Hana stared at Maxi as he carefully crept along the outer wall of the arena.
Her eyes sparkled with manic excitement.
Without warning, she began bouncing on her toes, giggling softly like a child on a sugar rush. Then she froze, hands planted on her knees, body crouched low—eyes locked dead on him.
Her devilish grin widened—sharp, playful, and far too eager.
Then she vanished.
Maxi's instincts screamed.
His eyes flared open in shock as he jumped straight up—as high as he could.
Just in time.
BOOM!
Hana exploded into the spot where Maxi had been, her fist buried deep into the reinforced arena wall. The sheer force bent the metal inward like foil.
Maxi's chest tightened as his legs curled against him mid-air. Her fist had missed him by mere inches—his feet almost brushed her hair.
("She's insane!") Maxi thought, adrenaline lighting up every nerve. ("Is she seriously trying to kill me?")
But despite the horror, he filed something away—
(She's fast.)
(Noted.)
Maxi landed beside her, rolling smoothly to his feet. He drew his daggers in a flash and dashed backward to gain distance.
Hana's laughter followed him.
Sweet, ever so slightly husky, and filled with wicked joy.
"So you're Maxi," she said, still grinning as she slowly pulled her fist from the wall. "My brother told me so much about you."
Maxi managed a crooked smile—half-broken, half-forced.
"Hopefully good things."
Hana glanced at her fist.
It was bleeding slightly.
Only slightly.
"Don't worry," she said sweetly, "it's all good things."
Maxi's eyes narrowed at her fist. The metal wall was dented—and yet, her hand only bled a little. That surprised him.
("I expected more damage to her… but still. The fact she's bleeding at all tells me something. Her durability isn't that high.")
("Noted.")
Maxi eyes unnoticeable aluminumted green
Then, she took a slow step forward.
And another.
Her blood wasn't dripping. Instead, it was shivering—vibrating like it was alive. Then, as if obeying her will, the blood pulled itself back toward her skin, clinging to her knuckles.
Maxi instinctively stepped back.
"I'm curious," he said cautiously, "what kind of good things did he say?"
Hana's grin deepened.
She kept walking.
Her words were a melody dipped in madness.
"Oh, plenty of things. Like how he used to beat you all the time—until Auntie Ray finally told him off."
Her steps were slow but deliberate.
"And then," she continued, "you learned how to plan. You adapted. You started fighting smart."
She lifted her hand, watching the blood shimmer.
"He said that's when you became a little tricky mystical weasel… the one he knows and loves."
Maxi's heart beat faster. Her movements weren't just meant to close the distance—they were meant to unnerve him push him back for some unknown reason.
He didn't know what she was building toward.
But he didn't want to find out yet.
He kept backing away, trying to test her range.
Trying to find her limits.
Then Hana tilted her head.
"And he also told me… the best way to beat you—" she said, voice now low and spine-chilling, "—is to ruin your plans. Throw something unexpected at you. Or just overpower you."
She giggled.
"Too bad all of that assumes I don't use my blessing powers."
Maxi's stomach sank.
Then she whispered two words.
"Blood Coagulate."
The blood on her fists shivered violently, then rushed outward, twisting and solidifying.
It formed into a chain—red like rubies, almost beautiful.
Then… it hardened.
Light caught the surface, shimmering.
The chain began to glint like silver, catching the sun's rays and reflecting them with a metallic sheen. The rubies had become steel.
She now held a full-sized metal blood chain—and was spinning it around her hand like a toy.
Maxi's eyes widened in disbelief.
("That's metal. And she's handling it like it's nothing. How…? No—don't forget. This is a fantasy world. Adrenaline's making me think with Earth logic again. Focus.")
He clenched his daggers tighter.
("Her ability lets her turn blood into metal.")
("Noted.")
Maxi's unnoticeable, aluminumted green eye slightly becomes more noticeable as it fuses with his Iris
Then, she wrapped the chain around her wrist like a bracelet.
Lifting it high, she studied the weapon casually before saying
"Hmm… too short. Let's fix that."
She smiled sweetly.
"Oh—and hey,.... Maxi—dodge."
His body moved before his brain did.
Instinct. Pure and sharp.
The chain cracked through the air like lightning, extending far beyond what it should've reached.
It shouldn't have hit him.
But it almost did.
Maxi barely ducked—just in time. The chain sliced across his cheek, leaving a shallow red line. It sounded like breaking thunder as it reached its full length.
He reached up to his face, touching the fresh wound.
His fingers trembled.
Hana slowly pulled the chain back around her arm, coiling it once more.
"Good dodge," she purred with delight.
Maxi's heart pounded in his ears.
("She can extend the chain, but how is she sucking the blood out of herself to make it longer, maybe buy? I need to confirm that first)
He backed further away, breath trembling.
But despite it all… a small smile tugged at his lips.
She wasn't unbeatable.
She bled.
She had a pattern.
This wasn't complaint a slaughter at least.
It was at the bare minimum a puzzle.
Maxi, at the very least, could solve a puzzle.
As the light bounced off Maxi's eyes, the light turned green