Stephan stood his ground, watching, waiting. He wanted her to make the first move. Not out of fear, but curiosity.
He needed to see her abilities firsthand.
Was her power like his? Was it more refined? More dangerous?
"Azrael!" she called out, her voice ringing across the rooftop like a command from on high.
Azrael. That had to be her Death-God, Stephan realized. The one she was bound to. The one who'd brought her back.
He waited for a System Notification to flash across his vision, something like his own,[System: Player Yennefer has activatedSkill],but nothing came.
Instead, a green light shimmered into existence in her open palm. It pulsed, alive and ancient. Then, from that light, a large, weathered book materialized,hovering in the air before her.
A grimoire.
So… she had no System, not like his. Azrael hadn't given her skills, stats, or leveling mechanics.
She had magic.That changed everything.
This wasn't like fighting brain-dead Soul Eaters, creatures that operated on nothing but hate, grief, and instinct. This was something far worse.
This was a human, intelligent and strategic.
And powered by a Death-God.
On top of that, she was already Level 5, five times stronger than him, at least on paper.
"This your first time seeing magic, Stephan?" she called out, eyes glowing a brilliant green.
He didn't flinch.
"I like the book," he said calmly.
She smirked. "Too bad it's going to be the last fascinating thing you'll ever see."
Stephan inhaled slowly, steadying himself. His gaze sharpened.
"I doubt that."
DING!
[Death God System: Scan Activated]
[Target Identified: Yennefer Blackstone]
[Affiliation: Player – Death-God Azrael]
[Soul Signature: Stable – Magical Vessel
Type]
[Combat Rank: E-Rank (Initiate)]
[Level: 5]
[Soul Energy Output: 142]
[Class: Grimoire Wielder]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
[System Note: Despite intimidation tactics, target is only marginally ahead. Caution advised.]
Stephan smiled at the stats.
Level 5.
So what?
"Is that supposed to scare me?" he muttered under his breath. "This is a good opportunity to test how far I can go with this new body."
He flexed his fingers, feeling the sharpness of the wind brush against his skin. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he opened his palm,
a black-glinting dagger materialized in a shimmer of Soul Energy, its edge humming like it wanted blood.
"Ready when you are," he said, voice cool.
Yennefer raised an eyebrow, amused. "Stay on your toes, boy."
Then she moved.
A flash of green energy surged from her fingertips, a bolt roaring toward Stephan. He ducked low, twisted sideways, the blast skimming past and exploding against a rooftop pipe in a spray of sparks and debris.
Another blast came, this one wider and less focused. Stephan slid beneath it, his body fluid like smoke, then dashed forward.
Ten meters.
Yennefer lifted her grimoire. The pages flared open with green light and a glyph-laced shield burst into place just as Stephan reached her.
His dagger struck the barrier. Sparks flared and the shield held.
Yennefer raised her hand again,
BOOM!
A concussive green shockwave burst out from her palm, sending Stephan flying backward.
He rolled across the rooftop, landed hard, skidded to a stop. Gritting his teeth, he leapt back to his feet.
[System Notification]
[Damage Registered- 24%]
He wiped a line of blood from the corner of his mouth, grinning."I thought you said I was easy to kill."
Yennefer narrowed her glowing eyes. "I'm just warming up...I'm still yet to murder you."
Three glyphs lit up around her, rotating midair.
She launched a volley,green orbs spinning and slicing through the wind.
Stephan zigzagged through them. One scraped his shoulder, sizzling his shirt. Another exploded behind him, blasting debris upward. But he kept movingand closing the gap.
Yennefer's eyes widened.He was too fast.
Five meters.
Another spell but this one was a chain of green energy. Stephan jumped it, somersaulted over her head, and slashed
The dagger grazed her shoulder.
She gasped and stumbled back. The grimoire flickered, momentarily unstable.
[System: Successful Hit Registered]
[Target: Yennefer Blackstone]
[Wound Type: Shallow Laceration – Right Shoulder]
[Soul Instability: +4%]
Note: Magical Conduits disrupted. Grimoire Functionality Diminished – 2 seconds
"You bleed like the rest of us," Stephan said.
She gritted her teeth. Her voice was low, cold. "You're better than I thought."
"And you're slower than I expected."
Green fire erupted in her palms. "Then no more games."
Yennefer's grimoire spun in the air, its pages turning like a possessed wind had taken hold. Symbols burned across the parchment, sigils unfamiliar even to the System.
[System Alert: Unknown Spell Construct Detected – Class: ???]
Stephan's eyes narrowed. His grip on the dagger tightened, his grin widening.
"Now we're talking," he said.
A sudden pressure shifted in the air. The rooftop trembled.
Then- boom.
