Volume 2 Chapter 48: Fight And Defeat

[Author's Note: For bonus chapters, the goal every week is:

- 25 Power Stones

- 50 Power Stones]

[AN: It's sad for me to announce this but their wont be ant chapter release for the next took weeks, I will be preparing for my final exams. Instead I will be editing some of the old chapters and due to a comment I noticed that some of the chapters have some part that are wrong grammar. Thank you guys for your support and wish me luck.]

Volume 2 Chapter 48: Fight And Defeat

Tria positioned herself in the middle of the arena, acting as a referee. Eve and Pepper took the left position, while Vespera took the right side.

"Are you three ready?" Vespera asked, while scanning from her left to right to check if they were ready for their fight.

"Ready," Vespera declared, while Eve and Pepper nodded their heads and, their attention was fully focused on her.

Upon receiving their signals that they were ready, Tria conjured a small pebble out of earth magic.

"As soon as this pebble reaches the ground, the battle will start," Tria announced before tossing the pebble into the air.

Eve and Pepper redirected some of their focus to listen for the pebble's landing, preparing to cast spells immediately afterward. Vespera watched this with a smile, also waiting for the pebble to land.

*Clatter*

As soon as the pebble landed on the ground, Eve and Pepper ran in different directions—Eve to the right and Pepper to the left. While moving, they began forming blood swords using their blood magic.

Vespera continued to observe the two, maintaining a calm demeanor with a smile. However, beneath her clothing, she began accumulating blood, hidden from Eve and Pepper's sight.

Eve and Pepper weren't naive enough to think that Vespera was simply standing idly by. As they approached her with blood swords in hand, ready to strike, they remained cautious, aware that Vespera might have something up her sleeve despite her seemingly calm demeanor and smile.

The two of them arrived in attacking range simultaneously, exchanging a glance that communicated their respective targets.

As Eve targeted Vespera's neck and Pepper aimed below the waist, tendrils made of blood emerged from Vespera's clothes, blocking both of their attacks simultaneously.

*Clang*

*Clang*

"What? When did she make these?" Pepper exclaimed, backing off in case Vespera suddenly retaliated. Eve followed suit, but contrary to their expectations, Vespera didn't attack them; instead, she retracted the blood tendrils back into her clothes.

Pepper and Tria looked at each other, seemingly communicating silently. After a moment, they nodded in agreement.

The two of them once again ran towards Vespera to attack, this time forming orbs made of blood behind their backs. They compressed the orbs to their limits while making sure to hide the compressed blood orbs, ensuring Vespera couldn't see what they were planning.

Unbeknownst to them, Vespera was already aware of the hidden compressed blood orbs behind their backs. With her heightened senses, she could detect the mana emanating from the orbs, even without the mana sense skill. Though not as detailed as with the skill, anyone could train their senses to feel the mana around them.

Even though her mana sense skill was sealed by the dungeon, Vespera could still feel the mana emanating from the blood orbs behind Eve and Pepper's backs. She could approximate the shape and density of the mana within the orbs, though not with the precision needed to discern the exact type of spell or mana construct Eve and Pepper had created.

With the knowledge she gleaned from her senses, Vespera could make an educated guess about the type of spell or mana construct Eve and Pepper were creating. This information would allow her to make decisions that were suitable for the situation at hand.

Eve and Pepper swung their blood swords as they re-entered attacking range, both aiming for the same spot. However, just as before, Vespera effortlessly blocked their attacks.

But this time, as soon as they stepped back, the two of them unleashed the compressed blood orbs they had been hiding behind their backs.

This time, Vespera didn't use the blood tendrils to block the two compressed blood orbs. Instead, she let them approach, but as they neared her, she manipulated the blood she have been accumulating to cover her entire body like a skin-tight suit.

The two compressed blood orbs made contact with the blood covering her body, and shortly after, they exploded, causing dust to fly around her and obscure what was happening.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Pepper murmured, "Did it work?" This was the first time they had attempted something like this, so they didn't know what to expect. However, they based this attack on Daniel's spell, which had exploded due to being unstable.

As they waited for the dust to settle, Eve and Pepper prepared another set of exploding blood orbs, just in case.

After a few seconds had passed, the dust gradually settled, revealing Vespera's figure perfectly unharmed, not a scratch on her body or a wrinkle in her clothes. Her body was now covered by a thin, glass-like substance, causing it to shimmer slightly with a red color.

Pepper and Tria were shocked to see that Vespera hadn't taken even the slightest damage, despite their compressed blood orb hitting her directly and exploding. It was perplexing how she remained unscathed.

"Fufufu, I guess it's my turn after all of that." Vespera's words snapped Pepper and Tria back from their shock. Before they could react, two red magic circles appeared beside Vespera.

The two of them tried to stop whatever Vespera was casting by launching the compressed blood orbs they had prepared while they waited.

But Vespera's casting speed far surpassed that of the compressed blood orbs. Two straight red lights emanated from the two magic circles that suddenly appeared and flew directly towards the blood orbs.

As soon as they saw the two red lights emanating from the magic circles, Eve and Pepper felt greatly threatened by them. They quickly moved out of the way to avoid being hit.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

As they began to move, they heard two explosions in front of them. However, they greatly underestimated the speed of the red lights. Eve narrowly avoided being hit, but Pepper was not as lucky. One of the red lights struck her arm, evaporating it up to her elbow due to the intense heat. Fortunately, the wound cauterized instantly, preventing her from bleeding to death.

Before they could even contemplate their next move, another pair of red lines streaked toward their heads.