Chapter 19: Crimson

"Maybe we can reach an understanding here? I'll tell you what you want to know. Willingly. In exchange, please let me go?"

Yoshino Aruven tried to bargain.

"Please. That never worked with Bando. How could you expect that to work on me?"

Lady Audrey laughed as she denied the deal. She had just proven that he no longer had any information left to hide.

Whether he was willing or not. None of those mattered anymore.

"Are you not worried that Klein had already rushed back to the Militia? Whatever you would take from me, he would have reported them already!"

"Hehehehe, you really believe that? Weren't you satisfied from reading the clue again. Are you saying that you didn't learn anything new?"

"!"

Yoshino panicked. His thought accelerated in order for him to find a way out. He then tried a different approach,

"If you hurt me, they will ne---"

"Enough with your nonsense! Don't you dare threaten me!"

Yoshino felt the oppression of the order Lady Audrey had given. Her aura as a Tier 3 forced him to stop talking.

"Be a good boy and become my pet dog."

Heck no!

Yoshino protested in his mind. But the order was overwhelming. His boosted resistance could not keep up.

"Bark."

Lady Audrey grinned. Her arrogant demeanor was fitting for a proper mistress. Perhaps being a pet dog was not that bad?

A…ar…arr…

Yoshino was about to give in.

"MIINKKK!"

Alshura shouted. Red flames then surged out and covered her body.  The Tier 3 aura she emitted had snapped Yoshino out of his trance.

She saved me!

Alshura was now outside the dungeon as well. Hence no longer suppressed. She rushed off and attacked.

"Tenki!"

Twelve flaming swords hovered around her. They spun around her as she approached her target.

Lady Audrey evaded the attacks. Mind manipulation was indeed a profound aspect. If she could read minds, then she could prepare her defenses against any strikes.

However fire was also a profound aspect. The destructive property of the element was something that was hard to contain. Let alone defend at.

Two powerful forces were confronting each other. The state was similar to a pendulum scale. Each side was trying to pull the weight back and forth.

This is what an Advanced battle was supposed to be!

The effects of their respective skills could be controlled to such an extent that neither side could gain an advantage.

"Hurry up and apply your buff on me as well!"

Alshura reminded. She was chasing after the evasive lady. But Yoshino replied,

"I… can't."

"Huh?"

The surprise had almost made Alshura fall through an attempted manipulation. Fortunately, she was able to disrupt the order by throwing a flame sword towards the lady.

"He doesn't trust you enough."

Lady Audrey revealed. She grinned as she continued evading.

The requirements for activating skills differ from person to person. Some would need to use more MP or SP cast it onto others. Some need additional conditions.

As for Yoshino, sharing his skill effect to other people was more stringent than when used on himself. Perhaps he was indeed a selfish person at the very core.

"Well we never dated yet."

He tried to say in defense.

"Stop joking around!"

Alshura snapped. She seemed disgusted with the idea. Lady Audrey took this opening to issue an order.

However,

"[Enchant Element]: Psychic!"

""?!""

Yoshino had boosted Alshura's affinity. Both of the females were surprised. But he had no other choice.

The only way to trick the enemy was to trick your ally as well!

"You!"

"Eyes on me, Lady!"

Lady Audrey glared but Alshura stopped her. She was able to land three hits. On the left shoulder, the left hip, and the left leg.

Yes! Take that you… lady!

"Peh! Such nonsense."

Lady Audrey shrugged off her injuries. The burns she had then began to heal at a visible rate.

Healing skills were a broad concept. There were many ways on how to heal and injury. One could use the divine forces to remove infections. Some could use medical knowledge to cure diseases. And there were also those who use the forces of nature to recover from grave wounds.

For this instance, Lady Audrey could use her mind manipulation to heal her injuries. The idea of mind over matter comes into play here. And she was now relying on this concept!

"Then I'll give you more!"

Alshura made her move. She would not let this opportunity to go away.

"Trip!"

Lady Audrey ordered. Alshura dropped on the ground face first.

"Guren!"

She yelled while she was down. Five of the flaming swords darted towards the lady.

She avoided the flying swords.

"Peh! Stay down!"

"Rargh! Guren!"

