Split

It quickly became apparent that, while their difference in speed and skill provided Karna with an insurmountable advantage, he couldn't actually disable his opponent. Even cutting off her limbs and disarming her had no lasting effect as, the more damage she sustained, the faster her regeneration. He had even knocked her weapons away several times but, once her arm regenerated, she was able to summon it back to her side in an instant before pressing the attack like a suicidal soldier.

At this point, Karna no longer had to move much to evade the blue-haired woman's attacks as he had already completely seen through her movements. He never dropped his guard but, after cutting her in half for the third time, he was beginning to feel a little guilty. It had never been in his nature to torment the weak and, while she was likely very strong among her peers, her best effort was unable to make him feel any pressure at all. If not for her left eye, which glowed with a strange blue light, combined with her seemingly indestructible weapon, he wouldn't even need to take a single step to counter all her attacks...

Without minding the fact she was basically only wearing a pair of slowly dissolving panties, the blue-haired woman continued to release furious war cries as she attempted to strike at the small lines that were only visible with her Mystic Eye of Death Perception. If she could strike a single one, the tide of battle would shift in her favor but, as if he was able to understand her intentions before she even set her mind to any given action, Karna was able to deftly parry her otherwise precise blows. This often ended with a large part of her body being destroyed, the pain from the flames causing her to slowly lose her grip on reality as she used them to fuel her continued assault.

Eventually, Karna began to feel like this was the worst matchup for him. He actually had the ability to kill her but it would be at the cost of his own invulnerability and his primary weapon. The only thing that kept him in the fight, rather than sending a message back to his Master, was his pride. He knew that Scáthach would be able to deal with the woman with considerable ease and, while it ultimately didn't matter which one of them carried out their Master's will, Karna felt his absence during the previous events needed some form of recompense.

With this in mind, Karna sidestepped the precise amount necessary to evade the woman's attack before, once again, severing her arm. This caused the pile bunker to land heavily against the ground, its surface glowing red hot from the long exposure to extreme temperatures.

Before the woman could create some distance, heal her wounds, and recover her weapon, Karna stepped forward much faster than she could retreat, his hands now free as he grabbed both of her wrists. This caused the woman to scowl as she said, "Let go of me you piece of shit...!" while trying to drive her knee into the golden codpiece that protected Karna's dignity. Unfortunately for her, he had one of the highest levels of invulnerability so, while others might have tried to protect themselves, Karna didn't even flinch as he said, "Stop this meaningless battle. You have already lost. Continuing like this serves no purpose."

Rather than pay Karna's words any mind, the blue-haired woman unhesitantly attempted to slam her forehead against his chin, an ultimately futile act. This didn't stop her, however, as she spontaneously twisted her body around without any regard for her own arms. Her superhuman strength resulted in the arms being ripped from their sockets, leaving Karna slightly stunned. His expression didn't really change but, seeing how far the woman was willing to go, his own conviction began to increase as he retreated back a few steps.

What Karna hadn't expected was that, after these few steps, his body was suddenly paralyzed while, near her initial position, the blue-haired woman stared back at him with a sadistic smile, her arm still extended from when she threw a black blade into his shadow. In the next moment, she pulled out a few golden pages, seemingly from the tattoos on her body. These turned into a series of meter-long black blades, similar in structure to the throwing knife that sealed his movements.

Using the opportunity she had created, the blue-haired woman attempted to strike at the lines that ran across Karna's body. He may be invulnerable but, from her perception, there were countless ways to end his life. It was this power, given to her by one of the few people she ever cherished, that gave her the conviction to fight against opponents that were otherwise beyond her capabilities.

Karna felt the shadow of death cover him but, despite being immobilized, he wasn't concerned. After all, he could produce a virtually infinite amount of flames thus, as his opponent approached, his aura blazed like the sun. This caused his shadow to vanish in its entirety, allowing him to deftly swat away the woman's attack before borrowing her own technique, headbutting her in the head. Since he was invulnerable, this was far more effective when used by him. He didn't even bother to hold back so, for a brief moment, the crown of the woman's head had inverted as the vertebrae in her neck were reduced to powder.

During his previous attacks, Karna had avoided striking the woman's face as it was proper etiquette, against both males and females, to only strike the face when absolutely necessary. This was to give the family an opportunity to bury the deceased in a presentable state. Now, however, he realized his opponent never saw him in the same light. To her, he was nothing more than a target for elimination so Karna was beginning to lose his usual stoicism...

Before the woman could regenerate, Karna spun her around in one swift motion, pinning both of her arms in a manner where she wouldn't be able to sacrifice them a second time. He knew this wouldn't be enough, however, so he placed his palm on the back of her head before forming a ball of golden flames, perpetually incinerating her brain to disable her motor functions. At the same time, without facing Jeanne, he asked, "Do you have anything like a rope? Without taking this whole facility with me, I'll be unable to defeat this woman."

