ALL HANDS ON DECK.
As he fought his way through the endless clones, the realization struck him like a spark from a flint—sharp, sudden, and undeniable. All the foundational bases of Pneuma Course 101, that basic sensory technique, could help him fish out Wang's position amidst the swarm of duplicates.
Why run around fighting like a madman, he thought, when I can simply pick out Wade's pneuma essence?
Norris immediately focused his sensory skill, narrowing his perception to pinpoint Wang's location. Within seconds, he had locked onto his bearing.
The Guildmaster felt a pang of disappointment in himself—why hadn't he thought of this from the start? He felt a deep sting of professional disappointment for neglecting such a rudimentary combat principle in the heat of battle.
Now that he knows Wang's bearing, tracking his original position through the swarm of clones becomes effortless and child's play. Across the arena, Victoria's eyes widened as she recognized the sudden shift in his posture. She knew the battlefield calculus instantly: if Norris boxed Wang in, it would be game over.
With the intention of capturing the original Wang and separating him from his clones, Norris deactivated his Asymptotic Slowdown in a flash. This he did by collapsing the defense's circumference to prevent the outer ring of defense from bulldozing through and scattering the surrounding clones—and the real Wang.
He launched himself through the air, coming down like a meteor in the exact quadrant where Wang had been blending seamlessly with his copies. Wang's camouflage had been flawless—even his micro-movements mirrored the duplicates perfectly—but it was too late. Norris had already cornered him.
A CHANGE OF INTENT.
Even though the Guildmaster couldn't yet tell which clone was the real Wang by sight, one thing was certain: he had pinpointed the exact section where Wang was hiding and respawning his endless army.
His primal instinct urged him to vaporize the entire sector into smithereens. But the strict rules of Victoria's duel checked his hand. Total obliteration would hand Team Victoria a technical victory by default, and the princess would undoubtedly accuse him of throwing the match. Besides, it had been a long time since he'd had a one-on-one training session with the princess. This would serve as another opportunity to refine and polish her skills. A training session with the Guildmaster sounds opportunistic, if you ask me, he mused.
In the final heartbeat before action, the Guildmaster changed his mind. Instead of obliterating the original along with his clones, he decided to capture Wang. With the flamboyant swagger of a proud peacock, Norris stamped his foot against the earth for the second time.
Without warning, Norris redeployed the defense, but this time its behavior had changed. It now radiated an effect that mimicked a heavy gravitational pull inward as it anchored its new center.
It was still the same Asymptotic Slowdown, but the pneuma essence emanating from it was different from the one they had been trying to break through. This was the inward configuration of the same technique—still Asymptotic Slowdown, but with its spatial behavior inverted.
Right in front of them, Wang and his countless clones were suspended mid-motion. All movement halted, restricted by an unexplainable force that drew them toward Norris.
Within the compressed distortion, the difference became visible. The clones reacted as replicated manifestations of Wang's Pneuma, but only one body carried the complete and uninterrupted essence Norris had tracked from the beginning.
The Guildmaster located the real Wang's position.
Something in Victoria's expression changed the moment Norris stepped into Wang's sector.
Wang was captured alongside some of his clones in an unlikely section of the arena. He strained against the crushing field, trying to wrench his neck toward Victoria like a condemned man praying for a miracle. Norris closed the distance in a blur of blinding speed, his hand clamping onto the man's shoulder like a steel vise.
"Gotcha! You annoying little nuisance," he complained, his fist tightening as he prepared a devastating knockout blow. "Your endless copies have been grating on my last nerve. Time for a nap, you pain in the neck!"
SONIC COUNTERSTRIKE AND DARK INTERVENTION.
Just as Norris was about to punch the living consciousness out of Wang, a loud voice cut through the commotion.
"NOW, SOLDIER!" The command burst out—and it was no other than Victoria herself.
On that exact cue, as if executed by well-rehearsed elite infantry, every single clone—both those trapped within the Asymptotic Slowdown and the remaining outliers across the arena—snapped their heads toward the Guildmaster and the captured original.
Their mouths opened in a collective scream. The audible cry was only the surface of it. Beneath it rode a far more destructive spectrum of Pneuma-generated frequencies, rising beyond ordinary human hearing and vibrating through flesh, bone, and the battlefield itself.
The frequencies surged far beyond the threshold flesh was designed to endure, their intensity amplified by Pneuma until sound itself became a weapon.
The screams were so intense that Wang's own eyes and ears began to bleed. Norris was not spared either; he began experiencing tinnitus in his head and ears. Still, the Guildmaster was reluctant to let go of Wang. He tried to deliver the death punch to his face. Besides, he hadn't become the Guildmaster by struggling with a mere fourth-generation Gifter.
He had faced greater adversaries on unimaginable levels. He had broken gods and survived cataclysms that had erased entire battlefields. This? This is just child's play for me, boy. These were the exact thoughts running through his head as he delivered the knockout blow.
He drove his fist—WHAM!
The fist connected with terrifying force, the impact instantly fracturing Wang's jawbone, capturing the intensity of the moment. The sheer kinetic energy displaced the surrounding air in a violent ring and concussive shock, triggering a deafening sonic boom that flattened the immediate space at the point of contact. But Norris had barely begun to drive the blow through when—
"KAAARMA!"
Out of nowhere, a jagged laceration of dark energy, resembling a tear in dimensions, cut through the air at a velocity the human eye could scarcely track. The blast struck Norris squarely in the flank before his reflexes could pivot. The blast caught him completely off guard.
UNSHAKEN SUPREMACY.
The violent momentum of the dark energy wave sent the Guildmaster flying helplessly, twisting and turning uncontrollably through the air. The force of the impact flung him skyward, but the unstoppable, legendary Gifter rapidly adjusted his center of gravity, righted his posture against the thinning air, and dropped back down onto the battlefield on both feet. His sandals scraped several feet through the dirt before the remaining momentum inexplicably died away, leaving him standing in complete control.
