Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 69: A Test of Faith.

I no longer had a choice but to stand up and fight. Not only was I threatened, but I was filled with a new burning resolve, and it was all due to a single person.

"Seriously, he truly is the worst… Threatening a girl just like that at her lowest point." Despite what I had been told, I was smiling from ear to ear while I thought of the person who had motivated me. "Very well. I will win this easy peasy. Just watch, Julius. No one threatens my sweets and lives to tell the tale." I grasped my staff tightly. Even now my heart was still beating like crazy and my chest was filled with an unsettling yet pleasant warmness.

With me finally steeling my resolve to win this match and even the tournament, I regained my focus on the blinded girl a few meters away from me.

Emma simply stood still in the place in which I had almost finished her off. The pillars of stone she had used to save herself from me no longer existed. They seemed to have crumbled while I was about to crumble myself…

In any case, despite not doing much and still not being able to see, Emma seemed to be on very high alert, waiting for the exact moment to counterattack whatever I might try. In fact, she was trying her hardest to focus in order to feel my mana.

So, I still need to get closer to her in order to eliminate her. I only need a single hit, but while she's like this it will be difficult. I don't want to end up lying on the ground like I did before, so I'll have to get creative.

"Now then…" I whispered while preparing myself for the battle ahead. "Goddess, bring down your grace upon us… The holy light that will cleanse this world from evil, [Pious Gathering]." I murmured a prayer to the goddess as I channeled my mana onto my staff, filling it even more than before.

This might reveal my position to Emma for a moment, but I suppose I will be fine as long as I manage to fool her with my spell…

As soon as my staff was sufficiently charged, I hit the ground with the tip. Dozens of spheres of light appeared immediately after, hovering all over the battlefield, all of them which carried enough mana to make it seem I was standing in another place.

"There you are!" Emma shouted right before kicking the ground in front of her.

Just as she did that, a huge sharp stone rose from the ground to my right, stabbing one of the spheres of light I had created and destroying it completely. Said sphere was just a meter away from me.

"Tsk… So it was a fake..." Emma seemed annoyed after realizing that she hadn't actually hit me. "I see… That is the only way you think you can win, is it not, Estner? If you seriously think that you will actually defeat me by resorting to trickery then you're in for a world of pain as soon as I recover my ability to see!" Emma yelled with frustration due to her temporary blindness.

Naturally, I didn't reply since I wanted to remain hidden from the girl who hated me so much. Now it was time to annoy her enough to secure an opportunity to strike.

"Goddess, grant me the courage and the strength to surpass your tests… [Blessing of the Thread], [Light Arrow]." With a new prayer, I managed to shorten the chant in order to use two spells at once.

The first was the same one I had used to control the shards of my broken barrier from before. The threads of mana quickly connected the spheres of light to me so I could control their movements from afar.

As for the second one, it was one of the few offensive spells I could use. Soon, arrows of light were shot from the spheres toward Emma in a seemingly random manner.

Most of those arrows would surely hit Emma as she had no way of defending herself since she didn't know from where the attacks would come since I was also moving the spheres of light with the help of the threads I made.

Basically, she was at the center of a storm of magical arrows.

"Tsk… So the Estner coward is capable of attacking with magic as well! I thought you were only capable of hiding behind a shield!" Emma shouted with frustration. Despite being hit by the majority of my attacks, they barely caused any damage to her and her bracelet.

This would be easier if I only had some stupidly strong offensive firepower like Zoe… Well, there's no time to whine about something like that, I just need to get Emma distracted enough and finish her off in one blow…

"Stop that! I never thought it would be possible but you are a thousand times more annoying!" Emma quickly grew enraged due to my magical arrows. "Show your face, you coward!" Emma suddenly shouted as a surge of magical aura suddenly engulfed her.

Immediately after, several pillars of stones were shot in all directions by a wrathful Emma.

Her unexpected attack was able to destroy a considerable amount of the spheres of light I was using to attack her. A large number of the spheres still remained, so Emma's attack would really not make a difference in my plans.

Luckily, I had already foreseen that something like that would happen, so I already had a barrier prepared by the time Emma's stone pillars reached me.

