Chapter 91: First trial 5

While Damon was facing his own battle, the battle at Sia’s side was much more intense. Sia and the woman exchanged multiple attacks in seconds, with the woman holding a slight edge over her.

If Damon was still watching their fight, he would only be able to see where they once were, and not where they were. The dilapidated buildings of the apocalyptic city, shattered, or downright crumbled whereever the two passed.

Boom!

With another clash, they separated. Both women stared at each other for a while, their expression grim. While the woman still looked flawless with no signs of injuries whatsoever, Sia had a few cuts here and there.

Sia glanced at her status screen for a moment.

– Unique physique : Timeless path physique.

– Initial ability: Time zone: [You have a localized temporal field, and can manipulate the relative time of yourself, others, or the environment in said field.]

If it hadn’t been for her ability, Sia wouldn’t even be able to react to the woman’s attacks, let alone keep up with her.

Sia’s temporal field only went to two and a half meters, and at the moment, she was increasing the relative time of herself, making things to slow down in her perspective. It was how she was able to keep up with this woman.

Of course, Sia could also slow down the relative time of the woman, making her slower compared to Sia herself, and the environment. But that would mean that Sia would have to give up increasing her very own relative time.

If there was one thing she disliked about her broken ability, it was that she hadn’t been able to increase her relative time, and decrease an opponent’s relative time at the same time.

She had been trying to do that ever since she awakened, and she had felt that she was getting close to being able to do just that. But during this small exchange with this woman, she felt closer than ever.

Maybe it was the pressure she was getting from this woman, or perhaps it was due to the intensity of the fight, but she felt it, like she could finally cross the invisible chasm that was stopping her from being able to do both at the same time.

So she smiled, and for the first time, the cold expression on the other woman face changed.

“You’re smiling?” She asked as if she couldn’t process it. While it looked like Sia was keeping up, in reality she had been on the losing end since the beginning of the fight. The woman hadn’t even used her ability yet after all. Though it was partly because of it’s drawback, the other part was because she wanted to see how long Sia would last.

“Yes.” Sia replied nonchalantly. “Why wouldn’t I smile?” her smile widened. “It’s been forever since someone pushed me this hard, if ever.” She added. Sia didn’t count the Ashen Deadlands in this, that was a completely different matter. And also, the Ashen Deadlands didn’t count as someone.

“I see.” The woman said. “But I’ll get serious now.” The woman continued as an azure light covered her eyes for some moments. When the light receded, her formerly brown eyes had turned azure blue.

This was her ability, while not precognition, it was quite similar to that. In this state, her vision expanded, and she could somewhat predict how an enemy would move or react, judging by the slightest twitch in their muscles, or the slightest shift in their expression. Though, it was quite taxing to her mind.

Whuuum!

Sia zoomed forward, but this time the woman waited for Sia to reach her. Sia slashed at the woman’s jugular with lethal intent, but the woman had foreseen the attack, only slightly shifting to the side to evade it.

Then she calmly took a single step back, to avoid the follow up, making Sia overextend, before before spinning and delivering a roundhouse kick, effortlessly sending Sia flying backwards. All that happened from when Sia charged at her till now, took less than two seconds.

The woman watched as Sia bounced off the ground. She knew that if Sia was even a rank above her current rank, this fight would have been going the other way, not to talk of if Sia was also at the Theta+ rank.

Sia meanwhile stood up, and despite the ringing in her head, she still smiled. ’So close.’ she thought. She just needed a little more push.

With those thoughts, she focused, pushing her ability to increase her relative time to the maximum she could. The fights in the distance slowed down considerably in her view. The environment dulled slightly, and the only one who still looked fine was the woman.

The ground beneath Sia’s feet cracked as she took a single step, and appeared in front of the woman. “First art: Flowing jet wheel.” A high speed pressured water coated her sword’s blade.

Unlike before, the woman had to exert a bit of effort when tanking this attack with her sword, and even with that, she still felt it’s weight. The ground beneath both the women’s feet didn’t only crack, but also shattered.

Feeling that the attack might break through her defences, the woman didn’t try to stand ground, instead she took half a step back, before readjusting her sword’s angle, letting Sia’s sword slide down towards the earth all in a moment.

Crakakaka–BOOM!

The ground exploded in chunks of earth, almost lifting the both of them off their feets. The woman took this chance while Sia was still disoriented to end it once and for all.

Her sword shot at Sia’s chest, only for Sia’s sword to intercept it at the last moment.

Clang!

Though, the force of the attack made Sia’s sword bend inwards, making her violently shoot through the air.

But it was at that moment, that it clicked. What had been eluding her for more than two years finally seemed clear to her. With the new understanding came contempt, contempt at herself. The way she had been going about it was entirely wrong.

But now, she could see it clearly. Her body that was about to crash to the ground, suddenly froze mid air, before she backflipped and landed on her feet.

“Hahahahaha!” Sia threw her head back and laughed, almost hysterically. For a moment, the woman who was watching her thought Sia had gone crazy due to the near death experience.

“What is your name?” Sia finally asked after coming down from her fit of laughter.

The woman raised a brow, perplexed at why an enemy would want to know her name. But in the end, she still answered.

“Amara.”

“Good Amara.” Sia smiled. “I’ll remember your name.” The next moment the two clashed again, but this time Sia was no longer on the back foot. If anything, she was the one with an overwhelming advantage.

’How did she suddenly get faster?’ the woman wondered as even though she could predict what Sia would do next, her body couldn’t react in time. “Or is it I who became slower?’ she thought, but soon felt that it was unlikely, after all her body didn’t feel any lag.

What she didn’t know was that Sia’s ability affected time, not momentum. If Sia slowed down a person relative time, to them, they were still moving as normally as they were.

In a few moments, the woman had already been inflicted with multiple wounds.

Sia weaved under the woman’s sword, and delivered a devastating punch to the woman’s solar plexus.

BOOOM!

The woman shot through the air like a bullet, but Sia followed immediately after her, her sword stretching towards the woman’s neck, but even mid air, the woman managed to twist her body, letting the sword impale her shoulder instead.

Bang!

She still crashed heavily onto the ground though. The woman stood up, all bloodied, even more than Sia was, the azure glow of her eyes had faded back to brown, but there was still grim resolve them.

Though, before she could blink, Sia was already before her, the cold steel of her blade rested against her jugular.

The woman froze, but Sia didn’t press the attack. Instead she looked at her for a bit, before she burst out laughing.

“Stand down, I won’t kill you.” She said to the woman. “Do you want to know why?” she asked, but the woman kept silent.

“You helped me progress on something I haven’t been able to achieve for a very long time.” Sia said.

“I see.” the woman finally muttered.

“Good.” Sia beamed. “Just don’t move, or I’ll be forced to gladly deliver you to the afterlife.” she said with her still bright smile.

“Now then, let’s wait for the fight over there to finish.” she added.

—————–

Meanwhile, with Damon.

“I’ll fucking kill you, kid!” The man yelled hysterically.

“Lightning art: judging thunder.” Two much fatter bolts of lightning, this time the size of a finger, and as long as a pole, shot at me from both his palms.

I didn’t even have to use my reflection to dodge, instead, I simply flickered backwards.

Hisss!

The bolts struck the ground I had been standing a moment ago in a searing black hiss.

But he didn’t stop at that, the shots kept coming after me. Eventually I had enough.

“Third art: Fall!” I swung my sword in his general direction. Fall was an area of effect attack, there was no way he could dodge it.

The shockwave hit him head on, sending him tumbling through the air, before he finally managed to stabilize himself.

Though, Sprut!

He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

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