Author's Note: Well, here it is, the first half of the final chapter. Just like with the party chapter, this is divided into two smaller chapters, rather than one larger one. Now, let us answer the final comment that I'm able to:
'Fortunately, I don't have that problem. And besides, this is the penultimate chapter?! Wow, I'll have to do some serious re-reading! Good luck on the finale and I'm glad Theodore's come so far!'
Yes sir, or ma'am, that was in fact the penultimate chapter. Thank you so much for acknowledging Theodore's character development. He was an edgy emo in the beginning and now he's not so bad haha. I hope you had time to do that rereading before this upload!
Beads of sweat drip down Faralda's face, her entire body, mind, heart, and soul aching with a terrible pain she hasn't felt in awhile.
Years of teaching students the basics of destruction magic, with a few token training regiments and extracurricular activities here and there, means Faralda hasn't pushed herself or even felt pressured in a long time. There was never a need nor opportunity for such.
But now, after years of stagnation, her magical muscles have slightly atrophied due to inactivity, perhaps even becoming complacent, and Faralda finds a new reality thrust before her, one where suppressed movements and cocky jokes just won't cut it. She isn't facing a green horned student anymore, but rather a real threat. She has to admit, this guy is good.
While Faralda continues to catch her breath, Jiang-Shi still stands there, arms at his sides, as calm and collected as ever. Not even his clothing is wrinkled.
"It looks as though you're being pressured." He comments. "Don't tell me this is all you have to offer after such boasts."
Rising from her hunched position, she straightens her back and brushes a few strands of red hair from her eyes.
"Nah, not even close." She declares, balling her fists as she smirks. "Just needed to stretch a bit is all."
The teacher once again goes into a combative stance, spreading herself wide to maintain balance, and thrusting her wand in his direction.
"Roycetina Forzana!"
With that sharp cry, fiery pillars erupt from the classroom floor, throwing flaming debris into the air. Each pillar that explodes causes another to take its place, and then another, and another, until soon a road of fire finds itself heading in the direction of Jiang-Shi.
"A powerful spell." He comments, unfazed. "Good thing I have a counter."
Arms still at his side, he camly speaks a spell.
"Meitina Kristiare."
Upon Jiang-Shi's utterance, his entire body begins to glow with a white light, covering him in a shining coat.
As Faralda's spell makes contact, the blazing inferno comes to a grinding halt. Being completely nullified by this fire-retardant magic, the flames fizzle away into a small cloud of smoke.
Biting her lip, the teacher recalls the same thoughts she had only moments ago.
This guy is good…
"Faralda!" A sudden cry breaks the flow of battle.
Still in combat mode, Faralda spins around, wand at the ready to face whatever new opponent this may be.
Whatever fighting spirit and adrenaline filled senses Faralda has are flooded away by serotonin, that being provided by the sight of a certain someone near and dear.
"Ursula?"
Immediately she catches her misplaced words. No, that's not Ursula, but someone that Faralda has not seen in some time.
"Shiny Chariot…" Faralda mumbles, eying the teacher up and down, her pinkish face complemented by a wavy smile. "Hey…"
It had been awhile since she had seen her in that state, and she looks just as hot as Faralda remembers. While the timid and gentle Ursula is incredibly cute to Faralda, the muscular and well built adult Chariot is strikingly sexy. If only she were wearing her cute stage outfit too, Faralda would go wild.
While the red head continues to ogle her friend, the other red head does not share the same pleasantries, instead scolding her as she would a misbehaving student.
"Just what were you thinking, going off on your own to fight someone like him?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"What can I say, I love a challenge…" Faralda responds, sheepishly rubbing her head as she tries her best to hide a creeping blush.
Although she likes to keep herself cool, calm, and collected around most, no one can get the destruction magics teacher as flustered as Ursula. Just a mere smile from her will send the teacher into a blushing mess, especially when she is in her Shiny Chariot form. With those muscles, long legs, chiseled abs…
Faralda shakes her head, brushing aside these thoughts as she needs to instead focus on the matter at hand. Once Jiang-Shi is defeated and the school is saved, Faralda can think about Ursula's body as much as she wants.
"Funny, I thought I saw Vrykolakas pursuing you and that older witch." Jiang-Shi addresses Shiny Chariot, crossing his arms. "Where is he? I thought for sure he would have destroyed you both."