The power behind the rocky projectiles was enough to crack my rushed protective spell, but fortunately, it wasn’t enough to break through to it. The stony pillar, however, turned to dust almost as soon as it crashed against my barrier.

In the meantime, an almost endless amount of light arrows continued to rain upon Emma. Some of the arrows were blocked by Emma's attack, but most of them managed to reach their mark.

Unluckily, this made an already angry Emma even angrier than ever before…

“I WILL NOT STAND THIS ANY LONGER, SCUM!” Emma shouted with a blood chilling tone. The moment her scream reached my ears, I felt a powerful surge of magical power coming from her.

Moments after, an explosion of fire rose to the sky and almost blinded me with a bright orange light, all the while a powerful earthquake shook the ground violently… I was barely able to stop myself from falling due to the force of the earthquake and the explosion combined… But not only that, I also found myself struggling to breathe properly thanks to the overwhelming heat of the flames.

As soon as that orange light subsided, I saw Emma standing still covered by an aura of flames that destroyed each and every single arrow my spheres shot at her.She was also holding whips made out of water in each hand while looking at me with bloodshot eyes. Her eyes were completely red, most certainly a result of my spell, but that alongside her murderous expression was definitely making her even more intimidating than before.

She’s using three elements at the same time… Uh oh… This might be really bad… As I thought, winning against her might not be possible for me… Even after all that talk, I…

For a moment, due to the sight of my opponent standing, I couldn’t help but hesitate once more... However, at that moment I couldn’t help but think about the boy who had somehow spoken to me in my mind to encourage me in a really mean manner…

Just thinking about my conversation with him made me feel like I was capable of anything. For the first time in my life, all those butterflies I usually felt in my stomach were not that of nervousness but that of excitement. My heart was beating so wildly that I couldn’t help but think that it was about to burst from my chest…

Jeez… I almost ended up falling into my old ways there… Even though Julius did something utterly outrageous in order to encourage me… I can’t keep showing that pathetic side of me. I won’t be able to face Lady Yraura either after all she had to deal with because of me.

I need to start acting like a proper apostle now. I can’t continue to bring shame to the Goddess. And I certainly don’t want to look pathetic in front of my new friends…

“You… I’m going to make you pay for what you have done to me with your dumb luck, Estner. Every attack you have landed on me will be returned to you tenfold, that is a promise from a priestess of the God of Vengeance.” Emma said while one his eyes twitched, which was a clear sign of her anger. 

“Bring it on, Sagreus! I no longer care why you and your family hate mine so much, and at this point it is getting annoying. I have nothing to fear as long as the Goddess of Virtue stands by my side protecting me.” I replied without any hesitation. Something I normally would not be able to do with Emma.

“Is that so…? You really have the gall to talk that way to me after all you’ve done. Let us see for how long that attitude of yours will last…” Emma suddenly looked at me as if she was amused. “Now perish!” Emma suddenly swung one of her whips.

With just one swing of her whip, all of my spheres of light were destroyed, it happened almost in an instant. Though, Emma was clearly not satisfied destroying the only means of attack I currently had. In the blink of an eye, Emma had swung her second whip and aimed it at me.

I didn’t have any other choice but to reinforce with my mana the barrier I had previously used to block the stone pillars Emma had launched. I was able to add one more layer to the barrier, but against the might of Emma’s water whip my barrier wasn’t enough to fully block the power behind the attack.

“Tsk…” I couldn’t help but click my tongue the moment after my barrier was broken thanks to Emma’s whip. I had also been pushed back a considerable distance thanks to the power behind Emma's strike.

“What’s the matter? What happened to that brave expression you had mere moments ago?” Emma asked with a spiteful grin on her face. “As I thought, that fearful expression suits you best, Myria. Of course, it was only natural for you to look afraid after showing you just a tiny fraction of my full power. It should be clear to you  where you stand in the pecking order now.” Emma’s grin soon turned into a very smug smirk just before striking the ground to her right with her whip.

