It was child's play survive from falling from the sky. Towa spread her cape to the side and glided across the air. It hardly slowed her down, but she is only gliding to guide herself to a better spot to land. Right before the impact, Towa bent her knees at the right time and rolled across the rooftop.
When she stopped rolling, she laid down and caught her breath. The clay tiles on her back were burning hot, which is not surprising since the sun has been beating down on them all day long.
So, is this how mortals feel like? Aurelia asked herself. It's… painful.
Towa forced herself to sit up with a grunt. There is high-pitched ringing in her ears and she felt like she is about to hurl. Her limbs were like stiff jelly.
As the tinnitus started to fade, she could finally hear the person talking from the town square.
"Instructor Towa!" Louise shouted from down below.
Towa sluggishly turned her head to the student, although with her blurred vision, she could not see where Louise is.
"Are you okay?" Louise asked.
A crowd was forming around her, not believing the cute little Towa Herschel could fall from the sky and survive. First, the classes were cancelled, which is a surprise from everyone since the school rarely cancel classes; second, there were explosions, which would be normal in a military school, if there were any classes in the first place; and third, this.
"I'm all…" Towa tried to say but stopped. She gulped, forcing the bile running up her throat back down. "I'm all honky-dory!"
She jumped up to her feet, raising her swords, which confused and scares the citizens and students below.
"See? I'm as fit as a fiddle!" Towa said and laughed.
She started brandishing her swords like a skilled swordmaster, which, to the people of Leeves, looks like a girl is running around with a giant pair of scissors.
"You are definitely not fine!" Louise shouted. "Instructor, please! Stay there! We're going to get a ladder so we could get you down. And please, please, drop the swords!"
"Ladder?" Towa said. "Ladders are for weaklings! And I'm not a weakling!"
Towa only recovered half her strength, and her sanity, but she needs to find Kurt.
How dare that boy hide such a talent from me? Aurelia angrily thought. If I knew he was this adept at copying his classmates' fighting styles, I should've dueled him a long time ago!
She licked her lips and started running across the roof. Louise and the others shouted for her to stop running because she was about to jump over the edge. They saw her surviving from a sky-high dive, but they do not want to witness it again.
They all gasped. Towa shouted, calling forth the Blade Dance, and her body was surrounded by forks of lightning. If the students and citizens were confused now, they will soon think they are losing their grasp of reality and Towa jumped from the roof.
She not only jumped, but she launched herself from the roof.
Towa left a smoking crater as she flew through the air. She does not need her cape to glide this time. She aimed herself at a tree and bounced from it. Jumping from tree to tree was much quicker and less tiring than running, she figured.
Towa is going to have her duel with Kurt even if it is the last thing this body can do.
The boy fell with his back against the tree. He slowly slid down to the ground. Kurt's shirt was drenched with sweat. He finally ran out of steam and is now taking a break. He never knew Kurt could cover this much distance.
Fortunately, Kurt ate a full lunch back at the inn. Even in his tired state, Ash enjoyed reminiscing on how those girls would feed him at the table. He is definitely going ask some of them out once he gets his body back. Especially with that RMP gal and the St. Astraia chick. It would not be too difficult, if his track record is anything to go by.
For now, he just needs to rest and let his body recuperate. It would not be far now. Somewhere in the forest is a clearing with a wooden stump in the middle. There, he could—
"Wake up," a young woman said.
Kurt shook himself from his sleep and turned his head.
"Aidios!" Kurt screamed, crawling away from her.
"No, this is your instructor," Towa said, who was squatting next to him.
Normally, Towa watching you sleep would be a dream to most men in Erebonia. To Kurt, Towa looks like a python deciding whether or not it should eat him. The little lady slowly smiled.
"I underestimated you, Vander," she said, standing up.
Kurt noticed that her body is covered with leaves and twigs. At least her little hat is still on her cap. Towa spat some pieces of leaves on the ground.
"Have you not heard of the tale of the turtle and the rabbit?" she asked and then tutted. "As you can clearly see… I'm the rabbit of the story!" She put her hands on her hips. "I am the bunny rabbit that has evolved into fullest potential! And no one can outpace me!"
She laughed to the point that Kurt thinks she is mad.
"Instructor Towa, please listen to me!" Kurt said as he quickly got up. He raised his hands. "Okay, I confess. I invited all those girls in, but it was just harmless fun! I mean, wouldn't it better be this way?"
Ash already ruined Kurt's reputation. He does not want to ruin it further by beating Towa up, even if it is Principal Le Guin inside there… No, on second thought, no one would believe that Aurelia is inside Towa in the first place. Still, this was supposed to be a prank. He does not want to put Kurt to jail.
"Those girls only see Ku—I mean, me from a distance," Kurt continued. "Wouldn't it be better if they get a closer look? The real reason they're after me is because they're curious. They don't know me. So, if I take curiosity out of the question by letting them be near me, they won't have—"
"I don't care if you impregnate everyone in Heimdallr!" Towa shouted. She pointed her sword at him. "I only desire to clash blades with you and that is all there is to it!" She laughed again. "They always say you are a man of many talents, Vander. Now… Show me that talent!"