The professor's expression remains stone cold, Chariot's glaring eyes not leaving him as her mouth stiffens in a frown.
"I see, so he's failed." Jiang-Shi comes to the conclusion.
The creature sighs to himself, not necessarily mourning his fallen comrade, but rather annoyed by this turn of events.
"I grow weary of this fight." He then turns back to Faralda. "At first it was slightly amusing, but now it's completely and utterly boring. I know you're still not fighting with your true power. Show it to me, and maybe then I'll have some entertainment before I dispatch you."
Confused by this request, Faralda raises a brow.
"Wait, are you giving me permission to charge up to full power? Aren't you supposed to make sure I don't do that?"
Jiang-Shi shrugs his shoulders, the very thought not fazing him in the slightest.
"Whether you fight at half power or full power the results will still be the same. At least you can say you died giving it everything you got."
"Fine…" Faralda smirks, taking a stance as she begins to channel her inner strength. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
As Faralda concentrates on tapping into a power she has long since used, Jiang-Shi turns his attention to the recent addition.
"You, I'll take you on while the other professor charges up. If you took out Vrykolakas, you might be fun to play with."
"I can't say I'm as strong as Faralda, but I'll do my best to defeat you."
With that, the teacher engages with the enemy, firing her spells as she dances around this way and that, reminding Jiang-Shi a little bit of Faralda. Every attack, zap of lightning, explosion of flame, is easily blocked or dodged by Jiang-Shi, the latter not even batting an eye in the flurry of combat.
Although Shiny Chariot's strength is impressive to most, to someone like Jiang-Shi, it really is like an ant fighting a dinosaur.
Still engaging, the two continue to exchange blows, Chariot gritting her teeth as she puts all her energy into her attacks, meanwhile Jiang-Shi lazily counters, not paying much attention to if his spells are even connecting. His heart really isn't into this exchange, and Chariot can tell, clenching her teeth as she begins to falter.
With this in mind, Jiang-Shi smirks.
"You're not bad on the offensive, let's see how you are on the defense. Kridratina Karegrana!"
Doing the same exact thing he did towards Faralda, the opponent flies his arms back and forth like pistons, each pump of his arms sending a barrage of fireballs in Chariot's direction.
Rather than jump and dodge, the other red head stands her ground, raising up her wand to meet the challenge head on.
"Belga Vida!" Shiny Chariot cries out.
Upon contact, Jiang-Shi's spell becomes absorbed, her wand channeling and redirecting the attack right back at the caster.
Briefly flashing a frown, he cocks his arm back, channeling the redirected magic back into his palm, completely nullifying his own attack.
"Impressive spell." He comments. "Too bad it won't save you."
Rather than respond with her own jab as Faralda would, Chariot points the business end of her wand in his direction, still as cross as ever.
"She's persistent." Jiang-Shi comments.
Fully engaged in this battle, Shiny Chariot charges her power, tensing her arm as she feels the magical energy flowing through her veins, causing them to bulge out with overload. This fight wouldn't be like the one with Vrykolakas. She would have to go all out or not at all.
Over the roar of Chariot's magical energy being tapped into, the jingle of the burn temperature machine still pitches, barely audible above everything else.
Curiously, Jiang-Shi shifts his focus towards that, surprised by the reading.
"How could this be? Her burn temperature is at 6,000 and it's still climbing fast."
The other burn temperature machine, this one pinpointed on Faralda, also goes off, the device screeching loudly as it attempts to keep up with her energy levels.
Twisting his head towards that one, Jiang-Shi is greeted by a reading he never would have expected to read.
"Her burn temperature has gone up as well, it's over 10,000…unbelievable, and it's still going up…"
Clenching his jaw, the Chinese vampire comes to the conclusion that perhaps this engagement may not be as easy as he predicted. These readings are nothing to worry about, his power is greater than 10,000. Even still, to face two humans with such a high power at once is very unusual.
Returning his focus to his current enemy, Jiang-Shi spots Chariot, his gaze quickly flashing back to the machine tuned in on her.
"Burn temperature: 7,500?" He questions with gritted teeth, not expecting such a reading from her. "Somehow, she's concentrating all of her magic energy into the tip of her wand."
"Kercraig Syshare!" Shiny Chariot cries out, unleashing one giant beam of burning energy.
Rather than block the blast, Jiang-Shi flexes his leg muscles, leaping out of the way from this ferocious assault.