"DON'T YOU UNDERESTIMATE US!" Bradley roared, his entire silhouette radiating waves of oppressive, dark pneuma energy. "I'M STILL IN THIS FIGHT!"
The dust began to settle. Having slid to a dead halt, the flamboyant Guildmaster stood completely unbothered. With a slow, measured movement, he casually raised one hand, brushing the battlefield debris off his traditional kimono as if Bradley's devastating, gale-force strike had been nothing more than a passing summer breeze.
"Tsk," Bradley hissed, his face twisted in bitter annoyance. The Guildmaster's effortless recovery stung, leaving him feeling utterly insignificant against such overwhelming combat supremacy.
On the other side of the crater, Wang looked completely broken. Blood leaked steadily from his sensory organs—his mouth, eyes, ears, and nostrils, all painting a grim picture of the physical toll. It was the catastrophic internal aftereffect of pushing his pneuma far beyond its natural limits.
Transitioning instantly into a cold, serious focus, Norris extended his right hand toward Bradley, locking onto his position. He shaped his hand into a casual finger-gun gesture, channeling his lightning-offense attack. Crackling arcs of electricity began to surge and coil around his index finger, targeting Bradley's chest.
Before he could flick his thumb, Victoria's voice cut through the ozone-heavy air, desperate to keep the squad from being eliminated so easily.
"SENNNSEI!" she screamed with every bit of air left in her lungs.
The moment her voice hit Norris's ears, the lethal tension snapped. He blinked, instantly returning to reality. The cold hostility evaporated from his eyes, replaced once more by his characteristic, easygoing smile.
"Good job, Peanut; you impressed me," he complimented her, dropping his hand as the lightning dissipated into nothingness. "Let me guess—you found a loophole in my Asymptotic Slowdown defense mechanism?"
"And you never mentioned the royal family had resumed accepting Gifters with Dark Pneuma into the Kingsguard Corps," he said, watching the unfolding development with disbelief. "Dark Pneuma, I can understand. But don't tell me you've gone completely mad and started admitting Anti-Pneuma users too."
A triumphant smile broke across Victoria's face, radiating a sense of indescribable joy. Her master had finally recognized her strength.
For a sixth-generation Gifter, merely surviving against Norris would have been remarkable. Yet Victoria had done more than survive. She had forced the Guildmaster to abandon complacency, exposed a weakness in the configuration of his defense, and landed an attack through a combination of strategy, timing, and absolute coordination.
ARRIVAL ON THE SYMARRIA COAST.
The fleet approached the continental shelf of Symarria, its massive vessels cutting steadily through the open waters as the coastline gradually emerged on the horizon. The distant outline of the newly established harbor became clearer with every passing minute, its structures standing as a fresh foothold for the Luciana forces on the continent.
The Luciana squad that had arrived onshore earlier had already established a perimeter around the harbor. Watch guards were stationed at strategic points, their eyes constantly sweeping across the horizon for any sign of the approaching fleet.
Then, one of the sentries spotted it.
"There!" the watch guard called out, immediately recognizing the familiar silhouettes of the Admiral's fleet approaching from the distance.
The alert was relayed through the squad almost instantly.
"Admiral's fleet approaching!"
The quiet atmosphere of the harbor immediately shifted into controlled military activity. Soldiers moved into position, officers issued commands, and personnel across the newly established outpost began preparing for the fleet's landing.
The inbound fleet continued its approach until the enormous vessels finally reached the newly erected harbor. As the ships began their final maneuver into position, soldiers stood already in perfect file along both sides of the landing zone. They left a clear central aisle open wide enough for the incoming troops.
A few minutes later, the fleet finally came alongside the newly erected harbor.
The heavy mechanisms of the vessels groaned as the ships settled into position, followed by the metallic clanking of ramps being lowered.
KLANG!
The bow ramps descended toward the harbor, creating a direct path from the vessels onto the newly constructed military grounds.
Military vehicles began disembarking first, followed by columns of foot soldiers. Personnel moved with practiced efficiency as they made their way toward the motor pool and designated staging areas. Engines rumbled to life while boots struck against the ground in a steady rhythm.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Without a single wasted motion, the freshly landed troops integrated into the pre-existing ranks, expanding the formation into a massive, monolithic force.
When the flagship's main bow ramp lowered, the entire four-hundred-man company snapped to attention as one.
"Military protocol!"
Immediately, every soldier raised a hand in salute.
The movement was synchronized so precisely that it appeared as though the entire company were a single organism responding to one command.
The entire harbor transformed into a display of military order.
The Admiral and his top captains finally appeared at the bow ramp.
They descended from the vessel with measured steps, their uniforms displaying the authority of their respective ranks. The Admiral led the way, with the top captains following closely behind him.
Without stopping to address the assembled company, the Admiral and his officers proceeded directly towards the command post.
The soldiers remained in formation, maintaining their salutes until the Admiral and his entourage had passed.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the heavy metal door swung shut with a pneumatic CLANG-THUD, sealing out the sea wind and the sound of the engines.
Outside, everyone resumed whatever operation they had been engaged in.
The harbor returned to motion.
Vehicles continued moving towards their designated positions. Soldiers resumed unloading equipment, transporting supplies, checking weapons, and establishing defensive positions. Officers moved between units, ensuring that every aspect of the landing operation continued without interruption.
The formal welcome was over.
Back inside the command post, the atmosphere was considerably more serious.
Maps of Symarria covered sections of the command table, while military reports, battle formations, supply routes, and intelligence information were spread across the surrounding desks. Officers moved in and out of the room, carrying documents and delivering updates as the command staff began piecing together the current situation.
