, so far, emotionless shell.

I looked around, and everyone turned to see Kesef's face suddenly grow stunned.

"You... DID YOU CUT OFF YOUR POTENTIAL!"

He bellowed, complete disbelief colouring his face—he was practically pale.

Their eyes collectively widened through their fatigue.

"THAT'S CUTTING YOUR LIFE SHORT! What could pos... could she really possess this kind of unique magic..."

They all looked down. I hadn't even said a word; they simply manufactured a story in their minds that was convenient for them, and it was starting to sound irate to my ears.

_But I'm not stupid; in their eyes, Rena is the only possible cause left given my behaviour._

_Perhaps she has finally shown her true colours, grown sick of her life, and taken revenge, using her bewitching demonic powers to somehow possess my mind._

_It still annoys me._

"You'll believe anything if it's to protect yourself, yet you demand I tell you the truth. What is it that you really want here?"

I spoke viciously, my words cutting through the air.

They all looked at me, a little startled.

Of course, I knew that I wasn't in the right here either, but seeing them act this way—blaming Rena like that—it still pissed me off.

"That's not true; you've not told us anyt..."

"So what then? You want the truth, but if the truth hurts too much, you'll kill an innocent girl. You'd only die by my side if you could feel good about it. You should have just stayed at home."

...

The words sat in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time before Kesef spoke up.

"You're different. You didn't just hide your strength; it was everything. I don't even know who you are anymore..."