"Refined Art—Piercing Rain!"
"Splinters."
Pandora pointed with her hand and shot several threads at Eliana, who did the same with her blue blade, returning fire with droplets of water. The two forces collided, and each projectile cancelled the other, until none were left. The two were unscathed.
"Trapped Within."
Cobwebs of strings rushed in from both sides of the hallway, covering the entire path and leaving no gap of escape for Eliana. One even approached from the classroom to her right.
"Blade Style: Kaminari."
Electricity surged through the entire hallway as Eliana took her stance, eyes focused on her one and only enemy as if the cobwebs weren't present. Pandora flinched slightly at the electrifying aura.
"Refined Art—Lightning's Shadow!"
A fraction of a second after she announced her spell, Eliana reappeared behind Pandora and past the cobwebs, holding her bloodied blade like she was already done swinging. And if Pandora could see, she would've noticed several afterimages of Eliana leading up to her current position. When the second passed, the afterimages moved one after another, slicing up every cobweb and finally…
"It's over," she declared.
She had cut Pandora's upper body, from the right side of her waist up to her left shoulder, meeting her heart in the middle. Eliana turned around to see Pandora standing still, blood dripping profusely from the wound.
"Too shallow," Pandora whispered, and the dripping stopped.
What? But it was a clean cut...I was sure of it!
"To think that would be enough…you're too naive."
She must've used strings to shield herself. I was too slow and missed my only chance at this! She had underestimated me this entire time. She definitely won't now—
"I'm stepping off the stage," Pandora continued. "I've played my role for this evening. I must take my leave." She began walking away, leaving Eliana dumbfounded.
"Huh? You think we'll just let you leave?" Eliana growled. "After everything you caused here—"
"What is it that you followed us here for?" Pandora paused, and her question reminded Eliana of the abnormal creeper she had been chasing this entire time. "It's still here. Why don't you go after it?"
"You're far more dangerous than a creeper—"
They heard a loud crash, a rumble throughout the building, and the sounds of concrete breaking all the way to the roof.
"And yet, that very creeper has your best friend overwhelmed."
Eliana gasped sharply at the sounds and what was said.
"Don't waste precious time on me." Pandora continued walking. "That Thing and I are parting ways. I will no longer interfere."
With no choice left, Eliana followed the noise and ran past Pandora, who stopped and gazed at the sky outside the broken window.
"At the very least…save her in my stead."
As Eliana rushed down the stairs, one single thought crossed her mind.
I thought Emily would look after her! Where is she?!
…
"Ocean Style: Refined Art!"
Emily threw a bottle of water that exploded and formed several threads of water, which converged around the puppet like a cage.
"Deadly Cage!"
The cage closed in on the puppet before it could retaliate with its large scythe. Emily expected the several threads of water to cut it into pieces, but they barely caused a few scratches that immediately healed.
"What are you?!"
The puppet before her was Illusia. Pandora never recalled it and had sent it towards Emily.
Illusia lurched forth with the large scythe, and Emily stepped away, causing it to pierce through the hallway floor. Emily converged the several droplets of water that had scattered on the floor into one tiny orb on the tip of her index finger.
"Hollow Art—"
But the orb couldn't maintain its shape and fell apart before Emily could finish her spell. Instead, she used it to shield herself against the incoming blade, but the shield cracked open, and Emily leapt backwards to avoid it.
It failed again! How did I do it earlier? Why is it not working now?!
Illusia observed Emily and awaited her next move. Not once during this evening did Pandora ever order it to kill anyone. She only needed it to keep away uninvited guests.
I'm sorry, Eliana. I don't think I get to you!
Illusia's sole purpose this evening was to isolate the two experienced Hunters.
…
"What's going on, Violet? Won't you fight back?"
Corra had Viola backed into a wall. She stood unwavering, but not without several scratches on her face and blood dribbling down her lips.
"Or is it that you can't even fight at all?"
Viola clicked her tongue, frowning with disgust at Corra, who laughed aloud.
First a Scarlet, and now…something even worse—
She couldn't even finish her thoughts as Corra sent another hand tentacle her way. Viola stepped away, and it crashed into the wall.
"Where are you going?" Corra said upon seeing Viola run away. "You think you can escape?"
Corra turned around and shot five more hand tentacles from her own arm, and Viola jumped to the side. Immediately retracting the appendages, Corra combined each into a large snake creeper.
"Violet Style: Basic Art."