A commander eventually made his way toward the top captains.
"Sir," he began, standing at attention before delivering the latest information. "We have an update on the current situation and the battlefront."
The commander proceeded to relate the latest intelligence, outlining the developments on the ground, the current disposition of their forces, and the information gathered concerning the upcoming operation.
The top captains listened carefully.
The captains then translated that information into tactical permutations, cataloguing options and contingencies. Then they stepped forward and delivered the briefed account to the Admiral.
The news was not the triumphant report he had hoped for. It came knotted with risk and unknowns. Still, it carried one bright edge: a positive foothold to build from.
"What's the upshot?" The Admiral asked, voice low and steady.
The commander's jaw tightened, then relaxed into something close to relief. "Team Ember—Balogun's squad—has agreed to join the assault."
THE EMBER CONTINGENCY.
Team Ember was among the few independent units operating outside the direct structure of most conventional companies and battalions. Their independence made them difficult to command and even more difficult to predict. They were not the sort of unit that simply followed orders because someone higher in rank demanded it.
They chose their battles and alliances. And, more importantly, they chose when to involve themselves.
That they were willing to participate in the operation despite being given only limited details was significant.
For the Admiral, the news was music to his ears. A faint look of satisfaction crossed his face as he absorbed the information.
At the very least, they had gained an invaluable ally for the coming assault.
"Send a word back," the Admiral finally said, turning towards the envoy. "Tell them we will be near for any support if things go south."
The envoy immediately straightened. "Yes, sir."
The Admiral paused for a moment before adding one final message.
"And tell them..." His expression hardened slightly. "I see their efforts."
The envoy nodded, committing the words to memory. "Yes, sir! Message received loud and clear." He immediately saluted.
The Admiral gave a subtle nod in acknowledgement.
The envoy turned and exited the command post, leaving the Admiral and his top captains behind as preparations for the coming operation continued.
Outside, the newly established harbor remained alive with military activity. Vehicles moving and soldiers marching. Orders echoed through the air.
THE HIERARCHY OF GIFTERS.
In the Grand Registry of the Accord, the world of Gifters did not operate on mere strength or chaos—it was governed by a precise geometric power matrix and an unforgiving structure known as the Gifted Hierarchy.
Every individual blessed—or cursed—with a Gift, more accurately known as Menos, was assigned a place within this system. The scale rose in strict succession: from the Seventh Generation, the weakest tier, all the way to the Zero Generation, the absolute pinnacle of power. Each step upward was not just a measure of strength but of transcendence—of how far one had drifted from the limitations of ordinary existence.
Yet even at the summit, there were whispers that the hierarchy did not end.
There were stories—ancient, fragmented, and often contradictory—of a figure who had surpassed even the Zero Generation—a pacifist, of all things! A man remembered only as the First Immortal King.
It was said that after the High Priest's death ignited a war that ravaged the world for a century, this man brought it to an end. The libraries of the capital whispered contradictory tales of his divinity. Some stories insist he possessed the impossible ability to take away another person's menos and restore it at will.
Others, written by madmen and prophets, claimed he surpassed the limits of the Zero Generation altogether and stepped into a realm that history could only describe as the Arcane Stage.
BRAINS OVER BRAWN.
"You did disappear from the face of the Earth to where only the gods know where," she replied with sincerity, "I can't tell for sure about Anti-Pneuma Gifters because I'm not in charge of recruitment, but Dark Pneuma users are now part of the Kingsguard Corp."
But standing in this battle arena, Norris found himself confronted with a far more immediate truth.
I've been fighting a blind man's battle. The realization struck Norris like a hammer. The Kingsguards were never the real threat... Victoria was. I've been barking up the wrong tree. His eyes finally saw the battlefield for what it truly was.
She's the weakest here, but I totally underestimated her battle IQ.
Individually, he was stronger than all three of them combined. Their strength, speed, and raw destructive power were nowhere near his own. Yet he had overlooked the one thing that could bridge such an overwhelming gap.
Victoria's mind. She had willingly traded strength for strategy, power for precision, and brute force for calculated intelligence. Brains over brawn.
Victoria let out a satisfied, melodic laugh as she watched the thoughtful expression settle across her master's face. "I love it when you make those facial expressions of yours," she teased, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Your lovely Peanut just pulled one out of her sleeve." She studied him with open delight. "I bet you're wondering what just happened—"
"I know exactly what just happened, Peanut," Norris interrupted before she could continue gloating. "What I want to know is how you knew. I'm certain I never told you."
Victoria's expression softened, though the edge of her ambition remained. "Diana and I love the fact that every single moment spent with you is a precious memory," she continued, her voice carrying a pleasing, nostalgic warmth.
"I know what you're thinking now: 'And what does that have to do with my question?' Well, perhaps this will jog your memory." She leaned forward slightly, her smile widening. "How does a five-second bouncing castle sound to you?"
"You mean…" His eyes widened with genuine disbelief. "You girls were actually counting between each time interval?" A smile slowly spread across his face. "You were only nine years old, Peanut." Norris marveled at her ability to retain and recall such details at that tender age.
He remembered it clearly now. To entertain the young girls, Norris had used his Asymptotic Slowdown—but inverted—to suspend them mid-air repeatedly as they leaped inside their playhouse. The suspension occurred every five seconds whenever he switched the asymptotic slowdown reversal on and off, creating that rhythmic, floating suspension.
To him, it was nothing…
…it had been nothing more than a game.
To Victoria...
...it had become a lesson.
"We noticed back then that the Asymptotic Slowdown Reversal behaves exactly as its name implies," Victoria explained, her tone turning analytical as she laid out the autopsy of his defense. "Just as the default state denies external bodies entry, the reversal does the opposite: it prevents an internal body from leaving."