Alshura rose on her knees. She was able to resist the order! This proved that the scale was tipping on her favor. Albeit only slightly.

Yoshino began to concentrate. He closed his eyes. This was only way to attain focus in the midst of two overwhelming forces. He gathered the energy in his body.

The lady was now more focused on the female lieutenant. Thus he could now prepare for a counterattack!

Who am I? Yoshino Aruven pondered on this question. No, he was not having an existential crisis.

In order to not be distracted by the ongoing battle, one must focus on what you need to do!

"Are you planning on boring me with your internal monologue?"

He heard the voice of Lady Audrey. She was mocking his efforts to concentrate. He decided to ignore her words.

"You are just a failure. Someone who failed his breakthrough! Surprised that I know?"

Lady Audrey mocked further. But there was no reason to be surprised there. She had read Yoshino's mind. His memories were obviously an open book to her now.

"You failed your breakthrough and fell back down to Tier 1! Are you not ashamed? If it was me, I would have killed myself two years ago!"

!!!

Yoshino almost broke his concentration upon hearing the provocation. But this should have not taken him by surprise. If the lady could read the mind, then certainly she would know which words could hurt the most.

"Are you that dense? Everyone had moved on without you! Your peers, your competition, every one had left you in the dust! And you? Peh! Stuck at the Basic tier! Forever cursed to be a Basic Tier!"

"Is that true?"

The voice of Alshura had almost broken his resolve. He could withstand the harsh words of the lady. Because he was expecting them from her.

But what about the female officer? Why did she have to suddenly ask? What about her attacks? Did she stop moving?

"Don't listen to her! Focus on what you have to do!"

Alshura exclaimed. Her words had given Yoshino hope. But then,

"Aaaaarrghh!"

Her scream almost made Yoshino open his eyes. He barely held himself from doing such blunder.

"Aaargh! Aaarrrgh! Aaaargh!"

"Hehehehe! Fine! If you don't want to open your eyes then don't open them ever again!"

The reverse psychology treatment was actually effective here! That almost made Yoshino give up. And then an eerie voice added,

"Because the next time you do, hehe, you will realize that you're already dead!"

SCREW YOU!

Despite the near misses. Despite the troubling words. Yoshino persevered. He decided to risk everything when his preparation were complete.

"[Enchant Element]: Fire!"

Yoshino proclaimed. He decided to put his bet on the female lieutenant. He then opened his eyes.

Please make this count!

"[Swords of Flame]: Gyokkou!"

Alshura followed through!

She grabbed two of the hovering flame swords around her. The rest then fused with the held flames. Each fusion was increasing the intensity of the sword that remained.

Then the effect of Enchant resolved. An increase in the affinity of fire element had made the swords burn brighter. The red flames became crimson in color.

Alshura gripped the two swords tightly. She was indeed a genius. A simple boost from a basic skill would only increase the damage slightly compared to what her advanced skill already had.

So she decided to give a flurry of boosted attacks. That way, she could fully maximize the slight damage increase she had obtained.

A barrage of flame slashes filled with fury rained through Lady Audrey!

Left slash. Right slash. Left slash. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Right. Slash. Slash. SLASH!

A partially charred body dropped on the ground.

She was barely breathing. Lady Audrey---no, Mink had severe burns in her body. Her once elegant beauty was nowhere to be found.

"You can not… kill me…" Mink warned the  female that was standing in front of her. She was struggling to speak. Nonetheless she tried to continue,

"I-if...you do… they…"

"I don't care. Die!"

Alshura gave her judgment. She then unleashed her wrath.

A sword made of red flames dropped down Mink. Her body was incinerated and was slowly turning into cinders.

Yoshino did not intervene. The only thing he did was take back the boost he had given to Alshura.

He was irked with Mink. But the decision had to come from the one who was offended the most.

Alshura did not speak any further. She then fell down the ground. 

Yoshino rushed forward upon seeing this. He held the female lieutenant in his arms. He checked her condition.

MP zero. The depletion of energy would cause a person to faint.

Yoshino was troubled. He had to send Alshura to a hospital immediately.

You did well, lieutenant. Leave the rest to me.

Raindrops then began to fall. If these drops had arrived a minute earlier, the result would have ended differently.