Asagi swung her katana diagonally, striking Maeyurai with full intent. She was filled with energy, where each movement was light and carried her strong will to fight.
Maeyurai dodged her blade closely, the edge almost grazing his nose. "Crap!" he exclaimed as he hopped backwards, quickly taking his bow out.
His other hand reached for his quiver, taking an arrow before nocking it to the bowrest, then pulling it taut. He aimed for Asagi's thigh and shot.
"Don't underestimate me!" yelled Asagi as she lowered her center of gravity and stepped to the side, evading the arrow easily. Then, she brought her katana to her side and was ready to swing it again.
However, Maeyurai had already loaded another arrow in his bow and released it, aiming at Asagi's feet.
Since Asagi had prepared a stance, she swung forward and sliced the arrow mid-air, successfully blocking it. "You're fast at using the bow. I commend you for that."
"But," she said. "I'm faster than you in many other aspects."
Asagi straightened her arms and lowered her katana, then she flicked it to the side before conjuring a layered coating made of fire on top of her katana's blade.
"Burning Ascent!" she yelled the technique's name out as she swung her sword diagonally up, the layered coating of fire stretching out like a whip, reaching Maeyurai with speed he almost couldn't react to.
"Ack!" Maeyurai grunted as he felt the intense force of the whip-like flames on his back. The temperature was hot, but it didn't burn any part of his clothes—a contradiction to the technique's name.
Maeyurai flung backwards and rolled across the cobblestone path, leaving a smoke dust in his wake. His hand clung tightly to his bow so he wouldn't lose it, and afterwards, he sat up and conjured a lightning arrow.
The lightning arrow crackled in the air as he shot it, headed towards Asagi.
"That's fast!" exclaimed Asagi as she brought her katana forward to block the lightning arrow. Her gaze locked forward towards the flashing arrow.
However, the lightning arrow flashed to her left, indicating that its trajectory—as usual—had bent after five meters.
Asagi then quickly lowered her katana to counterattack. "A double Affinity..." she muttered under her breath.
Wham!
Maeyurai had rushed forward using his strong legs and landed a powerful punch to Asagi's gut.
"You're beautiful, so I won't hit your face!" shouted Maeyurai as he pulled his arm back before hitting Asagi's neck with his elbow.
"Urgh!" Asagi recoiled backwards in surprise, but she couldn't let Maeyurai overpower her. She kept her gaze sharp on Maeyurai's face and anchored her rear foot so he couldn't push her any further.
"Damn you...!" she spouted before punching Maeyurai's stomach with a free hand.
Maeyurai immediately responded to her action and managed to block with his elbow—but she was too strong, and the force of her punch threw Maeyurai a few meters away.
"I forgot how strong you are! I'm at a real disadvantage..." said Maeyurai as he slowly regained his balance.
Asagi lowered her head and held the hilt of her katana with both hands before rushing forward to strike him down.
In response, Maeyurai conjured a fireball and threw it in her way to slow her down before proceeding to run away and think of a plan on how to beat her.
Think, think!—he said in his thoughts as he looked over his shoulder, closely watching Asagi's movements—She's merely 4 meters away from me. But at this distance, I can react to what she's going to do.
Asagi has Conjuration and the Affinity for fire, but does she have any more to show me? If she does, then I should keep running until I know what she fights with.
And along the way, I'll deduce a solution with logical reasoning to defeat her, even with my weaker physical capabilities.
The key to winning is my double Affinity and Attribute.
I'll trick her and force my way into victory!
Maeyurai kept running, and he was now 15 meters away from Asagi.
"I knew you'd do that," said Asagi in a cold tone, her voice carrying an edge of confidence.
Bang!
Maeyurai's abdomen exploded—not internally, but externally, as if a fireball landed on his stomach directly.
"[Once the Emanator is 15 meters away, explode within 0.5 seconds—set flame intensity: low—blast force, low.]—that is the condition I set on the Link when I landed a punch on your guts."
Maeyurai came to a halt as he doubled over, feeling the burning sensation spread throughout his body.
