The Transcendent looked down at the torn sleeve. Instantly, the shuriken dissolved into a rain of sparks before it could be removed.
Left behind, a trail of crimson tinged with purple formed on Thane's exposed skin.
A hush fell over the crowd.
Surprised by the sudden silence, Fire and Iza stopped their feud to gawk.
The redheaded duelist stared in shock at the scene. She knew Saints could bleed, but actually seeing it was an entirely different matter.
They were supposed to be the pinnacles of strength, yet one was before her injured.
'What happened?'
"Forgive me." Unorganized Laundry dropped to one knee.
"It was an accident..." The Transcendent answered slowly.
Fireshing and Izayoi_Nii exchanged glances. Laundry had done this?! How was that even possible? What kind of weapon must he possess to bring about such an injury? He was only an Awakened!
The possibilities overwhelmed Fireshing. Suddenly drowsy, she grasped her head. Something was seiously wrong.
The world was shaking, or at least she was. It felt as if everything might break apart. Fire fell to one knee. Her body and mind felt at odds with one another.
'What is happening?'
Thane clapped, and the world came back into focus. "As I said, it was an accident." The Saint stood at the front of the ship with open arms. "Proceed."
'When a Transcendent speaks, you listen.' Standing, Fireshing worked to shake off the nausea that had gripped her.
The break was over.
There was no time to think any further.
Iza broke from her trance and rushed toward the auburn Awakened.
'Fireshing!' was all that Bee could do to warn her friend. She had her own struggle in the form of a powerful pile of clothes.
The call was what Fire needed to come back to herself. Seeing the Saint be injured was a shock, but they were still in the arena and this was still the tournament finals.
Izayoi_Nii smiled shyly, her gorgeous face masking the brilliant mind beneath. She spun the cutlass at her side while charging at her fiery foe. The two women clashed in an explosion of power.
Fireshing sent the Aching Ember into Iza's shoulder. The learned librarian rolled back, but not quite enough. The searing heat made her scream. In response, she dug the cutlass into Fire's cuirass at her waist. The leather protection barely held its shape, and her hip beneath felt like it would come out of its socket.
Disengaging, Fire sent a ball of flame at her dark-haired adversary. Iza lunged under the inferno and dashed forward, lengthening her cutlass into its spear form.
The two shafts struck against each other, neither one willing to break under the pressure. If something did not change soon, the ladies would remain in a stalemate.
And for a long while they did. Izayoi_Nii had memorized all of Fireshing's signature moves.
It did not matter what the fiery Awakened did, her opponent had a counter ready.
The battle raged on with neither able to gain the upper hand. It was like a struggle between the tide and the sand. Each time one gained any ground, the other would strike back with equal force.
The need to preserve her essence but also end the duel quickly weighed heavily on Fireshing's mind. She had already seen a Saint be injured by one of the Librarians. The longer things went, the more likely it would be that the next catastrophic occurrence would end her quest for victory.
Iza was a champion for a reason. She was truly a phenom.
Fire could feel her confidence begin to wane.
'Don't give up!' Bee's voice resounded through [The Other's Voice].
While Fire wasn't sure if the message was actually meant for her or a leak of the woman's thoughts, the words were what she needed to hear.
'Stay strong!' she chirped back.
A fire lit in her eyes. It didn't matter how skilled the Librarians were. Fireshing would give her all to defeat them.
Iza took a shot at Queen Bee as the other pair floated by. The cutlass sent sparks across the back of the Queen's black and gold armor.
'Oh no you don't!' Fire aimed her spear at the purple kimono and shot a comet at her without a second thought.
The ball engulfed all three of the others, momentarily hiding them from view.
When the fire cleared, both the Librarians had burn marks, but Bee was unscathed...mostly.
'Your hair!' Fireshing couldn't hide her shock. Charred ends of silky brown hair sizzled on her friend's head.
'Don't worry. I have had worse haircuts...recently!'
Just the day before, Goldie and her gang had lopped off a chunk of the Queen's hair in pursuit of her head. At least this time it was only the edges that were singed.
That didn't stop Fire from feeling guilty. Her feelings always were troublesome.
'Bee!' The woman's eyes went wide. She wanted to help her friend fend off an incoming attack. Fireshing hated seeing her teammate get hurt.
Yet, she was waved off by her partner. 'Keep going. You have got her on the run!'
Nodding, Fire aimed again at Iza while the lovely Librarian sought refuge. Unfortunately, there was no place to hide in the arena except behind other combatants.
Laundry and Bee were blasted with a second blaze.
'Sorry!' Fire blushed.
Resolving not to hit her teammate again, Fireshing became more strategic in her attacks.
Iza was very good at avoiding the flames and learned moves at a staggering speed. She seemed invincible.
'So tenacious! It's like she knows everything,' Fire lamented to herself.
She shot her spear toward Iza, but the brilliant woman dodged and retaliated. It took all of Fire's wits not to get caught by the insidious cutlass.
Discouragement took root in Fire, but only for a moment. As Iza threatened to overwhelm her, Fireshing at last made a victory in her internal battle.
'Iza's mind is vast, but it is not all-knowing. I cannot give up!'
Fire just needed to keep after her.
'Keep throwing flames. Keep lashing out with the spear.'
If a hundred strikes would not take down the librarian, then Fireshing would make a hundred and one. If Iza had all of her moves memorized, then the fiery Awakened would just make up new moves.
The only way to out-think a thinker would be to find a new line of thought.
And Fireshing had just the idea in mind.