sukendo

“It was definitely intense at the beginning, but I figured it out. Like I told you before, I have extensively studied martial arts. Mastery over one’s body is fundamental. I can already feel my magic growing stronger thanks to it. We have some time before the intermission ends. Shall I begin teaching you the workout? I feel like I get the best results when I do it while wearing this.”

These dark stars made her shudder in fear, for while she looked at them, she could sense them looking right back at her, weighing down on her soul with their insidious will. There were no thoughts, no feelings, but what she felt was unquestionably evil. The magic circle around her feet shattered like glass, and Valia dropped to one knee while clutching her head and hissing in pain.

Alexis sighed. “I’ve lost fights before, plenty of times, as you can imagine. But Bella, that was something else. I failed, Noah. I failed to protect the Knight’s Sheath, my comrades, the king. I was knocked aside by a monster that defies the laws of nature. No matter how much I train, how much I struggle, what good is it when someone like Bella, who never fought a day in her life, can suddenly become an unholy demigod and crush us like we’re insects? How is that fair? Part of me did want to take part in the tournament, to show everyone, including myself, how strong I am. But… I was afraid I would instead be reminded of how weak I am.”