122: Knives in the Dark, Part Eleven

Knives in the Dark, Part Eleven

Even though Lia went out of her way to allow Neve to heal, the present situation could still accurately be described as sub-optimal. 

Lia had entered her second phase, evidenced by the change in her eye color and the blood-crimson flames wrapped around her daggers. Neve's mana was currently at 260, slowly regenerating while her opponent stood in front of her, waiting for her to give her any indication that it was time to resume the battle. 

Understanding that this was likely an opportunity no other boss would ever give her, Neve let blood drip from her chin to the floor as she tried to think of a plan. 

Even if she somehow ran around this arena long enough for her mana to reach 300 and she summoned Erin again, the problem with that was that she'd be completely useless from that point on. 

And, with this enemy being as fast and skilled as she was, if Erin failed to beat her then Neve would simply be screwed. 

At the same time, she understood pretty well that the chances of her beating Lia in a fair fight, even with her opponent being as wounded as she was, were painfully slim. 

That put her in a difficult position. 

She needed Erin out here, as she stood no chance on her own, but once she summoned Erin again, she would be completely useless. 

"Come on, Neve~" Lia hissed with a low giggle. "Don't keep me waiting. I'm getting impatient." 

Neve breathed in. 

One solution came to mind. 

It was likely to end in tragedy, but it was all she could think of at the moment. 

[... I have to fight her, don't I? Long enough for my mana to come back, and enough to help kill her after. That's the only solution I can think of right now.] 

Sayran's Holy Blade. The legendary weapon she'd acquired on the previous floor. If she could use it to hold out until she could summon Erin, and then use it to assist her with the fight, then...

... Maybe, just maybe, she stood a chance. 

[Realistically, if Lia takes this fight as seriously as possible, I'll die in seconds. Speed and agility are the biggest counters to my usual "run around and drag the fight out" strategy. So... That means I need to keep playing along with her personality,] Neve reasoned. [Keep her entertained. Make it so that she doesn't want to end the fight as quickly as she could. Then, I might win.] 

Bait. That was what she needed. In order to come out on top, she'd have to bait Lia into acting the way she wanted. 

But, how?

Neve stared back at Lia, thinking about her. She analyzed the woman. Every action she'd taken, every word she'd spoken during the few conversations they'd had. Neve tried hard to think about what made her tick. 

Eventually, she thought of an answer. One she'd have to gamble everything on. 

Once that answer arrived, it was time to begin. 

She started by casting seven spells.

{Great Healing Dart} six times and {Rorvan's Spirit} once. 

MP: 150/1100 (+25% regen)

Her body was fully healed after the second cast of {Great Healing Dart}. The other four casts came for the purpose of activating Sayran's Holy Blade. 

A divine aura covered her awakened weapon. Amused, Lia narrowed her eyes at Neve. 

"Oh? Were you hiding something from me? That's a little ru-" 

Neve charged forward. 

"AAAAGH!" Neve gave a hearty war cry as she ran up, her divine blade aimed at Lia's chest. Surprised, Lia hopped back, parrying Neve's thrust easily. 

The healer did not let up, though. She followed after Lia, swinging her sword wildly and finding little success with it. 

Amused, Lia watched on as Neve tried to strike her down, eventually blocking one of her attacks and moving her left dagger forward. 

The healer barely registered the attack. 

She froze, feeling a sharp pain on the left side of her face that made her worry that her head had just been split in half. Instead, all Lia had inflicted upon her was a single, cauterized cut on her cheek. 

MP: 175/1100 (+35% regen)

"Hehehe," Lia giggled. "No, no, by all means. Don't be discouraged. Keep it up." 

Gritting her teeth, Neve did just that. 

She pushed her limbs to the limit, moving as quickly as her body would allow. Straining her arms and legs so much that she began feeling sore in real-time, Neve swung her blade at Lia. With each parry, the divine light from her sword flashed. White light intermittently cut through the crimson hues brought by the bloody moon. 

No matter how hard she tried, though, she just couldn't land a hit on Lia. 

Again, as Neve attempted to use a move Erin had taught her, dashing in and aiming her blade at Lia's right thigh, the woman leaped into the air, landing behind Neve. As she did this, she held a dagger out and cut a black line down Neve's back, from her nape all the way down to her Venus dimples. 

MP: 200/1100 (+60% regen)

"Ack!" 

Neve fell forward to her knees, as the dagger's kiss caused her legs to falter. 

She lost her grip over her sword and staff. The two of them fell in front of her, as Lia circled around to stand before the kneeling mage. 

Neve quickly took those weapons up and pulled back a couple of steps, holding them out. 

One phrase bounced off the walls of Neve's mind.

[Not yet...] She told herself. [Not yet.] 

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Her body was crying from overexertion, but Neve begged it to keep going. 

Mainly, because the prediction she'd made before engaging LIa had been correct. Her plan was working. She didn't know how much longer it would be working but, for now, it was working. 