She paused, allowing the gravity of her deduction to hang in the damp air. "But whenever you switch the defense mechanism between the two states, there's a delay. A gap. A five-second loophole before the system restarts."
Her voice softened slightly as she concluded, as though presenting the final piece of a carefully constructed thesis.
"In summary: whenever you invert the Asymptotic Slowdown mechanism from outward resistance to inward suspension, it enters a five-second cooldown before it fully activates. Those five seconds are the defense's absolute vulnerability timeframe."
For a long moment, the Guildmaster could only stare. The sheer sagacity of the girl was monstrous. "I have no better words to describe your sagacity and brilliance," Norris said, left genuinely dumbfounded as Victoria continued to pull surprises from her sleeve.
Even he—Shirogane Norris—found himself momentarily outmatched, not in strength, but in perception.
Norris didn't anger. Instead, a grim, respectful amusement took hold. He extended one hand out to the side, drawing his other arm across his chest in a grand, theatrical gentleman's bow—lacking only the silk top hat to complete the performance. "Lesson noted, la professeure."
THE FORMAL DECLARATION.
While Norris and Victoria were catching up on what had just taken place, Wang and Bradley were catching their breath, panting heavily as they took advantage of the little break the princess had just bought them. Wang's bleeding orifices—mouth, eyes, ears, and nostrils—began to subside gradually, and Bradley's dark pneuma started gaining stability.
They did not need to speak.
As if sharing a single mind, both Kingsguards were forced to confront the vast power gap between themselves and the legendary Guildmaster. By the gods, he is strong. If this were merely one defensive ability among the four in his arsenal, they thought with sinking dread, then we are done for if Her Grace doesn't come up with something quickly.
Norris straightened from his bow, his eyes losing their warmth as the atmosphere grew heavy once more.
He rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms with the calm, deliberate movements of a seasoned fighter preparing for a decisive clash. There was no rush in him—only certainty.
"I did underestimate you, Tinker Bell. You may be the weakest of the four of us," he admitted plainly, accepting the truth. "With your constant instructions and commands, the Kingsguards are not the threat…"
His eyes settled on her.
"You are."
He shifted his stance. Without warning, he dropped into a low, lethal battle stance, his center of gravity shifting into an alignment that signaled imminent threat.
"I, Shirogane Norris," he declared solemnly, "hereby tender my apology for any injuries or damages that may be inflicted upon Your Highness —"
Hearing the Guildmaster refer to her so formally as 'Your Highness,' Victoria reacted without hesitation. "WAAAAANG!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
In a blur of motion, Wang dashed toward Victoria's position even as the Guildmaster continued his formal declaration.
"—For the Kingsguards shall stand in testimony as they bear me witness that I did not act on my own accord," Norris continued his attestation, "but solely on the commands and request of Her Highness Victoria Novachronos—"
While Norris continued to declare his testimony, Bradley waved a series of hand signs, hitting his palm against the ground. A summoning seal spread beneath him and summoned his Contractor. Contractors are Téras—creatures that possess incredible pneuma, but most do not dwell in the human world. By signing a blood contract, you bond with it as its master.
POOF!
A massive, concussive cloud of white smoke erupted. Out of the vapor emerged a grotesque, multi-armed monstrosity. It possessed the segmented, horrific torso of a giant millipede, capped by the weeping, hyper-expressive face of a human being. The moment its feet touched the stone, the creature coiled inward like a massive, armored armadillo, spinning across the battlefield toward Wang and Princess Victoria.
From its body, a glistening, mucilaginous larva extended, attaching itself to both of them with a faint, viscous shimmer. The creature then rolled back to its master's side, its human face turning to watch the Guildmaster finish his declaration.
All the while...
...Norris never stopped speaking.
"...but solely under the command and request of Her Highness, Victoria Novachronos." His voice remained perfectly composed. "By accepting this duel, I have fulfilled every obligation required of me."
He paused.
"...stet."
The final word had barely left his lips when reality broke.
Separated by over a hundred feet, the distance became entirely irrelevant.
Within a fraction of a second, the Guildmaster—who was over a hundred and a few additional feet away from Team Victoria—materialized in front of her with a fist carrying a force strong enough to split a military tank in half. Luckily for her, Wang was able to match the Guildmaster's speed to some extent as he managed to intercept. He thrust himself between them, sparing the princess from the devastating blow. This action alone made Norris feel a little bit of relief, knowing his punch wouldn't land on the princess but on her guard.
"KIA!" Wang screamed, a primal, guttural roar that unleashed a physical wave of ultrasonic sound directly into Norris's face. Simultaneously, Wang crossed his fists to receive the blow. Behind him, clones gripping each other, forming a long human ladder, grabbed the princess and tossed her upward out of the deadly collision zone between Norris and Wang.
FRENETIC RETALIATION.
The impact between the two Gifters was cataclysmic. The ground beneath their feet erupted into a massive web of cracks that spidered outward like fractured glass and sank three feet into the earth. As both men were locked in a tug of war for who would yield, it was clear as a blue sky that Wang was fighting for his life as he tried to counter the inhuman punch that was trying to fracture his bones.
Suddenly, Norris's sensory web flared. He detected a sharp, volatile shift in the pneuma behind him—an incoming trajectory of lethal intent.
Without breaking his forward drive, Norris reached out and gripped Wang tightly by the shoulder, locking the guard to him. From the far edge of the crater, Bradley's voice echoed through the dust: "KAARMA!"
A massive wave of corrosive, dark pneuma erupted toward them. Utilizing the momentum of the incoming spell, Norris launched himself backward with Wang, dragging him along as a human shield, and evaded the bulk of the black tide, leaving his opponent to ride the wake of his own ally's attack.
