"Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! WOOWW!" Isidor's voice boomed with excitement. "I definitely wouldn't want to get hit by that thing! Might even be enough to give you a lifetime cold! But anyway, two against one, AND SHE CAME OUT ON TOP!!! NOW THAT RIGHT THERE IS DETERMINATION-INDUCED POWER-UP!!!"
With a long sigh, "That son of mine really is only good for running his mouth," said Claude, holding his temple.
With a booming laugh, "At least he's making everything fun by doing it!" said Dorian, his excitement almost palpable.
"Well, with how few there are that remain, the competition is nearing its end, am I right?" added Greg, with a focused gazed.
"Well, Hugo. I didn't know you had a child who could use Spirit Arts?" asked Roselia, with an inquisitive tone.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that, Lady Roselia," started Hugo, glancing at her with a serene yet shrewd expression. "I certainly didn't know that she was able to use them. It's more probable that she awakened that ability during the heat of battle."
"I see," Roselia stopped there. "It would seem that prying further would simply be useless."
Leonardo didn't question Hugo. He only stayed silent with an amused expression drawn on his face.
"If only they knew," Hugo thought, his eyes focused on Emilia's transformed-self. "In principle, Spirit Arts are a particular type of magic where one can use the powers of spirits to amplify their own. They make contracts with either Elementals, spirits defined mostly by their given attributes and who originate and reside within nature itself, or with Transcendents, spirits whose original souls have fused with the natural energy of the world thanks to the ambient mana in the air, becoming spiritual beings that are an integral part of the world. But…"
His eyes became more focused, an almost wary gaze glinting through his eyelids.
"The power she now possesses is much more terrifying and powerful than whatever they could expect," Hugo thought, his gaze fixating on a future only he foresaw as a silhouette appeared in his mind. "An authority that no humans could ever reach."
He released a furtive breath, his thoughts carrying the weight of an unavoidable destiny.
"It would seem that the wheels of fate have started to turn, and with them, the hour of awakening is close. Without a doubt, today is when the fate of this world that's been at a standstill will finally start to move. And at the center of it all, is you… Ace."
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"Wow," said a voice, approaching Emilia who stood still before facing them with a doll-like expression that turned into a soft yet cold smile.
"Though I was watching everything from a safe distance, I didn't expect this kind of development," it was Ace's voice, hands in pockets and gun strapped on his right thigh. "Anyway, what's with the transformation? Hmm?"
Emilia didn't answer. She simply walked towards him, slowly closing the distance between them while the seconds that passed were enough for Ace to ask himself questions about Emilia's strange behavior.
"I don't feel any animosity or bloodlust coming from her," he thought, continuously watching her without ever averting his gaze. "No hate. No anger. No fear. Nothing. I don't feel anything."
Only a few centimeters remained between him and her, and still, no words came out from her.
"What is she planning? I can't get a read on her. It's almost as if she doesn't even have the slightest bit of hidden intentions," he thought as she now stood in front of her, her smiling yet hazy dazed face now staring at him intently. "It's… unsettling."
A silent tension loomed in the air. They simply stared at each other, none of them ever uttering even a single word. And in a single instant, a spike of ice appeared suddenly, grazing Ace's face.
Having evaded the strike by a hair's breadth by simply tilting his head, blood flowed down his left cheek with a single drop flowing down the spike.
"Now... what do you think you're doing?" asked Ace as Emilia simply giggled in an amusement with pink flushed cheeks. "Should I consider this little act of yours as you challenging me? Not that I mind. After all, this is a competition. Whether it'd be later or now, it's all the same."
Emilia continued to stay silent, continuously giggling with that smile of hers that didn't hint at anything she might be thinking.
"So, still no answer, eh?" Ace said, his aloof expression growing colder as his eyes reflected nothing but murderous intent. "Fine. Then die."
While Ace suddenly drew his gun at a calm yet still giggling Emilia, at another location, Arnold and Stephany were now face-to-face, ready to challenge themselves to a little sibling duel.
"It's an honor to finally be able to fight you, dear Brother," said Stephany with a graceful bow.
"Cut it with the fake humility, will you?" said Arnold, drawing his sword from its sheath with a smirk playing on his lips. "Let's not waste any more time. I'm pretty sure you're also thinking the same, aren't you, little sister of mine?"
A sudden lightning strike came crashing down at Arnold without warning.
"How cruel," said Stephany with the most unconvincing sullen tone a person can imagine. "Shouldn't an older brother let his little sister win?"
"Now that's just playing dirty considering you launched a surprise attack on me, don't you think?" said Arnold, standing at the extreme left of Stephany.
"That's just hurtful. I would never dare," said Stephany, giggling while smiling innocently.
"Just drop the act Stephany," said Arnold with a sigh, pointing his sword straight at her. "You know full well you can't fool me, right?"
Stephany's innocent expression turned mischievous.
"Guess the cat's out of the bag," said Stephany, her gaze full of cunning mischief.
"Why don't you stop playing and just come at me seriously?"
As she released a deep sigh, "My dear brother, don't you think that we should take things slowly and enjoy this rare occasion?"
"No," Arnold said, his aura flaring up as he simply unleashed it with his full might. "Enough chitchat. Come at me."
Opening her fan as giant electrical balls appeared behind her, Stephany, with a mischievous smile that sent shivers down the spine, only uttered a single line in response to Arnold's invitation.
"As you wish," she started, a menacing yet beautiful grin playing on her lips. "My dear brother~"