The snake creeper rushed toward her, and Viola punched it with her glowing fist, causing an explosion that went through the entire appendage into Corra's arm, tearing off half her upper body.
"Outburst!"
"Your magic…it's quite troublesome, you know?" Corra spoke in a low growl. "For some reason, it interferes with my regeneration!"
Despite that, she has already healed up…
"My turn~"
Corra crouched and touched the ground with both her bloody palms.
"Void Manifestation: The Empty."
The ground shook beneath them as it grew several fleshy tentacles all around Viola in a circle. They went high up before crashing down on her. The same flesh also covered the floor in a wide radius, slowing down her movement.
"Chamber of Execution!"
Seven, eight…ten! Ten of them and I only have a single knife…
Viola waited until the last second.
Now!
She leapt out of the flesh circle, and the mouths all crashed into each other. Something glowed below them where Viola once stood, and when she snapped her fingers, an explosion of violet hue followed, turning them to dust.
That was my last weapon—
"Not bad!"
The wind was knocked out of her as Corra closed the distance in a split second, sending her flying towards the front gate with a punch to the gut.
"But not enough!"
Viola coughed up blood, but before she could even get up, Corra grabbed the top of her head and threw her towards the building. Viola crashed through concrete after concrete until she reached the roof.
"It's never enough!"
Corra reappeared before her in an instant and kicked her towards the auditorium roof, then stomped on her back, pushing her through the ceiling back to ground level.
Viola couldn't get up, couldn't retaliate, and couldn't cast magic. Her legs gave out, and she tried crawling away, but it was pointless with Corra prowling right behind her. She had become the prey trying to escape the predator.
The gap in power between a Scarlet and a Crimson was far too overwhelming.
"To go through all that and not crumble," Corra whispered behind her, "you must not be human~"
She giggled, crouching and grabbing Viola by the hair to hold her in place. She continued whispering into her ear.
"Do you understand how much that excites me? To consume a Hunter already gives me so much power. Can you imagine how much stronger I would be if I consumed you?"
"I won't…let you…"
"And how will you stop me?" She snickered. "You couldn't save anyone here. And now, you can't even save yourself!"
She laughed aloud, slamming Viola's face on the floor. Blood dribbled down her head as Corra stood back up and turned the other way, towards the entrance, still holding Violas's hair.
"That's the problem with you Hunters. You worry about everyone else when you should only worry about saving yourselves." She walked forward, dragging Viola through the floor. "Had you not come here, had you not interfered us, you wouldn't be treated like dirt or feel so defeated."
Corra stopped and glanced back, glaring down through those empty sockets.
"Why would you ever come here if you were this powerless? Wouldn't you be better off living peacefully as a human? Why take up a role you were never prepared for?"
"You think…I had a choice?" Viola growled weakly. "Why are you talking as if…I wasn't forced into this?!"
"Because you weren't?"
Viola finally mustered enough strength to lift her head and glare back. "What?!"
"From what I was told, it was you who initiated contact. It was you who ran into the woods. It was you who decided to fight a creeper. That creature never laid a hand on you, not until you interrupted it."
"If I didn't…then Bonn—"
"He would've died nonetheless," Corra interjected. "Only difference is…you would've continued living that normal life."
"It wouldn't be the same!"
"You'll get over it. After all, it wouldn't be the first time someone abandoned you, right?"
"Shut up!"
"Actually, forget that. It was the second time. That's when the Hunters took note of you. That's when you became a problem in His eyes. Had you stayed in your lane and not run after a girl…a Hunter who would do better in this situation…you would've been permitted to remain human."
"Why would I believe you?!"
"Why would He threaten your abode only recently? Ever thought of it? Why wait this long if you were such a thorn on His side?"
"I…" Viola looked down, unable to argue.
"You lived like a simple human who would've never known of His existence. But you shattered that by being too curious. Your own choices led you here. No one forced you. No one influenced you. It was all your fault, your weakness of caring for strangers. Your pretending act to feel human has brought you the furthest away from it."
Corra clutched her hair, lifting her to face level. Viola winced in pain as she stared at red.
"You're the one who started all this."
She leaned closer and whispered into her face.
"Stop. Blaming. The world."
Before Viola could respond, Corra sent her flying through the auditorium's front door and into the open field again. Hissing at the pain, Viola could only manage to get on her knees.