In that same microsecond of evasion, Norris vanished from Wang's grip and reappeared instantly behind Bradley. The movement was so swift it defied the eye.
"Time to pay attention to you. I have ignored you for far too long," Norris whispered, his breath cold against the back of the guard's neck. "Your partner is out of the way now. Thanks to you."
The millipede-téras moved on instinct, throwing its massive, multi-armed bulk into the path of the blow. As it did, the creature's maw opened, spraying a colorless, mist-like secretion directly into Norris's face—a sharp, distinct scent that carried the unmistakable toxic odor of bitter almonds.
It was a fatal mistake to assume a chemical deterrent would halt the Guildmaster. However, that didn't stop the Guildmaster, as he was determined to land his punch.
Norris didn't flinch. His fist drove through the mist with an even greater, more terrifying velocity than the blow he had dealt to Wang. The knuckles connected with the creature's carapace with a sound like a cracking mountain. The sheer, unadulterated force fractured the beast's outer plating instantly, transferring the remainder of the shockwave directly into Bradley's frame.
The impact launched both Bradley and his Contractor skimming across the ground like stones over water. They bounced violently, tumbling end over end in a cloud of dust and debris.
LOCAL TSUNAMI.
His attention immediately snapped toward Victoria, his battle instincts kicking into overdrive—but it was already too late. Excalibur hummed in her grip, fully charged. With all her might she drove the blade into the earth without the slightest hesitation.
A surge of Pneuma erupted outward—BOOM!
The sheer force of the impact erupted into a violent shockwave, tearing through the arena as cracks began racing vertically along opposite sides of the ground where Excalibur had punched through the earth.
Then—WHOOSH!
The cracks suddenly burst open.
Highly concentrated water erupted from beneath the ground with tremendous pressure, resembling an upside-down waterfall as it shot toward the sky before crashing back down.
Within seconds, Victoria had transformed the arena into a miniature flood zone. A small-scale tsunami surged outward.
The roaring wall of floodwater surged toward Norris, its heavy, churning current dragging his footing and shoving him several yards backward. When the churning torrent finally settled, the entire floor of the arena sat under several feet of standing water.
She flooded the entire arena? The thought flashed through his mind. His eyes scanned the battlefield. Hope she remembers that nearly every Gifter can stand on water.
He also noticed how thoroughly exhausted Victoria looked. Completely spent—pale, breath short, and shoulders slumping—which made little sense on the surface given that she had not participated fully in the duel. Wang and Bradley had borne the brunt of the fighting, while she had merely stood there, with her large sword humming with pneuma.
Why does she look like someone who fought her way through hell and back? he wondered. You look far too exhausted for someone who has barely swung a punch.
Concentrating pneuma energy into his optic nerves, Norris's vision shifted. Norris discerned fine pneuma strings linking her to both Wang and Bradley—thin luminous threads like those of a puppeteer controlling marionettes.
Norris stared for a moment before his expression slowly changed. "Now, it makes sense." A sinister grin spread across his face. He suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh. "Looks like the Law of the Covenant is starting to take a toll on you guys."
A few paces away, Bradley leaned heavily against his Contractor, coughing violently before wiping a smear of blood from his nose with the back of his left hand. "What are you blabbing about, old man?" he growled, fighting to keep his knees from buckling.
"It seems the Kingsguards Corp needs to raise their recruitment standards," Norris taunted, his laughter echoing across the flooded chamber. "Using Victoria as a living Pneuma intravenously is painfully below standard and pathetic for 'elite soldiers' of the Luciana military."
"You can do better than relying on her like your living Pneuma reservoir." He added more to the insult. "Have some ounce of shame, my 'elite soldiers' of the Kingsguard Corps."
Frustration and irritation flared across Bradley's face. He roared, "Damn you! You old—"
"Bradley!" Victoria's voice cut through him. "He is baiting you. Don't fall for it." She looked directly at her guards. "Stick to the plan. That's an order!"
Swallowing his rage, Bradley obeyed. He plunged his right hand deep into the water beneath their feet. Fortunately, all Gifters possessed the ability to concentrate Pneuma energy beneath their feet, allowing them to walk across water, climb rocky structures, and traverse otherwise impractical surfaces. The flooded arena was no longer an obstacle—it was a catalyst. Bradley began pumping massive charges of raw energy into the reservoir beneath them, causing violent clusters of bubbles to churn rapidly to the surface.
"Master, I've been thinking about your Zeno Skin," Victoria called, drawing her master's attention. "Since none of us have Anti-Pneuma, it got me thinking about alternatives."
"Anti-pneuma?" Wang asked, curiosity pricking him.
"Don't you worry yourself, Wang; the master understands me," she assured him calmly. Her attention turned fully toward Norris. "Tell me, Master... When was the last time a benediction tool was used against you?"
Without waiting for an answer, she stepped over to Bradley and Wang. Drawing a small sidearm blade, she slashed her own palm, letting her royal blood drip onto their weapons.
"In the name of Our Father, the One in All, let the blood of the first satisfy the ash." She spoke the blessing, voice low and certain. "Be blessed and be sanctified."
Norris offered a theatrical, gentlemanly bow, sweeping his hand across his chest. "Guess I'll have to put an end to this now, Your Grace."
All four Gifters immediately entered battle mode. The duel between master and student was approaching its conclusion.
Norris straightened himself. "Since when did you learn to bless items?" He watched Victoria carefully, clearly intrigued by the benediction she had just performed.
"Different method, same result," Victoria replied. She tightened her grip. "When strength and power failed me, intelligence took over."
Norris smiled. "Guess we're all on the same page." He cracked his knuckles. CRACK—Then his neck—CRACK.
"Time to put this child's play to an end." He looked toward her. "Don't you think so?"