What should I do now? Using [Pious Gathering] to attack her from afar is now out of the question thanks to those whips of hers. I could also try to blind her again like I did before having my breakdown, but I don't think it will work again, especially now that she’s deeply enraged. Hmm…

I won’t surrender. I am determined to do everything I can to win, but I cannot deny the reality of things… Things are looking very grim for me at this moment. If I get hit by one of her whips, her flaming aura, or any stone pillars again, I am certain that my bracelet will crumble, thus disqualifying me from the tournament.

I need time to think about what I can do to turn the tables again on Emma, but I don’t think I have that kind of luxury right now…

Think, Myria… Just think… What can you possibly do to distract Emma to get enough time to finish her off with one blow of my staff?

“What? Are you so scared that you can’t even talk now?” Emma just shook her head while looking at me with amusement. “You really did think for a moment that you could win against someone like me? That is actually so cute. The fact that a weakling like you thinks so highly of herself is just so funny to me. I’m actually starting to feel bad about bullying someone as weak as you with these.” Emma said with a fake caring tone while raising her whips.

“Do I need to remind you that this weakling here managed to blind you and almost managed to send you to the infirmary?” I said with annoyance thanks to Emma’s irritating attitude.

“Oh? So you haven’t lost your will to fight just yet it seems… Good. I am not done with you just yet. After all, I still have to repay you tenfold everything you have done to me during this match.” My words managed to irk Emma as she immediately glared at me with contempt. “I suppose I should start by blinding you just like you did to me, but that would be too boring… I want you to watch each and every moment of your agony, so instead… I will return the favor with the same kind of attacks you were throwing at me.” Emma soon raised one of her hands and pointed at me with her finger. Soon, dozens of small fireballs were launched at me from her fiery aura.

Since I had gained a considerable amount of distance between us and the fact that I was able to feel the changes in the flow of her mana, I had enough time to properly cast a spell.

“Goddess, might your grace be eternal as it is your infinite patience. Please grant me the strength to fulfill my purpose and defend all of that which is sacred, [Dome of Patientia].” I immediately prayed to the Goddess in order to cast a single spell. 

A small dome of light was suddenly formed all around me with my staff serving as the source of its power. A barrier which would be enough to hopefully protect me from Emma’s attack and grant me enough time to think about what to do.

Moments after I was completely covered by the dome I conjured, I was mercilessly bombarded by a rain of fireballs, most of which would bounce in other directions as soon as they made contact with my barrier. As a result, the greenery in the area was immediately turned to ash.

“Phew… With this, I will at least have some time to figure out what to do.” I said to myself after letting out a sigh. All while observing the countless fireballs constantly crashing against my protective spell.

This barrier was nothing but a temporary solution. I could maintain and repair the [Dome of Patientia] for as long as I had mana in my body, and it would not be that easily broken by Emma even with her formidable offensive power. This one was easily the best defensive spell I knew. Even if Emma tried to attack from below with her Earth Magic, it would be futile as the dome encases everything around me, even under the ground. So at least I don’t have to worry about a stone spike suddenly impaling me from behind…

Now… What can I do? Even with all the offensive spells I know, I don’t think those would be enough to get through Emma’s aura or her whips. Blinding her is out of the question and trying to distract her now would be difficult…

Is it me or things are getting even grimmer by the second…?

Dammit! After this is over I will definitely start taking more classes on offensive magic! Oh Goddess, why did I have to only be proficient in the Light Element!?

The Light Magic is known for being effective against the undead, defensive spells, its numerous healing spells and as well as its empowering effects. Unfortunately, it is also known for being the discipline of magic with the least amount of offensive spells out there… No matter how you look at it, Light Magic is definitely not the best suited for combat against real people…

Even with all the spells I know, there’s not a single one that could come to my mind that I could use to turn the tables right now.

As I started to get desperate due to realization that I didn’t have that many options in my current predicament, a familiar voice called for me from within. Even while being bombarded without mercy by the enemy’s spells, I would soon find that my chances of winning were higher than I originally thought, even in this situation.

(Myria.) The Goddess uttered my name with a sense of urgency.

“Lady Yraura, I…-” As I heard the Goddess’s voice in my mind, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about my previous outburst. I was interrupted by her before I could even attempt to apologize.