Kurt launched the scythe-head from his switch-axe at Towa right before she dashed towards him. If Towa wanted a fight, then Ash would just have to indulge her. Beat her, make her go unconscious, he will do anything he can to get away from her.
"Too easy!" Towa said, tipping her head to the side.
The scythe-head whistled against her ear. With a shout, Towa called forth the Blade Dance and dashed even faster. Kurt was getting nervous. Even Towa might actually be faster than him!
With a shout, her blades burned black and white. She sent forth an X-shaped energy blades at Kurt. The boy raised his pole to block it. He screamed as he was blown back against a tree.
"Guh!" Kurt grunted as he removed himself from the trunk, leaving an imprint of his body on it. "How in Gehenna did you get so strong?"
"I'm asking myself the same question every minute," Towa said, which confused Kurt.
Aurelia is equally confused as well. Even with her practiced meditation techniques, mastery of swordcraft and sheer determination, she can only do so much. She can block the pain and remove the limiters of the human body, but it is not enough. And yet this tiny body stood against the test of mortal combat. She will have to commend Towa later, and pay for her hospital bills.
"En garde!" Towa shouted. Electricity shot up from her body. She jumped towards him.
Kurt retracted his scythe-head and hoped to cut Towa from behind. The little lady merely raised her knees to chest, dodging the attack. She then struck the chain with her sword, not to cut it, but to wrap it around her blade.
Towa let Kurt pull her towards him. She raised her blade and the power of a thunderstorm was concentrated inside the blade.
From the town of Leeves and the city of Heimdallr, there was a momentary darkness. It is as if the sun was turned off. Those who saw the explosion from the forest were blinded instantly. The ground shook and a few old building nearby toppled to the ground.
Juna, Musse and the others ran as fast they can to the source of the explosion. They need to stop them from fighting. The artifact was bad enough, but this amount of destruction is even worse. It could be said that the artifact is the cause of all of this, but that does not matter now. Any more of this wanton destruction and the Imperial Government might have to step in.
Aurelia screamed. "They're up there!" she said, pointing at the sky.
The explosion launched Towa and Kurt. The sword Towa used was destroyed, and only three reges of metal were left from the hilt.
A speedbump, Aurelia thought.
With a shout, Towa willed her energy to the hilt and the broken blade started glowing. Kurt was disheartened at the sight. Towa is repairing her sword right before his eyes!
In place of the missing metal, a blade of pure white energy replaced it. It crackled with lightning. If the real Kurt would have seen this, he would bow to Towa right now and beg her to teach him her ways. Even if they are in the sky, he would still bow.
"The fight begins now!" Towa declared as she glided towards Kurt.
Kurt shook off his disbelief. "You're on!" he said, raising his switch-axe.
The two met down the middle and even the students and instructors down under could hear their blades roar. It was a back and forth clash, neither of them giving in, but Kurt has the advantage of reach and Towa has the disadvantage of energy.
She too also did not eat lunch. Towa ignored the growling in her stomach, but it is clear that she cannot keep up. Her vision was blurry and her movements felt like she was underwater. Each time her swords hit anything, her arms get number and number.
But if hunger will be the one that would make Towa kneel, then she has no right to call herself a Le Guin any longer!
She used a feint to force Kurt to guard himself. He fell for it. While the boy drew his switch-axe to protect himself, Towa used the pole as a step and launched herself to the air. She did a somersault and pointed herself straight down at the helpless Kurt.
"Kurt!" Towa shouted as she dives straight down at him, swords first.
Lightning sprung from her body and they used the swords as a conduit. They shot straight down at Kurt. He screamed in pain when the lightning struck him, but he gritted his teeth and readied his final attack.
"Towa!" Kurt screamed, forcing his body to draw back his switch-axe to the side. He is going to strike Towa with one swing.
Their weapons met. The world darkened yet again as the light was too bright for this mortal realm. An explosion, akin to a volcanic eruption, shook the region. Trees were flattened, their leaves burning.
Juna and Musse witnessed the battle of gods, even if it was only for a moment.
"Towa!" Randy shouted as soon as the light faded and the world returned to normal once again.
"Principal Aurelia!" Rean shouted and started running. Randy followed.
"Kurt!" Musse, Juna and Jessica shouted and went after them.
"Don't take this the wrong way, sword boy!" Michael said as he ran. "I just don't want to see Junie cry, okay?"
"My body!" Aurelia cried and dashed forward.
"Come on, Tilly!" Altina cheered, pointing at the two figures falling from the sky. "If we don't hurry, there won't be enough for us left!"
"They are not piñatas, Millium," Millium said, but the two went for them in the end.
The day started to rain as the pressure from the explosion caused enough change in the atmosphere.