58 Chapter 57 - Test of Aunt
"Training."
"No."
"Why."
"Don't feel like it."
"..."
"..."
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
"..."
"..."
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
"Are you not going to take that?" Cebrail questioned though it was clear that she didn't truly care all that much about the call.
"It's just my brother. He can wait."
"Wait. Teacher Marilyn is your aunt?!?" Jeanne questioned in a bit of shock. Though Marilyn and Cebrail look quite alike due to an enchantment on the older woman's cloak her face was unable to be seen or distinguished. It was like those hooded figures in games or anime that are made to just be faceless goons.
Of course Marilyn wasn't even close to being one of these goons. She was the second strongest mage of the current age putting her just under her brother in power.
The woman and the Seraphim Princess both ignored Jeanne's question.
"You mean my father?"
"Yes."
"I see. If you won't train me then can I speak to him instead?"
Marilyn's eyebrows furrowed and her phone began ringing once again.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Frowning, the woman finally took out her phone; however, rather than answer it she crushed it completely before dropping its smoking remains onto the ground.
"…"
"…"
(Do they hate each other or something???) Jeanne couldn't help thinking in confusion as the two relatives stared at one another in silence.
"I see…" Marilyn lets out a small sigh before reaching into her cloaking and drawing a sword slowly and elegantly from its sheath.
As if on the exact same wavelength or simply sharing the exact same singular brain cell as Marilyn Cebrail lifted her arm and reached behind herself opening her dimensional storage. Slowly the hilt of a sword protruded from thin air and grabbing it Cebrail pulled it out without any trouble.
"Jeanne."
"Yes teacher?"
"Go hide and stay out of the blast zone." Marilyn ordered her apprentice seriously.
"Y-Yes Sir!" Jeanne saluted the woman before scurrying off behind the church. It wasn't often Marilyn fought in front of her so she wanted to make sure she was in a place where she could watch carefully. Though since she knew her master was strong enough to even tame her own chaos brand, a terrifying woman that would always grip her by the head and beat her up if she tried to cause trouble, she knew the collateral damage might be enough on its own to kill her.
"Elmenhilde no interfering." Cebrail ordered coldly as she stared down her aunt.
"Roger! Roger!"
"Come." Marilyn said simply raising her sword casually.
Not needing anything more Cebrail charged with her thin estoc-like sword and slashed for her aunt's torso.
"Nng." Cebrail just as she was swinging backed off hopping twice to gain some distance.
(How frustrating. The difference in power is clear and obvious beyond doubt. It's impossible for me to win conventionally even if she isn't using any magic at all.)
Marilyn wasn't using any defensive or offensive magic however in the instant Cebrail had made her attack the woman had already been prepared to cut off her hand.
"Straight forward." Marilyn said simply before charging herself far faster than either Cebrail or Jeanne. It was more like teleportation than anything else.
Cebrail's eyes widened and she only just barely put up a defensive barrier before she had a foot slammed into her gut sending her flying out of the boundaries of the church.
Twisting in the air she just barely landed on her feet however…
"*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*" The blow had shattered her defenses easily and done a number on her causing her to carelessly cough up blood.
In truth perhaps this was the first time in Cebrail's life that she had felt so much pain. Even when cut or stabbed she could simply suppress it rather easily due to her training in her past life, and she could be reckless if she wanted given her healing factor.
"Too simple. Mix it up." Elaborating on her words from earlier Marilyn gave her instructions.
"..."
"Too prideful." The woman chastised her niece. She couldn't help but see the resemblance between Cebrail and her brother, two people that seemed to feel like the world was in their hands, but never wanted such a thing in the first place.
"Cebrail!" Elmenhilde yells upon Cebrail falling to her knees holding her stomach in pain. It was worrying as she too could tell that the difference in power between Cebrail and Marilyn wasn't exactly something that could be closed through conventional means like simple trickery.