With a swift grunt, Chariot redirects the blast with her wand, diverting it towards him once again.
Twisting around to face the attack head on, he raises his hands in defense.
"Fine, let's have it!"
The spell slams against him, digging into the palms of his hands as he cries out in pain, pushing his body forward in an effort to suppress the blast. Biting his lip, the blast eventually loses its momentum, fizzling out into nothing. His usually green hands, now reddened, shake slightly with a stinging pain.
Growling at this, Shiny Chariot mutters
"He blocked my attack…"
Cracking his knuckles to alleviate some of the pain, he calls out with a smile.
"Neat, isn't it? Now, can you do the same?"
With one slice of his arm, magical energy blitzes forward in the shape of a scythe's blade.
Spinning through the air at great speed, Chariot can't even throw up a defense, the spell slamming into her.
The stage performer flies back, slamming painfully into a wall and collapsing to the ground.
"What astounding weakness…" He stares blankly at her, folding his arms in near disappointment. "Don't forget your place amongst us giants."
In a flash, he appears right in front of a still disabled Chariot.
Grabbing hold of her shirt with one hand, he unleashes a vicious strike with his other, leaving a deep scratch across her face, followed by another, and then another.
With each blow, a sharp cry comes from Shiny Chariot, the sound quickly reaching Faralda's ears.
What was once a ragged, sore, and aching professor is now more alive than ever, body overflowing with energy, fueled by the most basic primal spark. Her body is twitching uncontrollably, her mind crazed by a poisonous mixture of rage and fear, pounding with pain and uncontrollable anger, far worse than any hangover she had ever faced in her life. Body filled with unrestrained magic, Faralda lets out a monstrous roar; Only then does Jiang-Shi remember that she is there in the first place.
Releasing his hold on Shiny Chariot, he twists around, facing the volcano about to erupt.
"How foolish of me! I underestimated these humans!" He realizes, his face struck with fear as he reads the machine. "Burn temperature: 15,000?! I can't counter that!"
The only thing louder than his cries is the hysterical laughter from Faralda, overjoyed upon hearing his frightful outburst.
Her face is twisted with abject anger and fury, tied together with the most malicious and sadistic grin imaginable.
"That's right, and this mistake will cost you your life…" Her grin suddenly twists into a hardened scowl, her expression transforming into rage. "And for hurting my babe, I won't hold back on you!"
Although the usually clumsy Ursula more often than not does not register Faralda's passive flirtations, this one being screamed out in the open proves impossible to miss.
"I'm your what…"
Not registering anyone else but Jiang-Shi, Faralda charges at him with a blinding speed, her magical powers and momentum augmented by her rage.
Before Jiang-Shi even has a chance to raise his arms in defense, the teacher is already on him, launching a barrage of magical attacks, each hitting him with explosive results.
"Die! Die! Die! Die!" She screams out, delivering crushing blows with her wand's magic, or even a powerful punch or kick here and there.
The time for joking has come to an end, no more snarky remarks or gilded complements. The gloves are off, and all Jiang-Shi can do is nothing. Faralda is moving too fast and powerfully for him to even begin to mount some sort of defense.
Her mind has snapped, crossing the threshold well past the basic desire of self preservation, and into that of a terrible monster, with no thought of her own safety or restrain, only destruction.
Another explosion of fire erupts from her wand, the force throwing Jiang-Shi clear off his feet, and across the room. Launched this great feet away from her, only now does he have a couple of seconds to respond.
"Alright then…" Jiang-Shi grits his teeth, fists balled as he readies himself for more.
Appearing in front of him like a flash of lightning, he has little time to respond, firing a single energy blast towards her from the palm of his hand.
While strong enough to easily dispatch any other witch or wizard, Faralda effortlessly halts the spell with a mere zap of her own wand.
"Ha! No use!" She cries out.
A ball of magical energy quickly grows on the tip of her wand, slamming it against his face like a sledgehammer.
Before he even has a chance to crumple to the floor, Faralda shouts out another spell.
"Vega Varulus!"
Kneeing him in the gut, he lets out a loud moan, the wind being crushed out of him, ribcage likely following the same fate.
Not letting up for even a moment, Faralda launches another barrage of blasts, each fire ball or flaming bolt slamming into their mark with deadly precision, shredding into his clothing and flesh like a machine gun.