"I couldn't agree more, Master." Victoria concurred.
THE ART OF EVASION.
He had been standing hundreds of feet away, but in the blur of a single frame, he materialized directly above Victoria in mid-air, fist already descending to punch the consciousness from her body. He knew the sheer lethality behind his own blows; however, under Victoria's initial rules for the duel, the master was permitted to go all-out against the guards but was strictly forbidden from inflicting severe harm on the princess herself.
As his deadly fist accelerated toward her face, he pulled the punch, softening the impact for Victoria. That split-second decision bought the princess the precious time she needed to activate her countermeasure.
Victoria seized the opportunity. She knew her master had softened his punch, but she still wasn't willing to gamble on her ability to take even a weakened blow. She was a princess, not a warrior, and gambling her skull against his knuckle was a losing proposition.
As the punch came within inches of her face, Victoria deactivated the pneuma beneath her feet, and the energy supporting her instantly disappeared. And she dropped straight through the water as her body descended into the depths like a rock thrown into the sea.
Norris's fist landed—but it struck only the surface where Victoria had been standing.
THUD—BOOM!
Even the softened blow sent out a mini shockwave that rocked the water in every direction. Regardless of the restraint he had shown, the impact remained significant.
Good heavens… Geez… Thank the Father you evaded the attack, he thought, genuine relief washing through him. Good girl. She read my book on the Art of Combat.
She had turned the environment itself to her advantage. "Nice one," the Guildmaster conceded, impressed.
Victoria had evaded the attack by a fraction of a second. She was now safely beneath the water while her master's so-called "soft punch" had created a miniature shockwave across the surface.
Seeing the princess safely out of the strike zone, Wang and Bradley refused to let their earlier failures stand. They couldn't live with themselves if they failed to protect her, regardless of the fact that this was merely a training duel. From above, Bradley swung his blades and struck at Norris, but the Guildmaster reacted instantly with one arm; he blocked both blades. Bradley couldn't care less about the enormous difference in strength between them.
THE ABSOLUTE DEFENSE.
He poured every ounce of power he had into the attack, attempting to drive the blades straight through Norris's arm. Yet the Guildmaster's Zeno Skin held firm. Bradley's weapons completed their approach without losing speed or momentum.
Then, at the precise instant the dark edges should have bitten into flesh, contact failed to resolve. The closer Bradley's blades came, the farther it failed to establish contact with Norris's flesh.
Norris's defensive gloating aura—Zeno Skin—prevented the weapons or attacks from ever establishing contact.
Why aren't the dark blades cutting? Bradley panicked internally. Dammit... I don't have enough pneuma left to trigger Karma!
"Give it up, kid. It's futile," Norris instructed, a smug, egotistical grin spreading across his face. "Your Dark Pneuma is far too weak to scratch me. Yes, a proper Dark Pneuma technique could theoretically bypass my contact boundary, but you lack substance. I know you're completely drained of Karma attacks."
The Guildmaster was still in a kneeling position from his earlier attack on the princess.
But that didn't last. He began pushing Bradley backwards; the difference in their physical strength was undeniable. Slowly, Norris began rising. His arm stiffened as he started stiff-arming Bradley.
"You should be grateful that you lasted this long." Norris's eyes narrowed. "Better luck next time, kid."
Then—WHAM!
His left fist slammed directly into Bradley's abdomen; the punch sent Bradley flying across the water. His body bounced violently over the surface like a flat stone thrown across a pond—SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH—before slamming to a halt yards away.
"You still haven't learned what my Zeno Skin actually does," Norris declared with swagger, watching Bradley's body trying to keep it together. "I see—you're trying to overcome the wrong problem, kid."
He tilted his head. "My Zeno Skin doesn't stop everything." Basking in the glory of his unmatched aura, Bradley's body suffered a heavy blow from the previous punch, which had sent him flying.
"It only decides what gets to touch me." He added with an arrogant smile across his face.
Then—
Ka—BOOM!
Out of nowhere, an impact resembling that of a moving truck struck Norris. A sharp sonic wave slammed into him. The force tossed the Guildmaster into the air once again but this time, he regained his balance almost immediately. He twisted through the air and landed with style and swagger.
Yet he hadn't perceived the incoming threat.
Wang stood several feet away, coughing violently, blood spilled from his mouth. "Does…" He struggled to breathe. "Does that apply to sound waves and... breathable air?"
He coughed again.
"Then how come... you... could hear, eat... put on clothes, and speak while others... could hear you fine?" Wang could barely keep his feet together as standing straight was practically impossible.
THERMAL ESCALATION.
Before Norris could open his mouth to offer a smug explanation, the water beneath his boots erupted—SPLASH-CLANK!
Before he could react, chains burst from the water, wrapped firmly around his leg, and the binding yanked hard, pulling him straight down into murky depths. Victoria's handiwork—she had used Bradley's own chains to haul Norris under. The chains had already been blessed and sanctified with her blood.
Victoria had remained underwater.
Without taking chances, she offered him zero room to maneuver. The moment Norris was dragged beneath the surface, a massive swarm of pressurized gas bubbles enveloped his body.
Simultaneously, the ambient water temperature surrounding him spiked rapidly as thermal pneuma was applied to the mixture.
SNAP!
Above the surface, Bradley weakly snapped his bloodied fingers.
Beneath the water, the trapped gas bubbles instantly coalesced around Norris. They erupted like flammable material and began to detonate in a violent chemical chain reaction.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A rapid-fire series of underwater explosions shattered the surface, sending pressurized plumes of scalding water and steam shooting dozens of feet into the air. The muffled concussions echoed through the arena for several long seconds before the turbulence finally began to subside.
