Chapter 41

A Dangerous Choice

“So you’ve used it…” Daedalus said flatly, his voice sounding more disappointed than indifferent.

“I’m sorry…” Vlanca stuttered, unable to stop the tremors of her lips. “I-”

“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted before gazing back at the old woman who glowered back at him. “Lady Katarina, would you have a chat first…” He smiled wickedly. His eyes widened in delight. “Or a fight?”

“Neither!” Katarina gritted her teeth, her fiery emerald orbs shot a warning of violence. “Where is your-”

Daedalus blinked behind her and aimed to slice her neck. “I need no answer. Your eyes said it all.”

She quickly spun, curling backward with her stomach protruding before parrying the attack with her short staff. “I do not have the time to play along with your little games, Daedalus…” She rolled to the ground. “Where is your sister?” she asked once she stood back up. Cinders and black hoots clung on her long ashen dress and braided white hair.

Daedalus placed his left arm over his right shoulder while still holding the sword in his right hand. He bowed. “Lady Allegia...”

Katarina stayed silent, taking deep breaths to keep her calm. Such petty provocation wouldn’t work on her.

“You should not worry.” He straightened his posture as his eyes narrowed. “Pasifae will not hurt the boy. After all, he’s an important piece for this negotiation.”

“Negotiation you say?” She scoffed. “You spout the lamest joke, Daedalus. Do you honestly think I’ll listen?”

“I already know you’d say that.” He let out a deep sigh. “So I guess I’ll have to use some force then.” Not a second later, he vanished, appearing once again behind the old lady. This time, he grabbed her left arm and stabbed his blade crosswise.

In reflex, Katarina spun again as she took rapid steps to encircle her assailant. Before he could let go of her, she had already moved behind him. She grabbed his left arm and mimicked his attack. She pushed her short staff forward at a forty-five-degree angle downward.

Immense pain coursed through Daedalus’s left leg. He bit his lower lip, but a short repressed groan still echoed. If not for his barrier magic that coated his whole body, the wave spell from the staff would have crushed his leg into pieces.

Daedalus hadn’t even recovered from the initial attack when Katarina readied her staff to deliver another blow. An inch before it connected, he immediately cast his blink spell to flee.

The kordozas gasped at the sudden turn of events. Their bodies stiffened still, even though they couldn’t move in the first place. “What in the world?” Kasheda muttered, her words almost inaudible. “That human’s mana control... Unbelievable.”

Vlanca, on the other hand, stood in her place like a fist. Her eyes couldn’t be any bigger. Slow deep breaths came in and out of her mouth.

“Remember Daedalus, you never won a single duel against me,” Katarina said. “Or have you gone inept after all these years?”

“Stop the folly, Katarina.” He laughed mockingly, his eyes brimming with confidence. “I know you barely have any mana left.”

“True.” She laughed as well, causing Daedalus to stop his own. “I never thought the magic I’ve been researching these past four years will turn its fangs against me. However…”

Daedalus raised a brow, not saying a word.

“I don’t think you have forgotten. It was us who discovered that spell...” A weak dry wind blew between them as her expression turned grim. After a quarter of a second, she vanished and appeared near Goliath’s broken parts that were still affected by strong gravity. The orb in her staff then turned green. “Sisimo,” she muttered. In that instant, the spell was lifted, but instead of a giant, three figures began to form.

“But would that make a difference, La-dy-A-lle-gi-a?”

“Maybe not much, Daedalus. But then again, if I wanted to protect Arthur, I’d have to take a little risk...” She smiled as Garo, Pirro and Servo fully regenerated and dashed towards the forest. She then briefly looked at Vlanca. “Vlanca,” she called with a soft voice.

“Yes!?” She exclaimed, the word almost coming out like a whimper.

“Please, make sure that Arthur is safe. I’m depending on you.”

The demon girl hesitated for a moment. But realizing that she’s not much of help anyway, she immediately nodded and followed the Arisens.