Thrown helpless like a ragdoll with each strike, Jiang-Shi fumbles this way and that, desperate to regain any momentum. This proves futile, the blasts from Faralda slicing into him without discrimination or mercy, each blow causing one violent lurch and stagger after the other, as if consumed by a rogue wave of raw energy and rage, too powerful to fight back.
Only when this seemingly unrelenting firepower finally relents does he have time to breath, very worse for wear. All he can do is stare, grunting between his groans, helpless to resistance, body too broken to put up even the most pitiful of struggles.
"H-How dare you…" He spits out a mouthful of blood, arms hanging limply at his sides, barely having the energy to stand. "Just where were you hiding all that power?"
After another hysterical laughing fit from Faralda, her face suddenly turns serious, the image of Urusla being thrashed about burned into her mind.
"You have bigger things to worry about. You're going to die, fool…"
Hearing such a threat, his eyes widen, mouth opening in dread.
"I-Impossible, nobody can defeat the mighty Jiang-Shi!" He struggles to get out these words, his speech slurred and strained. "Especially not some school teacher!"
Not paying his words any heed, Faralda simply readies herself into another combat stance.
"If you still doubt me, then how about I show you another example?"
Without another pause, Faralda flashes in front of him once again, striking him in the jaw with a magically empowered elbow. The powerful blow propels Jiang-Shi helplessly in the air once more, his whole body spinning and flailing uncontrollably as if freefalling from an airplane. However, Faralda won't let him simply fall to the ground this time.
"Vera Gurasare." She chants, the spell causing her to teleport behind him in midair.
Now with the both of them in the air, Faralda speaks another incantation, the result transforming her wand into a giant magical mallet. With one swift blow, it comes crashing down onto the top of his cranium, the sheer blow of force slamming him back down onto the floor in a crumpled mess.
"Death is near." She simply states, landing on her own feet.
As Jiang-Shi lies there on the floor, struggling to even stand up right, he stumbles towards the floor, barely catching himself from completely falling over.
The professor wastes no time, her natural talent combined with intense rage allowing her to quickly charge up her next attack. Flames and fire erupt, her wand splintering, barely able to contain the raw power being channeled into it.
"I'll kill you quickly!" She screams, the magic on her wand bubbling and brewing. "Bolsch Royce Fridorana!"
Upon her cry, a tremendous path of fiery destruction spews forth from her wand like a firehose. The entire room lights up, engulfed in flames, consuming Jiang-Shi in Faralda's fire and fury, with a brightness matching that of a summer sun on the hottest of days.
All vision of the classroom becomes consumed with a blinding light, Chariot burying her face in her arms.
The burning fire slowly subsides and the room becomes still, leaving only a small ash pile of what was once Jiang-Shi, slowly scattering by the roar of the classroom's air conditioner.
"Not even worth bragging about…" She mutters in triumph.
She holds this pose for a moment before slumping in exhaustion, Faralda barely catching herself as she clumsily grabs one of the desks, completely drained of all energy.
In haste, Shiny Chariot rushes to her side, grabbing onto her shoulders to stabilize her friend.
"Are you alright, Faralda?!"
"Well, maybe not…" She chuckles."I gotta admit, that fight really took a lot out of me. But you can let me go, we still need to worry about 'what's his name', and the rest of the ghouls in the school. You can hold me all you want after that."
Shaking her head, Faralda's flirt doesn't even register with Shiny Chariot, too concerned with the well-being of her friend.
"You're in no condition to fight any longer. You already took out Jiang-Shi, that's a big enough contribution on its own."
Grunting, Faralda attempts to stand on her own, to no avail, herself nearly collapsing to the floor if not for Chariot.
Chariot gulps to herself, fearful that Faralda's bite might be blunted now.
"Nonsense, I'm just a little winded, that's all." She still persists. "I just need a 32 ounce can of Rockstar energy drink, and I'll be-"
"No, Faralda!" Chariot suddenly bleats out, surprising the other red head. "I'm not letting you run blindly into battle! You can barely stand on your own! You're just going to get yourself killed!"
Emphasizing this point, Chariot shoots Faralda a disapproving glare. Although the stage performer is trying her best to cast an expression of authority, the trembling in her eyes betrays Chariot. The very thought of Faralda blindly charging into battle, exhausted and wounded to a point where simply standing was a struggle, is something which Chariot couldn't bear to think about. Faralda might be an extremely powerful duelist, but right now, in such a state, perhaps even a first year student would be able to face her.
