Cracks suddenly began to form all around Spiral's soon to be lifeless body, and suddenly something began to break from the back on Spiral. Max sees this and attempts to jabs his sword into the crack, but his was instantly caught and shattered which shocked Max as he a then pushed away and onto the ground as another hand sprouted from Spirals body. Spiral herself slowly risen up from her old body, tall and slender with some of her body being almost resembling human clothes made of crystals.
"you think a simple crystal would destroy my whole body. You don't know the biological body of a Crystellions." She forms a scythe from her arms. "Perhaps it's time to educate you... in eradication!"
Then Spiral begins to charge towards Max with such velocity managing to catch Max off guard, only for a slight moment thanks to his crystal arm giving a warning to him of the upcoming danger. He tried to react fast enough forming a shield to protect himself, and with a single swing from Spiral, Max's crystal arm is soon to be slashed off from Max and giving him immense pain and he tries to retaliate swiping his foot on the ground with crystal spikes appearing attempting to hit Spiral, but without hesitation she destroyed all the spikes with a swing of her scythe.
"Max get out of there!" His friends tried to yell for Max to run away
"What an annoying pack of humans" Spiral began to extend her scythe as she swing and cuts off the supports that was holding the platform created by Max, start to tumble over and they all fall of the platform. Spiral began to snicker by their inability to safe themselves from an average height, and this in rage Max.
"Don't hurt my friends!" Max then punches Spiral in the face with all his might with his right hand, but Spiral doesn't give any reaction towards Max's attack.
"Aw what's wrong, ain't almighty without your little handicap" Spiral then kicks Max launching a couple distance away from Spiral and his other friends. As he lands onto the ground and coughing a bit of blood out, he attempts to reform his arm reaching out with his left broken crystal arm as tries to reach out towards the other broken half of his arm, but it doesn't seem to work or that he can't even move it. Then falling back face flat onto the ground as he begins to lose consciousness.
"Aw are you tuckered out already" laughing manically as she slowly walks towards Max, scythe in hand ready to kill Max. But Max suddenly hears a voice within.
Max... get up. This is no place for you to die, get up.
It was Orlov speaking to him. "I can't do it Orlov, I try to use all my power, and now I can't even control my own arm anymore."
Max power isn't the only thing that makes you strong. The reason Minrallia picked you to bear the mantle is your heart, and you should never forget who you really are.
Max hearing Orlov speak, his voice is calm and wise, using every single being to focus in order to speak to Max from within his core. Giving him some inspiration to move forward against Spiral.
Max tries to focus on what Orlov is saying but it is very faint to listen to. but learning from Orlov's lesson he keeps on focusing everything in his being.
You try to act of how my people do. Confident, arrogant, and rash... You are not those kind of people, you are kind, brave, and selfless you are not by yourself, your friends are with you, your family is with you, and we are your family.
Listening to Orlov's calm words is giving Max a bit of courage to fight more but still feels the wounds on his body he feels the anger within but the courage of adrenaline flowing in his body. As blood was dripping from his wounds it suddenly begins to glow as dark reddish sparks started surging through his body still keeping the white colour on his crystal arm.
"looks like you still have a bit of fight in you, along with a light show" Spiral chuckled in excitement witnessing Max's second boost. "Let me fix that".
As Spiral then charges towards Max and swings her scythe till Max's area is blown away with dust, but as the dust settles Max is nowhere to be found. Spiral began to chuckle to herself but then suddenly senses someone approaching as someone is getting something, with no hesitation Spiral swung her scythe behind her and another burst of dust appeared. But no waiting it to settle this time Spiral swung her scythe two more times and couldn't get a single contact with her blade.
"Where are you Max I know you're out there!" As Spiral tries to sense Max she is suddenly slashed from behind. Yelling out in pain as she tries to retaliate but to no avail and gets slashed by Max once again as Spiral tries to retaliate again, and gets slashed again.
This keeps going, and Spiral even went onto her knees after a few slashed made by Max as the dust settles and no Max in sight Spiral can only see crystals tiles on the ground.
"So that how you been attacking me" Spiral quickly swings her scythe and destroy all the crystal tiles around her.
"You think you can lay down my traps back at the forest. I am an elite warrior, taught many rook nobodies, and I will not be felled by a nobody like you!" As Spiral is searching for Max, his distraction gave him enough time to safely get his friends back towards Lensfer's boat.
"Alright you guys should be safe here for now. But I have to end this other she'll just go after you guys" they all agreed to Max's word and stayed on the boat.
"But Max before you go, take this" Carmlien gives Max a diamond
"we don't know if a diamond would work, but they are the strongest crystals, and it could help you in this weird state you are in. So be careful" as Carmlien give Max a kiss on the cheek, and Max smiles in relief as he hold the diamond in his hand and crushes the diamond before confronting.
Getting a good distance away from the boat "Spiral!" Max shouting out her name and getting the attention of Spiral twisting her own neck around behind her to see Max standing ready to confront. "there you are, having fun acting as a lowly coward, you will soon true pain by me!"
Twisting her body towards Max she leaps towards Max. He takes a deep breath calming his mind keeping it clear as he closes his eyes bracing what's about to come next. Then with no hesitation as attempts to pierce her arm into Max's chest. And she managed to pierce Max's chest and destroy his core.
"Is that really all you had to offer!? Standing with all the bravado. How dissatisfied I am" frowning down upon Max's lifeless body above her as to commend her own victory. Though was not properly earned yet in a proper battle.
However to Spiral's eyes something does seem right to her. She looked slowly at Max's eyes she notice Max is still displaying a confident face. Spiral confused tries to take a closer look at Max's face, suddenly she witnessed Max's body started to slowly deteriorate shedding a lot of crystals away from his body.
"what, a fake?!" Spiral tries to react quick enough but then witnesses Max's face all serious and a dark spark of lightning surges throughout his body as she gets her own chest pierced from behind and slowly looks behind her to see Max behind her. As his face was calm as wise similar to Orlov's face the one who he was trained by shortly of a wise tactic to earn a victory.
(End of chapter 18)