Chapter 98: The Futility That Was That Battle (Part 2)

In its purest form, the human heart longs to be whole.

When Laurie Brown, who had lost track of all the achievements in her life and had no idea what she should do to make herself satisfied had been approached by the Phoenix with an offer to do something so extraordinarily dangerous as become a Hellfire, sure, she let her mind run its course, trying to come with all the reasons why she shouldn't join, but her heart had already told her the answer she wanted to give.

Similarly, when Sneha Stone, who had no idea how to find out anything about the death of her fellow pupil and her teachers, whose search had led her to a partnership with Vermilion, one that was not helping much with her investigation either, had been given the offer to find out about them by working with Ethan Kales, sure, she let her mind run its course as well, trying to come up with all the reason why she shouldn't team-up with a man whose way of contacting people was blackmail, but her heart too had already told her the answer she wanted to give.

And, in those moments, both the women did, in the end, choose the answers that their hearts told them to choose, ignoring their intelligence.

And, because of those decisions back then, the two had now ended up in a battle against each other.

One of them comes from a rich family with a history as old as the aristocratic times of Great Britain and the other is the sole survivor of a well-respected Aural school. Under normal circumstances, these two would have no reason to meet each other, much less fight each other.

Yet, they are here - fighting each other, and it's because of them listening to their hearts and not their minds.

And, maybe, at some level, they realized this. And so, in this battle too, they let their minds run their course, coming up with strategies to defeat each other, but, at the end of the day, they chose to do what their hearts told them to.

Laurie's heart told her to not get humiliated, not listen to whatever her opponent says, and attack without healing to hold onto her pride.

This led to her standing herself up with pure Psychic Energy and then charging right at her opponent.

Sneha's heart told her to not attack her while she is so weak but also to not take her attacks either.

This led to her constantly defending against Laurie's strikes.

And this continued for a fair amount of time.

However, as all things do, this had to come to an end. After all, how long could the two keep it up despite knowing the futility of it?

And so, they stopped and got away from each other.

One's mind told her to heal and the other's told her to attack while the opponent's vulnerable but neither listened.

Instead, Laurie Brown convulses Psychic Energy inside her, a move that caused her pain because of her wounds coming into direct contact with rapidly moving energy. But, even so, she doesn't stop doing so. And, when she is ready, she makes herself invisible.

Sneha Stone, on the other hand, first waits for her opponent to become invisible, and then after her opponent disappears from her sight, tries to read Aura to find her and dodge her attacks.

But, this time, the Aural was too slow.

By the time Sneha realized where the attack was coming from, she had no way left to dodge the strike to her backbone.

Her bones audibly crack and her legs lose their strength for a moment as a very crucial part of her body is hit with such force.

But, it isn't all.

Having gotten the chance to attack more, there was no reason for the Psychic to stop just there.

So, she continues.

Laurie Brown continued with her strikes on her opponent's backbone, constantly breaking them without even giving her opponent the chance to scream in pain.

However, all of a sudden, her attacks stop. It's not that she stops, but her attacks do.

Even Laurie herself does not know why her hands suddenly stopped being able to connect to her opponent's body, why her hands suddenly started feeling so drained of energy.

She doesn't even realize why all of that is happening - not until she sees her feet and realizes that she isn't standing exactly where she had stood before.

She has been thrown back by a powerful back kick to the stomach and after her back does, her head ends up directly hitting the trunk.

She wonders if she is already too hurt to realize things like this in time and even feel the pain in time, can she really continue on like this? Or, should she give in and heal?

But, unfortunately, she didn't get the time to answer that question of hers.

In front of her, the Aural who has kept standing straight only by binding her shattered bones together through Aural Energy raised her arm like a butcher's knife and both her glare and her arm faced just the Hellfire.

The Hellfire realizes what is going to happen.

If her head is already so hurt that she can't process things in time and can't even immediately detect it when she is hit on it, then she must already be vulnerable enough to die from a really powerful hit to the head, especially a hit that, by nature, can split open her skull.

For the Aural, attacking this Hellfire was outside of her code until now. After all, they were on very unequal footing.

But, with her backbone broken like it is, that is no longer the case.

They may still not be complete equals but they are no longer so far apart that it is unfair to attack.

And so, knowing all of that, and knowing the futility of everything that has happened in this fight as well as everything that is happening now, the Aural brings her hand down, and the Hellfire did her best to defend.

Gallons of Aural Energy clashed with gallons of Psychic Energy and both pushed each other back.

The Aural almost loses her balance as she is pushed back and the Hellfire feels a sharp pain in her head as the same happens to her.

Sneha: "..."

The Hellfire tries to stand up but can't as the Aural, once again, raises her arm in the same manner, but this time, she no longer holds anything back.

And this time, the Hellfire doesn't hold anything back either.

And so, they clash again.

And once again, they cancel each other out.

The Aural falls and the Hellfire feels an even sharper pain in her head.

Laurie: "..."

But, it is still not over.

They have used all their spare energy but the result has not been decided. So, it is still not over.

Sneha: "... Tsk!"

Laurie: "... Hah! Hah!"

So, for one final time, the Aural stands herself up and takes the same stance. The Hellfire prepares herself with the same defensive stance as well.

Sneha: "E … enough of this!"

And, for one last time, using all their stored energy, the energy they had been using to keep themselves alive with so many bones and organs of their body destroyed, they clash once again.

And this time, whether it is the difference in their stored energy, their concentration in using it, their ability to think clearer, or just pure luck, but the Aural cracks the skull of her opponent open, and then falls down to the ground in pain as the blood of her opponent spurts forth rapidly, bathing her in a dark and deep scarlet.

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