212: The Healer's Light, Part Nineteen

The Healer's Light, Part Nineteen

3A pair of eyes that were, suddenly, very familiar looked back at Neve.  She understood what this meant the instant that last word left the boss's mouth. 

This person was not related to Aphria. She *was* Aphria. 

Neve couldn't allow that information to shake her, though. Whether the Aphria she'd been speaking to was some sort of an illusion, or whether this was an illusion of some sort, were questions she'd try to answer after the fight was over. 

For now, as evidenced by the two blades the enemy wielded as she walked toward Neve, the healer was still in a fight to the death. 

[3 more {Fireballs},] Neve thought. [3 more and she should die.] 

Just as Neve's {Silence} ran out, she looked over at her mana. 

MP: 810/1300 (+50% regen)

[That regen is coming from my ring. The {Silence} canceled out {Rorvan's Spirit}, so I'm gonna have to cast that again, along with every other part of my setup.] 

Knowing this, Neve slowly took a few steps back. 

Ahead, Aphria tilted her head with some amusement. 

Her blades then began to glow. 

One sword glowed as bright as the sun like it had been coated in the same divine aura Neve's sword produced when it was activated. The other was shrouded, concealed by a shadow. 

As soon as she felt she had enough space to work, Neve summoned Erin. 

MP: 510/1300

The lamia appeared and instantly activated {The Lamia's Hunt}, rushing forward to meet Aphria in the center of the room. 

Neve cast {Field of Brilliance}, {Rorvan's Spirit}, {Encourage}, and {Bolstering Presence} all as quickly as she could. 

Her sword activated in the process. 

MP: 335/1300 (+115% regen)

[Right, blood loss,] Neve thought as she looked at the hand she'd cut open. [I might end up needing every single one of these points, though, so I can't just heal myself yet.] 

With her boosted stats, Erin clashed with this half-corrupted version of Aphria. Their exchanges made Neve's bones quake, as each strike that was blocked or deflected produced sounds as loud as explosions. 

Neve remained focused, though. Not only would she probably have to shield Erin, due to the gap in skill between them, but she would have to find some form of an opening for her {Fireballs}. 

As the two warriors battled, Neve walked in a slow circle, trying to find the right angle. 

Erin likely didn't need to be told that this was Neve's plan, as it looked like she was working to try to get Neve that shot she was looking for. Aphria leaped over her like she had when she killed Erin earlier on in the fight, but the lamia ducked under it. 

She ended up with her body standing between Neve and Aphria, which she knew wasn't ideal, so she quickly ran back in, attacking Aphria from the left, which forced the angel to move to the right, back within Neve's line of sight. 

Perhaps knowing this was the intent behind Erin's moves, Aphria looked back at Neve and the healer found that same purple glint within her eyes. 

[Shit!] 

Not wanting to spend another 300 mana re-summoning Erin, the healer jumped to the right, rolling in an agile way that honestly surprised Neve herself. She did not have time to pat herself on the back, though, as Aphria pushed herself away from Erin with one flap of her black and white wings and ended up right in front of Neve. 

It was all Neve could do to shield herself, bringing her mana down to 290. Both of Aphria's blades crashed into the barrier she'd just made with so much force that even Neve's buffed shield, thanks to her Angel Set, cracked. 

[So, she's definitely trying her hardest to kill me now. Alright, uh... Understood.] 

Those blades pounded against Neve's shields twice more, spreading those cracks, before Erin appeared in a blink, forcing Aphria to back off. 

"It's quite hard to keep her down," Erin muttered to Neve in a rush. "You won't get many chances. Take advantage of any that you do get." 

[You don't have to tell me that,] Neve thought as she looked back at the angel, who was now standing atop the body of one of the monsters she'd killed. 

Looking at it for a moment, Neve realized something. She recognized that monster. It was the worm boss from the 2nd Floor. 

Actually, she recognized a great many of the monsters around this room. The knights Neve faced in the Hall of the Luminous, a woman who looked a lot like Lia dressed in blood-soaked cloth, a few different orcs like the ones Neve saw on the 6th Floor, and others, all thrown around amidst the bodies of monsters Neve did not recognize. 

