[Max's POV]
The edge of a red lightning-coated blade and a whitish spear-shaft made of pure lightning collided, causing crackles on both sides. The force pushed us apart; she was one up on me in terms of strength.
We stood a few meters apart, reading each other's intentions. I was observing her eye movements and the hands in which the spear was.
She was also observing me with keen but ferocious eyes, waiting for me to make a move or mistake.
The atmosphere was charged with thunder and shockwaves of our clashes, displaying the raw destructiveness of the fight.
I tightened my grip on Lamina. This is the first enemy that I couldn't defeat with hands in pocket; well, unless I decide to use my class effects, but that will be damaging to me in the long run of the Tower.
I have to fight earnestly if I want to improve as all these thoughts flashed in my mind.
She moved again, and sense flared up.
I put Lamina in front of me, ready for her strike.
She struck from the side this time.
My spatial sense picked distortions occurring as she attacked me.
I blocked her piercing attack by diverting the tip and shaft of the spear.
She started blitz attacking me from multiple directions.
Every time I picked up her movement and reacted with a hair's breath to defend myself.
I had closed my Infinite Aegis to have the possibility of injury and learn through experience.
From above, it must have looked like a white streak attacking a red dot from multiple directions.
I took a deep breath and studied her movement and the time gap between every attack.
I exhaled, moved sideways with help from Eclipsion wings, and diagonally slashed at her arms.
The VermillionVolt did its work, and a wound appeared on her hand.
I put more focus on the layer of VermillionVolt on my sword and reduced its thickness even more, sharpening Lamina further.
She backed away immediately and screeched in a shrill voice.
I smirked slightly and taunted, "You should stay silent; that makes you look more intelligent."
She was eyeing me like the worst enemy of her life, which I was.
This time I took the initiative and rushed forward.
I brought my sword down on her with my full strength. She defended with her spear, horizontally.
However, I didn't relent. I repeated the attacks with the same strength with increased frequency, but her defensive strength was waning.
That wound may have been small, but the lethality of VermillionVolt is not only its destructive power but also the accuracy and longevity of attacks with it.
That small spark that entered her through the wound was sapping her strength; the more she used her body, the weaker she became.
After a few of my relentless attacks, her concentration broke. Her defense came a little late, and that was all I needed.
The Lamina lodged in her shoulder, causing a deep wound.
She squirmed as the blade lodged in her shoulder; blackish blood started to ooze out of her.
I kicked her in the stomach, freeing my sword from her shoulder.
She stumbled but stood her ground, using the spear as a support.
"Thanks for breaking me out of my complacency," I remarked.
Three plasma orbs hovered around me, two beside me and one above.
I moved at speed towards her in an attempt to give a finishing blow.
She barely stopped my sword; she still has much strength left.
But I smiled and said, "You think only you know how to attack from behind."
As I finished my comment, the third plasma entered her heart area in back and emerged in front.
She had a slightly surprised look on her face as she fell down with a gaping hole at the place where her heart should be.
I didn't want to take any chances, so as she fell. I swung my sword using full strength and beheaded her.
Her body fell and started disappearing like a cloud, while her head, a few steps away, stayed a little longer with a surprised look before finally dissolving in air.
The storm and lightning calmed down for a few seconds, respecting the aftermath of the battle.
Lamina hummed like a little girl in my hand, happy to have had such a fight, and so was I.
This fight helped me identify a lot of shortcomings in my fighting ability, and I needed a lot of work to better my fighting style. Neither Fiona nor Lirra is here; otherwise, I could have asked them how I fought.
Remembering her, I contacted Fiona through telepathy granted our Boundless Nexus connection.
'Are you busy currently, Fiona? How are you doing in Phase 3?' I conveyed my thoughts to her.
A few seconds later she replied, 'B-Boss Max, I am doing okay, thank you for asking. I am doing well in this phase. I found some girls who were alone, so we made a temporary team to face monsters together and help each other.'
'We just defeated the Realm Boss of the Realm. So we were resting a bit,' she finished giving information.
'Good, I also just concluded my battle. Okay, rest for now, but always be on alert,' I instructed.
'Always, Boss, and I know you are powerful. Hmm...actually, I don't know how powerful you are, but anyway, take care of yourself, Boss.' She replied with care. I ended our thought communication.
I was feeling happy, having someone telling me to take care; unconsciously a smile blossomed on my face. This made me remember about Revanya.
I clutched my head a little as I muttered, "Stop going down memory lane in the middle of a battlefield."
I sighed. As I was about to jump, a few players appeared before me.
I cursed myself internally for not leaving the battlefield earlier.
One of the players from a group of 5 stepped ahead and asked with a respectful tone, "Are you Mr. Max?"
I found the question a bit weird, but I still nodded positively.
"Are you human?" He further asked.
I was appalled and almost lashed out at this absurdity of a question.
"Yes, I am human as far as I know. Why do you want to know?" I sarcastically asked.
"No, sorry. We didn't mean to offend you. We were just confirming that because we humans didn't have any Rising Star champion in almost 2 years. However, many are thinking you are human, and you will be able to rank 1st this time." He hurriedly explained.
I raised my brow; I didn't follow such news, so this was new to me. Curious, I asked, "Why does it matter anyway?"
"Surely you know, Mr. Max, strong players of all races on Mythos are preparing to fight for the right of planetary rule for the next 200 years. There is still some time, so everyone is searching for the best players among their race." He answered my question.
I nodded and said, "Thanks for telling me this," and I flew away flapping my wings.
This new information was a bit intriguing for me, but I put that in the back of my mind. I took out some snacks before I went on my hunting spree.
I had around 16 more hours left, and I planned to use every minute to better myself in fights for the future.