'What is going on?!'
Aquarius found herself in yet another conundrum.
First of all, Jared Leonard had slipped her assault, not once, but twice. And now, he was getting the jump on her.
… HER!
'He was right in front of me a second ago. What did he do?' She wasn't going to be able to read his mind since everything about him was static, but she could make guesses based on what she already knew about him.
'Did he allow himself to be anywhere and everywhere at once? No, that's impossible. He can't use his Arcanas here.'
Then what was he using? [Perfect Unknowable] perhaps?
'If he's fusing his Aether with the Aether around him, that means he'll have to compensate for the purity and density of the surrounding Aether. Does he have enough Aether for that?'
It was that very improbability that made Aquarius certain that Jared wouldn't even be able to properly utilize Spellcraft, considering the purity difference between his own Aether an the Aether within the Constellation realm.
It already seemed to be an impossible challenge for him, yet he had managed to surprise her in so many areas already.
'And one more thing bothers me…' Aquarius glared at the smiling face of the young man she now stood in front of.
'Why did he announce his presence behind me? If he had just touched me, he would have won the match according to the rules?'
Of course, he wouldn't have been able to touch her, but he could have at least tried.
Wasn't it victory he desired?
Aquarius decided it was better not to dwell on simple conjecture. Instead, she would have to consult with Jared's thoughts themselves.
'I should also take extra precaution…'
Generating a barrier around her that prevented anything from getting in, or going out, she created some distance between her and the young man.
'In this barrier, I am the only one who can function properly since I transcend limits.'
As a result, Jared wouldn't be able to reach her again.
'You missed your opportunity as a result of your hubris. That is your mistake.'
Reality resumed, and Jared's distance from Aquarius was now considerable—enough for him to make a light grin about it.
"I see…" He whispered, his eyes narrowing on her.
Aquarius felt uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze, but she ignored his bravado and decided to venture into his memories to further dig up how he was able to get behind her.
However…
'W-what? I can't see it?!' Aquarius' thoughts screamed out in shock.
This was absurd!
There was no thought hidden from her! Nothing was beyond her reach! How was he able to hide his thoughts from her?
Unless…
Her nonexistent eyes instantly widened as she glared at him with a repulsed, but also slightly intimidated gaze.
'He erased his memories!'
That was the only explanation she could think of now. After all, the only thoughts she could not reach were 'no thoughts'.
In essence, Jared currently had no thoughts or memories concerning what had just happened!
'That sly bastard. I shouldn't have told him I could read thoughts…' It was at this moment that Aquarius grasped another thing she hadn't considered before.
'Why did I reveal my cards in the first place?'
Well, the simple answer was that she felt good doing it.
But why?
'He goaded me into confidently revealing my abilities to him. Even now, he must be actively doing his best to obtain more information from me… scrutinizing my abilities.'
It annoyed Aquarius to no end, finally realizing how much she was being played by this mortal.
'It's dangerous to let things drag out any further.'
"I thought you were stronger than this, Aquarius. Your siblings offered a better challenge than this, you know?" Jared's voice suddenly echoed in the vast expanse that existed between and around them.
Hearing his highly conceited words pissed her off instantly.
"If I went all-out, you wouldn't last even one second." Aquarius responded, disdain oozing from her liquid body.
"Is that so? Why don't you do that, then?"
"There is no need to go that far for someone as insignificant as you."
"Come on, I dare you!"
Aquarius, despite being nearly as old as time itself, felt incredibly irritated by Jared and his constant disrespect.
She found herself at the edge of her patience.
'No! I won't let him goad me. He probably has some other plan that he wants to execute if I undertake that action.'
Aquarius honestly doubted Jared being able to withstand her full power, or anything even close, but after underestimating him a few times already and being unpleasantly surprised by the results, she didn't want to make the same mistake again.
'He could be cooking up another scheme, after all…'
Besides, her pride just wouldn't let her go all-out on someone as insignificant as Jared Leonard. Aquarius found it impossible to take their battle even half as seriously as she would have if she was to go all-out.
"I won't fall for your provocations. You wil lose this fight whether I use my full strength or not."
It was inconceivable to think Jared would achieve victory against her after losing to her younger ones.
At the very least, that was what Aquarius thought.
"This is the end of the line for you." She sighed, finally deciding to kick things up a notch.
So far, she had been limiting herself to simply finishing Jared off by playing cheap tricks on him. However, she was a little tired of that already.
'I can't directly harm him, but…' If she had lips, she would have leaked out a smile at this point.
'... I can buff him!'
If she circumvented the Unwritten Law by sending a wave of inescapable Aether by disguising it as a blessing rather than an assault, then it would end up as her victory.
By using her unbridled connection to his thoughts, Aquarius decided to grant him a non-lethal blow that was guaranteed to bring him to his knees.
'Let's mess with his mind a little…'
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[A/N]
Thank you all for reading!
The fight should end in the … I think.
