A giant, tens-of-meters-tall black viper extended his head out of the pit, wrapping around Ann's leg, and swung her at the walls.
The walls shattered and gasped. She barely managed to protect herself with a thin barrier. "You bastard!" She growled, [Ice Wind Tale]
Frigid winds rushed out of Ann's hands, swiping across the pit at the snakes. Made with magic, they might be, but their blood is still cold.
Hit by the cold, the snakes got slower and more docile. Their bodies can't handle it.
TAP! Arad a snake that dangled from the walls by its tail and swung across the pit, jumping toward Ann with closed hands.
"I'm not used to this," He swung his hand mid-air, and a massive viper flew from behind him at her.
[Thunder Step] With a lightning spark, Ann flew away at a blinding speed and landed on the other side of the pit.
CRACK! Arad's viper smacked into the wall, digging a hole in it.
[Thunder Step] Ann flashed through the walls, trying to flee.
She could see the night sky and the stars. The moment she gets out, she's never coming back.
TAP! As she reached the top, two tiny feet landed on her face. "Get back down there," Zephyr blasted her down with a gust of wind.
"A fairy?" She shouted, [Fire Blast] Firing a massive fireball at her.
PEW! PEW! Arrow came in at a blinding speed, piercing Ann's arms and legs. But the ones aimed at her chest got deflected with a barrier.
Zephyr giggled, opening her hand with a tiny spark of fire in it, "Look what I found, sealed with curses." She stared down the pit, watching Ann fall.
"This land belongs to me. I lent it to those who live in," She waved her hand, "I too. Still holds some power. And I invest a portion of it in her."
Her wind started stoking the flames, causing them to spark and grow larger and larger.
SWOSH! BAM! Arad jumped into the air, grabbing Ann by the back of her head. "You aren't going anywhere."
"You idiot dragon!" Ann growled, "That's tiny fairy said she rules those lands. Go at her,"
"She does. What's the problem with that?" Arad swung Ann by the hair and threw her at the walls.
^Should I just release his powers and then use Merlin's full power to run away? No, can I cast magic faster than he can strike? It's a risky gamble.^ She growled, "Damn it all!"
Arad took a deep breath, "A weapon!" He screamed.
CLANK! A hook flew out of the hole, latching into the wall. With a long rope, Jack swung down toward Arad with a zweihander in his hand.
"ARAD! Catch!" He threw him the greatsword.
"White hair? Another high human?" Ann growled, extending her hand toward Jack. [Chain lightning]
CLANK! Jack released the latch of his hook, pulling the rope back to his arm, and then fired a burst from his artificial leg, blasting himself toward Ann and avoiding the chain lightning.
BAM! He fired the hook once again, latching onto the wall behind Ann and pulling himself toward her at a high speed.
"Stay still!" Ann screamed. [Force Blast] [Force Blast] [Force Blast]
CLANK! CLANK! Jack evaded all the blasts as he closed the distance, pulling the wakizashi from his waist and swinging it at Ann.
The moment she saw it, her mixed blood trembled. Devil, demon, succubus all those parts felt it, the crackling divine magic held within the ancient blade.
"A divine artifact, no, a holy sword?" She screamed, [Endless Binding]
Hundreds of ropes and vines rushed from behind her toward Jack.
SWOSH! From the pit's mouth, Lydia jumped down, swinging her sword. [Divine Cleaver]
With one strike the binding spell burned into golden mist as Jack flew through it, swinging the wakazashi at Ann.
"Got you." He smiled. [Divine Severance]
CLAP! A golden spark raged from the wakazashi, flashing with a brilliant light.
"Tch!" Ann growled, pulling all of Merlin's power back to herself and releasing Arad's powers. Using that, she barely managed to deflect the strike, leaving with only one severed arm.
"The fuck a hero is doing here of all places?" She growled, but then felt it. It's all over.
Arad shifted into his draconic form, Zephyr enlarging the greatsword to fit his size.
That zweihander was taken from Alcott's house, a blade he once used and now left with his mother, so she can sell it and live by the money if he happened to die in a quest.
The blade had one property that wasn't that useful to fighters. The ability to channel magic into the strike, sucking it from the user.
Arad's void magic flew across the sword, rushing out from the tip as a constant stream akin to his breath, rising into the stars.
Ann growled. ^That's an attack. If I got hit, that magic would erase my body from existence. Channeling all of his magic into one hit.^ She then smiled. ^If he misses, it's my win.^
"Suprise, forget about me?" Merlin whispered in Ann's ear, touching her back.
Ann turned, seeing Nina carrying the bandaged Merlin. "Give me my power back,"
Ann was already releasing magic to protect and empower her body. The moment Merlin came into contact with that, she sucked all of her powers back, leaving Ann vulnerable.
"Give it back," Ann cried.
"Nope!" Merlin teleported away with Nina, leaving Ann facing Arad's falling sword.
SWOSH! Unlike before, the strike was silent, dark, and without any sparks. The void feels down, erasing everything in its way like an eraser on a chalkboard.
As the strike ended, air rushed in to fill the void, exploding in a massive blast that caused Lucy to cry, "AWA! That hurts!"
Arad looked at the ground, "Sorry about it,"
"Don't worry," A flower emerged from the ground, "I'm the one who asked you to finish it in one strike. I rather take one painful hit than multiple ones with you going crazy."
Lydia looked around, standing alone at the bottom of the pit surrounded by vipers.
"Don't worry," Jack descended toward her with his rope, "They are harmless, that what Arad said,"
"Really?" Lydia looked down at the countless snakes, and they looked back at her, hissing and coiling around, wagging their tails like dogs.
She smiled. Looking at Jack's wakazashi, "To think that small thing is a holy sword. It's strange, isn't it?"
"It's not about size. It's about how to use it." He sheathed the sword, "But it's strange. To have a rogue as a hero,"
"It's Lady Amaterasu's will. And that is an ancient blade from a long-forgotten era." She approached Jack, "You're the hero, and I'm your sword and shield."