Titan

East of the Monastery

"So, why did you choose to fight me, Selina?"

"What a stupid question. Jinx, you know I could never defeat Yukio and Emihiko, let alone Doll. Plus, I chose you because I know we cannot fight each other, or have you forgotten, Jinx?"

"…"

**************

Inside the Monastery

We have been walking for a while. It's awkward. "Hey, do you think…?"

I turn around only to see the girl charging me with a knee to the face. I move my hand to catch her knee, but she pulls back, drops to the ground, and kicks my spleen.

"GAHH!!!" I'm sent flying into a wall, spewing blood.

This girl… is dangerous. Her kick felt like it pierced through my skin. My spleen feels heavily damaged, and I also have a few broken ribs. If I don't treat this soon, I could end up dying.

The girl walks closer to me. Her footsteps crack the ground beneath us.

Is this girl even human? Despite her cute appearance she has strength equalling a dragon's. I don't know any race with such a feat of physical strength. No, wait… "Holy Magic: Grand…" She starts running toward me and raises her right foot. I roll to the side to avoid it. Her kick eviscerates the wall. "Not giving me time to heal myself, are you?" I unsheathe Yonaka. If my guess is correct, the sword style I should use… "Giant Slayer Art: Meteor Fall." I attack by slicing downwards. She rolls back to dodge.

"How did you know?" she asks.

"So, you finally speak. And you have such a beautiful voice. Well, whatever. You want to know how I figured it out." She stares at me intensely. "You have the strength of a dragon," I say nervously, "but your skin is not as hard as a dragon's." She looks surprised after a small wound appears on her face. "This made it difficult to determine your race. However, the only race I could think of with these descriptions is Giants. But giants are said to be thirty meters in length. Even children are over fifteen meters."

"Then you were uncertain?"

"Yes, I was not entirely sure. However, I had to bet on my guess. And look at that, I was right."

"I see. Well then, you will have to die here."

I cannot let this girl roam around unwatched. With her immense strength, she could become a danger to society. "Let's do this, Yonaka."

I run towards her. "Giant Slayer Art…" I zap behind her with light magic, "Beheading Flash Typhoon!!" She turns around and grabs the sword attack. Her hand starts gushing blood. My sword attack didn't work? That's impossible. The only explanation is…

"Gotcha," she says, smirking.

I look at my hand. It's bleeding!! I jump back quickly. What did she do? I don't remember her activating a spell. Did she activate it as we entered the monastery? No, I can't let my thoughts run wild. I need to try figuring out what she did.

"Are you panicking? Lady Elisabeth told me to say that once you were struck by my magic."

Elisabeth? Did she use Future Memory to predict what was going to happen?

"She also told me to not hint at or tell you about my magic or my race. She said it would make the battle more fun."

That woman… Is all of this just a game to her? "No," I say as I get up. "It's no use getting angry. Anger will only hasten my defeat. Believe in your training, Niklaus. You are the Hero."

"Hyping yourself up? What a hero," she says sarcastically.

I prepare a stance. Placing my feet close to each other, while my body stands straight up. With my arms raised past my head and my shoulders slightly tilted, Yonaka sits close to my ear. My blade and eyes pointed at her. "I am the hero, Niklaus Borneheimer. What is your name?"

Can she feel the sincerity of my words? The weight of my pride as a swordsman? The air around her feels different. She crouches down like a beast. "I am the Titan, Doll."

"Thank you, Doll. I have no idea what your magic is. And I am not the type to ponder over something so insignificant. With my sword, I will strike you down."

"Then I will take your strongest attack and defeat you."

Both of us disappear for a second and reappear behind the other. This split-second clash decides the battle.

"Titan Slaying Art: Olympus' Fall."

I sheathe my sword.

She spews out blood. And a large scar appears across her chest.

"Sorry for injuring your body, however, you left me no other…. GAAHHH!!" I cough out blood.

"You were saying?"

I look back. "Impossible…" I say. How is she still standing? And the scar is completely gone. Instead, the person who has a scar on their chest is me.

"I respect your feeble attempt to defeat me, so I shall tell you this. You cannot defeat me. My magic is called Reflection Magic. It allows me to reflect all damages dealt to me back onto my attacker. However, the negative of my magic is that I have to be injured first before my magic activates. But this is a small price to pay for victory."

"So… that was… your magic…" I can't stop the bleeding anymore. My mind is starting to fade. Is this the end…

Niklaus vs Doll

Victor: Doll

As I lay there, unresponsive, a clapping sound echoes throughout the monastery.

"That was quite the spectacle I witnessed."

"Who…"

She appears behind Doll like a gust of wind. My sister, Louisa, former member of Grand Order.

"Is this all you're made of Brother? I had higher expectations for you."

I grab Louisa by the leg.

"Let go," she says, disgusted.

"I… will… not…" I say, breathing heavily.

She kicks my hand away. "I did not come to play your sister. I only came to say that we will never see each other again."

"Is… that… so…?"

I force my head up and look her in the eyes.

She stares into my eyes for a short while, then says, "Lily, appear."

A small spirit appears and Louisa whispers something to it. Doll turns quickly, raises her foot and kicks Louisa. However, Louisa disappears again, and she only kicks the air.

