The sweat under her helmet of Balance Crusher armor stung her eyes unpleasantly. Her muscles ached and ached from the many sprains and bruises on her body. Her mind, constantly stressed from the battle, needed a little respite.
Valerie was used to this. No, to be honest, she usually welcomed this bouquet of sensations with open arms. Don't get me wrong, Valerie wasn't a masochist like the one fallen lustful cow called Akeno, it was just that these sensations allowed her to feel progress. The torture of her own body for the sake of building power, it was for that sense of accomplishment that she was willing to endure far more than just the pain of training.
«AAH! - Valerie shouted in annoyance and tried to close in on Emeric to pile her weight and momentum on him, but he just dodged by a measly millimeter. He was using some sort of complex enchantment that was nothing on its own. For example, slight weight reduction, air resistance reduction, weak spells to repel objects.... Basically a few weak wizard charms, but....
Emeric was just too good.
He masterfully mixed and masterfully calculated the values to make exactly what he needed. He spent a pittance compared to her. She spent a lot of energy on a single useless attack, while Emeric's dodging was almost worthless.
And it pissed me off to a tee.
Emeric had a great command of applied magic before. But it was the power of destruction that was his main weapon.
But after his victory over Dichauser, he had grown dramatically in skill. It was as if Ajuka Beelzebub himself had taken over, so phenomenal was his ability to calculate every aspect of the battlefield, including all of her actions.
Valerie jerked her head irritably, breaking the distance. It was as if the king was constantly bragging about his victory over the Emperor. How great was this battle supposed to be! And she what!!!
Couldn't beat a pathetic fallen angel! How pathetic, a combination of two high-ranking fallen angels with multiple wings. That would be a great excuse, but Emeric beat the Emperor on steroids! Somehow he calculated and still came out the winner! And she's the loser.
«Fission!
Valerie bit her lip as she felt an abnormal surge of strength. No, not a big one, but instead some kind of miser. Emeric had pulled some new trick out of his ass again and was somehow knocking her 'division' down. And in Balance Crusher, she could apply it remotely! He was somehow unknowingly "subbing" an aspect other than strength to the division. It's infuriating!
She was incredibly angry.
On Emeric, who was starting to pull away from her in strength like a rocket. Even though he was only a little stronger a couple months ago. How dare he leave her in the dust? Her?!
But especially at myself, because I had lost so much of my strength. Regular, individualized training had long been insufficient to have any visible effect. Valerie was simply too strong for that. There needed to be an influx of regular, high-level opponents, and Emeric wasn't a good fit because they'd been fighting for almost half their lives. Everything of each other they had gotten out of each other a long time ago! Against the same Red Dura, it looks even more ridiculous! Ichika, due to her weakness, was able to leap in strength incredibly fast! Even she was impressed, and that's something Valerie has a very picky attitude towards.
It's actually a natural outcome. Sooner or later the rate of amplification will slow down, no matter how talented you are. But...
That topographical cretin, her almost-husband, has jumped in power! Of course, he can't be measured by the laws of common sense. But it doesn't make her feel any better.
In the next moment, Emeric instantly moved closer to Valerie, ducking under the impact of her armored arm as he went. He immediately straightened up and palmed his hand right in the center of her armor, on the largest crystal. The force of the destruction plus the masterfully calculated momentum of the magical jolt, which went through all the cracks from past "light" hits, did its job. Most of Valerie's armor shattered instantly.
Valerie, who had already expected such an outcome, did not hesitate, and throwing off the remnants of the Balance Crusher, tried to get her king. As they say, to catch him by surprise. It didn't work.
Emeric leaned back a little, then...
His knee went straight into her chin. The impact felt like a wave went through her skull and nearly knocked out her spirit. Nevertheless, the fight was over. Valerie was no longer able to get up immediately after she landed on the ground with a thud. Severe dizziness and battered limbs made it impossible to control her body properly. And the stamina that was at rock bottom prevented the summoning of a new Balance Crusher. In two hours of close combat, Emeric had managed to drain her more than the life-and-death battle with Cockabiel.
Emeric squatted silently beside her and placed his hand on her tailbone. The demonic energy began to spread a pleasant warmth through her body, reducing the pain and bringing relief.
Some might resent him for being too hard on Valerie, and why torture such a beauty? In such a case, Valerie herself would have shut up those who had wronged her. The White Bearer was a warrior, and always took herself very seriously. She did not tolerate any indulgence and only wanted to fight in full force.