While Chariot attempts to persuade Faralda with her gaze, the latter is lost in her eyes.
It almost looks cute to Faralda, like a frightened rabbit trying its best to look tough against a predator. They really are pretty. Hell, Ursula is pretty enough on her own. In her normal blue haired form, she is extremely cute. But in her Shiny Chariot form, well, now she is hot. Faralda has to admit, the expression she's giving is pretty sexy.
"I can't say no to a face that sexy..." The teacher sighs to herself, accidently venting her thoughts openly.
"What was that?" Chariot asks, not hearing her friend's faint mumblings.
Faralda's face lights up to the same color of her hair, stumbling on her words.
"Uh…nothing! Just forget it!"
Sighing to herself, Chariot takes another good look at her friend. Although she had sustained some injuries during the fight, the real damage came from Faralda over exerting herself, blind with rage and numb to pain. Nothing serious, but certainly not pleasant to go through.
"I'm taking you to the nurse's office. She'll be able to tend to your wounds." Chariot presses. "It's a long walk there, I'll carry you if I have to."
Although Chariot insists, Faralda won't let up either.
"Best not to send me there." She protests between her labored breathing. "As much as I love the thought of being carried in your strong arms, I'm sure the nurse already has her hands full enough as it is. She doesn't need me taking up a bed when it could go to a student."
Chariot shakes her head at this. Although Faralda is not currently in any critical condition, without proper treatment, her wounds won't be better anytime soon; and Chariot would wish her to make a full recovery as quickly as possible.
"I'm sending you to the nurse's office." Chariot restates with a flat tone. "You need to get looked at."
Faralda then gets an idea, one that may work out to her advantage.
"How about you carry me with your strong arms over to my bed?" Faralda suggests, still trying to play off her pain. "I could use a good nap."
"What about your wounds?!" Chariot persists. "Unless you have a plan on how to deal with them, I'm taking you to the nurse's office!"
This sudden cry causes the destruction magics teacher to wince, her headache making any loud noises quite painful.
As if screaming at the pain itself, Faralda blurts out
"Alcohol!"
This statement confuses Chariot more so than it answers her question.
"Huh?!"
"Alcohol, pain killers, and nicotine!" She explains. "There, that's my plan! Now, can you stop yelling at me?"
"Don't you do that stuff anyway?" The other teacher questions, this time minding her tone and volume.
"Just put me on my bed…" Faralda grumbles. "Give me a few bottles of Nyquil, and I can just sleep this off like a bad hangover."
"I'll put you on the bed, but I'm not getting you Nyquil." Ursula compromises. "That stuff is terrible for you. I can probably find a few sleeping potions in Lukic's classroom."
With that, the professor obliges, guiding the injured Faralda to her room, and laying her gently on the bed.
Although the battle is over now, Faralda can still feel her heart thumping, not from any after shock, but rather one of romantic anxiety.
There she is, lying in her bed, all the while Ursula stands over her in Shiny Chariot form. The only time Faralda thought this would be possible was in her dreams.
Speaking of dreams, there is another one Faralda has too, one that she really didn't have the confidence to enact back when the two were students at Luna Nova. Considering what just transpired, the position they are currently in, and what might happen after, it's a good time as any.
"Hey, Ursula…" Faralda's voice trails off, muffled and mute.
Craning her head closer, Ursula asks
"What was that?"
Mentally grinning ear to ear, Faralda repeats her action.
"I said…"
Once again, Faralda's voice trails off, Ursula not quite making out what she said.
Leaning in even closer, their faces are now mere inches from one another.
"What did you-"
Her words are cut off as Faralda's lips crash into her own, filling Chariot's senses with the flavor of Faralda. Even her essence is wild, yet palpable. The taste and smell of sweat, alcohol, energy drinks, and cigarettes, all things that have become as much of a part of Faralda's life as Ursula has.
Breaking the kiss, Faralda grins cockily at a very shocked Chariot, who's still not entirely sure if that even happened in the first place.
If Faralda wasn't so weak from the fight, she definitely would've put more passion into it, maybe a little tongue too.
She thinks of something cool to say.
"You taste as good as you look." Faralda chuckles weakly, that being the first phrase to come to mind. "Your breath smells fresh too. Did you have a mint earlier today?"
