Lila squeaked, leaning forward in her chair as a cloud of sand caked her freckled cheeks. "How are they still going?"
Ivy's Psionic Ambience remained a shining beacon in the storm, undeterred by the previous penetration. Sonera kept pace just as well, her ferocity undimmed by the exhaustion of battle. It was as if neither had been wounded in the first place.
The roar of clanging metal had become almost unbearable, intensifying with every exchange. Lila could only manage a glimpse of the two girls as the sand around them was violently dispersed. Yet the equality of their measure began to slip.
Sonera was on the offensive.
It was as if the blade and the girl had become one and the same. For no matter how many times she was thwarted, Sonera swung again, oftentimes in rapid succession. She had abandoned all other talents in favor of unfettered speed.
Not even a second could pass without her bloodied edge colliding with the heiress. And while Ivy remained composed, there appeared a slight fault in her otherwise stoic expression. A violent snap then deafened the arena as a series of sparks showered Ivy's face. Her staff had shattered.
This was it.
Lunae covered her eyes. Lila couldn't keep them closed. She felt almost betrayed, witnessing the sheer lack of hesitation behind Sonera's lunge.
"Ivy!"
An explosion of air knocked the girl flat. Fortunately, Lunae had caught the Earthling just in time for Lila to observe the spectacle that lay before her. There Ivy stood, her eyes beaming with crimson light as she held her twinkling salvation.
Sonera's old sword.
Yet modified, in a fashion fit for an heiress.
Lila didn't have time to soak in all the precious details, like how Ivy's pale blade glistened with a coat of pale ice, nor the way it rejected Sonera's twisted weapon. She was far too busy reckoning with the impossible. For despite their mighty clash, both Ivy and Sonera had managed to press their blades together at the very tip.
"L-Lunae," Lila whispered into the mind of her precious friend. "I think Ivy-."
"She can't," Lunae gasped, clenching the Earthling's forearm. "Yrix won't let her!"
Sonera twisted her wrist with a scowl, slipping out of the bind and guiding her sword toward the heiress. Ivy answered in kind as she slid on her knees, twirling about with a backhanded lunge. It was a desperate gambit - and one that relied entirely on the broken staff still clutched in her left hand.
But by then it was too late. The assassin had played an identical hand, dooming them both to a grueling exchange. The sand ran red with blood as Sonera's radiant knife sliced through Ivy's torso.
"Nngh," her own grunt pried its way out as she looked down to find a metal shard buried deep.
She could hear Ivy panting a mile away. It was like a beckoning call, taunting Sonera to continue her onslaught. Every bone in her body was practically screaming for another attack. It made sense, in the moment.
Why give the heiress a moment of respite?
Sonera swiveled about as she removed the staff from her side. But upon pouncing at the heiress, who seemed winded and off-kilter, she found herself soon acquainted with the floor. The shrill grunt that soon followed should have been music to Ivy's ear. Yet the expression on her face told a different story.
She was tired. Even if the heiress wished to stamp Sonera into the ground right then and there, exhaustion had rendered her a kneeling mess. That moment of hesitation proved dire as a flaming heel kick sent her tumbling across the sand.
A soft flicker of pale light confirmed Ivy's worst fears. Her Ambience was fading. But so too was Sonera's, given the dimness of her radiant glow. Ivy coughed violently before plucking herself off the sand. Her only hope was to match Sonera in her disheveled shape.
If not for her previous encounter with the twins, Ivy might have despaired in that fateful moment. But she had already expected Sonera to press on against all odds. That was her ace in the hole from the start.
Sonera clenched her fist, exchanging her failing Ambience for that new, sickly power. She stared for a moment, cold and emotionless, before a set of tendrils emerged from her back. Its refracted light only flickered for a moment as the assassin began to levitate.
"Come on." Ivy stood up with a pant. "There you go."
Her whispers were audible exclusively to Yrix, who seemed more and more invested in the outcome. Such anticipation, however, only worsened Lila's fear. She was practically on the verge of fainting.
"Come on," the heiress continued her drivel. "I don't know what's inside you. But if it's anything like me-."
Sonera hovered in preparation. She was expecting another matador-like response from Ivy. But with her newfound strength, Ivy was of little consequence.
