"What?! No powers? You can't assimilate Qephraï?"
Ario casually looks at Anastasia. He grabs her chin, bringing his lips closer to hers before answering.
"No powers, Lady Van Hauban."
Anastasia pushes him away. The man gives off a strange sensation, as if he were not truly an enemy. He showed no signs of aggression.
"I can call you Anastasia. With or without your permission, it'll make things easier for me. I'm not a noble like you. I lived in the slums near Kazare, south of Heilige, the cursed and sectarian continent, not far north from your own continent. I migrated here to become a better man. In the end, I just became a bandit, but that's fine. I'm having fun. I'm 23 years old, and it doesn't bother me that you're older th…"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!! Don't call me old, you little imbecile! And I don't care why you're here today. Your story means nothing to me because in five minutes, you'll be dead. You don't realize how reckless you are. I am a Décarque, and you are nothing but a bandit."
"You sound pretty confident when you say you'll beat me so easily. Tell you what, a little challenge between you and me. If I win, I do whatever I want with your splendid body. And if you win, you get anything you want from me."
"Pff. What would I even do with a filthy brat like you? You'd gain me nothing… Hmm. Fine. If I win, you join my troop and take the place of the centurion you just killed. Does that suit you?"
"Hahaha, that suits me perfectly. So, are you ready? Because I've been waiting for this."
The two opponents face each other. On Abel and Enette's side, Enette is unconscious from the kick Ario gave him. The entire unit stands behind Abel, who tries to wake Enette by lightly slapping his face, but nothing works.
« Damn it… what are we supposed to do if our leader is out of action? I can't command them. From what I see, we probably won't even act during this entire battle. And who is this guy? With a single kick, he knocked Enette out cold. Even strangling him didn't manage that in one hit. Some men are actually more terrifying than the Qephraï. And what possessed Enette to charge like that? Anyway, I'll stay by his side until he wakes up. The only thing I can do is observe the fight that's about to happen. I'm finally going to witness a high-level battle. »
Abel turns his body toward Anastasia and Ario. His unit stands behind him, but as he looks in their direction, both of them disappear. The fight has begun, yet Abel can't follow it. The speed displayed by Anastasia and Ario is completely unreachable for him. The battle looks chaotic, but in reality, both fighters possess phenomenal control and dexterity. Anastasia herself can't believe it and thinks:
« How… how can he counter, parry, and follow my strikes? He's not just a simple bandit. He's extremely skilled with the blade. If I win, he could become a major asset. Even without assimilation, he's keeping up with me. If the fight gets too tight, I'll use my powers. It pains me to do so because it proves that in pure combat, he surpasses me. But what matters is victory, and eliminating him could be decisive for the course of this battle. »
"So, Anastasia, are you losing your balance against me? You like spinning around during combat. I'm not used to wielding my weapon in the air, so I lose power, but that's fine. You're not a problem for me."
« Is he serious? Who does he think he's dealing with? I'll use my powers to show him the abyss between us. Let him see that facing a Décarque is no simple matter. »
The fight drags on, and as always, endurance is the most limiting factor. Ario doesn't seem affected at all, as if his stamina were limitless. He has already fought two consecutive battles against the two strongest members of the Silver Needle troop. They exchange violent rushes of blows, but during the clashes, Anastasia becomes increasingly faster. In reality, she has become twice as fast as Ario. She starts gaining the upper hand and even manages to slash his arm and hand. Yet just as she dominates the fight, she stops.
"Hmm… I see now. In reality, your speed is abnormal. That's the only reason you've had the advantage over me since the beginning."
"Wha…?! how did your speed increase that much? I don't understand."
"Hmm, this is why having a power during combat is far more advantageous than you think. I possess the power of a rank-four Qephraï. It allows me to take my opponent's greatest strength and double it. But the problem is that it can also grant me my opponent's attribute while weakening me instead. In truth, it can be a handicap. I almost died because of it once. But today, it worked. And now, you're going to die."
"I see. But don't think you're superior. No matter the outcome of this fight, I won't die. It's not my destiny yet."
The battle resumes. Anastasia completely takes control. Ario manages to keep up, but he now faces a more experienced opponent, one who also possesses powers. She has only used one, yet it's enough to dominate him. When neither fighter uses powers, battles never last long and can be brutally swift.
The two tribunes of each troop fight amidst the chaos of the two armies slaughtering one another. Both tribunes are exhausted, and the outcome remains uncertain. The leader of the Green Bees still hasn't set foot on the battlefield does he trust his troop that much? The centurions are also locked in combat, but one of them has yet to find an opponent.
Enette still hasn't woken up. Abel remains seated beside him, waiting.
« Damn it… if he stays like this the whole time, he won't have had any chance to shine on the battlefield. It's humiliating to fight and get knocked out by a single kick. Our unit is completely useless. Shit. »
Abel looks at Enette's face, hoping his eyes will open, but nothing happens. He turns toward his unit, his gaze strange as his brows knit together.
"Hey, where are you guys going? Why are you backing away like that? You need to stay close to me so we don't have any problems if we're attacked."
"They're probably backing away because of me, kid, haha. But don't worry. I have no reason to attack you. I came for the boy lying on the ground. Let me kill him, and I'll go back where I came from. That young man is considered a future genius, and several people want him dead. Anyway, hand him over. I'll kill him in the nearby forest so you won't have to deal with disposing of the body."
"No way. If you want him, you'll have to kill me too. Do you take me for an idiot, letting my leader die like that?"
« Who does he think he is? He thinks I'm some small-time punk because of my age. But at least this will let me fight. Maybe I'll shine during this battle. »
"Fine then. I'll take care of you and your unit first before killing him. I can only thank Ario for knocking him out, because facing him would have annoyed me."
The strange man draws his weapon from its sheath and points the blade beneath Abel's chin.
"By the way, why do you want to kill him? Who are you, exactly?"
"Haha. I am Maraseum by day, and I am a centurion of the Green Bees."
Abel's face fills with dread.