"Dammit, she got me!"
I didn't expect that she's also an Emanator!
He looked over his shoulder, and in his eyes, all he could see was a crimson blur.
Asagi dashed forward and gripped Maeyurai's collar, dragging him across the cobblestone path like a piece of rag.
After a short while, she threw him away as if he were already used. Maeyurai rolled across the ground, scratches and dust stains forming over his clothes.
Once he managed to recover himself, he looked at his dirtied clothes. There was a large burnt spot on his stomach. He paused for a split second, then his eyes scrunched up in annoyance.
"Ruin my body, but not my clothes," said Maeyurai, his voice carrying an edge of anger.
Immediately after, he raised his bow and formed a long fire arrow. He pressed the hot tip and said, "Firecracker."
The Firecracker was fired, starting a chain of explosions in the air, headed for Asagi. However, she merely dodged the explosions by stepping to the side and running to a spot where the Firecracker couldn't reach her.
But as soon as she turned her head, she was met with a bright flash headed straight for her head.
Bam!
A dull fire arrow struck her face, making her stumble over in pain, her face tainted with dark spots from being burnt.
"Tsk," Asagi clicked her tongue, but didn't stop running. "Talk about not hitting my face. Are you fighting seriously now?" She turned her gaze to the left and saw Maeyurai aiming his bow upwards.
"Flame Shower," Maeyurai uttered.
The fire arrow flew in the air before raining down countless amounts of flaming projectiles in Asagi's direction.
"What a troublesome technique!" Asagi exclaimed as she weaved her way through, dodging each projectile.
It hasn't been long, but civilians started to gather around them, the crowd slowly growing as it did during Maeyurai's battle against Euri.
They weren't disturbed by the fact that Maeyurai and Asagi could burn the houses, but instead, they were cheering them on.
"Go, Asagi! Show that archer the swordsmanship of Wyumatsui Island!"
"You can do it, Asagi!"
Asagi anchored her foot as she dodged the final projectile, her gaze now turning towards Maeyurai.
But he'd acted much faster and already charged forward with a lightning bolt in his other hand, holding with a reverse grip like you would with a dagger. Then, he swung his arm to stab Asagi's shoulder.
Hitting her with this will definitely electrocute her. But if I can infuse her shoulder with lightning mana to electrocute her even further, then that would give me a better chance of winning.
Asagi flicked her katana upward and deflected Maeyurai's attack with its dull side. The force flung Maeyurai backwards, the lightning bolt in his hand flying away as it dissipates.
Asagi lowered her katana, but kept a guarded form. "For an archer, you sure love charging to attack at close range, don't you?"
After talking, she opened her mouth again, "Why don't you become a hunter or a swordsman instead? It would fit your style better."
Maeyurai shook his right hand, his fingers still vibrating from Asagi's previous deflection. "No thanks. For me, the way of the bow is like upholding an unspoken promise to someone. And I don't ever want to break that promise."
Asagi paused. "I see," she muttered quietly, sensing a tinge of melancholy in Maeyurai's voice. She took a step forward, but retracted her feet and returned them to their previous position.
"In that case, I won't be holding back anymore," she said firmly before bringing her katana up with a stance. "Show me your way of the bow, you close-ranged archer."
She activated her Burning Ascent and flicked it towards Maeyurai. The stretching whip of flame snapped forward, curving like a leather tail.
Maeyurai took two steps back beforehand and managed to avoid her attack by an inch. He raised his bow and charged a lightning arrow. He held the stance for a while, pouring more mana into the lightning arrow—the same way that he did against the Stalker at the port in Jinsang Bay.
The air around him crackled as the snapping sound of the whip of flame created a short boom. His longbow's rest was vibrant, the shaft of the arrow thick like a lightning rod.
"Wait," said Asagi as the Burning Ascent ended. "That looks like trouble; it appears to be even stronger than the one he sent earlier."
Not wasting any more time, Asagi rushed forward with all her strength, following an unpredictable zigzag pattern. Assuming the fact that Maeyurai really was as strong as Kaienley, the next attack was something she thought she shouldn't take head-on.