(There is no need for you to apologize, Myria.) The Goddess said. I was relieved that she wasn’t angry at me for the things I said. (I understood where you were coming from when you had that breakdown. If anything, I am guilty for how you were feeling… If only I had done more to reassure you in the past, or if I had chosen you earlier as my apostle then maybe you would have never felt like that… But alas, the past is something that neither you nor I can change, so we must move forward. The two of us need to do exactly that.) The Goddess sounded surprisingly determined.

“Lady Yraura… You’re not to blame for anything… Even if you had chosen me as an apostle, I doubt anything would have changed about me and how I have been feeling until now.” I shook my head. “On the contrary, the fact that you graced someone like me with your company and chose me to be your most faithful servant is what has kept me afloat all this time. I cannot thank you enough for not giving up on me.” I was extremely grateful toward the goddess. 

While I was talking with the Goddess, Emma’s fireball bombardment only became fiercer and fiercer… I couldn’t see anything past my barrier other than a blazing inferno outside. It was a great thing that the barrier could also block the heat.

“But it is as you said… It is healthy to look back at the past and learn from our mistakes. But we need to focus on the choices we make in the present that will turn us into the people we are destined to be. That we cannot allow those mistakes to define us even if they are what they made us to be the people we are today.” I spoke with a little bit of confidence as I tried to look past the blazing inferno outside, into the place where my opponent was supposed to be. “I won’t say that I have changed or that I don’t blame myself for the mistakes I made in the past. I won’t even say that I am not scared of screwing everything up like I have always believed I did, because a part of me is still deeply afraid of failure… But, just for today… No… From now on, I want to be a little braver, I want to learn to forgive myself, and to be less harsh with myself for things that escape from my control. I will start to focus on the present, just like you’ve said to me countless times now.” It was difficult to describe, but somehow my whole being felt at ease. I was far calmer than when this match had started.

There’s no way for me to change my ways in a day, or in just a couple of minutes for that matter. It will be a difficult thing to do, but it is something that must be done. I won’t deny that even the slightest hint of failure still makes my skin crawl and my insecurities to grow rampant, but ever since I had that talk with Julius, I strangely feel like I am capable of anything.

(Myria… You’ve really grown. You were a splendid person before this match, and I know that you will become an even more beautiful and stronger person when the match is over.) I could feel both happiness and pride in the Goddess’s voice. It made me feel even more confident and reassured than before.

“Lady Yraura… Thank you.” I smiled fearlessly thanks to the comfort the Goddess’s words gave me.

(No worries. You’re my apostle and I am your Goddess. It is my job to bring comfort to those who believe in me and my teachings. Though… I have to say that Lia really got herself a very crafty child as an apostle on her hands… I’m not really impressed by that, but I do have to say that I was a little stunned that it was Julius’s rough encouragement that would get you this motivated. Never thought you would like that kind of thing, but I’m happy that you’re feeling more confident. Who am I to judge, after all? Also, I’m actually starting to look forward to meeting that boy in person. I hope I can have a word with him and Lia when this is over.) Lady Yraura spoke absentmindedly. 

Lia? As in the Goddess of Knowledge? The Dark Goddess? Julius is the Apostle of the Dark Goddess…?

Naturally, I was stunned by the revelation… However, due to the fact that I was literally being in the middle of a storm of fire and the fact that the Goddess was talking to me, I wouldn’t be able to focus on that revelation for long.

(Anyway, since the apologies and all that are out of the way, I think it is time you win this match for good.) Lady Yraura suddenly spoke with some absolute confidence. (Myria, do you remember the spell I taught you last month?) The Goddess asked me.

“I do… The [Chains of Castitas]... Do you really intend for me to use it here? What if I…-” For a moment, I couldn’t help but hesitate but I was able to shake that hesitation out of me. “I understand. I think I might be able to pull it off, but I would need to catch Emma off guard for it to work.” I said to Lady Yraura with a serious tone.

The [Chains of Castitas] is a spell that produces chains of light capable of sealing the mana of a person deep within, thus rendering them unable to use magic for as long as the chains bind that person’s body. This spell’s reach is limited by the mana of the user, but it is quite slow to launch and it takes some time for it to trap the target.

