I add an upward motion to the overcharged spell because I anticipated Lucinda evading it. So, the spell goes up into the sky instead of hitting someone in the crowd. I feel the clarity given by the hat as Lucinda sprints at me. Without it, it would be harder to aim spells so precisely in the blink of an eye.

She’s being trained by a Vanedeni, which means that even if you are a [Mage], physical combat is not beneath you. Au contraire, it’s actually encouraged. As Lord Juler would put it, [Mages] don’t expect other [Mages] to recklessly charge at them.

Lucinda summons a [Lava Globe] on her palm and adds a spinning motion as she throws it at me.

So that’s the specialty she picked.

A [Lava Mage].

I ignore the globe and move forward a few steps as the spell's trajectory remains unchanged.

In any other case, I would have tried to stay reasonable. But Lucinda knows very well how I react when someone badmouths my mother. And the fact that she would say something so filthy with the sole purpose of enraging me makes it ten times worse.

Right now, I regret not having developed some restraining magic. In fact, I can’t use my best spell since it would kill her. But I don’t have as many spells as I’d like.

[Greater Chain Flash]

I hear shouts coming from the thick crowd as multiple flashes blind them. But, thanks to [Eyes: Light Immunity], I can see Lucinda has no problem seeing through the flashes. She’s unfazed by the pyrotechnics.

Well, if that doesn’t work, I’ll just keep it extremely simple.

[Advanced Mana Sense]

I see a spell matrix appear inside Lucinda’s soul shroud, and I immediately cast a [Light] into it, throwing the matrix in disarray.

Lucinda is momentarily taken aback as she tries to recompose the spell.

But I don’t give her the time.

[Aura Lucis]

[Advanced Light Shaping]

[Light Overcharge]

[Greater Chain Flash]

This time around, I increase the power of the flashes and focus them on Lucinda's face, making them stand just a few centimeters away. Because of the strength of the flash, practically everyone in the area has gone blind for a moment and has started backing away.

As the light fades, I see that Lucinda is still standing. But now, she’s squinting, and her hand is covering her eyes.

“Trying to blind me won’t work, you know.”

“I know, it was a small distraction.”

I take out a small vial from my pocket and throw it at her while the flashes still rage. Even though she has clearly used some spell to protect her eyes, it’s nothing like my immunity.

I smile as the vial shatters at her feet, and a thick, green smoke starts to spread.

“What in the Tree of Life is that?!”

“Just a little something I picked up from the market. The black market.”

“A [Smoke Bomb]?!” she swears.

She tries to dispel the smoke with a [Wind] spell, but it’s too late. The alchemical concoction has already entered her lungs. I am chewing on the antidote, a weird, orange, powdery gum-thingy. I bought this stuff from Robin, the Fellowship’s boss and a quarter Vanedeni, a while ago. Initially , I had thought about using it to sleep when even the spells didn’t work. However, that problem kind of solved itself. I’ve also gotten an antidote because I wasn’t sure if it would poison me. This is the kind of stuff [Assasins] and [Rogues] use to put crowds to sleep and escape from or engage in mass slaughter.

[Advanced Light Lance]

Lucinda is sent flying backward after the spell reaches her. She was already dozing off, and that’s why she hits the ground hard now. I’m unsure if she’s unconscious, but she’s not moving. The crowd is in an uproar, and I hear some people shouting my name. I ignore them and walk toward Lucinda.

“You still up, sleeping beauty?” I say while looking at her sorry figure on the ground. My attack impacted her shoulder and collarbone. I could have broken something if it hadn’t been for the shield she had up very close to her skin. You have to give her credit for being able to react that quickly. Her eyes slowly open, and she gasps.

“Was that an artifact? The shield popped out of nowhere,” I say.

“You, you,” Lucinda breathes heavily, shaking her head. She’s trying to fight off the sleepiness, I guess.

“You are not in any condition to fight,” I say.

“You,” Lucinda says with a trembling voice. “You will pay for this.”

“[Nervous System - Biological Transmission],” Lucinda suddenly shouts.

A green light envelopes her whole body and makes her look like a little fairy. I mean, it would look like a little fairy if her skin wasn’t threatening to burst because of the enlarged veins.

“Wow, that’s not a good look on you,” I smile.

“You are a filthy bastard!”

Lucinda suddenly jumps back on her feet as if she had just turned into Bruce Lee.

