She would not allow that man to brutalize Azure so badly. His power reeked of godly filth despite using mana.
I need to test if he is really using divinity or if it was mere inspiration.
He stood in opposition to Aqua. A former enemy, yet a reluctant ally. However, even now, he was a slave of divinity, much like many mortals, but one thing separated him.
She frowned, and her fists clenched. A spark of flame flickered from her hand.
"Begin!"
The mists overtook the arena, and they grew in density. Unlike with Azure, Fang had not intended to hold back against Aqua. After all the glare she gave him, he would have been dead if he had done so.
"[Crescent Moon Barrage]!" The spell rushed toward Aqua, yet it was as slow as a child attempting to throw rocks at an adult.
Without a single movement, the barrage dispersed before ever making a hit; however, it was never meant to hit. Fang had used the moment to appear behind and strike.
[Midnight Reaper], The shadows coalesced into his hands and soon formed a purple glowing blade. He charged forward, yet instead of hitting soft Flesh, the world spun as he found himself flying into the arena's ceiling.
Aqua teleported above him and swung her hands together like a hammer into his spine, sending him hurdling toward the ground.
However, unlike most who would crash into the ground, his body dispersed into dark mist and coalesced on the other side of the arena.
The ground below him seemed to melt as a hand of earth materialized around him. His body struggled, yet the earth of Aqua's Spell was far too tough. Instead of breaking out, he turned to shadows and escaped its grip.
His eyes darted around the arena. While he had many abilities and techniques he could use, he could not foresee any way to even land a hit on Aqua.
[True Dark], The sky darkened, and a pillar of darkness descended upon his opponent.
He is not using divinity at all, even if it carries the taint. Good. She let the spell hit and disperse harmlessly against the [Temporal Barrier].
Her vision was obscured for a moment, yet the veil did not last long as she was barraged by tendrils of shadows that were as sharp as any blade. Yet they stood no chance against a [Temporal Barrier].
Golden Fang, despite being very skilled compared to most in the new world, still had no counters to any kind of time manipulation. After all, how would one hurt something that does not obey the flow of time?
It was only the supreme God that was able to punch through it, and it was only due to his knowledge of time.
The man before her knew he was outmatched; however, he also understood that Aqua had fully planned to beat him to a pulp to vent out her frustrations.
She stood still on the sandy arena and let Fang dart around her; she had no openings for him; however, it was necessary to bait an opponent into a false entrance. Thus, she exposed her back and let her opponent charge forward.
However, he materialized multiple meters ahead of her and took a defensive stance with his hands in front of his head. "Well, Lady Aqua. Color me impressed. I knew it would be hard even to scratch you, but for my spells not to even touch you, that is very impressive."
"I have no need for your praise." She frowned and launched herself forward. Many would expect a caster not to get close and personal, and while it was true that it was not her specialty, she could hit hard enough to shatter mountains.
Fang's eyes widened in panic, [Sanctuary of 7th Moon].
Shadows condensed in front of him, forming an impenetrable shield of tangible black and silver.
Aqua's fist connected to it, and without any resistance, she passed through the barrier as if it were made of paper. Her fist connected with Fang's face, sending him flying back.
Every spectator grimaced at the gruesome scene as a trail of blood followed Fang's body.
Aqua disappeared in a flash and appeared just above Fang. She drop-kicked the man into the ground and landed on top of him.
She grabbed him by the collar, yet he had not looked at her with fear, merely admiration.
Aqua's fists tightened and then.
Crunch.
It connected to his face, leaving a bloody trail as she wailed at him, yet holding just enough not to kill him.
The man's face soon lost any resemblance to a human; instead, it more resembled a bloody puddle than anything.
However, she made sure that he remained alive, despite wishing to beat up a slave of divinity; it did not mean that she was stupid enough to kill one of their assets.
With blood dripping from her hand, she rose above the man and scoffed. There really was no reason for this. Her eyes wandered to her bloody hands, and she shook her head. Despite wishing to kill anyone who served divinity by their own will, it was not something she could do now.
Reluctantly, she opened her pocket dimension and retrieved a small vial of red liquid.
The blood sizzled from her fists.
She removed the cork from the vial, then quickly splashed the healing potion on Fang's face and observed as he healed.
His eyes fluttered open as he quickly touched his face. "Well, you are one scary lady…" A hearty chuckle escaped his lips as he pushed himself up. "I haven't been beaten that badly in a long time."
He stretched his hand forward, and a smile formed on his face. "I don't know what you used to heal me, but I thank you. Maybe we can fight once again soon."
Aqua stared at his hand. Really, not even resentment? She had expected him to go mad at someone beating him, yet he acted the opposite.
"Why such a look? Are you confused why I am not angry at losing?" Only silence responded to him.
He shook his head, "Why would I be angry at losing? I am not a petulant child; instead, I am impressed you dispatched of me so easily." His gaze stiffened. "I suppose I know what happened to my men now."
Aqua shook her head. There was no point in lying here. "Azure was the reason."
"I see…So she was the blessed child that did it."
Aqua looked down again and stretched her hand forward. She felt frustrated seeing someone with a powerful divine blessing beating up Azure, yet now she was on a higher level of clarity.
Their hands gripped each other, and he shook her hand. "I promise you, as you have provided for me someone with great potential, I will make sure that your troops are properly ready to fight." He then turned to Azure, who sat speechlessly in spectator seats.
"And you, when you return, I will teach you everything I know!"
He turned back to Aqua and bowed slightly, "I know not to cross you. I am a mercenary, but I am not suicidal. You have mine and the loyalty of the Golden Rose."
He seems surprisingly reasonable. She chuckled.
Fang and the rest of the Golden Rose made their way toward Sheira and Azure, leaving Aqua alone in the arena and her own thoughts.
Is it because he had brutalized Azure… Her eyes wandered to her friend.
I must make sure not to lose her. No matter what, losing someone like Azure would have been catastrophic for her, and it was likely what caused her to react so violently every time Azure was in danger.
An ugly thread of fear snuck into her mind, what if she was not there for Azure when great danger appeared? What if her friend had died because an enemy was able to bypass the [Heart of the Phoenix]?
She was not naive enough to believe herself infallible; she could run into an enemy who could use trickery, just like Rolan did, which would make her lose everything again.
It was unacceptable.
I need to protect them all. I need to —.
She felt herself being pulled into a hug by the very person she was thinking about.
"You got lost in your thoughts again, so I thought what would be the best way to help you." Azure squeezed tighter. "And I remembered you really enjoyed the hug we shared."
"Azu…"
"Shhh… you beat up Golden Fang because of me, did you not?"
Aqua nodded. Anytime someone hurt something she cared about, it would be hard to keep control.
"I promised a spar with you…"
"It's fine… I like hugging you more. We have time to spar before we head to the academy." Azure gently turned her toward herself and grabbed her face.
She raised her hands above Azure's back and then wrapped them around her. "Sure."