The tournament (13)

Both combatants were fast and dashed toward each other at breakneck speed. Jacqueline immediately unsheathed her claws.

They jutted out from small slits between her knuckles and were at least ten centimeters long. They weren't that sharp, probably because the young woman had to keep them safe enough not to kill Erik, but they were threatening nonetheless.

They didn't look like bones at all but, instead, had a rather metallic look, as if they were industrially made. That was probably one of Jacqueline's power perks, allowing her to shape the claws. If that was true, Erik had to pay attention.

Since the young woman started with the big guns already drawn, Erik responded in kind. By making his mana travel from the brain crystal to the rest of the body through his neural links, he created his usual thin coat of sharp mana, making it surround his arms.

CLING! CLANG!