Marilyn's walking came to a stop right in front of Cebrail one might think she was disappointed as she looked down on her niece however if they could see her face they would see that her eyes are still quite vigilant.
She was right to be so as well since when Cebrail stabbed her sword into the ground as though she were attempting to use it like some sort of crutch a silver magic circle appeared under the two and a torrent of slightly holy water came out.
"Holy water produced by magic?" Marilyn was quite shocked however this didn't stop her from dodging back out of the way of the water. She had already been expecting a sneak attack from the girl as she knew the child had recovered right after her coughing fit. Also of course, no one with Solomon's Ring is willing to give up so easily.
(Such a thing shouldn't be possible.)
Just as her feet hit the ground the estoc Cebrail had been wielding shot through the curtain of water straight towards Marilyn's chest.
Easily the mage parried it sending it up into the air and a weak-looking barrier enveloped the area, before Marilyn could take in the situation Cebrail appeared behind her.
"Hmm?" Marilyn's eye moved to her peripheral vision to see her niece reaching for her with an open hand as though she were trying to grab the mage. For her Cebrail's movements seemed to be going in slow motion as the hand came closer and closer and an intense feeling of dread came over her.
A feeling she had not remembered until now.
It was the sickening feeling of being in danger.
The tip of Cebrail's middle finger brushed Marilyn for just a moment and Solomon's Ring unveiled itself on her finger as it glowed just before the mage could teleport away.
Marilyn reappeared a few meters away still within the barrier and staggered for a moment as her previous feelings of dread and danger were subtly overwritten by a heat beginning to form deep within her core. She felt content, she felt as though perhaps she should just put down her weapon and stop fighting. An aching in her heart made her face heat up slightly.
(Why do I feel as though… I wish to pleasure myself???) Marilyn thought a quite confused her grip on her sword slackening a bit unconsciously. (Am I attracted to my niece???)
The mage tried not to consider the possibility and moved to other possible reasons.
Cebrail having over extended herself in order to attempt to grab her aunt and end the fight in a single attack staggered but was still more than ready to improvise as she teleported her sword back into her hand and rushed at Marilyn.
She didn't particularly like using a skill granted to her by the quack known as Solomon however she had no choice. It was the only skill she had that could reliably be used against an opponent much stronger than herself and was usually an instant win condition, especially against women. As long as one didn't have any defense against attacks on the soul she could bypass all other defenses with her Royal Authority Pleasure Touch. Even her Sacred Gear Atypical Property was unable to manipulate people in her barrier that were more powerful than Cebrail herself. At best she could give a minor debuff, but against something like a Heretic God even that was impossible. Her Sacred Gear wasn't some limitless Longinus after all.
(I see. This must be her Royal Authority. It's quite similar to my brother's, which means that it must be just as dangerous.) Marilyn figured it out rather easily and made it her priority to not be touched by Cebrail's hand again.
Cebrail thrusted her blade towards her aunt's stomach however this time she had no plans of backing off at the last second.
"Hm…" Marilyn moves to counterattack believing that her niece was getting overconfident due to having touched to mage only slightly once. However just as she moved her sword it vanished from her hand.
Her eyes widened slightly and it was only due to her years of experience fighting that she was able to dodge Cebrail's attack.
Sending a punch towards Cebrail's face the Seraphim Princess blocked but was still sent flying a few meters away, bouncing off of her hand and back onto her feet.
"How strange." Marilyn muttered looking down at her hand and then looking at the sword which was now on the ground nearby.
Cebrail's Sacred Gear could not be used on Marilyn that was a fact, however, Marilyn's sword was just a basic iron one with no ego or added effects. Thus her Sacred Gear had no problem teleporting it.
"What is your Sacred Gear?" Marilyn asks genuinely curious.
"It's the living Sacred Gear Atypical Property." Cebrail answered back simply.
"That's impossible."
"What?"
"Atypical Property is not a living Sacred Gear."
