Tension was palpable.
The entire graveyard was eerily silent, as one would expect from such an establishment.
None of the three who occupied this domain spoke. They all simply looked at each other in a three way deadlock.
Legris remained in the sky, his gaze focused on Ciara and her alone.
Ciara had a similar gaze on Legris, though her mind constantly remained with the man behind her.
As for Jerry, he alternated his gaze, his heart racing in anticipation of an inevitable conflict.
One would think this silence was doomed to last forever. Until...
"[Superior Mage Mode]."
As soon as Ciara uttered those words, her brown hair suddenly began to change tone. Blackness spread all across it, instantly transforming everything into dark hair.
Her entire outfit also changed, with a dark Mage Robe shrouding her body, with purple designs intricately knitted in with the black.
Her inner wear was a body-hugging tank top and similar-looking shorts.
Seated lightly atop her head was a Mage hat, and it also took on the black color, with designs of purple spread across it.
A staff clung to her right hand, and a grimoire floated on her left—
both resonating with the rest of her apparel.
The entire transformation barely took a second, and the moment it was done, it seemed she was a completely different person.
Both Legris and Jerry looked downright shocked at the sight.
"How do I look, Jerry? Do you like it?" Ciara swiftly turned to him for attention, her bright smile brimming with energy as she awaited his response.
"Erm… well…"
What was he to say? She certainly looked amazing in this new form, but Jerry personally thought her current apparel didn't resemble something built for serious combat.
The oversized Mage Coat and the tight but skimpy undergarments made it so that she had an infinitely higher sex appeal, but the practicability was lost to him.
Perhaps he was just being an idiot who couldn't see the true advantages of her new form.
Perhaps…
"Well, I'd say…" As Jerry's voice trailed, a sudden rush of wind in the vast space caught his attention.
~WHOOOOOSSSHHHH!!!~
Legris had abandoned his position in the sky, all to close the distance between himself and Ciara while she was distracted.
He was already right behind her by the time Jerry noticed it, and his eyes widened as soon as he saw his darkened hand reach out to touch Ciara.
"Ciara watch ou—!"
~BZZZTTZZZ~
A sudden buzz reverberated as an invisible wall repelled Legris' hand when he attempted to touch Ciara, causing him to recoil.
At that moment, Ciara stamped her staff on the ground, sending another sound echoing across the dead calm.
~WHUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSHHHHH!!!~
The moment her staff touched the ground, Legris' entire body was ripped to shreds, almost as if he was torn apart by several invisible blades.
"—t." By the time Jerry completed his words, Legris was already dead.
At least, that variant of him was.
"H-huh?" Jerry had to blink multiple times to ensure he wasn't hallucinating. "What just happened?"
One moment Legris was right there, and the next he was reduced to mincemeat.
'It happened so fast that I—'
"So… Jerry? What do you think?" Ciara's voice interrupted Jerry from his thoughts, causing his face to slowly return to her outfit.
Her face at that moment felt a little dull, and her eyes seemed to stare at him like the abyss looking down on its next victim.
The urgency hit him instantly.
He felt a certain chill spread throughout his body, and that only meant one thing.
"It's… amazing."
"Really? You really think so? Yayyy!" Ciara's sweet smile replaced whatever one could call her previous expression.
It made Jerry's heart lighten in relief.
Both for her… and for himself.
"That's one impressive outfit." Once again, just like clockwork, Legris' voice echoed throughout the space around him.
He then appeared from the stain in reality before the black gate closed.
"Wel, I didn't ask you. Who cares what you think?" Ciara responded as icily as anyone could imagine.
"Haha! Don't be like that. You'll hurt my feelings."
"Oh? I didn't think you had feelings."
"Ahh, fair point."
Once again, Ciara and Legris began to speak as if nothing had just transpired between them.
As if he hadn't just tried to kill her, and she too hadn't returned the favor by utterly decimating him.
"I'm just genuinely surprised. You shouldn't have been able to block or repel me with Aether, and I'm sure you know that. Plus, what was that invisible attack? I'm sure I coated myself, so it should have been absorbed."
Legris seemed equally thrilled and bothered by what he was describing.
"Unfortunately, it was all too fast for me to properly register and analyze." He sighed.
Jerry was happy to hear this. It seemed Ciara had a secret weapon she could use against Legris. If she formulated a strategy revolving around this mystery, she could get the upper hand!
"I didn't use Aether. All of that was immensely concentrated wind and spatial pressure." Ciara responded very calmly.
'WHAT?! WHY WOULD YOU TELL HIM THAT?!' Jerry's thoughts screamed.
That could have totally been a hidden card that she could utilize to her advantage.
Why was she just revealing her cards to her adversary?!
'Back when I fought him, I ensured to hide my skills and trick him in order to gain the best chances of success!'
Ciara was much stronger than him, so Jerry knew that if she was to employ such a strategy, her chances of victory would be even higher.
So why…?
"Why are you telling him everything?!" Before he realized it, Jerry yelled out his thoughts.
"Eh?"
"Hm?"
Ciara and Legris respectively stared at him, almost in joint surprise at his words.
The way they looked at him made it seem like he was out of his mind.
And their joint response? It sent him to the very edge of insanity.
"Why not?"
*
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