The Trap and The Counter

Lian followed Selena into the forest, keeping a safe distance from her. She knew she was at a disadvantage in terms of combat skills and strength, but she also knew she had an edge in terms of ki control and versatility.

Selena seemed to notice Lian's hesitation, and smirked. She turned around and faced her, holding her umbrella in front of her. "What's the matter, little girl? Are you afraid of me?" she taunted, opening her umbrella slightly. She flashed a wicked smile, revealing her sharp teeth. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick and painless. Well, maybe not painless."

She swung her umbrella, sending a wave of distorted space towards Lian. Lian reacted quickly, creating a barrier in front of her to block the attack. She felt the impact, and saw the barrier crack under the pressure. She heard a loud crack, like glass breaking.

"What?" Lian's eyes widened with confusion.

She realized that the waves from Selena's slashes were abnormal. They weren't just normal waves of energy. They were also unpredictable. They could change direction, speed, and shape at any moment, making them hard to dodge or deflect. They looked like ripples on a pond, but they were deadly.

Selena possessed the ability to manipulate the space around her, and create waves of distorted space that could cut through anything. She could control the direction, speed, shape, and size of the waves, making them very versatile and unpredictable. She could also use her ability to enhance her swordsmanship, by adding space-distortion effects to her slashes. This made her a natural enemy for Lian.

Having Lian face Selena was a part of the enemy's plan from the start. They recognized her as the only threat to their trap, and formulated a plan to take care of her. Having Morgan challenge Layla, and matching Darius against Armstrong. It was all part of their plan. All so they could end up in a situation where Lian chased after Selena.

Despite being very powerful, Selena's ability came with some limitations and drawbacks. In order to utilize it effectively, she needed a clear line of sight to her target, or at least a general sense of their location. She was incapable of creating waves in places she couldn't see or sense.

In addition to that, she couldn't distort the space of other dimensions, or the space between dimensions.

Lian decided to go on the offensive, and created several barriers around Selena, forming a cage. She hoped to trap her inside, and limit her mobility. She also created a barrier behind her, to prevent Selena from escaping. She then launched several smaller barriers, shaped like daggers, towards Selena, hoping to pierce her.

Selena was not impressed by Lian's strategy. She laughed, and said, "Is that all you can do? You think you can trap me with these flimsy barriers? You're wasting your time and energy, little girl. Let me show you what a real swordmaster can do."

She closed her umbrella, and revealed a sword hidden inside. The sword was long and thin, with a curved blade. It glowed with a faint purple light, indicating its power. Selena slashed the air, creating a large wave of distorted space that cut through the barriers around her. She then dashed towards Lian, closing the gap between them.

Lian appeared shocked by Selena's speed and agility. She barely had time to create another barrier in front of her, to protect herself from Selena's sword. She felt a sharp pain in her arm, as Selena's sword sliced through the barrier and grazed her skin. She gasped, and retreated, creating more barriers behind her.

She looked at her arm, and saw blood dripping from a shallow cut. She felt a cold sensation, as if her arm was numb. She realized that Selena's sword had not only cut her flesh, but also her ki. She felt her ki flow disrupted, and her strength diminished.

She felt a surge of fear, and anger. She clenched her teeth, and glared at Selena.

"What an ordeal..." She said, in a low voice.

She gasped, and retreated, creating more barriers to distance herself from Selena.

"I'm disappointed..." Selena said, her voice dripping with contempt.

"I heard you were a master possessing different abilities, in addition to your main specialty with barriers."

"You're supposed to be an A Rank. You're supposed to be stronger than this..."

Selena was right. In a normal state, Lian was stronger than her, but she was currently at 50% of her normal capabilities. Since their arrival on the island, she hadn't had time to rest, constantly draining her stamina for a whole day, trying to overcome the influence of the barrier surrounding the island.

In addition to that, she had also created high level barriers which required constant maintenance from her, to protect the students they left behind. She was also developing a way to create a dent in the barrier trapping them, giving them an opportunity to call for backup. With so many handicaps on her, she couldn't spare the energy to use her other abilities or even her specialty—barrier manipulation—to the fullesy against Selena. Claiming victory in her current battle would not be an easy feat.

"Why are you fighting for him?" Lian asked, as she struggled against Selena.

Selena stopped, and tilted her head. "Why? You ask?"

"I'm a woman who's interested in things that seem interesting," she laughed, a cold and cruel sound.

"And he has shown me something quite interesting. There's more to this world than our small minds are capable of comprehending."

She increased her speed and power, and launched a series of slashes at Lian. Lian felt overwhelmed, and struggled to keep up with Selena's attacks. Lian wondered what else she could do. She looked around, and saw a large tree nearby. She had an idea, and decided to try it.

She created a barrier around the tree, and then used her ki to manipulate it. She made the barrier expand, and then contract, causing the tree to explode. She hoped to use the debris as a distraction, or a weapon. She then created a portal behind Selena, and another one behind herself. She planned to use the portals to escape from Selena, and find a better location to fight.

Selena saw the tree explode, and felt a slight shock. She was not expecting Lian to use such a tactic. She dodged the debris, and looked for Lian. She saw her standing near a portal, and realized what she was trying to do. She smirked, and said, "You think you can run away from me, little girl?"

She swung her sword, and released a wave of distorted space towards the portal behind Lian. The wave reached the portal, but was unable to slice through it. Instead, it destroyed it.

"I see..."

"You put everything you had into that."

"Then I shall reward you with the full extent of my power."

Selena's blade began to glow. Lian sensed a surge of energy gathering in the blade. She knew jumping into the portal at this point would be dangerous. She abandoned the portal, jumping behind it and trying to find cover.

Selena released a slash, sending a wave of energy that distorted and erased everything in its path. Lian felt a sudden gust of wind behind her, and turned around. She saw the wave of distorted space coming towards her, and realized that Selena had cut through her portal.

But to Selena's surprise, rather than panicking, Lian smiled. She created a barrier that appeared more complex than the others. It was shaped like a group of octagons joined together to form a shield. It shimmered with beautiful colours as the sun reflected on it. This was the true appearance of Lian's barriers on a normal day.

She blocked the wave released by Selena and reflected it, sending it upward, towards the barrier trapping them on the island. This was her plan from the start. Making Selena use her full power. The barrier she used as a shield to reflect her opponent's attack was her initial plan to create a dent in the one trapping them. She created another barrier with a complex formula that amplified the wave's power and directed it to the weakest point of the island's barrier.

"You bitch!" Selena screamed, as she saw her attack heading towards their barrier. She felt a surge of fear and anger, as she realized she had fallen into Lian's trap.

She laughed, trying to hide her panic. "I'll admit, you had me totally playing in your palm, but you overestimated my abilities."

"That attack is only enough to create a small crack in the barrier."

Lian smiled, a cold and confident smile. "That's all the insurance I need. Mine's enough to finish the job."

She threw the barrier she had created, like a shuriken, aiming for the dent Selena's attack had created. It spun in the air, reflecting the sunlight.

"Barriers are like boxes created with different formulas," Lian explained, as she watched Selena's expression.

"The more complex, the harder they are to break, and the longer it takes to break them."

"Rather than brute force, another way for someone like me to counter such is to create something with equal complexity."

"It took a very long time, and a lot of energy, but it's nothing beyond me."

"I don't know who you guys are or why you chose to start from Astrovia, Metreona or Rakuzan, but all I have to say is..."

She smirked, looking at Selena who was beginning to panic again. "Don't underestimate us."

Lian's attack hit the dent Selena had created. It pierced through, opening a hole in the barrier. A loud boom echoed, as the barrier shattered.

"I've done my part, Layla..."