No more words were said when Katarina suddenly sprinted towards Daedalus. She leaped after closing enough distance and aimed to stab his heart with her right arm stretched forward. Daedalus read the attack, and deflected it at the very last second, right as the staff was about to hit. He then capitalized on her broken posture and swung his sword diagonally. To avoid the attack, Katarina blinked behind him and thrust her staff, but Daedalus already predicted it too as he teleported behind her while continuing his blade slash. What he didn’t expect, however, was for Katarina to use blink again. Now, beside him, battering his waist with tremendous power before blinking a third time away from him.

Daedalus groaned in pain. His free hand unconsciously massaging his hurting waist while Katarina coughed up some blood.

“Now I get it…” he said after a while, his lips curving into a wry smile. His hand was still holding his waist, trying to heal himself. “But this isn’t a little risk. You can die, Kata-”

“I won’t die! I can’t afford to die,” Katarina replied sharply. “And you don’t have to heal yourself, Daedalus. That wave spell has another spell enchanted on it to prevent regeneration.”

A series of loud laughter reverberated. “I expect nothing less of the Master Enchantress of the fallen Allegia Dukedom,” he paused, his face suddenly turned dark; his eyes - a reflection of malice and contempt. “I extremely hate you after all.”

“Good to know, because the feeling is mutual...” Katarina glared. “Traitor!”

A brief silence blared before Daedalus changed his stance. Ice developed below his feet. Then both of them disappeared and reappeared midway. Their swords and staff clanged as they collided. Daedalus pushed. He dragged her back, sensing Katarina’s weakening attack. But the old woman seized the opportunity to vanish once more, causing Daedalus to lose his balance ahead. She reappeared beside him again and pounded her staff before he could respond. In reflex, Daedalus blinked away, ignoring the cooldown of the ability.

Their backs were both arching slightly forward as they sucked deep breaths in succession. They groaned as their hearts ached before they exchanged stabbing glares.

“How could that woman even fight that man?” Kapeha said in disbelief as Katarina and Kareya continued their fight. The clangs and clanks of their weapons becoming more of a 'background noise'. “I could barely feel her mana from here.”

“I don’t know…” Kareya responded, not taking her eyes off from the two as well. “But that woman’s mana control is out of this world. It’s as if not a single drop of it is wasted.”

“But she’ll die soon if this continued,” said Kasheda. “Or worse, something more ominous may happen. She’s practically poisoning herself…”

“What do you mean, Elder Queen?” asked Kaleva.

“There’s a reason that man doesn’t use his teleportation spell too often, Kaleva. Remember that everything is brimming with mana. What do you think will happen to the mana in the air if they use the ability?”

“Wouldn’t it just past through them?”

“Normally yes, but that’s because living all things involuntarily sensed mana around them to let foreign magical energy move independently while some are processed by the skin, or in our case by our carapace, for an additional supply of energy. However,” she paused, seeing that the battling humans before them used the same ability one after another. “When one suddenly appeared in an open space, the body had no time to prepare. All the foreign mana in that space are stuck in the body.”

“In other words…” Kapeha stiffened as Daedalus sent a barrage of ice lance towards the old woman which she dodged with relative ease by disappearing farther away. “If they use it in succession, their body can’t process a sudden surge of mana inside, causing internal damage and bleeding, correct?”

“Yes… and using that ability alone, that woman is forcing Daedalus to give up his upper hand. Even if that man uses a lot of spells for his advantage, it’s no use if they wouldn’t hit. He can’t even lock her down. She’s forcing him to poison himself because if he doesn’t keep up, she’ll use his own cautiousness to create an opening and attack. So now, it’s a battle whose body collapsed first.”

The queen laughed nervously. “To think that human monsters exist. This is truly unbelievable.”

“That’s because there are more to this world than this island, young ones,” Kasheda answered softly. “If you travel outside, it’s not impossible to find others stronger than them. No, I’m certain there are a lot of people much stronger than them.”

The other kordozas didn’t reply. They couldn’t, seeing that Daedalus and Katarina’s duel entered its final stages. The two were panting, their eyes filled with bloodlust. Their bodies were covered in dirt and bruises.

Finally, there’s only a little time left before their long day would be over... or so they thought.