Chapter 82: Resonance

’This is-’

She could not even finish her thought as Vell’s punch connected with her face. The impact was like a thunderclap, echoing through the ruined throne room as she flew across the space, slamming into a pillar so hard it cracked down the middle. She bled for the first time in their fight, but Vell was not done yet. He sent a mana slash towards her that made the air around it sing with a deadly hum.

’Dangerous.’ She leaped into the air, waving her hand at the pieces of her broken fans. The shards rose and reformed into new, stronger weapons. She wasted no time, launching them at him while he was mid-air, but this attack was no longer going to work. He spun his body and kicked the fans back at her with even greater force.

“I see you were toying around this entire time. No wonder I could not sense the power from back then… you are still holding back… humans are so arrogant.” The vibe around her changed as more mana began to leak from her body like blood. It wrapped around her fans, forming some sort of pulsating armor.

[Master!]

He jumped back, on alert, his palms sweating, a nervous smile on his face. ’Hehehe, do you feel that?’

[That is dangerous. Avoid her attack no matter what.]

’Pfft, avoid? Have you forgotten who you are talking to?’ He took a stance, his sword facing downward. “Huu, this is getting interesting.” The ground around him began to tremble, the smirk on his face not leaving. The color of his sword changed to a deep, ominous red, and it let out a small cry, as if it was dying under the weight of his power. Mana lines began to appear under his eyes and slowly crawl up his arms. They pulsed with a dark power that was itching to be unleashed.

They both stared at each other, not a word spoken. And then… they vanished from sight and clashed attacks, both getting sent flying back but attacking again the second they regained their balance. They clashed again, but this time, Vell was overpowered and sent flying.

He skidded backward, his boots grinding against the cracked stone floor, his sword’s red glow intensifying with each passing second. He barely had a moment to breathe before she was on him again, her movements faster, sharper, and more relentless than before. The aura around her fans shimmered, cutting through the air like a thousand blades.

Her voice carried a dangerous edge as she lunged forward. “You think that power is enough to face me? Do not make me laugh.” The mana surrounding her exploded outward, warping the air with its intensity. It was not just power—it was suffocating, a presence that felt like the weight of an entire battlefield pressing down on him.

Vell chuckled through gritted teeth, his body trembling with anticipation rather than fear. “You talk a lot for someone who is been bleeding.” He dashed forward, his sword glowing brighter, each swing faster and more deliberate. Sparks erupted as their weapons collided, the throne room filling with a symphony of clashing steel and the roar of unleashed power.

[Master! Her energy is shifting again! Be careful—]

“I know!” he barked, narrowly dodging a swipe from her mana-clad fans. The force of her attack carved a deep trench into the ground, sending debris flying like shrapnel.

She sneered, her eyes glowing with a dangerous light. “Still clinging to that cocky attitude. How long do you think you can keep it up?”

He responded with a grin and launched a devastating horizontal slash, a shockwave of crimson energy tearing through the air. She countered with a spinning fan strike, her mana forming a protective vortex that swallowed his attack and dissipated it into harmless sparks.

“You talk about arrogance,” he said, the mana lines on his arms pulsating like a second heartbeat. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, feinting left before slashing upward. The move was a gamble, and it paid off—her right fan shattered under the force of his strike. “But you are the arrogant one here.”

Her expression darkened as she stumbled back, gripping the remaining fan tightly. The aura around her flared, and the shattered pieces of her fan began to reform mid-air, sharper and more menacing than before.

“Tch, I am starting to really dislike you,” she growled, her voice low and deadly. The mana around her condensed, forming twin serpents of glowing energy that coiled around her arms, their fanged maws snapping hungrily at the air.

[Master, retreat! Those things are not normal!]

’Ugh, you really need to stop overreacting. Like, come on, just be quiet.’

[…..]

He ignored the warning, his grin widening as the lines of mana on his body began to crawl up his neck and face. His sword let out another eerie wail, the red glow now almost blinding. “Normal is boring,” he said, lowering his stance and gripping his sword tightly. “Bring it on.”

The two surged forward again, the air between them distorting from the sheer force of their combined energy. Their clash was no longer a battle—it was a storm, shaking the very foundations of the throne room and lighting up the space with flashes of raw, destructive power. Neither of them looked to be holding back, and a single mistake could be fatal.

They looked equal at first, but a few more clashes tipped the scales. He lunged forward, aiming a precise strike at her chest, but her movements were sharper than he expected. She twisted around his blade with a strange speed, her fan slicing through the air and connecting with his side. A burst of pain exploded through his body as the impact sent him sprawling across the floor, leaving a smear of blood in his wake.

[Master! You are hurt!]

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand as his vision blurred. “Shut up… I am not done yet.” His voice was strained, but the smirk remained on his face, defiant even as blood dripped from the fresh gash on his torso.

She strode forward, her aura radiating menace. The serpents of mana coiled tighter around her arms, their glowing fangs pulsing with destructive intent. “You are slower now. We both know how this ends.”

He raised his sword, its glow flickering unsteadily. “You think this is enough to stop me?” He darted forward again, feinting high and slashing low, but her reflexes were too good. She parried effortlessly, her counterstrike slamming into his shoulder and driving him into the ground.

[Master! You cannot keep this up!]

“I… can,” he growled, pulling himself back to his feet. His arms trembled under the weight of his sword as the mana lines on his skin began to flicker and fade. “I always do.”

She scoffed, circling him like a predator closing in for the kill. “Pathetic. Was this your grand power? All that arrogance, and for what? To bleed out like a dog on the floor?”

He did not answer, instead forcing himself upright with a ragged breath. His legs were unsteady, his vision swimming, but his grip on his sword never wavered. “You talk a lot for someone… who is afraid of losing.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her aura flared again, the serpents snapping their jaws as if eager to devour him. “Afraid?” She launched forward, her fans spinning with terrifying precision. He managed to parry the first strike but could not stop the second as it raked across his chest, drawing another spray of blood. He staggered, falling to one knee, his sword’s glow dimming further.

[Master, this is it! You need to retreat—]

“No,” he muttered, his voice barely audible. His grip tightened on his sword, and for the first time, the grin fell from his face. He closed his eyes, the air around him suddenly still despite the chaos. “It is not over.”

The word escaped his lips like a whisper, carrying with it a strange, unyielding confidence.

“Resonance.”

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