Chapter 6

“Evoking Tiamat’s power so early huh? I can’t say that I…”

“I simply wish to end this promptly. From what I know of your fighting style, you don’t usually use a weapon. Pity, it means you stand even less…”

“Not so fast! Don’t just jump the gun. Like I said before, I have one other familiar. Come Shiko!”

I outstretched my left hand and waited for Shiko to appear. Nothing happened…

“D-damn it Shiko get your butt out here!”

“Pathetic, for you to not even have complete dominance over your…”

“S-shut up! Shiko, get out here! I-I promise to sharpen you after this, you can even have all the demonic energy that you can eat...”

Shiko still wasn’t responding. Alessia shook her head and began to release some demonic energy, as if this finally caught her attention, Shiko emerged.

“How’d do you like that!”

“Pitiful.”

I ignored her belligerence and got in to my basic stance. Alessia began releasing bloodlust and demonic energy in waves. It was like a raging waterfall, crashing on the rocks at its feet. It seems she was siphoning Tiamat’s demonic energy into her sword. This combination was awe inspiring. For her blade to contain the destructive demonic energy of Tiamat was really something, It was no ordinary sword.

“That stance, it’s a basic fencing stance.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I would have thought you’d use an eastern style of swordsmanship.”

“Well sorry to disappoint you again Alessia. En garde!”

Before we were about to lunge at each other, we heard booing. It was coming from behind me…

“Booooooooo!”

“What the hell Seir!? We’re trying to have a battle to the death here!”

“Booooooo, use the Hiten Mitsurugi style!”

“I-I don’t know the bloody...”

“You can use the Hiten Mitsurugi style?”

“What? No!”

“...”

Alessia lunged at me with a downward slash. Despite being a foot shorter than me, she was surprisingly agile. The weight behind this strike was nothing to sneeze at either. I responded by leaping backward slightly. The slash smashed into where I had just been standing. It sent a shockwave throughout the entire arena, even I almost buckled when I landed just outside it’s reach.

She dislodged her blade from the ground and got back into another stance. I could see Tiamat in shadow form, it seems she was evoking her. Their united aura was lustrous. Alessia’s hazel eyes were glowing and I felt a pressure that I’d only felt when staring down the Earl’s final Qiang throw.

I could tell that Alessia was a warrior, through and through. Despite her view that I was inferior to her, part of me wanted to mirror her resolve as a means to show respect to her abilities.

As a testament to this, I evoked old man Bahamut to the limit that my body could withstand. Our mixed, red and black demonic energy was crushing. Unlike Alessia, I allowed the old man’s demonic energy to fester within me. My affinity with the old man was probably the only reason that I could do this. If it were someone that lacked affinity with this Dragon King, his body would be devoured by the chaotic nature of the old man’s demonic energy.

The whole arena was mute. Alessia was staring at me. I had Shiko in hand and was scanning every inch of her body, but I couldn’t find even one opening in her guard. I was stood sideways on with Shiko outstretched.

I saw Alessia twitch slightly and rocketed toward her.

I landed on the front foot and delivered a series of forward thrusts. Alessia adjusted her sword so it sat slightly ajar as a means to deflect my thrusts. However, despite colliding with the meat of her blade, I was able to get a few strikes through her golden breastplate and felt Shiko pierce her flesh. I withdrew Shiko and flipped out of the reach of a potential counter. Alessia’s blood was on my blade.

“A-Alessia-chan! Alessia…”

“I’m OK Tia.”

The area where I was able to perforate Alessia’s breastplate and cut into her skin, began to release smoke. I could tell that I had injured Alessia with that attack, there was not doubt. However, when the smoke disappeared, the blood that was dripping from the cuts, ceased.

“Kukuhkuh, childs play…”

“That was just a test to see how competent Feng’s regenerative abilities were. It seems I was correct in seeking him out.”

“Kukuh, your praise is heartening mistress.”

Alessia leapt toward me, it seems she was attempting to execute an 180 degree slice. Once again, I tried to avoid impact with her blade by scurrying backward. Just when I thought I was out of her reach, Alessia focused Tiamat’s demonic energy into her blade and had it manifest into a crescent shaped slash, that chased after my retreating self.

It was lightning quick. I tried to duck beneath the oncoming mass of demonic energy but there was not enough time. It lashed into my chest like a whip. The overcoat did nothing. No, the overcoat made from Bahamut’s scales and skin did reduce the potency of the slash, but it was still able to slash through my chest nonetheless. Blood splattered everywhere.

“Guwahhhhhhh!”

“KURO!”

I heard Shiro’s voice, but didn’t have the luxury to respond to her.

Alessia did not let this opportunity slide. She was relentless. She lunged at me with a variety of different slices and slashes. She was dancing. I tried to parry what I could with Shiko and attempted to deflect anything too close by evoking part of the old man’s body, but it was useless. I was barely keeping up with her and it was like her sword was alternating between being sharp and weighty. She demonstrated this by delivering swifty sharp slashes and bludgeoning, weighted strikes.

“*pant...Is, is that all you got?”

“For you to still be standing, albeit barely, after taking a slash from my Tia infused Hrotti, is commendable.”

“Hrotti?”

“This sword has been passed down the Belith Household for generations. It is said that wounds inflicted by this noble blade never heal. Combining it with Tia’s destructive demonic energy and my swordplay makes it unstoppable.”

“Oh? I dunno about that, Shiko and I were giving you a run for your money.”

“Even now you have the gall to make such a statement...”

Alessia’s demonic energy surged and she set up for one last attack to finish this fight. My chest was burning, I had lost a lot of blood after that one attack that made it through my defences. Although Alessia appeared as if she hadn’t taken any damage. I had managed to reduce the capacity of her armour, so her vitals were visible. This made no difference though, the birdbrain was more than capable of repairing any damage I potentially dealt to her.

For the first time in the King of Hell Summit, I had doubt. Despite being shorter than me, Alessia felt enormous. The arena was nothing to her towering presence. She wielded Hrotti in two hands and dashed toward me…