"It's been years since I worked alongside the Puppeteer," Corra said, stepping out of the auditorium, "and yet, I could never figure out what she truly desired. She can't bear the sight of red, and yet, she doesn't hesitate to spill the same."
Corra stood before Viola several feet away, arms neatly folded behind her back as she gazed at the main building where she expected Pandora to be.
"This is just my hunch," she continued, "but when she offered you that escape earlier, perhaps she truly meant it." She turned back to Viola. "Draven would've left you two alone had you gone along with her. You missed your second chance~"
"And what of it?" Viola finally got back up and clenched her fists. They held a faint violet glow. "Why bring it up now?"
"It's too late for her offer, but mine is still on the table!" Corra clapped her hands together. "Though you're better off becoming supper, I'm giving you another chance!" She held out a hand toward her, which slowly morphed into a large, mouth tentacle, hissing at Viola.
"Do you accept?"
Viola stayed silent, bracing herself, ready to punch at whatever would be thrown at her, even if it failed.
"How stubborn~"
The tentacle launched toward her at full speed, faster than Viola could perceive it. The mouth was inches away from devouring her face when a strong gust of wind blew at them, and the entire tentacle was split open.
Viola's expression turned to one of relief when a familiar figure stood before her.
"Don't touch her!" Eliana shouted, glaring at Corra, who was also vertically split in half, yet stood her ground. "I was the one chasing you this entire time. I'm your opponent here!"
"You Hunters," she hissed, her bandages and even her cloth reattaching back together, "first you ruin my dessert earlier…and now you prevent me from collecting my prize—"
"Blade Style: Kaminari."
"E-Eliana! Wait—"
Before Viola could reach her, Eliana disappeared in a thunderous flash, already behind Corra, who quickly turned around and grew a mouth tentacle from the ground between them that caught Eliana's electrifying blade.
"Refined Art—Thunderclap!"
The lightning intensified and cut through the flesh, creating a path for the blade to split Corra in half again, but horizontally. Within a minute of their conflict, Eliana had already severed her heart twice.
"At the very least, don't interrupt me when I'm talking!" Corra, already rejoining herself, leapt away to reset their engagement. "Why don't we introduce each other first?"
Eliana walked back towards Viola, baffled at how her opponent was still alive. "Strange," she mumbled, "I thought twice would be enough."
"I've already killed her three times," Viola mumbled back. "What we thought was their weakness…doesn't apply to this one."
"Then I just have to keep cutting her till she falls," Eliana declared confidently. "I doubt she's truly unkillable. Just…complicated."
"Let me help—"
"No, you've done enough." Eliana turned her head and flashed a worried look. "Didn't I say? This one's my opponent."
"But—"
"I've always been the one watching you show off." Eliana chuckled, turning around to face the enemy. "Let me show off this time."
She stepped forward. Viola reached out, but her legs felt heavy. She couldn't even make her fists glow. She had already pushed herself farther than her body was accustomed to.
"Fine," Eliana shouted at the enemy. "I agree, let us introduce each other before we begin!"
"Good choice." The Slave chuckled heartily. "I am Corra, Number Five of the Seven Crimsons."
Eliana flinched slightly at the title, but kept her composure. "And I am Eliana, Void Hunter." Her sword turned a bright blue and pointed at her opponent. "Your hunger ends here!"
"Only when I reach the Lilac will my hunger end." Corra's hands morphed and turned into curved blades. "But I'd love to see you try~"
The two launched at each other, followed by rapid clangs of steel. Eliana's blade left behind droplets and rippling impacts as she went toe-to-toe with the Crimson.
"It'll be all the more satisfying," she added, "when you fail!"
"I can…barely see their movements," Viola muttered under her breath, watching the scene unfold before her. "I knew you were more experienced than me, Eliana. But I didn't expect it to be this much!"
"You're keeping up well!" Corra's muffled shouts pierced through the clash of blades. "Maybe I should extend my alliance to you!"
"Shut up!" Eliana cut through her limbs, but they immediately grew back. "I don't care!"
"Don't turn me down before you even hear my terms!" Corra struck Eliana's blade rapidly, pushing her back. "It could be your only chance at surviving this!"
She joined her hands together to morph the two blades into one large snake creeper launched at Eliana, who leapt far behind and landed high up on the auditorium wall. The impact formed a small crater, and the magic reinforcement on her legs kept her crouched vertically on the wall.
"Void Manifestation: The Empty."
"Refined Art."
