77 - Valiant knight

*

Sariel's knuckles inched closer, to which Taneda swung her azure marine sword, slamming the edge against her fist. Core function 2 Auto-attack.

*BANG! BANG! BANG! *

A revolver like receptacle rests on Arin's grip, it's crystal like structure was unprecedented and foreign to the human design. No smoke or recoil, the operations in it were a mystery. Taneda sliced away at the incoming bullets before turning her hilt to block a punch with the flat side of her blade. Sariel pushed her into the air and sent her flying in that position.

Arin knelt with one knee and spun the chamber with a smooth glass texture on the revolver. It was completely smooth with no grooves, but was hard and weighty. Sariel looked over for a moment, questioning if she needed to reload before focusing on the fight. Taneda had already reached within 5 metres in front of her in that span of time, her sword was poised for a wide slash.

Right, even if Arin {Bartered} for a normal revolver, there's no telling if gunpowder was sufficient to send bullets that could pierce the flesh of a magical girl. What's more, she would only have around 6 rounds at the time of {Bartering}. This was a personally invented model that used magic to launch bullets at higher velocities and reloaded with magic ammunition.

Taneda swung her azure blade and Sariel threw her fist upwards, sending the clash slightly higher while Sariel's other fist was ready to attack. In one swift movement, she attacked with her other arm. Taneda pulled the handle and blocked with the pommel. Her left leg sunk into the ground to absorb the impact, her right leg tore through the air and struck the front of Sariel's neck, sending her flying.

She crashed into the building and dug her fingers into the ground to stop the momentum, Taneda phased in front of her with an overhead swing ready to cleave her head in half. The sword swung down and Sariel {Swapped} into a standing position, her arm above the sword that's already down. Before Taneda could stop, Sariel's arm tackled Taneda and slammed her into the ground. She went past auto block's capacity and struck. Taneda's head smashes straight into the ground, causing a large crater to cave out under.

Sariel {Swaps} to the air behind Taneda and sends a kick. Taneda swiftly turns around and blocks with her sword... Then she swings it at the air, throwing Sariel off balance. Sariel repositions through {Swap}, her fist ready to send another impact into Taneda's body as it poised itself at a lwo angle. Her elbows bent and building up tension. Taneda's sword slices through the air, reversing it's grip to face downwards and cover her body from the gut punch. Sariel's knuckle collided with the flat of the blade, Taneda's waist shifted for a moment and her right leg landed on Sariel's head before she noticed.

Her sight dimmed for a moment and she felt herself momentarily leave the hold of gravity. Taneda rushes after her, but she {Swaps} a small distance to reach right behind Taneda. The momentum from before was still driving her through the air, so she swings back her elbow to strike at Taneda's back. Much less being lethal, this move did lethal damage. Magical girls possess superhuman levels of adrenaline, it'd be hard to make them feel pain with normal attacks. Sariel {Swaps} to the other side of Taneda once more, swinging her fist to counteract her earlier attack. This, this one will do something.

Taneda turns around with auto block, she then turns it off. She brings her arm in front of her, ready to endure the attack, a grin on her partially concealed face. The attack hits and she grits her teeth, spit flying through the gaps at the side of her teeth.

"{Fated one's evanescent dream}." (Taneda)

Her sword flies forward and slides into Sariel's neck, the tip of its edge digs into her skin, it begins to slide towards her spine. Smoothly, it severed her flesh like hot butter before her whole body disappeared. A copious volume of blood spurts out after she lands on the ground with a panicked {Swap}. A dark crimson flower blooms over the fractured and scrambled pavement. In a hurry, she put her left palm to the neck wound to physically stop the pressurised bleeding.

There was no way around it, Taneda's skill enhanced her speed and strength. If Lastia's borrowed magic drove Sariel's abilities up by a rank, Taneda who was matching Sariel in her base form enhanced herself with {Fated one's evanescent dream} beyond Sariel's capabilities. The dream like valiant knight that protects with elegant fury, that was the basis for her skill. Auto block and auto attack are just side functions, it's main function is to enhance her defensive power. Another function that was unutilised until now was an increase to her physical power and speed, it raised all of her stats universally.

"Tch, I'm out of cards. Arin, you got anything?" (Sariel)

"... No. In the first place, I have to..." (Arin)

" To gain enough power, you need to sacrifice something more important, don't you?

I see... I won't force you. Leave the fighting to me and keep supporting from the back. We'll get through this somehow. " (Sariel)

Arin's {Barter} traded something in her possession in exchange for something she desired. The only reason she could effortlessly gain power to take on Sariel earlier, was because she didn't need much power to keep up with Sariel, so the trades were naturally low value.

"... No, I have an idea. You'll hate me for it... You might just abandon me and keep Lastia away... But it will guarantee victory." (Arin)

"... Then I'll spare you the mercy and go along with it. At this rate, we'll die anyway." (Sariel)

Arin nodded at her and told Sariel the condition. Arin's solution was a guarantee... As long as she met a few conditions. The other conditions were guaranteed according to Arin, so she just needed Sariel's help to fulfill one, or her magic wouldn't take effect.

"I'll give you permission to swap me, and wait with my gun." (Arin)

Sariel bumped her fist against Arin's, Sariel could only fight in close range, yet she would be dominated instantly by Taneda if she weren't careful. How would she even be careful? Taneda was a couple magnitude faster, it would be like watching her own death in slow motion for Sariel. First things first, she has to keep her range. But she can't attack this way and she would just be constantly running, leaving Arin vulnerable.

Taneda was kind enough to wait for their talk to finish, now that she was boosted by her own skill, she hardly felt a threat. A top class S rank, a grace only she can show in this moment. Perhaps she still didn't want to kill them. At her own signal, Sariel vanished on the spot.