“In this situation, it might just work… But as long as Emma remains focused on me and attacking, I’m not sure that I can catch her with it.” I couldn’t help but look at the still incoming fireballs with a serious expression.

If I can manage to catch Emma with those chains and seal her mana, it would be safe to say that victory would be mine.

(That is the neat thing, you don’t need to do anything to distract her. On the contrary, we have to ensure that har focus remains on you no matter what.) The Goddess sounded rather fired up.

“What do you mean by that exactly, Lady Yraura?” I was a little confused, but also hopeful now that the goddess had given advice.

(Would you be so kind and look at the ground beneath your feet?) The Goddess said, still just as giddy as before.

“Wait… I see… So you want me to… With this, then I might just be able to win. No, I will definitely win.” I was left rather shocked after I discovered what was making the Goddess so fired up. That shock soon turned into confidence as soon as the possibilities of what I could do came to my mind like a flood.

The ground beneath my feet was not only all cracked, but there were some small crevices and holes pretty much everywhere I had not noticed before.

(These crevices are the result of the small earthquake Emma caused with her Earth Magic earlier when you made her angry. These are scattered all over the battlefield too. In fact, most of them are connected to each other and there are quite a few beneath Emma’s feet as well. Do you get what I’m trying to say, Myria?) The Goddess asked me in quite the giddy manner.

“Yes, I do. Thank you, Goddess.” I couldn’t help myself and I ended up smiling as I followed with my eyes all the holes and the crevices on the ground. As Lady Yraura had said, they were all indeed connected.

(Myria, the success of this plan will entirely depend on you and your power. You must be confident in your skills and believe in yourself just as I believe in you. You will have to make Emma keep her focus on you while you cast the spell and maintain your barrier. I won’t lie, it will be difficult, but I know that you can pull it off. This is clearly the way for you to win, my dear Myria.) The Goddess spoke as if she was already convinced of my victory.

Just as the goddess’s kind words echoed in my mind, the hellish storm of fireballs suddenly stopped. Not a single fireball was crashing against my barrier… I didn’t have to wait for long to find out the reason why, because as soon as I spotted Emma after the smoke caused by the fireballs was cleared, I was able to see her expression of deep displeasure and hatred.

“Tsk… I’m quite surprised that you managed to survive that… The amounts of luck someone like you can have is seriously starting to bother me. Why would the gods allow someone like you to be so lucky?” Emma spoke to me with disdain once more. I could see that she was seriously displeased to see me and my barrier still standing in the battlefield.

Alright… I just need to get her attention to completely focus on me while I sneak the chains of my spell through the crevices on the ground. Sounds easy enough… If I was Emma, what would make me dedicate all of my focus on a single thing?

Fortunately, I didn’t have to look for the answer at all because I already knew it from the beginning.

“You call it luck, but it could also be that your fireballs merely lacked the power to get through my barrier?” I spoke to Emma in a mocking tone.

The only thing that would make Emma lose her crap is for me to talk back to her, just like I’ve done a few times throughout the duel. I think there’s nothing that she hates more than that… Well, besides me and my family, of course. So, trash talking her while speaking the truth should be enough to get her full attention.

“Oh, it appears your family also raised you to be a jester! Oh, how cute it is for you to think that I was taking you seriously in the first place!” Even while she tried to pretend that my words had no effect on her, she was clearly agitated. Her trembling arms and the fluctuations in her mana were proof enough that she was getting angry again.

“Perhaps I was raised to be one. But how could you blame me or my family when we were learning from the masters?” My lips quickly formed a smirk as I replied snarkily. “If I was raised to be a jester, you and the entire Sagreus household might as well be the entire circus.” My smirk only became more prominent with each word that came out of my mouth. Being able to talk back to Emma felt way more cathartic than I thought.

“You…” Emma could no longer hide the fact that she was about to lose it. “How dare you speak of such nasty claims about me and my house, you Estner scum!?” She said while gritting her teeth. The fire aura engulfing her body was becoming more erratic and intense than before.

It was clear to me that I only needed one more little push to set her off once again.

