out of nowhere, Tiana said:
"Light Magic Realm — Guardian Light."
A guardian made from pure light appeared.
He attacked Nao instantly.
His speed was unexpected —
Nao couldn't react in time.
He smashed into her —
breaking some of her limbs.
But Nao didn't give up.
She ran forward —
using her inner slime to stick her broken bones in place.
She faced the Guardian —
a statue made of light.
It punched her again.
But this time — she slipped through its legs using slime.
She wrapped slime around its neck and used her slime elasticity
to throw it backward.
The Guardian flew —
but came right back, even stronger.
Nao was almost done.
Her body couldn't keep up.
She used the last of her slime to dodge and escape.
The statue began punching the ground — chasing her as she ran.
But it finally caught her.
It punched her repeatedly,
until she began to break and spit blood.
When the statue stopped and stood tall...
Nao slowly stood back up.
Her eyes were now filled with slime.
She raised her arms and shouted:
"Ethernal Art: 3rd Form — Slime Creation!"
Slime golems began forming all around.
Then she added:
"Ethernal Art: 2nd Form — Elastic Force!"
She created jelly-like arms, launching stones and projectiles.
Tiana tried to defend herself —
but while she was focused on that...
Nao ran in and absorbed one of Tiana's attacks!
Then she shouted:
"Ethernal Art: 4th Form — Self Nullification!"
She split the light she absorbed —
Half turned to shadow, half remained light.
Nao was now covered in slime armor —
half light, half dark.
She flew toward Tiana and said:
"Nullify!"
She struck her with both sides —
and the clash blew Tiana back, stunned.
Tiana fell to the ground.
She said softly,
"...Why does she remind me of Jessica?"
---
Tiana's Flashback
A flood of memories filled her eyes.
> "When I was a kid,
I was considered a prodigy…
but always excluded.
My rich family said,
'You should train magic, not play with kids.'
I always wanted a friend."
Then one day…
She was sitting alone on a blanket.
A girl her age walked up to her.
She was cute… a bit different.
She was playing with a boy —
Theo. Yes, that Theo.
The girl's name was...
Jessica.
They took her out to play.
She was scared, but Theo's father was a noble.
Tiana's family told her to befriend Theo —
so she could marry him in the future.
Even as a child, she knew what that meant.
> "So I befriended him…
and the three of us became best friends."
But one day…
> "My family told me to break their friendship.
I followed orders.
Me and Theo teased Jessica about not having a mother...
since hers di
ed when she was just a kid."
Jessica cried.
She stopped coming.
Theo said it was just a harmless joke...
But when he went to visit her...
She was in a coma.
And her father — the principal — found out.
Tiana's voice trembled...
> "Alistair himself told us not to visit her.
He scared us off…
because we made fun of her mother."
> "After that, Theo never spoke to me again."
She tried making new friends...
> "But no one accepted me.
They all said I was aggressive, disgusting,
not worth even talking to...
let alone playing with."
---
Years passed.
She entered the academy…
> "I met Theo again...
but he didn't even recognize me."
So she reached out to him.
She confessed her feelings.
But Theo shattered her with words:
> "You never even bothered to visit her.
Not once."
> "And she cared about you
more than anyone…
even me."
> "Even though I loved her...
we — both me and you —
made the dumbest joke
about her dead mother."
> "I'll never forgive you."
"Get out of my face."
---
Tiana dropped to her knees.
> "That's when I realized…
I was the one who never even bothered
to butt in to their lives."
> "And now...
I became like this —
Just following Lord Alistair…
to save Jessica…
the one and only friend I ever had…"
She raised her head, her eyes tearing up—
> "Then… WHY!?
Why am I getting beaten up by her?!
WHY!?!"
---
Tiana's Explosion
She screamed.
"WHY!!"
And in that moment —
the Guardian Statues began to pour out of her body.
They were multiplying — fast.
She fired them all at once.
The entire arena trembled.
---
But Nao didn't flinch.
She ran, weaving through the chaos —
nullifying every guardian with perfect precision.
Using a combination of shadow and guardian light,
she erased the attacks as they came.
Then, like a blur —
Nao reached Tiana again.
And with full force —
she blasted her face!
Tiana fell...
But Nao struck again —
from behind this time.
Tiana collapsed —
and the remaining guardians began to disintegrate into light.
Nao stood tall…
And walked back to us.
Victorious.
---