From Yennefer's outstretched hands erupted a beam of emerald destruction, wide as a bus, tearing across the rooftop like a divine executioner's sword. The building shuddered under the weight of its force.
Stephan jumped, flipped, but the edges of the blast caught him midair.
BZZZTT!
The pain shot through his side like lightning.
He crashed hard against the rooftop tiles, smoke curling off his ribs.
[System Notification]
[Damage Registered – 51%]
[Warning: Soul Energy Falling]
[Note: Continued exposure to Class: ??? Spells will result in destabilization]
He groaned, blood trailing from his lip, and forced himself upright.
Yennefer stepped forward, the grimoire orbiting her like a predator moon.
"You're fast," she said coldly. "But not fast enough."
She raised her hand again. Glyphs burned brighter. A second volley, this one aimed to end him.
"I told you that I will kill you"she said with a dark smile."I am a woman of my word."
Stephan grit his teeth, preparing to dash...
DING!
[Temporary Buff Activated]
[Predator's Instinct – Duration: 10 Minutes]
[Description: Tactical foresight and reactive speed enhanced. Pain dampening activated. Muscle control amplified.]
Dark mist coiled around Stephan's body, crackling like smoke made of shadow. His pupils dilated. His breathing calmed. The world slowed.
He could feel it, the rhythm of her spell, the trajectory of her hands, the subtle flick of her wrist that signaled the next incantation.
Power surged through his limbs.
But just as the second beam of green hellfire thundered toward him.....
BOOM!
A wall of blue energy erupted in front of Stephan, not from him.
The rooftop shook. The blast dispersed like a wave hitting a mountain.
Yennefer recoiled. "What.....?!"
Stephan's eyes widened. That wasn't his energy. That barrier didn't belong to his system.
From the shadows behind the blast zone, a figure stepped forward.
He recognized the perfume before she even stepped fully into the light.
Lavender, but beneath it, danger. Like silk draped over a blade.
His breath caught in his throat.
No fucking way.
The light faded just enough to reveal the silhouette. Hips swaying, confidence wrapped in every step, the rooftop wind teasing the hem of her tight crimson dress.
It was Anna Mary.
She moved like a dream he never wanted to dream again, and yet, there she was. Real. Radiant. And… on his battlefield.
The barrier… was that her doing?
His eyes darted to the residual energy from the shield. Faint traces of violet and silver glyphs still lingered in the air, different from Yennefer's emerald. Familiar now that he thought of it.
It was her. She'd blocked the spell. She'd helped him.
But why?
Before he could speak, his vision flashed.
DING!
[Death God System: Player Scan Activated]
[Target Identified: Anna Mary]
[Affiliation: Player – Sucrus the Death God of Secrets]
[Soul Signature: Stable – Magical Vessel Type]
[Combat Rank: E-Rank (Initiate)]
[Level: 5]
[Class: Occult Binder]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
Stephan stared, barely able to hide the shock.
Anna Mary. A Player too.
A mage-type, just like Yennefer… but her energy felt older, heavier. Sucrus wasn't a name he recognized, but his system registered respect. Almost fear.
Yennefer tensed across from him, her gaze flicking between the two.
"Are you allied to her?" she asked, lips curled in suspicion.
Stephan didn't answer. His eyes remained locked on Anna.
She gave him a small, coy smile. "You get reincarnated over the weekend and you're already in trouble, Stephan."
"Didn't expect to see you here," he said warily.
"Didn't expect to be saving your ass either."
Yennefer's fingers curled tighter around her grimoire. "You're interfering?"
Anna tilted her head, and for a second, her smile dropped. Her voice went cold. "I'm balancing the field."
The three of them stood locked in a silent standoff, Yennefer and Stephan caught off-guard, while Anna wore a smile.
"Oh, you thought you were the only ones?" she said, stepping forward with effortless grace. "I'm chosen too."
Her gaze shifted to Yennefer, sharpening like a blade.
"Picking on the weak again, Yenny?"
Weak?
Stephan's jaw tightened. Who the hell was she calling weak?
"I'll give you a fair fight, right here," Anna continued, her voice sweet and sharp. "E-Rank against E-Rank."
Yennefer's eyes narrowed. "Tempting… but I'll pass. For now."
She backed toward the edge of the roof.
"But don't get too comfortable. Both of you. I'm winning this tournament."
Then she jumped.
Stephan rushed to the ledge, nothing. No trace of her.
Just him and Anna now.
"Just what are you playing at?," he muttered, turning to her. "And did you just call me weak?"
But she was gone.
Like she had never been there.
Stephan stared at the empty space she'd left behind, brow furrowed.
"…What the hell is going on?"
He glanced at his dagger, still humming faintly with Soul Energy. "Things just got crazy."