Like Aphria had fought and won against the same enemies Neve had, and won against many others Neve couldn't even imagine. 

[... She's better than us,] Neve thought, inhaling sharply as Erin engaged Aphria once more. [But, we have the stat advantage. Doesn't matter how skilled you are, if you go up against something that can kill you in three hits, you're bound to lose, right?] 

Neve calmed herself. 

[It's all about finding an opening. That and... Maybe doing something she wouldn't expect.] 

Up ahead, Erin backed off just as Aphria was about to cut through her abdomen. The angel used that space to fly toward Neve. The healer used {Flash Shielding} again, protecting herself from a couple of slashes coming in from the front. 

MP: 265/1300 (125% regen)

[I'm losing too much blood.] 

The angel then lifted herself into the air. Her entire body was coated in some strange, fiery aura before she dove back down, crashing into the ground. 

The ground shook. 

Neve was unsteady, losing her balance. Erin was slightly better off, likely due to her higher Precision stats, but still struggled to move back toward Aphria, who once again quickly closed the distance with Neve. 

But, yet again, Neve was able to raise her staff up in time and shield herself. 

MP: 240/1300 (+135% regen)

Realizing that her body was deteriorating quickly from blood loss, Neve healed herself while the angel's blades bounced off her shields. 

Neve took a look at her mana. 

[I won't be able to summon Erin again.] 

Neve pushed her blade forward, suddenly going for an attack. 

The angel, perhaps sensing that something was wrong, didn't bother blocking the attack and instead flew away. There was a curious look on her face. Neve could tell she was wondering why a mage would try to trade blows with a warrior like that. 

[Good instincts,] Neve thought as she looked back at the angel. [If I had even given you a scrape, I would have inflicted Severe Bleeding.] 

Erin, who had been rushing to come to Neve's defense, ended up in front of her. 

That puzzled reaction gave Neve a moment to whisper to Erin: 

"Just try to get one hit in. That's all I need." 

"... Is that so?" Erin asked. She smiled as she looked at Neve out of the corner of her eye. "I've heard that before. Very well. I will do my best." 

The change was immediately noticeable. 

Erin ran at Aphria once again but threw caution to the wind for the purpose of trying her hardest to get just one good blow in. 

All the while, Neve healed herself once with {Great Healing Dart}, just to make sure that she didn't bleed to death, and stopped. Taking a deep breath, she waited, allowing her mana to regenerate while Erin fought up ahead. 

Erin used {Freezing Gaze}. Having seen the ability once, Aphria reacted appropriately, turning away. 

The lamia dashed forward then and used {Dragon's Divine Breath} to spray flames onto the angel. Aphria jumped up, however, leaping over Erin and landing behind her.  1

From where she stood, Erin bent her body to avoid the slash that followed and then slithered in a circle, coming back around Aphria to where she was now behind the angel. 

Aphria spun and thrust a sword at Erin's gut. 

The lamia allowed it to hit her. 

With the sword within her torso, briefly tying the two of them together, Erin used {Rorvan's Flurry}, lashing out and striking at Aphria repeatedly. 

Neve's eyes caught two hits that landed, with Erin's claws raking Aphria's right shoulder and the center of her chest. 

But, before she could inflict any other blows, Aphria cut her head off with one quick, well-placed slash. 

Erin disappeared. 

And a single {Fireball} reached Aphria's left arm. 

MP: 255/1300 (+75% regen)

Aphria barely reacted as her entire left arm was reduced to ashes. 

[... 2 more.] 

She threw another lazy {Fireball} out, but, predictably, the angel dodged this next one. 

[Oh well. It was worth a shot.] 

Looking over at the healer, who was holding her staff out in Aphria's direction, the angel smirked. 

"... You know," Aphria spoke up, "sentient beings aren't that different from monsters in one key way. Mindless or not, there's always this sense of finality in the air when someone or something's going to make their last stand. And, I'm getting that feeling from you now. Am I correct in thinking that, Sunset? Is our dance coming to an end so soon?" 

Neve nodded. 

"Yeah," she replied with a tense voice. "One way or another, this is it."

Aphria smiled. 

"Show me what you've got, then." 

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