"Her ambience," Lunae pointed. "It's still gone!"
She hadn't expected herself to hang on longer than Lila. By then, the princess had quite the reputation as a damselette. Perhaps it was the fervor of her mother that kept her in one piece. Either way, Lunae had found who to truly root for.
Lila felt a scratch on the back of her head. "Wait."
Ivy was tugging on their bond - pleading for a blessing Lila could not provide. All she could rely on was the memory of their time together, and the bravery of her dear partner. No matter the odds, Lila would always hurl herself into danger for Ivy.
That was her strength.
The concept of artificial sentience was quite the conundrum, even for her father. If, theoretically, a program can perfectly imitate all qualities of an organism, would its legitimacy then be incidental? Algernon always argued that case. It compelled him to push further into the abyss, wherein he found the Mimic.
Ivy closed her eyes. She breathed in, then out, as if she were truly a girl. The time had come.
Sonera shifted her weight, marking her opponent for death with a silvery gaze. But it was those same eyes that suddenly widened with amazement as a pale streak flew towards her. She choked as though feeling the weight in her body depart, flailing about in helpless confusion.
By the time she realized her own mistake, Ivy had already crossed the distance between them, using what Sonera was sure had to be Lila's speed. But that alone shouldn't have been enough. She was unstoppable. The curse of Neirophen, which Ivy had so callously taunted, could not be dispersed by mere conventional strength.
Sonera's eyes darted around for answers, desperate to understand her situation. A fraction of a second had passed since Ivy approached, but for Sonera it felt far longer. Time itself seemed to be distorted.
Finally, she spotted the floating shards around her, their reflection painted with the memories of Ivy's dream. Part of Sonera wanted to curse the old pictures. Her pride had never yet handled a true loss. But in the end, not even the rage of a Psionic spirit could hold back her glee as the images of Lunae and Lila appeared before her.
Ivy floated in front of Sonera with gritted teeth. She barely understood the power she wielded. Still, in that singular moment, the heiress had struck the perfect blow.
Harmless in its perfection.
Lila blinked just as Sonera crumpled to the floor. Her abilities had been sealed away. And without Ambience, she was nothing more than an injured girl.
"Ivy," she muttered to herself, staring up at the heiress as she descended like an angel.
Ivy's feet touched the ground as she limped towards Sonera. That should have been the end of things. She had her wings, her strength, and an endless arsenal of weaponry that proved more than enough to slay a single girl.
Sonera accepted her fate, staring longingly into Ivy's soul with complete acceptance. She didn't wish to die, not while Lunae and her family still needed her. But she had made a promise.
"Lunae?" Lila stared in disbelief.
She could tell something was off. Lunae wasn't panicking. If anything, she seemed relieved, although gravely cautious.
"Do it," Yrix ordered. "You've won."
Sonera remained perfectly still as Ivy extended her hand. She refused to flinch, not even in death. But what she found instead unraveled everything.
"No." Ivy withdrew her hand. "No, I won't!"
The Consortium flinched all around her. Yrix, most of all, seemed visibly agitated. She hated being wrong.
"Because you know what?!" Ivy spat. "Fuck you!"
Lila's heart raced, its rhythm driven by excitement instead of dread. A rebellion of sorts seemed inevitable. And while her odds were still certainly dire, she was ready for anything. Such was the excitement of a girl who had averted disaster.
"Fuck my dad!" the heiress cursed as she turned away from Sonera to point her finger. "Fuck your Emperor. Fuck all of you!"
She felt invigorated in her rage, so much so that she failed to notice the assassin clutching her own skull.
Is that it?
Is that all you can do?
To lose here, like a useless sack of meat.
And to that cadaver, of all things?
"No!" Sonera struggled. "Y-..."
She went silent.
"Sonera?" Lunae's face went cold as the color drained from her face. "Sonera!"
No one else noticed in the excitement, save for Yrix. The Arch-Flayer had abandoned her frustration in hopes of a final lesson. Indeed, it felt good to be right.
"Someone has to teach you," she muttered in no particular direction, all so that her warning could go unheard. "And this time, I won't save you."