But still...
«Why... - Valerie tried with all her might to stifle the tears of bitter defeat. - Why did you become so much stronger than me?!
Usually the battles were fought close to the edge. That is, Valerie was a minority of the time, but she won. But today, at the first training session after the battle with the Emperor, Emeric had shown some kind of outrageous level of mastery of his powers. Miscalculation, skill, and control broke through all visible ceilings. Valerie had never once been able to hurt him in any tangible way while he destroyed her armor time after time.
She couldn't accept that outcome. Valerie devotes most of her free time to her development, but Emeric just took and spit on all her efforts.
Emeric tried to pull her against him for reassurance, but Valerie kept shrugging off his embrace. The forces were not equal, so she just had to accept it.
«I'm sorry I'm such a cheater," Emeric kissed the top of her head. - You put a lot more importance on it than I do...
«Don't apologize! - Valerie tried not to meet his gaze. Her feelings were too contradictory. On the one hand, resentment; on the other, she liked his attention.
«Valerie," Emeric began to speak after a short pause. - I have waited a long time for this moment... The moment when you'll realize that it's not enough to simply strive for power for power's sake... Honestly, with all your talent, I doubted that there would come a moment when you would lose to someone....
«You... - Valerie looked up at him with a look of resentment. - You wanted me to lose?!
«In a more controlled environment," he shook his head and kissed his forehead reassuringly. - You're incredibly strong, far stronger than almost any demon of our generation, but it's made you arrogant... - Emeric chewed his lips, revealing his thoughts. - I wanted to wait for the right moment and either clash you with Sairaorg, or with the top of the rankings already, to... - Emeric sighed tiredly. - I can't even formulate it properly.... Maybe give you more motivation? You've never had a problem with it, but some kind of push is necessary for anyone....
«And you? - Valerie shook him demandingly by his clothes. - What's your motivation?
«Mine," Emeric paused thoughtfully. - To protect my family, of course! - He finished with a moronic smile.
«Have you been watching Fast and Furious or something?! - Valerie snorted.
«I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Emeric smiled at her cheerfully. - Of course I want to protect you, but what are we talking about when we were barely threatened before the battle with Cockabiel? It sounds like the dumbest excuse ever, just to be... I've never understood heroes who start talking about it from the beginning of an adventure. I can understand ambition or "start a family", but to protect something you don't have yet...?
«Don't change the subject," Valerie furrowed her eyebrows menacingly, like a fighting hamster. - What's driving you...?
Emeric couldn't answer that question right away. Everything had always been easy for him. There was a talent for building strength, and drive in action had never been a problem. He was born into a wealthy family and...
When you think about it, he's a real lucky asshole, isn't he?
Usually our ideals are formed from our deepest needs. For example, why are there so many great athletes from poor backgrounds? Because life built their character from childhood. Forcing them to rely only on themselves. That's why they were constantly pushing themselves to new achievements....
And Emeric... What about Emeric? He's never needed anything. Perhaps in another universe, surrounded by the same care and tutelage, he would have been just a decent demon of average strength. He'd say nice things, but he'd inertly expect everything from those around him.
But why in his ideal circumstances had he already become one of the strongest demons in Hell? Was he able to assemble such a magnificent retinue?
He himself could not clearly answer this question. On the one hand, his curiosity about the world around him since his early childhood. On the other, his interest in his own potential.....
And in the last couple of fights, Fate has given him a few clues.... Wisdom, Solomon, visions, his premonitions.
Emeric smiled dreamily at Valerie.
«Probably to know myself.....
Valerie couldn't hold back her own smile in response to his. It was too positive a smile.
«Only you, the King, can use such an obscure and unprocessed motivation... - Valerie finally calmed down and asked a question with embarrassment, looking at him from under her bangs. - You're going to help me with my training, aren't you? You promised to help with the Juggernaut Drive....
Emeric shook his head and took his queen in his arms. She automatically took his neck in a gentle grip.
«You are in no condition for further training today. Tomorrow, my queen, ha ha ha ha ha," Emeric laughingly kissed his queen, who pouted most sweetly at his rejection. - Now we need to take a shower...
«And don't think we'll be taking it together... - Valerie muttered, not meeting his gaze.
«My queen, you seem to have forgotten something? - Emeric smiled indulgently at her naivety. - Winners dictate the rules in our world!
***
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