Corra recalled the snake, morphing it into a spiral of twitching flesh. Eliana closed her eyes and sheathed her weapon.
"Maelstrom!"
"Hundredfold Flash!"
The spiral dispersed into a hundred little snake creepers that all homed in on Eliana. But right before they could reach her, Eliana opened her eyes and jumped towards Corra in a thunderous flash, reappearing behind her. A hundred electrifying cuts followed, hacking away at each snake until there were none left.
"Looks like a few got you~"
Corra turned around to see various cuts on Eliana, with one on her face. Her blade was in the open, still discharging a few weak sparks. Even so, she appeared unfazed and spat back, "You too."
The Slave had a large gaping cut on her chest. She chuckled heartily when it healed right away, unlike Eliana's. Corra detached some of her flesh and expanded it into a huge hammer, nearly losing her balance against its weight.
A sixth time…and she still doesn't turn to dust!
"Let's play some wack-a-mole!"
The hammer crashed down fast, and Eliana dashed to the side at the last second. Corra lifted it again. Eliana began her chanting.
"Blade Style: Kaze!"
She dashed sideways again. Corra lifted the hammer a third time.
"Refined Art—Whispers of the Wind!"
Before the hammer could squash her, Eliana swiped her blade at it, summoning gusts of wind that turned it to dust.
"You're no fun!"
Corra morphed her own body next, transforming and expanding into a large amalgamation of hands with mouths on them. Eliana lifted her blade high up, summoning wind that flew in circles around her blade, like a little tornado.
"Refined Art—Heaven Splitter!"
The hands lurched at Eliana as she brought her sword down, dispersing the tornado into several wind blades that cut through the entire amalgamation, reducing it to tiny pieces. Corra was quick to reshape herself back to humanoid form.
A seventh—
Corra reappeared on the side and punched Eliana into a wall. Viola shouted her name out of worry. Fortunately, Eliana quickly regained her composure.
"I've got more!"
She morphed her limb into a flesh cannon that shot little snake creepers. Eliana ran to avoid them, and Corra followed, running parallel to each other. Electricity surged through her blade and Eliana instantly closed the distance, slashing off the cannon arm and her chest for the eighth time.
Still not enough?!
Corra chuckled, backing away as she healed even quicker than before. Detaching her own flesh, she morphed it into a large ball twice her size. Several little mouths grew all over it, ready to snap at anyone who came close.
"Devouring Mass!"
"Refined Art—Gale Severance!"
As the ball approached Eliana, she swung her katana from a distance, sending wind blades to hack away at it again and again. The ball got lighter and faster with every cut, until it came too close. With one final swing, Eliana slashed it in half and turned it to dust.
"Look out!" Viola shouted.
Corra had followed right behind the ball, catching Eliana off guard. She swung her blade arm, and Eliana blocked it with her own. But she reacted too late and took a deep cut on her upper body.
"ELIANA!"
Viola wanted to join in and help her, but their movements were a blur. She could not tell what was going on, let alone figure out when to step in. She could only watch and hope for reinforcements.
Emily, Silver…where are you?!
Eliana dodged another swing and jumped off towards Viola, resetting the engagement. They were back again at the same position they started from. Except Eliana bled from multiple spots, while Corra never stopped healing.
"My offer is still on the table," Corra said, allowing her to catch a breather. "It's the only way you survive this~"
"Eliana…"
Viola called as tears pricked her eyes. Eliana took heavy breaths. The blood kept dripping to the ground, but the wound wasn't fatal. She gazed down at her weapon, and she could sense weak pulses radiating from it. It was running low on magic and only had enough for one big spell. She thought to herself.
Am I doing something wrong? Why does she refuse to die? What is the secret to her invincibility?
"Viola," she mumbled to her friend behind, "what else do you know about this thing?"
Viola thought for a moment before mumbling back, "She was…cold. There's no pulse or heartbeat. And I'm pretty sure…there's not a skeletal structure either."
Could that be it?
"How sure are you?" she asked. "About the skeletal structure?"
Viola frowned, recalling the way her palms felt when she tried strangling Corra. The cold, wet texture of the bloody bandages, the feeling of something constantly moving underneath the fabric, the rubbery sensation that felt wrong in every way, and the lack of any solid structure other than the exterior.
"Very."
"That's it." Eliana smiled with confidence. "I've figured it out. I know her secret now!"
Viola's expression widened as she stared at Eliana with hope in her eyes.
"And I need only one move to spill it!"