"Goodbye, Brother," she says. Her presence disappears.

Doll looks around and says, "She vanished. So, that was Louisa? She is quite formidable; however, she would never beat me."

"You sound so sure," I say as I stand up. "Louisa is strong. She will never lose to someone of your level."

"My level? Need I remind you of your defeat a few moments ago?"

"No need to rub salt in my wounds. I admit defeat. However, this is the twist." I tighten my grip on Yonaka and slash downwards with all my strength, knowing Doll will take the hit. "Titan Slaying Secret Art: Themis' Judgement!!"

Her blood splatters into the sky. Some of it drips from my blade.

"H-how…?" she asks, shocked at the wound she received. "Why… is it not…?" She falls on her back. I collapse as well.

Niklaus vs Doll {revised}

Due to both opponents being heavily wounded, Victor: Draw

"Why did… my magic not… work?" she asks me.

"The spirit, Lily…" I say.

"Did it not… heal your wounds…?"

"No… Lily has… anti-magic… She possessed my sword… to help me overcome your… Reflection Magic…"

"So… you fought through… the pain… to inflict a wound… of the same calibre… on me…" She starts laughing. "If we make it out… alive… let's get married…"

What!

*******************

East of the Monastery

"Selina," Jinx says, breaking the long silence, "I think you have things mistaken."

"What do mean?" I ask her.

"I know that you used your Eromancy to manipulate me. I have known for the longest time. However, that curse was broken years ago by Lady Elisabeth."

"What!?" Then that means…"

"Yes, you have no control over me. You never had. I wanted to kill you; however, Lady Elisabeth wanted me to play along with your antics to give you hope. Since it was an order, I followed it, although reluctantly. But that all changes tonight. Lady Elisabeth has ordered me to kill you." She disappears.

Is she going to attack me by hiding herself? This is bad.

"Transmute!!" I scream. The ground morphs into a maze. I run and take cover behind some trees outside the maze. I need to find a way to defeat her. Jinx's Luck Magic makes her a bad opponent for me. I guess there is only one way for me to win. I need to use that spell. But to use it, I need to get close to her.

"By any chance, are you thinking of retaliating, Selina?"

"Ji…" she grabs my head, as she appears behind me, and pushes it into the ground.

"I found you so easily, it's like you were not even trying to hide," she says. "Don't worry, I will end your miserable life quickly." She takes out a dagger and raises it high. "Goodbye, Selina." She pushes the dagger down.

I grab one of my arms and scream, "Transmute!!" I shrink to a baby's size. Jinx misses and stabs the ground. I slip out from her capture and run away. As I run, I transmute a few trees to grow thicker and taller. As I run, I can feel the exhaustion kick in. Unlike Haruki, I don't have an unlimited amount of mana. And I need to time this right.

"Where are you going?" Jinx says as she kicks me in the back. "'How did she catch up to me so fast?' is what you're wondering right now, right?" she says as she pins me to the ground once again.

"No, I know why you were quick to catch up. You just happened to take the shortest route to me, right?"

"So, you do understand? Yes, I also happened to be here before you. Also, just happened to land my kick on your back while you were running and transmuting the trees. These lucky events always happen to me." She looks at me with a sadistic smile, "I wonder what it could be?"

So, she always has her Luck Magic activated. Can I even pull this off?

"Don't worry, as I said before, I will put you out of your misery soon." She tightens her grip on her dagger.

What if…?

She raises the dagger. Her eyes scream, 'Finally'. She must have really wanted to kill me. Then let's grant her wish. "GAAHHH!!!" I let out a ghastly scream as her dagger pierced through my skin. It hurts!! It hurts so bad!! But what hurts even more, is the satisfied look in her eyes. Despite not getting along, I didn't know she wanted to kill me this badly, Jinx. "Why!!??" I scream.

She pauses and laughs hysterically. "Why, you ask? Why do you think? After Lady Elisabeth met you, she paid less attention to me. After my many years of loyalty, she chooses you over me in a matter of seconds. You manipulated her, didn't you? There's no way she would choose you and not me. So, if I kill you, the curse you placed on Lady Elisabeth will be lifted. That way, I can spend more time with Lady Elisabeth. AHAHAHAHA!!!"

S-Something is mentally wrong with her. But now is my chance. I grab hold of her hand.

"Still struggling, are we? I said I will end your suffering, but this dagger seems to have a mind of its own. I will try to calm it down, just wait. And suffer!!"

No, I'm losing consciousness. I can't… do… it…

<Don't give up, Selina!!!>

<Huh, Haruki? Is that you?>

<Yes, I'm using telepathy. It's a magic I learnt today. Anyway, don't… lose… Selina…>

Haruki!! Haruki!! Did the connection break? I feel a warmth in my chest. So, he had time to care about me in his fight with Elisabeth? He really cares about me. I open my squinted eyes and scream, "TRANSMUTE!!!"

Jinx lets go of the dagger and pushes herself away from me. Her body starts morphing. Fur grows from her skin and a tail grows from her rear end.

"Wha-what did you do!?!?" she screams as she shrinks.

"I won this battle," I say.

Selina vs Jinx

Victor: Selina

"You're much cuter as a weasel," I say giggling.

"Kyuun!"