Wang cautiously looked toward the water. "Did... did we get him?" He rasped, leaning heavily on his knees, his eyes wide as he stared at the boiling water.
"I don't know, man," Bradley replied through gritted teeth, wiping blood from his swollen lip. "Only Her Grace could tell, since both of them are under the water."
Wang stared into the depths. "I think we got him, B. I can't... see any movement—"
"NO, YOU DIDN'T!" The water exploded outward as Victoria's body suddenly burst out of the water—WHOOSH!—Norris had thrown her out.
She flew through the air, completely restrained by the blessed chains, her body wrapped up like a bundle of sticks. The force with which Norris hurled her toward Wang was so enormous that Wang's clones immediately began piling onto one another, attempting to stop the princess's momentum.
They stood their ground, pushing against the force directed at the original Wang, who caught the princess as she was flung toward him.
The action drew Bradley's attention; he moved to join the effort and save her. Before he could take a single step, Norris dropped from above like a ballistic missile—
THUMP-SPLASH!—his heels crashing directly into Bradley's upper back. The sheer kinetic force drove Bradley down through the water column before the natural buoyancy hurled his battered frame back up to the surface.
Norris didn't allow him a moment to breathe or recover; he swept his leg around in a brutal mid-air volley kick.
THWACK!
His boot caught Bradley flush in the ribs, sending him spinning wildly across the water like a soccer ball.
"Pay attention on the battlefield!" Norris scolded loudly and advised as Bradley rolled across the water's surface. "You can lose your life in a fraction of a second out here!"
Norris immediately retracted the blessed chain still wrapped around Victoria like strands of a broom, then seized her by the neck and instantly immobilized her.
"I'm impressed that you guys made it past five minutes." He shook his head in pity. "Too bad. The Law of the Covenant took a toll on you this quickly."
Norris sighed.
"This statement is a sign that you're all weak and that your abilities don't reflect your skill in the Gift Hierarchy."
Bradley managed to push himself upright, struggling for breath. "I was certain that… the chain did wrap around your feet… when you were dragged under."
His partner chimed in through bruises and a bleeding mouth. "How the explosion didn't affect you when your Zeno Skin was distorted?"
"Ah-yes, about that." Norris rolled his left shoulder. "Your officiant is weak. She's barely struggling to master her abilities." His expression became serious. "Power is limited not by desire, but by the vessel that bears it." He glanced toward Victoria. "The distortion wasn't that effective."
Then he looked at the guards. "What were you expecting when she blessed your blades and chain?"
"What… are you saying?" Bradley still winced in pain. "Why speak in parables… and sound like an ancient scholar?"
"He is… quoting the seventh law of the Covenant," Victoria interjected, seeing the confusion on her guards' faces.
Norris beamed down at her. "Wow, Peanut. You never cease to amaze me. It's truly a pity you insist on wasting such potential on politics and diplomatic nonsense." He raised his right hand, preparing to strike her pressure point. "Time to go to sleep. Don't worry, I'll make sure there's some sukiyaki left over for you when you wake up."
THE SUICIDAL GAMBIT.
She smiled, and in a voice threaded with a strange gratitude, said, "Hontou ni... arigatou... gozaimasu, Shishou," she murmured softly in her master's native tongue.
Norris blinked, momentarily softened. "Umu." He nodded gently.
Then he grabbed her left hand to cushion her head; he drove her downward, slamming her back against the water's surface to render her unconscious.
SPLOOSH!
"Your Highness!" the guards cried as Norris rendered Victoria unconscious.
But before she completely lost consciousness, her lips moved as she muttered a single word—
"Release."
Bradley slammed his palms together with a resounding CLAP!—Instantly, his Contractor burst out from underneath the water and fired multiple streams of colorless gas toward Norris.
The Guildmaster paid the gas no mind; it had no effect upon him. Yet just as he prepared to move against Bradley and Wang, he discovered he could not move. He couldn't move his legs.
His left hand remained stuck to Victoria's; the blessed chain clung to his right, its other end still coiled around the princess like a spinning chain around a drill pipe.
He tried to rise from his position and launch an attack—Norris attempted to stand.
Nothing.
He tried again.
He strained his muscles, attempting to rip himself free—
Nothing. His frustration grew. I can't move? What on earth did you do, Peanut? Norris's mind raced as his body refused to obey. What in the blazes did you just pull?! I can't bloody move!
Before he could process the anomaly, an ancient, sacred hexagonal seal materialized directly behind his bowed frame. Glowing violently, a dozen massive spectral chains exploded from the magic circle—CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!—wrapping around his torso, shoulders, and limbs, pinning him to the spot like a wild beast bound for slaughter.
Norris flared his nostrils, his sharp combat instincts suddenly blaring a severe alarm.
Wait... that scent... Is that hydrogen cyanide?! Are you out of your mind?!
The distinct, bitter-almond odor was unmistakable. Panic flickered in the back of his mind. The logic of the move was suicidal—a cloud of lethal gas of that density would poison the unconscious princess long before it ever broke through his automatic Zeno Skin defenses, which would simply treat the chemical as a hazard and filter it out of his breathing air.
Then, the terrifying truth hit him like a lightning bolt.
She isn't trying to defeat me with the gas... She's trying to commit suicide right in front of me while forcing me to watch. A grin of disbelief crossed his face. Damn you, little rascal.
Victoria knew exactly what she was doing. She knew the Guildmaster would never stand by and watch her die from inhaling poisonous hydrogen cyanide.
But Norris couldn't simply throw her out of danger. She had already activated a sealing technique that immobilized him. Watching the princess die in his hands would be the last memory he would ever wish to carry—especially over a mere duel.
He had no choice. Now, he had to throw in the towel.
