Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 196: Star Players, Part Twenty-Five
{Lianna}
The fights happened one after the other. No breaks, no time to cool down.
Lianna and Enverna’s next opponents were the duo of mages, Thalia and Orlon.
As they strode onto the stage, Lianna and Enverna were met with a surge of anticipation from the crowd, their names echoing through the stadium amidst the thunderous applause.
But amidst the excitement, Lianna’s attention was drawn to something out of place.
A small splatter of blood staining the pristine white surface of the stage.
Her brow furrowed in concern, Lianna’s gaze lingered on the crimson stain, her mind racing with questions.
[Where did it come from? Was someone injured?]
She and Enverna had been backstage, so they didn’t see how this happened.
But before she could dwell on it further, Enverna’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.
"Let me handle most of the fighting," Enverna whispered to Lianna, her tone determined. "Just focus on dodging and staying out of harm’s way."
Lianna nodded in silent agreement, her trust in her partner unwavering as they prepared to face their opponents.
With a deep breath, she pushed aside her distractions, channeling her focus into the upcoming battle.
Their opponents, another male/female duo where both were dressed in mages’ robes, stood before them.
Lianna inhaled sharply.
"COMBATANTS, BEGIN!!!"
As the announcer’s voice boomed across the stadium, signaling the start of the fight, Enverna wasted no time in springing into action.
With a swift and fluid motion, she charged forward, her spear gleaming in the light as she closed the distance between herself and their opponents.
As the battle unfolded, Enverna took charge, her spear flashing in the air as she launched a relentless assault on their opponents.
Lianna, meanwhile, did the only thing she could.
She ran.
With each step, she danced gracefully around the barrage of spells and attacks directed her way. A few spells came within a hairs’ breath of hitting her but Lianna tried not to let it get to her.
Her newfound speed, of course, made it easier.
Bolts of lightning crackled through the air, fizzling out harmlessly as Lianna deftly sidestepped them. Spheres of flame erupted around her, casting an infernal glow as she weaved between them, her reflexes sharp.
Across the stage, Enverna engaged both adversaries with a ferocity that surprised Lianna.
Her spear whirled as she sought to break through their defenses.
The other mage proved to be a formidable opponent, matching Enverna’s skill with swift and precise movements of his own.
But even the most skilled combatant can falter, and as the battle raged on, their opponent’s resolve began to waver.
With a momentary lapse in concentration, he made a critical error, leaving himself vulnerable to attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Enverna sprang into action.
In that crucial moment, she seized her chance, her spear flashing through the air with deadly accuracy.
Naturally, however, she twisted her weapon at the last second, to keep from actually killing the guy.
Instead, she hit his face with the back of her spear, knocking him out cold.
The lady surrendered.
Another round had been won.
[Oh, holy shit,] Lianna hunched over, breathing heavily. [I’m not used to running that much, heh.]
With a triumphant smile, Lianna glanced at Enverna, her eyes alight with pride and admiration.
---
{Cynthia}
With a steely determination in her eyes, Cynthia charged forward, her focus singular and unwavering.
Ignoring the horde of enemies that swarmed around her, she fixed her gaze on the child of mana who stood at the heart of the chaos.
That target was the only person who mattered. If Cynthia could just reach her, all of this would be over.
The girl’s allies moved to intercept Cynthia, a wall of bodies determined to protect their charge at all costs.
But Cynthia was undeterred.
She pulled her swords out of her inventory, her two blades flashing in the sunlight as she began to carve her way through.
Flesh and blood spurted out. With each swing of her swords, a spray of crimson painted the road, a grim sign of the bloodshed that stained their path.
She didn’t enjoy killing this many weaklings but, still, Cynthia pressed on, her resolve unshakeable as she pursued her mark with unrelenting determination.
More adversaries emerged from the shadows and Cynthia met them head-on, leaving a trail of fallen foes in her wake.
She looked up.
The Child of Mana was nervous.
[... Did you not think that this was how things would go?] Cynthia narrowed her eyes. [Do you even know who I am?]
As the child of mana attempted to flee, Cynthia redoubled her efforts, her strides quickening as she closed the distance between them.
With a fierce determination burning in her eyes, she called out to her target, her voice cutting through the chaos like a clarion call.
"Running won’t save you," Cynthia declared, her voice ringing out with conviction. "You can’t hide from what you’ve done."
But her words fell on deaf ears, lost amid the chaos of battle.
The child of mana darted away, her allies moving to shield her retreat with their bodies. But Cynthia was relentless, her blades a blur of motion as she cut her way through their defenses.
With each foe she dispatched, Cynthia grew more resolute, her purpose clear and unwavering.
In such a short amount of time, Cynthia’s black attire had almost fully turned red.
As her adversaries closed in around her, their weapons raised in defiance, Cynthia shook her head, a grim determination etched upon her features.
"Is this truly what you want?" she asked, her voice tinged with sorrow. "Are you willing to sacrifice everything to protect a murderer?"
But her words fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the clamor of battle.
With a heavy heart, Cynthia braced herself for the onslaught, knowing that there would be many, many more bodies on the floor before this was done.
She didn’t like it, but she also knew that she could not falter, not when so much was at stake.
That girl never left her sight.