“Says the one who comes from a house who only knows how to fabricate claims on the lands of others.” I couldn’t help but laugh my butt off due to Emma’s words. “So, I believe none of my words have been a lie so far.” I said after I was finished laughing at Emma.

“How dare you…” Emma said in a quiet and somber tone. Her entire body was shaking profusely. “HOW FUCKING DARE YOU MOCK ME, ESTNER!? LEARN YOUR PLACE YOU DISGUSTING BITCH!” Emma screamed at the top of her lungs just before she started swinging her whips at me, or rather, at my barrier.

Soon, I found myself witnessing a flurry of attacks crashing against my barrier. Both of her whips managed to strike true one after the other without delay. Although I already knew first-hand the power behind her magical whips, I was fortunate that they lacked the power to get through my [Dome of Patientia] even after multiple hits. At most, they only managed to produce a few cracks here and there that I could easily repair.

Alright, I suppose I already got all of her attention…

“Die! Die! Die! And once you’re dead, I’ll pull you out of your grave to murder you again, you Estner trash!” Emma seemed beyond enraged while she increased the speed of her whips.

Yep… I got her attention alright… Well, time to get to business before she starts throwing more spells at me.

At that moment, I took a very deep breath. I could only listen to the sounds of the watery whips colliding against my barrier while my vision was filled with the blackness of the grass around the area and the blurs made by the previously mentioned whips as Emma brandished them in an very erratic manner causing them to move at unbelievable speeds to bring me harm.

Definitely a sight to remember… Nevertheless, I was ready to begin the chant for the spell that would bring me victory.

“Oh, sacred chains of the great beyond… Forged by the grace and light of the Goddess, grant me the power to bind all the evil in the world and bring them judgment…” I began reciting the first part of the chant.

“As I thought, Estner! You’re only capable of hiding behind your precious barriers!” Emma tried to yell at me in a mocking tone, however, it was clear that she was still beyond pissed off. “Let’s see how you handle this!” Emma shouted again. This time, her words gave me an ominous feeling…

In addition to the blurry whips which were still striking my barrier, a storm of fireballs soon started raining upon me once more. These fireballs had even more power packed in them than the ones Emma had previously used against me.

Still, it was not enough for her to pierce my defenses. I still had the time to focus on my spell.

“Through the grasp of the Holy Savior, succumb to his tarnished blade which will spill your blood unto the skies to bring the rains of cleansing…” I did my best to focus on the second verse of the chant all the while Emma tried her best to break through my barrier.

Almost there… One more verse and then I will just need to hold on until Emma is trapped by the chains…

“You thought that was it!? Have some more, you hideous cretin!” Emma screamed once more, her aura practically roaring just as much as her as an explosion of mana occurred around her.

Soon, on top of the blurry whips and the powerful fireballs, my barrier now had to deal with countless stone spikes and pillars rising from the ground outside, trying to pierce it by any means necessary.

This elemental assault was more than what the barrier could withstand. The cracks that were appearing all over my protective spell were clear proof of that.

I couldn’t help but let out a grunt due to the strain of having to cast a spell and reinforce an already existing one at the same time… 

Tsk… C’mon, Myria. You just need to finish the chant while you fix the barrier and then wait until my chains catch Emma off guard. Pretty damn easy…

“As the skies turn crimson due to the cleansed blood, the Goddess brings salvation to the slain sinner as she guides the tarnished blade of the Holy Savior to the sinner’s heart. Please accept this bloody sacrifice and turn it into new life, o sacred chains…” Despite the bombardment my barrier was suffering, I persevered and managed to finish the final verse. “[Chains of Castitas]!” Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I had managed to successfully cast this spell for the first time.

Soon, several unbreakable chains of light started coming out from my back and slithered on the ground beneath my feet, almost as if waiting for my command. It was a strange feeling having the chains come out of me, but I didn’t have the time to explore that as I had to focus on winning the match.

“Go! Go my chains and catch her with her guard down! Do not let her cast any more spells!” I said as I motioned the chains to go through the crevices and holes on the ground to reach my opponent.

Now, I just needed to endure Emma's onslaught and keep reinforcing my barrier for as long as I can.

