Chapter 82-Mary vs Margarette

"TCH, this is why I HATE humans," the red-eyed woman spits as the red strings binding Gaia retract into her finger-tips.

Gaia grunts, then drops to the ground on one knee.

"This is why…" the woman begins to say as she holds both arms out to her sides, and subsequently, blood-red threads BURST from her fingertips then fly behind her.

Mary tenses her body in guard.

Slowly, Mary then hears some footsteps slap against the ground, and soon, two figures appear. The two figures are wearing the same red cloaks as the rest of the crew, however, their faces are scarred and unrecognizable. As if they've been melted off by a blow-torch. Their bodies are covered in stitches, bruises, and burn wounds.

Mary winces.

"What happened to them…?" She asks herself.

But then, Mary hears another set of footsteps approaching, and Gaia stands up to face the next arrival.

Eventually, that same split-haired man from before enters the fray, and faces the woman.

"Why Are you trying to take my prey, Margarette?!" The split-haired man snaps, "You're only the Sixth Sun of the Children of Fire, KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

"Don't worry," the woman -now known as Margarette- smirks at the split-haired man before turning to face Mary, still smirking, "I'm down with him. I have a new play-thing now."

"Why you…" Gaia growls, but he's cut off when a blast of purple energy comes flying his way.

Swiftly, Gaia ducks under the spell then stands up to face the split-haired, who's already in his Charge Stance.

"I'll take care of this one, Mary!" Gaia orders as he turns and peers over his shoulder at the girl, "You take the woman!"

Mary gulps.

"R-right…" she nervously answers.

Margarette smirks at Mary and wiggles her fingers. Subsequently, maroon-red sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around her body, causing Mary's eyes to widen.

"Blood Charge: Puppet Manipulation!" Margarette shouts, and instantly, the two figures say nothing as they charge Mary.

One of the figures lunged towards Mary with a powerful swing, who jumps backwards then rolls out of the way to dodge.

The second puppet launched a powerful punch towards Mary, who brings her arms up to block, only to be sent flying backwards by the figure's follow-up attack; a kick.

Mary winces as she crashes to the ground.

"What's wrong, why aren't you fighting back?" Margarette scowls.

"You…" Mary replies as she scrambles back up to her feet, "You can use…Blood Charge?!"

"And what is it to you?" Margarette asks, "Just because we have the same element, doesn't mean I'm your MOTHER, or anything."

Mary looks away in embarrassment.

"It's not that," Mary then scowls as maroon-red sparks of energy begin bursting and swirling around her body.

"Oh?" Margarette smirks, "NOW you're getting feisty."

"Blood Charge…can be used to heal and help people…" Mary growls, "So you…WHY ARE YOU USING IT TO CONTROL PEOPLE?!"

Margarette widens her eyes as she pauses in shock.

But then…Margarette rears towards the sky and bursts out laughing.

"WHY?!" Margarette cackles, "WHY BECAUSE IT'S A HELL OF A LOT MORE FUN THAN USING BLOOD CHARGE TO DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE DOING!"

Mary scowls again.

"Blood Charge: Puppet Manipulation!" Margarette shouts as she resumes her Charge Stance, sending the two figures charging towards Mary, just as before.

"Is it…a level one spell…?" Mary asks herself, "Why doesn't Margarette chant the level of her spell…?"

One of the figures lunges towards Mary, who brings her arms to block. The puppet latches onto Mary's shoulders, and Mary recoils when she feels a rotten stench enter her nose.

Mary's eyes widen as she shoves the figure off of her.

"YOU…!" Mary gasps.

"So you've figured it out, eh?" Margarette smirks, "If I try controlling a human using Blood Manipulation, their SPIRIT will often fight back against my control. However, that isn't the case…FOR CORPSES."

Maroon-red sparks of energy explode from Mary's body.

"How DARE you wield the same element as me…" she growls.

"That should be my-" Margarette begins to say, but before she can finish, Mary swings a hand outwards, firing off blades of blood from each finger, which slash through one of Margette's corpses.

"-Line."

"It feels disgusting to desecrate the dead…" Mary winces, "But I'd rather tear up some walking corpses than kill someone…"

"That's what you think," Margarette smirks as she resumes her Charge Stance.

"Control," Margarette chants, and even more blood-red threads extend from her fingertips, latching onto her corpse, and stitching it back together.

Once repaired, the corpse stands up to face Mary again.

"See?"

Mary gags.

"Blood Charge: Puppet Manipulation!" Margarette shouts as her corpses charge Marry again. Although this time, Mary exchanges blows with the corpses, unafraid of killing or mortally wounding a living opponent. Mary continues dodging and exchanging blows between the puppets, until Mary resumes her Charge Stance.

"Blood Charge, Level Three: Rapids Talon!" Mary shouts as she swings a hand outwards, firing off a blade of blood from each finger, which tears through Margarette's corpse puppets with ease, shredding them to bits.

But of course, upon chanting: "Control," blood-red threads extend from Margarette's fingers and wrap around her torn-apart corpses, stichting them back together.

"Darn it-" Mary grumbles.

Mary then resumes her Charge Stance.

"Blood Charge, Level Four: Paralysis!" Mary explains as she holds a hand out to Margarrets then clenches it into a fist.

Instantly, Margarette's eyes wide as she feels herself unable to move.

"What…did you do to me…?" She grunts.

"I took control of your blood and froze its circulation, so you're no longer able to move," Mary explains, "This fight has ended."

"That's…what you think-" Margarette grants as maroon-red sparks of energy burst from her body, freeing her from the clutches of Mary's spell.

"Not yet," Mary grumbles.

Margarette resumes her Charge Stance.

"Blood Charge: Puppet Manipulator!" She shouts, and instantly, the taller of Margarette's two puppets ignites in blue-flames.

Mary's eyes widen as the puppet launches a hand forwards, hurling a bright-blue fireball, she says.

"N-no way…" she stammers, "The corpse puppets…ARE E-CHARGERS?!"