*
Winding time a little... Back to the start of Ledaine's descension. A bulky man stood in opposition to Sariel, his presence was bulging in prominence and he exuded an atmosphere of deadliness. What was even more surprising...
Before the two giants facing each other in the sky, Yggdrasil and Ledaine, he didn't amount to much. So much so that Yggdrasil hadn't even noticed his presence.
"Let's get rid of you first. OblivionMagia." ({Nerve})
A dark navy blue space opens up before his feet, consuming the world around them almost instantly. Sariel was unfamiliar, but she decided that if she took an unknown attack head on she would be at an obvious disadvantage.
"What's this? Oblivion Magia." (Sariel)
She copied it. They both were recorded to be at the peak of B grade, just shy of A grade. Executing this technique has proven that they have finally put one foot into the realm of A grade, they graduated from being fodder. Ledaine and Yggdrasil wouldn't use Oblivion Magia, they both had the brute force necessary to tear the enemy's realm into shreds with sheer magic density attacks. It was a completely different case for these two, Oblivion Magia was the pinnacle of the level these two had just left.
At Sariel's feet, gold expanded over the horizon like the blooming petals of a flower, encroaching the remaining space in the world. Two spaces intertwine and form their sub dimension, vying for dominance over fate. Gold and blue expand into each other in the shape of crossing blades, slicing across like the savage jaws of a beast. Splintered and crushed, the colours spread like roots across one another, forming a neutral domain in the centre where neither influence is particularly strong.
Usually one domain would overpower another, having them blend like this and detract from the whole purpose of a domain was almost impossible. It meant their magic power was at an equal level, which would be exceedingly rare. They began to walk closer, carrying countless emotions in their stride. All her experiences flashed before her mind, as did he. Breaking past the domain of mediocrity, recycling what she had stolen from The Calamity as fuel for growth. All just so she could reach the foot of A grade.
All the other intelligent subordinates of Ledaine were B grade. As far as he was concerned, {Nerve} was the only one remotely within his realm, and his skills were defence oriented. There was not much threat of a revolt from his own people.
"Don't push yourself. You're going to die anyway." ({Nerve})
"I could say the same to you. You will be the first to see... What's on the other side." (Sariel)
Her figure vanished, her autumn dress didn't even leave a blur. When she finally appeared, all {Nerve} could see was her fist. With a single hit, he was sent flying. It must be said, he received absolutely no damage, despite not using his skill. Her punch was weak, he let himself get swept off his feet. He himself seemed capable of teleporting... One moment he was flying through the air, the next and he was standing calmly before her.
Before she noticed, a fist had landed on her torso and she spat out from the impact. Taking a couple steps back, she wiped the saliva off her lips with a grin.
"Not bad." (Sariel)
This accursed dame wasn't going all out! {Nerve} concluded. Once more, he vanished. He was teleporting in practice, but the actual mechanics were different. He isolated himself from time and space... He was travelling through the underworld, initially a subdimension under his absolute rule, Yggdrasil's previous intrusion has painted a layer of myth over his magic. Due to her comprehension that the sub world was like an underworld, it became one.
The entire timeline had changed, it was now an underworld since the very start. That was the power of human belief, attributing the supernatural to man-made myths not only paints it over the former's existence like a coat, it also attributes myths to the supernatural reversing cause and effect. In the origin era, that was how so many gods arose from God magical girls. Even before that, it was how the gods of ancient cultures arose, like a self fulfilling prophecy.
In this case, {Nerve} who ruled the sub dimension also ruled the underworld. The effects of his magic have not changed, but it has gained a few more names.
"... That lag between traversal, it will spell your doom." (Sariel)
She {Swapped} places, her slender leg slices through the air. {Nerve} uses his technique to turn 180 instantly, leaning closer and taking the hit with his whole left side. She {Swaps} with another space, retaining her momentum as her leg slams into the exposed side. Again, no damage. She retreats with {Swap}, but feels a sensation pulling her down. In the next moment, a resounding kick embedded into her flesh.
"KGH AAAAGHHHHHH!!!!!" (Sariel)
Her ribs and lungs were thoroughly crushed by that one heel, punctured into a mangled mess. That same arm gripping her foot only pulled her closer before another arm slammed into her skull. Sariel's face twisted into the shards of her skull, assaulted by the pain wreaking her entire body.
"It looks like you weren't much." ({Nerve})
Wrong. Lastia was just the one that's unnatural. That girl wouldn't scream even if all her bones were pulled out. That girl was unbelievably strong. Despite having no memories of her past, she could so casually move on and cherish the present. Was that something Sariel could do? If Sariel lost all of her memories, would she still be strong enough to continue living? Would she be able to overlook the massive hole in her heart?
Her eyes gazed resolutely at her enemy, gritting through the pain, her body began to rapidly heal.
"Good eyes, unfortunately it's the end for you." ({Nerve})
"{Swap}..." (Sariel)
She finally escaped the threat. When wanting to {Swap} the location of a target, usually one needed their consent or else their magic would subconsciously repel the effects of {Swap}. Take it another way, as long as {Nerve} made physical contact and consented, he could hitch the ride and follow Sariel when she tried to retreat. That's an issue as long as Sariel tried to run away... With her full body. A copious amount of blood spills onto the ground, she left her foot behind. Cut clean off by {Swap}.
This time, she would neither run nor be unprepared.