I take a few steps back and crack my fingers.

“So, what’s up with that? Are you what now, a [Biomancer]?”

“Joey, you are a--”

[Light Acceleration]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

[Advanced Light Lance]

I don’t wait for whatever stupid reason she came up with to justify attacking me in the middle of the street and insulting my mother to provoke a reaction. I’m getting fed up with the bullshit people are coming up with to annoy the shit out of me. So I empower the magic with [[Aura Lucis]], ensuring that, this time, they would hit with extra oomph. I don’t overcharge them to avoid killing her, though.

“Lucinda, dear, I’m trying to work on myself. I don’t have time for this bullshit,” I say while the multitude of projectiles suddenly reach her.

“[Flesh Enhancement]!”

This time, Lucinda’s veins go back inside the skin, but her whole complexion turns red. And that’s when she starts punching myattacks out of the air.

“[Lava Shield],” she starts bizarrely moving her hands, creating after-effect [Lava Shields] in the trail left by her limbs, shielding herself from the hit and letting the projectile just impact either her shields or punching them as if they weren’t super-fast.

As soon as the mini-tempest of [Accelerated: Advanced Light Lances] runs out, she looks at me dead in the eye.

“[Flesh Mage] or [Biomancer], I guess. A little she-hulk casting lava, huh?”

Lord Juler mentioned something about Valarith and this being her thing, I believe. Not 100% sure, though. Anyway, those are the classes I know that can augment their own physical capabilities during combat. Interestingly enough, most practitioners cannot affect others or buff them because of the soul-shroud thingy. However, they double as physical-oriented [Battle Mages]. Sometimes [Battle Mages] pick up some of the skills belonging to those two classes to become stronger.

“You are going to lose, Joey,” Lucinda speak out in a deeper, huskier voice.

Side-effect from the natural steroids she just used on herself? Who knows. Can a [Flesh Mage] also make their boobs bigger?

“Lucy, this is getting silly. And I’m getting angry. Can we please stop this ruse before someone gets hurt?”

“You really don’t care, do you?!”

“Care about what?”

“Valarith told me that a Vanedeni would never behave like you did!”

“Ok? And?!”

“She agreed to take me her disciple, Joey! Do you have any idea what that means?!”

I look around and mumble: “Well, I guess everyone might know what that means now.”

Not the smartest choice. But the Vanedenis do not care for secrecy, unlike every other sane person. Their motto is to have your trump cards be so strong you don’t need to keep them hidden. You simply steamroll your enemies. That’s what they do.

“So, you are a Vanedeni wannabe, and you need to try and beat me to prove to your Princess that you are not just a desperate wuss?”

“You are the most ignorant, petulant idiot I have ever known!” she screams.

“Me? Girl, you stopped me like a madman in the middle of the road. I could have seen Princess Laura do that, but it appears you share the same brand of crazy.”

Suddenly, an idea starts taking shape inside my head.

“Well, give me a second because I know something about the Vanedenis that you might have never heard before.”

I take a deep breath under the scrutinizing eye of the crowd. I’m pretty sure Valarith is currently present somewhere around here, watching what her batshit crazy disciple is doing. Now, I have already landed a few hits, and honestly, I have different plans. Angry? Sure. But you know, maybe it’s time for a change. The last time I threw gasoline on the fire, I ended up killing people. Do you know how cops are supposed to learn how to de-escalate situations as the first counter-measure to public unrest? Well, when you date a lot of women, you learn a neat trick that might serve the same purpose.

[Light-Bended Reality]

“Lucinda, do you know that the Vanedenis are a pluriferous population?”

“A what?”

“Pluriferous. You are an academic and you don’t know what that means?”

“Joey, stop playing stupid games! Say what you have to say and then fight me! What would your teacher say of your cowardice?!”

“Well, long story short, the Vanedenis are really saccharocolical people. And that influenced their long history of conflict — a lot! Hell, so much you can’t even imagine. You basically have to consider that in a hypothetical scenario with two Vanedenis and a Siren--like, you know? That would be absolutely crazy, wouldn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?!”

...

“He’s gone,” Valarith says, appearing out of nowhere by Lucinda’s side, while my light-generated copy and a little spell to relay my voice goes on a tirade with made-up words and nonsensical conclusions.

And that, kids, is how you ghost a crazy hoe.