The Ark Of Duel Two Has Ended

He then stuck out his left arm above Midori and used his other hand to draw blood in the goriest way possible. He dug his right hand's fingernails into his left wrist, where all his blood vessels were, and dragged it across the arm like cat clawing curtains.

Amani quickly covered Nasima's eyes once more as Circe muffled her screams. Tomoe and Bryan wanted to stop but halted their advance, seeing the Valkyrie's amused grin. Z was disgusted but did not lift a finger. Blood slowly dripped downwards and onto Midori's wound.

But these droplets of blood looked odd compared to the ones the children had typically used. Once it touched Midori's skin, the droplets turned into threads and were connected to Duncan's fingertips. The boy then kneeled to get a better look at the gash.

Duncan sighed and gingerly touched the sides of the slash with his blood-soaked fingers. The blood acted like threads as Duncan pulled back his hands as if it was closing up the stitch.

"Blood Mastery: Onyx Stitches," murmured the boy as the large wound began to heal.

As the slash closed up, the group heard a faint clapping sound from the back. Everyone turned to see the deceased Marksman's impressed face. Bryan greeted Ashley like nothing had happened while Z held Tomoe by the collar so the poor ghost wouldn't be clawed to death by a fox.

Mavislin sighed inwardly... When will the two of them get along?

"You sure did take your sweet time coming back to this world, Marksman," greeted Mavislin, shaking her head.

"My apologies, Lady Roydon. It would seem it took longer to recover from the last attack. But, rest assured, I won't be done in by an attack so small in normal circumstances. Regrettably, I couldn't fulfill one of your wishes, but I was able to scout the area," explained Ashley.

The Marksman Pillar bowed down to greet the Valkyrie. Mavislin nodded and gestured for him to resume his report.

"For better or worse, I could not locate any strange happenings in your stated area. However, there seem to be signs of Elemental Energy being displaced at odd corners of the buildings. It is as if someone had been walking around clumsily with an oversized sword."

"Other than that, I'm afraid that I have nothing else to report," stated Ashley, as Mavislin stood in silence and without expression.

"Slash marks made by a sword, huh? Well, that's my first lead there. If afternoon class goes smoothly and I take over, I need you to head back and see if you can gather information from the folks there. Pay a visit to Charisma to discern the situation but don't tell her why you're sent there."

"She's got enough in her hands to worry about. Let the Arks handle the Mages' problems. And see if you can get a pattern of the places that have been affected by the 'sword.' My part within the Six Rogue Mages Mission is quite the tedious task since it involves more than one opponent."

"The enemies are the fallen Knight of the Round Table from Arthurian Legends. Make sure to ready yourself with that information before heading back. Then, once more, if you find yourself facing an enemy, retreat instantly. No questions asked," commanded Mavislin.

Bryan was impressed with the way Mavislin had commanded the Marksman Pillar. She sounded like a war commander ordering a soldier to battle. But then again, she was older than her physical form, so perhaps she did have some experience in warmongering.

On the other hand, Z was surprised that Mavislin would scout out the area quickly despite having a month to prepare for the upcoming battle. The Galaxian Mage shook his head as he wished he had the energy to handle so many tasks at once.

"Of course, my Lady. You should know me well, and I love to lurk in the shadows. I'm glad to see the children are doing better in their Blood Mastery and not just spilling it everywhere for battle."

"Indeed, these children are truly one of a kind. It is a shame that they are still not strong enough to be in the Pillars as of yet, especially at such crucial times. You must've heard about the Headmaster's activation. So many things at once..." grumbled the Valkyrie, shaking her head.

"There's no need to rush the small things. Children take time to learn and grow, you know? Give them a year or so to surpass the current Pillars," answered Ashley, glancing at Rina and Bryan.

The two Pillars shot a glare at the nonchalant Marksman. It was a wild guess, but Tomoe could tell the Marksman Pillar didn't see too highly of the Spearman and Slayer PIllars. However, the guy was on good terms with Bryan, confusing the situation.