Once more, she ran at Lia. 

Casually, carefree, the woman deflected each and every one of Neve's attacks, dealing quick cuts in between each one. Neve's body became covered in black lines, as each one was cauterized immediately thanks to those red flames. It was enough to make Neve wonder what exactly this woman had done before the Unity Trials. She was dressed like a nun, but taking into consideration the skill she displayed, she had to have been a trained assassin. 

Eventually, Lia figured it wasn't even worth it to expend the effort to bring her daggers up and instead began leaning out of the way of Neve's attacks, the way an experienced boxer might avoid the punches of a flailing rookie. 

Neve went for one overhead attack that Lia ducked under. Then, Lia moved in, kissed Neve on the cheek, and slashed her twice. Once across her abdomen, and once along the side of her thigh, all before Neve had even finished her swing. 

Neve looked down. She feared she'd see her guts spill out the way Erin's had, but no. The cut was only surface-level. 

Probably, on purpose. 

Lia laughed behind Neve, as the healer stumbled forward and turned to face her. 

"... You still haven't given up?" Lia asked, her red eyes setting Neve's heart on fire. "Are the people of your world that strong-willed? Come on, Neve. You know it's pointless, right?" 

And yet, those words in and of themselves let Neve know that it wasn't. That her assessment of the situation was right. More time was all she needed. 

[Just a little while longer...] She thought, before running up again with her sword raised to the sky. 

Lia sidestepped her and put a leg out, tripping Neve. In a hurry, Neve scrambled to stand back up and slashed out from side to side, with Lia avoiding her attacks easily. 

As she did that, Lia asked:  2

"How much longer will your hope last? How much more will you struggle before you accept that your life is ending tonight?" 

That was it. 

That was what Neve had bet her life on. 

Lia was a sadist.

Neve had assumed that if given the chance, she would toy with her. Play with her food. If all she cared about was killing Neve, she would have just done so back at the bell tower. Instead, she'd sat there and waited, looking into Neve's eyes as her blood spread on the wooden floor. 

She'd said it herself prior to this. Killing Neve was, obviously, the conclusion she wanted, but what Lia truly desired was to witness the process of life fading from Neve's eyes. And, right now, that life was manifesting in the form of the hope and willpower that fueled each and every one of Neve's swings. 

That's why she was fighting like this, with gritted teeth and desperate, panicked movements. That's why she was trying so hard. And that was the only reason Lia hadn't ended this fight yet. 

Because what Lia wanted was to see the moment when Neve realized victory was impossible. The moment true and cold despair settled in. Then she'd end her. 

Knowing that, a thought came to Neve as she stood there. 

[... It's kind of ironic, actually. I came into the Final Challenge in hopes of getting killed, but ever since the Unity Trials started, I don't think I've wanted to live as badly as I do right now. I don't want to give this bitch the satisfaction she's looking for.] 

Neve's body was just about to give up on its own, though. 

She estimated that she had enough energy for one more outburst. One more display of life and hope to keep Lia entertained before the willpower fueling her act ran out.

Neve's chest rose and fell with each heavy breath she took. Strands of her hair fell in front of her face, blocking most of her view to the point where all she could see was Lia herself. 

Maybe, Lia knew that this performance was coming to a close, judging by the grin on her face, and the way her hands wrapped tightly around her daggers, like she was preparing herself for one more clash. 

[Yeah... I think this next move is it. I'll do my best, I'll commit to the plan, and then... Whatever happens, happens I guess.] 

"Aaa... AAAGH!" Neve cried out as she ran forward. 

Lia remained perfectly still, waiting for her. 

Neve didn't bother complicating this attack too much. She went for a horizontal swing that was extremely telegraphed. 

At the last moment, however, just as she'd been about to reach Lia, Neve pulled her sword back and pushed her staff forward. 

Her MP had just reached 300. Neve spent it all in an instant, summoning Erin behind Lia. The usual sharp pain of reaching 0 mana stabbed at Neve's heart. 

The enemy reached by spinning to slash the lamia as soon as she'd appeared, her daggers creating a circle of red flames around her body. Erin dodged away. 

Neve reached Lia. The healer tried to stab Lia in the back, but the woman leaned her torso to the right and avoided the thrust. 

It would have been simpler if this attack had connected, but, oh well. Neve would have to do this the hard way. 

[... It worked just a bit ago. Why fix what isn't broken, right?] 

As always. 

She dropped her sword and her staff. 

"Hm?" Lia watched the items hit the ground. 

Neve wrapped her arms around Lia. The woman's eyes widened. 

"ERIN!" Neve cried out.

"You-!" 

Erin quickly understood what Neve wanted. 

This was not a suggestion Neve had just given to her summon. It was an order. And, as a summon, though there was a flash of concern on her face, Erin did as Neve asked. 

She moved in with {The Lamia's Hunt} activated, covered in a red aura, and then punched straight through Lia's chest. 

And, by extension, Neve's as well. 

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