Unlike Karna, Jeanne had absolutely no qualms about contacting her God so, while the fight had been ongoing, she already relayed everything to him. Because of this, the person to answer Karna was not Jeanne herself but, appearing out of thin air, Scáthach. This caused Karna to deadpan but, with the former simply passing over a red-twine rope, seemingly banded together from metallic fibers, he quickly tied the blue-haired woman in such a way that she wouldn't be able to leverage any of her strength. He didn't bother questioning the strength of the rope as, considering who had given it to him, the odds of it failing were slim to none.

Knowing she had the ability to discern a person's past, present, and future, Karna allowed the blue-haired woman to regenerate as he turned to Scáthach, asking, "Who is this? She fights like a mad beast and has impossible regeneration. My flames should prevent most forms of regeneration but hers seems more like time-reversal than anything else..."

Shaking her head, Scáthach refuted Karna's speculation, explaining, "She is Elesia Roa Valdamjong, the Seventeenth Incarnation of Michael Roa Valdamjong. He is an existence that has touched the Root but, instead of obtaining knowledge, he acquired the ability to reincarnate infinitely. She was able to separate her body and Ego from Roa's influence but, as his existence is something that will persist until the end of time, her immortality is absolute. The weapon she possesses, the Seventh Scripture, would normally be able to sever this cycle but, without using it against the original, she has no choice but to live forever..."

Though it didn't show in her expression in the slightest, Scáthach actually empathized with Elesia since her fate was something imposed upon her. She knew that the only reason the woman was a part of the Burial Agency was due to the fact they allowed her to use the Seventh Scripture. If not for her willingness to act as the 'perfect disposable tool', they would have sealed her away long ago.

Without explaining her intentions, Scáthach kneeled next to the bound Elesia and, before the latter could even utter a single curse, the former flicked her forehead with a surprising amount of force. This caused Elesia's head to fling backward as the sound of glass breaking could be heard echoing in the surroundings. When Elesia's head returned to its normal position, the light from her eyes had faded and, rather than some mad avenger, she now resembled an extremely fatigued young woman who, immediately after, fell unconscious.

Understanding the questions they were going to ask, as she had already foreseen them, Scáthach plainly stated, "She has been using a very powerful form of self-hypnosis for several years. There are two distinct Egos locked away in her mind right now, one belonging to a demure young woman who desires a peaceful life while the other is driven, out of necessity, to serve the Holy Church. Our Lord would be saddened if she lost her life here so we will take her back for treatment..."

What Scáthach didn't say was that, after Elesia made a full recovery, she would present the young woman with the option to pursue the death she had desired for a long time. Though she wasn't all that old, being the incarnation of a homicidal vampire, a pawn of the Holy Church, and a maiden who had to watch her own love die, Elesia had gone through a lot. The only thing that propelled her forward was the dream of her beloved, something she was willing to spend her eternity to obtain in his stead.

Scáthach wouldn't look down on the woman's conviction so, depending on her decision, she would help Elesia reach her goals. Her innate magical talent was even greater than Magi like Luvia and Rin so, had she not sealed away her own memories related to Magecraft, she would have had been able to fight in a far more versatile manner. This, combined with her status as a Tier 4 entity, meant she had a lot of room for growth. The only thing that held her back was her mentality, her experience, and decades of trauma...

As someone with 'absolute immortality', it didn't take long for Elesia to recover her consciousness. She still had the same tired look in her eyes, a stark contrast to the fury she possessed while fighting against Karna. When she heard Scáthach's words, however, the light almost immediately returned to her heterochromatic eyes as the former plainly stated, "The man you desire can be brought back to life, his memories intact. I will take you as my student...do you accept?"

Karna and Jeanne were surprised by Scáthach's words but, compared to Elesia herself, they had mild reactions. The latter, however, began to hyperventilate, her eyes wavering in disbelief as she asked, "Is that the truth? Please, do not torment me with hope...I can take pain..."

Under normal circumstances, Elesia would never believe her enemy's words but, understanding that Vahn had seemingly unrestricted access to the Throne of Heroes, she couldn't help but cling to the small hope rekindled inside her. Fortunately, Scáthach responded with an affirmative nod while using her left hand to cut through the ropes binding her body. This caused Karna to tense up a bit but, as if the Son of the Sun God was no longer anywhere in her eyes, Elesia bowed low to Scáthach and said, "Please...I will do anything..." in a voice on the verge of sobbing...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Grandmaster vs. Novice','I'm not sure if Karna is really good at using his head or if he is really bad at it...','Scáthach empathizing with others!? Vahn really has done a number on her, hasn't he...?')

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