"And your breath reeks of cigarette smoke and energy drinks." Chariot smiles, the kiss not being unsatisfactory despite its harshness. "You planned that, didn't you?"
"On the spot." Faralda replies, slumping her head back down on the bed, thoroughly satisfied with her work as the need to sleep becomes too much to bear. "Improv…"
In one swift motion, the door to the tower bursts open, Akko, Lotte, Diana, and I rushing through and into the open.
Our wands at the ready, the first thing that enters my vision is The Sorcerer's Stone, still gleaming the same green light and pulsating with the same power that I saw when I first came to this school.
However, the sight of the beautiful Sorcerer's Stone is tainted as another figure comes into view.
Although the sight of Barbara may be neutral at best, in this case, it's deadly.
Standing there, using her body as a vessel, Mendacius's hands linger on The Sorcerer's Stone, smirking as he notices our entrance.
"Well, look at what we have here. Three persistent little witches and one very annoying wizard."
"Get your hands off The Sorcerer's Stone!" Diana points at him. "Your terror ends here!"
"Yeah, we made quick work of that fat guy and all those weird ghosts!" Akko adds. "No one's coming to save you now!"
"I'm going to make you wish you stayed in that statue." I finish, Lotte and I both glaring at him.
This one has caused my friends and I so much pain and suffering, worse than those boys from town, the monsters in Filicudi, my Grandpa Roma, and everything else combined. The day that he ceases to exist will be a good day indeed, one to celebrate.
"Don't be so sure about that. I would advise not trading blows with me. But, if you're foolish enough to persist, I'll accept your-"
A spell from Diana's wand smashes near his head, the warning shot cutting him off.
"This is your last warning." Diana growls with a deep scowl. "Surrender while you can."
Given how sweet and pleasant Diana normally is to me, I sometimes forget just how scary she can be when the situation demands. I would hate to be on the receiving end of her wrath.
Pausing for a moment, Mendacius' eyes bounce off Diana, then to the two other girls, and then to me. Returning his gaze to Diana, a sickening smirk forms, not looking that out of place coming from Barbara's face.
"I'll make sure your friends suffer, especially that boyfriend of yours." He chuckles, as if egging Diana on. "When you're dead, there will be nothing to stop me from-"
His words are cut off as Diana unleashes a barrage of spells, flying towards him with unmatched speed. Each spell cuts into him like a knife, his body vibrating and quivering as shock waves are sent up and down his figure. Despite this, he still doesn't reach for the wand at his waist nor attempt to block or dodge in any way. All he does is nothing as Diana's attacks rain down.
"T-that's it, very good job." He compliments as the blows hit him unimpeded. "Keep it coming."
It's strange. Although he's purposely taking the blows like Vrykolakas, it's clearly hurting him. Every time Diana's spells make contact, he grunts, groans, grimaces, and even yelps in pain. However, his smile still holds true despite the damage she's causing.
Even when Diana halts her barrage, he still stands smiling, his body and face decorated with cuts, bruises, burns, and other manners of wounds.
"How humorous, you hit your own friend without hesitation." He grimaces, suppressing the obvious pain. "Poor Barbara must be in so much pain."
Diana's eyes widen at Mendacius' statement, stopping in her tracks as the revelation washes over her.
"Forgive me, Barbara." She mutters to herself, holding her wand between her trembling hands as if praying for forgiveness. "I never wished to do you harm."
I even note a faint tear stream down her pale white face.
In the heat of the moment, blinded by Mendacius's threats, she acted without thinking of the consequences. Poor Diana, it must kill her inside to have inflicted such blows on one of her closest friends, even if she were possessed. If we weren't in the middle of a life or death battle, I would give her a hug.
Rather, I place a hand on her shoulder, this simple act breaking her from her silent regret as she glances at me with wet eyes.
"I'm sure she'll understand, Diana. The sooner we finish this, the sooner Barbara is back."
"Playtime's over!" We both hear Mendacius cry out, using the distraction to his advantage as he thrusts his wand in our direction. "Farewell!"
A massive explosion erups from his wand, the beam forcing Diana and I to dodge out the way.
During this exchange, I notice Akko turn to Lotte.
"Hey, Lotte! It's time to show this guy the power of the red team!"
Upon Akko's command, Lotte clenches her teeth, eyes wide with self doubt.