"I can't believe she went to such insane lengths just to force a victory," Norris thought hysterically, disbelieving as he tried to wrap his head on what was taking place in front of him. You are an absolute maniac, Tinker Bell! He laughed inwardly as the thought ran through his head. Left with no alternative—
Norris threw his head back and bellowed with every remaining drop of his formidable power:
"SHIMENAWA!"
Out of thin air, a massive, traditional Japanese braided rope of rice straw, two and a half inches thick, appeared from thin air with a loud "Poof" and landed upon Norris.
Without hesitation, the rope wrapped itself around the blessed chain like a living creature with a mind of its own. Lightning sparks violently erupted from the rope as it charged—
ZZZT!
Then—
BANG!—sparks exploded as the shimenawa's power destroyed the sanctified chain and snapped the lock that bound Norris to Victoria's weak yet effective sealing technique.
Freeing his limbs with a single clap of his hands—CLAP!
The Guildmaster cleared the entire atmosphere of the arena. A powerful burst of wind swept across the battlefield, dispersing the poisonous hydrogen cyanide.
Wang stared in absolute, slack-jawed shock. "Are you kidding me?! You... you're a Wind and Lightning user too?!"
THE FELINE CONTRACTORS.
Ignoring the guard entirely, Norris's sole focus shifted to the pale girl lying motionless at his feet.
"Akane. Aoi." His voice carried authority.
In perfect synchrony: "Hai!" Two cats appeared from thin air—poof—and landed with gentle feet upon the water. Like their master, both cats could walk upon the water's surface. They were Norris's Contractors.
The cats took on a shape resembling the classic Maneki-neko, the traditional Japanese beckoning cat with one paw raised. It could be found in shops, restaurants, homes, and offices, where it was traditionally believed to invite wealth, good fortune, success, and household protection.
Both cats climbed onto Victoria's cold, motionless body. The twin cats never tired of harmless bickering, tussling, and endless scrapping. Happy to see Norris, Aoi leapt onto the Guildmaster and gently rubbed her face against his in the affectionate manner of a household cat with its owner.
Meanwhile, Akane, the other twin, stood face-to-face with the motionless princess and began slapping her awake.
Akane raised one paw. SLAP!
"Wake up, you spoiled royal brat!"
Another slap—SLAP!—she continued her assault despite the fact that her paws were tiny. SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
"No one here is your maid."
Aoi immediately interrupted. "Akane! Will you stop that?" She glared at her sister. "That's Her Grace you're hitting. Don't you have any manners for people of status?"
Akane paused, glaring up at her twin. "Oh, yeah? Why don't you come down here and make me, you stupid sister?!"
"Your ill, barbaric, and uncultured behavior is the reason Tom dumped you." Aoi threw shade, mocking her sister's recent setback. "Now he is with a better cat."
The belittling struck home. Furious, Akane snatched a floating piece of debris and launched it at her sister, who stood upon Norris's shoulder.
STRIKE! The debris struck Aoi hard on the head, knocking her from the Guildmaster's shoulder and plunging her straight into the water—SPLOOSH.
The Kingsguards stood frozen. Neither Wang nor Bradley could believe what they had just witnessed.
A Contractor capable of speech. They had heard rumors. Stories of Gifters possessing Contractors that could speak and exercise free will. But for Wang and Bradley, this was the first time they had ever seen one in person.
Aoi recovered instantly, seized two pieces of floating debris of her own, and launched them at Akane. Like a fine martial artist, Akane evaded the first with swagger and punched the second aside.
But within a split second, as the dust cleared, Aoi was already above her; she held a third piece of debris. A plank nearly twice her size. One Akane hadn't accounted for.
THWACK!—Aoi brought the massive plank down toward her sister's head. Akane threw both paws up just in time, blocking the strike with enough force to shatter the wood into splinters.
Before the fight could escalate any further, Norris stepped in. He grabbed both cats and held them apart.
"Girls, girls, girls... girls."
He sighed.
"This is not the time for family feuds." He glanced toward Victoria as he held them firmly. "Peanut needs healing."
His tone became stern. "Start the recovery process, or you both get it."
The commotion had created such a disturbance that it eventually woke Victoria from her blackout.
Her eyelids slowly opened. "Did we... win?" Her voice was barely audible. All of her strength had already been drained.
Aoi instantly melted into gushing affection. "Victoria-chan! You're awake!" she purred happily. "Good job, Princess! You won!"
Akane looked at Victoria, then tilted her head. "Hey brat, why do you look like a crumpled receipt from a store everyone regrets shopping at?" Akane could not resist continuing her roasting.
As if on cue—
"Akane" Norris and Aoi called out in unison.
"What?" Akane protested defensively. "I'm just asking." She looked Victoria up and down.
"Are you sure she's actual royalty? She looks like a cheap knockoff bought off the black market."
Victoria managed a faint, breathless laugh. "Thanks... Akane-chan…"
"Don't mention it. You know I'm always here for you." Akane replied smoothly; with not an ounce of shame, she returned the appreciation.
She then turned toward the guards.
"You two!" Her tone became commanding. "Get your behinds over here and carry her."
She pointed at Victoria. "Are you expecting me and my good-for-nothing twin sister to carry her?"
Aoi immediately fired back. "Really? Look who's talking." She looked Akane up and down. "Have you seen your floozy self lately in the mirror?"
Akane proudly placed a paw against her chest. "Yes, darling. And I look exquisite and magnificent," she boldly affirmed.
Exchanging bewildered glances, Bradley and Wang quickly hauled a large, flat section of floating wreckage out of the water to serve as a makeshift stretcher. They gently lifted Victoria onto the platform while both cat spirits perched themselves atop her chest, channeling glowing healing light into her body.
They carried her away, leaving the Guildmaster alone to brainstorm how he might rid the arena of the massive body of water Victoria had summoned.