Maeyurai released the powerful lightning arrow.
Asagi had expected him to speak of the technique's name beforehand, but she heard none come out of his mouth.
The lightning arrow flashed so incredibly fast that it almost reached the speed of sound, which is around the subsonic speed.
When Maeyurai's innate mana surrounds the medium or his longbow, it strengthens the inanimate mana inside the object and makes the release stronger due to mana's connection with physical objects.
And after Asagi witnessed the lightning arrow's bright glare for not even a split second, she was frozen, unable to react.
However, the lightning arrow somehow passed through her body as if it were a phantom. It wasn't that the arrow missed, but its trajectory bent in sharp turns like a ragged road. And not long after, it made contact with the ground and ruptured with a powerful explosion.
Maeyurai clicked his tongue in annoyance for missing his shot and turned his back to run away from the nearing Asagi.
Continuing her pursuit, Asagi's mind was blank. Had the lightning arrow struck her face, it would've been ugly for her, literally. She thought about how Maeyurai's attitude changed in how he fights, just because his emotions were slightly stirred in the heat of battle.
And a few words slipped out of her tongue, "How petty..."
[Once the Emanator is half a meter away, explode—set flame intensity: very low—blast force, high.]
Asagi emanated a Link to explode behind her. And once she reached the conditions, it exploded, twice or maybe even thrice stronger than it had been earlier, into Maeyurai's stomach. She flung forward and managed to catch up to Maeyurai, striking his back with the hilt of her sword.
"Argh!" Maeyurai grunted as he felt the immense force that Asagi planted on his back. He rolled forward, but managed to stand up mid-roll to continue running.
Asagi slid across the ground due to the extra momentum she carried; due to this, she accidentally crashed into a wall and hit her head. "Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head as she searched for where Maeyurai had possibly gone.
The people around let out a loud cheer, surprised by Maeyurai's tenacity. But of course, they were on Asagi's side.
Once she gained sight of Maeyurai, she took a step forward, lifted her katana, and brought it near her chest, pointed vertically, directly in the sky. She reached for the tip of the blade with her other hand, and slowly, she traced the edges with her middle finger.
She emanated several Links on top of her katana. And amidst her motion, she stated the technique's name, "Crest of the Scarlet Edge."
[Upon reaching 5 inches or direct contact with any other Invoker, explode once—set flame intensity: mild—blast force: mild.]—was the condition she set on each emanated Link.
Immediately after, Asagi started chasing down Maeyurai. Despite Maeyurai having strong legs and a pretty fast speed, Asagi was just better in overall physical capabilities, with speed being one of them.
Maeyurai took a sharp left turn and ran inside an alley, narrowing down the path.
"That just makes it easier for me to chase you," said Asagi, swiftly gaining on Maeyurai while holding her katana with both hands.
Maeyurai continued running through the alley, taking right and left turns to shake off Asagi.
I can feel it—Maeyurai thought as he moved precisely through the narrow alleyway.
Each time I use my Conjuration Attribute, I can feel my mana move through my body and be exerted through the tip of my fingers.
And in each fingertip, I can feel a slight opening, and a vague leakage of my own innate mana.
But throughout my body, I can feel several openings, where my mana leaks as well. The most prominent ones are on my chest, wrist, and neck. Though I can feel other openings, like in my thighs and ankles. Or to better allocate their locations, my pulse points.
It's just a theory, but it should be possible for me to release my mana via Conjuration in other parts of my body other than my hands, as long as they are near my pulse points.
Wait... It makes sense! Infusion within other parts of the body wouldn't be possible if I couldn't release my mana in the pulse points!
He was deep in thought, simultaneously avoiding obstacles as he ran from Asagi. To prove his theory, he focused his mana on his heart... and soon, he managed to conjure a fireball in front of his chest.
A confident smirk tugged on his lips, then, a second after, he opened his mouth. "Now, how should I utilize this knowledge to win against Asagi?"