Although the two were able to power up quite considerably against Vrykolakas, they never managed to fight him, Diana finishing him off before the two got the chance. Lotte has rarely ever fought, the only time I can think of being The Titan during the parade. Even on Filicudi, I can't recall much combat on her part.
However, I still can't help but call out to the Finn in support.
"You can do it, Lotte! You're a lot stronger than what you give yourself credit for!"
My words strike her hard, Lotte's tense face relaxes somewhat, her brows narrowing. Don't get me wrong, she still looks terrified, just less so.
Nodding, the two of them turn to face Mendacius, both gritting their teeth, Akko in determination and Lotte from her still present nerves.
Despite her anxiety, the Finn follows Akko without losing stride, the two charging at him.
I have to admit, although Lotte may be small and underpowered, she is exceptionally quick on her feet, managing to avoid the God's blows with little trouble. Akko also seems to be holding her own, attacking with a ferocity bipolar to Lotte's more reserved demeanor.
The three of them continue this dance, Akko and Lotte occasionally manage to land a hit, meanwhile Mendacius can't. In fact, it seems as though he's struggling to simply block their attacks, his movements slow and sloppy. The damage previously done by Diana must be playing a hand, perhaps it was more than he had expected.
The three figures become a blur in the battle, moving this way and that as spells fly and magic flows, an occasional explosion erupting as two opposing forces collide.
One lucky blast from Akko strikes him in the face, whipping his neck back, exposing his stomach. The two witches point their wands at his gut, both going off in unison like a double barreled shotgun, slamming into him hard, his face twisting in pain as he groans.
"D-Damn it…" He grunts, rubbing his injured torso.
"Good job, you two!" I call out in support, flashing them a thumbs up.
The two of them are doing much better than me. One on one, I didn't fare well against him, but it seems as though he struggles when facing more than one opponent at a time.
Mendacious grits his teeth, casting a fiery glare towards Akko and Lotte.
"How could these kids pressure me like this?"
"That's because you're really weak!" Akko mocks him, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her volume. "You don't have a chance against us!"
"What was that?!" He growls. "You dare call a God weak?!"
Despite his obvious anger in such words, Akko simply smiles, continuing her verbal assault.
"You gain power from everybody that believes in you, right? And that probably includes all those gross ghouls and stuff you had with you. Well, I hate to break it to you, but most of them are probably dead now. You're weak, and besides, Barbara isn't that strong in destruction magic! You chose the wrong person to possess!"
I have to admit, that's pretty perceptive coming from Akko. Indeed, although her grades are well rounded, Barbara isn't proficient in destruction magic like Diana or myself are. Barbara's own limitations must be having some sort of impact on the God's performance.
Picking up on this fact as well, his rigid fighting pose loosens, his shoulders relaxing into a much more casual manner.
"Oh, is that all?"
"Yeah, she's kind of a show off." Akko continues, head held high in superiority. "The real heavy hitter is on our team."
Akko then throws her hands out, displaying Diana in a grand fashion with a smug expression on her face, as if revealing her trump card.
Well, I guess Diana is Luna Nova's trump card.
However, rather than respond with any fear or even anger, he instead begins chuckling to himself.
"What's so funny?" Diana questions.
He turns his gaze towards the blonde, eyeing her up and down, his smirk growing into a rather large smile.
I really don't like the way he's looking at her…
"I like your body…" He continues to chuckle.
Diana raises a brow at this statement, agitated and unnerved by his offhanded compliment.
His chuckling slowly subsides, his gaze focusing on the girl in front of him, narrowed eyes accompanied by a wicked smile.
In a sudden flash, Mendacius throws his arms out, exposing his torso as he cries
"Your body is mine!"
A beam of white magic launches forth, connecting with Diana.
The two become locked together, twitching and seizing as wisps of magical energy are transferred between the two, a blinding light radiating from them both.
"Diana!" I cry out, using my arm as a shield against the oppressive light.
Just what is that bastard doing to her?!
Just as quickly as the light came, it quickly subsides, revealing Barbara on the floor, leaving Diana the only one standing.
Akko and Lotte can only stand in shock with gaping mouths, as I cautiously take a step forward.
Based on her chest slowly rising and falling, Barbara is simply unconscious.
However, Diana still stands tall and proud, perhaps taller and prouder than usual.
Please don't tell me…
"D-Diana?" I choke out, reaching out a hand to my girlfriend.