Doomed to Die in 3 Minutes

Saintly Sword

“Hey, please, don’t do this. It’s not going to end well for anyone. I’m not worth it!” I yell but the swirling storm of magical energy and martial prowess blocks me out completely. They stare each other down and it’s about to begin any second now. This is terrible. I can’t do anything! This is really happening and there’s nothing I can do to stop it! Wait… maybe… I take out my hatchet and hold on to it for dear life. Maybe if enough time passes without a winner, maybe I can just get their attention with one big hit?

The two women are not moving. They stare, waiting, and watching for an opening. It’s hard to breathe as I look for the slightest hint of action. They are imagining how the fight will go in their heads, trying to preempt and counter their rival while taking minimal damage. My body becomes aware of every little thing. The force and temperature of the wind. Their faint breaths, the tiny drops of sweat falling from their brows. The killer looks held in their eyes. Small twitches in their fingers and flexing of muscles as they get ready to pounce.

The silver bullet goes first. A flash of steel going straight for the neck. It’s blindingly fast, at least ten times as swift as the attacks she was throwing at me earlier if not more. Alisa easily steps away from the path of the attack and kicks with her right leg which is immediately met with the large shield of the lady knight. There’s a smirk on Agarde’s face as the shield lights up with a radioactive red. Boom! A flash of hellfire and black smoke! 

“Cute. You’ll need better than that.” Alisa is unscathed as she flips midair and spins thus following up with a second kick, this time from her left leg and from a back position, adding centrifugal force to the attack. It meets the shield head on again and a second explosion occurs upon contact yet again! The smoke is this time parted immediately with a slap of Alisa’s hand. Her body has no scars or blemishes from the fiery reactions though her clothes seem to have taken a few rough burns here and there. In contrast, Agarde’s shield has a rather deep gash from the bottom left to the top right now.

There’s a look of discomfort and wounded pride on the face of Agarde as she realises her shield has been tarnished by her foe. “Very well.” Venom in her voice. A low buzzing sound fills my ears, her sword begins to vibrate at sonic speeds! “Saintly Sword: Miracle Storm!” The blade swings and to my eyes, it becomes not one weapon but hundreds. Slashes cover my field of view and they are all aimed at Alisa, hoping to rip her to shreds while also blocking off all paths of escape. A wall of razor winds.

The response is just as extraordinary. Alisa’s hands seem to also multiply as they bat away and redirect the cage of swords coming her way, her eyes are unwavering and completely focused on pushing any and all attacks towards her with the lightest touch to make them fall harmlessly into the open air. This exquisite display of skill coupled with power from both combatants picks up in speed and strength on both sides with each passing moment! I gulp as my eyes are glued to the scene and my fingers grip harder on my only hope of intervention.

The roaring metal hits a massive bass. A graze against a cheek. A small splatter of blood. Alisa had finally been tagged by Agarde, who immediately continues to press the attack, her barrage only growing more fierce than before and at a much faster pace! The cuts are minuscule but now they are landing and over time the damage will surely pile up. This is no longer the seemingly one-sided fight it was seemingly a few moments before. 

“Finally, you have some bite to go with your bark.” Alisa smiles widely. Something inside of her has been flipped, the keys to the ignition have been turned and she’s about to be kicked into high gear. Alisa pulls her right fist back as far as her shoulder will let her and then launches an uppercut with the strength of a rocket heading into space! The storm of swords is dispersed and blown away with just minimal effort! Agarde only appears surprised for a moment. She can’t afford to let up. 

“Saintly Sword: Gravity Collapse!” A simple but efficient lunge done in a single precise movement that was trained to the pinnacle of skill for a near mechanical level of accuracy. The name is no metaphor. The world at the tip of the sword spins and crushes everything around it. Her blade has become a black hole of obliterating power. Distortion as the ground is ripped apart and forced to be smeared into nothing but atoms! 

“Hah!” Alisa responds without hesitation. A kick from her right as if the hurdling black hole was a football. The two forces clash head-on yet again. The sword is forced to bow before the foot. It collapses into the earth and is inert of all power. “Had enough yet?” Alisa taunts her foe. In this position what could Agard even do? Her blade is under the hell of her enemy and she cannot pull it out… but I know that look. That look in her eyes, it’s the one where you won’t admit defeat no matter what the odds are. The face you make when you’re going to challenge destiny. 

“Saintly Sword: Ascent of the Dragon!” The sword rises and becomes something else. Power incarnate. Alisa is thrown into the air as the silver pillar screams as it yearns to fly free in the heavens. The clouds in the skies above part and for just a second the wind is knocked out of my lungs and my body is sent tumbling to the ground from the aftershock. Alisa is likewise on her ass from the sudden show of force.

“Hah.. hah… hah…. Ha… hah…. Hah… ha…” Agarde is panting. Her entire face is covered in sweat. Did she consume a lot of MP to do that in addition to a heavy tax on her body? That had to be it. To actually force Alisa to move took so much out of her, but the candle in her gaze is not done yet. The flame burns brightest before it goes out after all. 

“Saintly Sword: Trial by Fire!” Her sword begins vibrating again and this time she smashes it not towards the prone Alisa but to her shield. The resonating effect as they make contact sings out a song of destruction, the moment of impact being the crack of a whip demanding subservience. 

The world is dyed red as fire bursts from the ground below them. Like a volcano erupting.