"Just give it up, Estner! It is just a matter of time before you and your pathetic barrier become dust! Someone like you has no place in this tournament! You don't belong in our society, just return to your place with the peasants!" Emma yelled with fury as she increased the power of her spells.

"I won't give up! You can go and screw yourself, Emma!" I couldn't help but talk back to her once more, even though my entire body felt like it was burning due to the overwhelming strain I had subjected myself to just now.

"It is funny that you still think you have a chance when you have done nothing but hide behind a barrier! A battle can only be won when you attack, you moron!" Emma didn't miss her chance to insult me. "In fact, how about I show it to you? My full power! Witness the might of House Sagreus and the holy wrath of the Hod of Vengeance! Away with you!" Emma shouted as yet another explosion of mana happened around her, sending shockwaves through the air.

Immediately after, the fireballs grew in size and power, the watery whips practically became invisible as their speed increased, and the stone spikes and pillars were basically enormous boulders now…

The combined might of her three elemental spells was enough to quickly produce cracks all over my barrier which was already nearing its limits.

I could only let out exhausted grunts as I was forced to spend large quantities of my mana on repairing the barrier so it wouldn't cave in to Emma's powerful spells, while also enduring the strain of controlling the chains at the same time.

But, it was just a matter of time before either my mana ran out or my barrier was broken due to the huge pressure it was under thanks to Emma's attacks.

My only hope was for the chains to reach Emma as soon as possible before I ran out of strength. In a way, it was a desperate gamble. But it could also be considered a test of faith.

How strange… Even in this situation, I somehow feel really confident. I still feel like I can do anything.

The thoughts of failure that tormented me for so long were not present in my mind this time. I felt so unbelievably confident, that I thought that I was dreaming for a second.

Then I suppose I do not have the luxury of failing now… After all the trouble Lady Yraura and Julius had to go through to comfort me.

Just one more push and this will be all over. I just need to endure a little longer.

Mother… Please grant me some strength as well. Please watch over me from the afterlife while I do my best to make you proud of me.

"Why do you insist so much on keeping this charade! Just wither already!” Emma screamed at me yet again while brandishing all of her power against me.

No matter how many cracks appeared on my barrier or how many times it almost seemed like Emma would actually break my defenses, I stood proud. Doing my very best to repair the damages using my mana, waiting for the time to finally proclaim my victory. Even when the overwhelming power of Emma’s attacks seemed to be pushing back my barrier, I didn’t falter. Even when I felt to be on the verge of unconsciousness due to the strain I had put in my body, I couldn’t allow myself to pass out.

And in the end, my gamble paid off.

Just mere moments before my barrier finally gave out and crumbled due to the pressure of Emma’s attacks, I had achieved my objective. I had achieved what I had been waiting for since I started provoking Emma. Because of that achievement those attacks were no longer a problem for me to deal with…

“I… I made it, didn’t I?” I asked myself with a bit of disbelief. The current reality only settled in my mind as soon as I laid eyes upon Emma.

There she stood, the girl who seemed to hate me so much for no apparent reason, bound from head to toe with some ethereal chains of light which came straight from the ground beneath her. She seemed like she was unable to move a muscle due to my spell.

“Huh…? What’s going on…? My strength is… Leaving my body… I can’t move at all…” Emma said weakly. She appeared to be completely dumbfounded thanks to the sudden turn of events.

“I… I actually did it!” I couldn’t help but squeal happily after I realized that my chains had managed to trap her in time. “Yeah, I’m not going to celebrate this early… I’m going to finish her off before she tries to suddenly pull off another sudden burst of power or anything. Just in case… Please goddess spare me from her achieving Transcendence…” However, no matter how much I wanted to celebrate, I would not allow myself to do so until Emma was actually out of the tournament.

At that moment, my barrier finally crumbled into dust after I stopped pouring my mana into it. The smell of burnt grass soon reached my nostrils after it was carried by the warm and gentle Spring breeze.

The previously tranquil plains which were previously painted with a lush green were now a gray battlefield with endless trails of destruction all over the place. Its former beauty had been replaced by the sight of craters and the marks of the fire which devoured everything in its path.

All of that was the result of the abilities of only one person…

As I made my way through the devastated plains to reach Emma, I couldn’t help but feel like none of this was real.

“Wait… Stop… Don’t come any closer…” Emma spoke feebly. She now seemed afraid of me. “This can’t be happening to me… To be defeated by someone like you… There’s simply no way… This can’t be real…” Just like me, Emma was in a state of disbelief. She was trying to deny the current reality of our match.

I didn’t bother to reply to her pitiful attempts at denying the results of my desperate gamble. I just merely walked toward Emma while gathering whatever little mana I could muster before pouring it all into my staff.

Sigh… This is the worst… I want to take a long bath… I’m so tired that I want to nap until the end of time… I want to eat sweets until my tummy aches…

“Stop… Stop right there… W-W-We are friends, right? You wouldn’t actually try to beat me while I am this defenseless, would you? You know that everything I said to you was actually me just messing with you, right Myria?” As I got closer and closer to Emma, she started to look at me with desperation in her eyes. She was trying her damndest to break free from my chains, but all of her attempts were futile.

“It is useless.” I only uttered those words when I reached Emma. “The chains of the Goddess of Virtue cannot be broken by those who are bound by them. In other words, you are at my mercy Emma.” I smiled at the girl who had tormented me for a long time without reason.

“Don’t screw with me… There’s no way this is happening… There is no way for me to lose against the likes of you!” Emma desperately yelled as she continued to deny the reality of the matter. “I will not accept this result! You must have cheated somehow! There’s no way someone of House Sagreus would lose against an Estner! Never in a million years!” Emma continued with her rant.

As she tried to keep denying the fact that she had been bested by me, I could only look at her with pity. A part of me was extremely angry at her for all the things she had made me go through over the years. That same part of me wanted to lash out at her and insult her until I was left out of breath, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

I couldn’t bring myself to yell at her or remind her of the abuse I had to endure, because, despite my anger, I felt more pity toward her than anything.

“You know? I’m really tired. Let’s just put an end to this and go our separate ways, Emma. I genuinely hope we don’t have to see each other again. For both of our sakes.” I said to Emma with a serious expression as I raised my staff over my head.

As soon as I did that, the staff started shining with a bright white light thanks to all the mana I had managed to put into the staff. It was sufficiently charged to give Emma a painful one-way trip to the infirmary.

“No! Stop! This isn’t over yet! It can’t be over yet! I had you against the ropes just moments ago! You can’t just win like that!” Emma still continued with her futile attempts to escape while I prepared myself to finish her off.

“It is over. And you have no idea how glad I am that it is actually over.” I couldn’t hide my relief from her. “In any case, bye bye. The match will finally end.” I bid farewell to Emma before swinging down my staff upon her head.

I didn’t even bother listening to her final words or her attempts to deny reality as my staff sunk into her skull, crushing it completely. Or at least that is what it would have happened had she not been wearing the special bracelet given to us for the tournament.

What actually happened is that Emma’s bracelet ceased to exist the moment my staff made contact with her head, much to my relief.

It didn’t take long for me to be returned to the arena to be announced the winner of the match by Professor Dante and the Vice-Principal.

Everything had happened so fast that I still couldn’t believe I had won by the time I had returned to my seat, yet one thing was definitely clear to me by then…

I had given the first step into changing who I was. I had given the first step into becoming a better version of myself.

Chapter 69: A Test of Faith.

END

GodlyKamui

Heya! Author here! Thanks for the wait! Chapter 69 (nice) is finally here! And with it, Myria's duel is concluded. As some of you have pointed out, I have decided to speed up the tournament a little and skip some unnecessary fights and content that I could add later, so there's that. Also, because of that, I'm going to make another smut chapter while I reestructure some things about the story in my mind to decide how I want to proceed with what remains of the tournament.

I'm really grateful towards you all for waiting patiently for this and for reading my novel! Love y'all!

As usual, I do hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please don't forget to comment and leave some hearts since that motivates me to continue writing the story! Also, join the discord to talk about the story and see the new picrew/NovelAI character illustrations I'm working on! Here's the link: https://discord.gg/uH6APbzrFR

Buh-bye!