Her sword quivered in her grip. With a roar, she charged.
Immediately, Cain aimed his hand downward, conjuring another ball of mist before firing it into the ground. A dense fog erupted, swallowing the entire street in darkness. More screams and shouts from passersby echoed through the air—but they soon trickled out.
Clair skidded to a halt, her eyes darting around wildly.
Where'd he go!?
Just then, Cain's voice echoed through the fog— "This'll be our final match, Clair. Let's make it a good one!!!"
She spun toward the sound, trying to pinpoint his location, but it was no use. She let out a coarse cough, a small amount of blood spilt from her mouth, staining the dirt below.
She could endure the poision longer than the average citizen, but even she had her limits.
I have to find him—fast!
Clair steadied herself, trying focusing on the flow of Cain's magic to find him, but before she could pinpoint where he was, something moved to her left. A shadow lunged at her. She barely had time to react, stepping back just in time to weave past the attack.
Now, standing in front of her was a figure formed from the mist, its hazy outline barely solid. Without hesitation, it charged again. Clair dodged its fist and, in one swift motion, sliced through its neck. The moment her blade made contact, the figure dispersed into nothing.
"Clones, huh," she muttered.
Another one emerged from the fog. Then another. And another. Soon, an entire horde was swarming toward her.
Clair moved like a dancer, weaving between their blows, her sword cutting through one after another. Any attack she couldn't dodge, she deflected with her shield. But the clones kept coming, relentless and endless, leaving Clair far too occupied to track Cain's real location.
"I don't have time for this," she groaned between coughs. Blood now covered her chin as she fought. And her body was bruised from the few hits the clones had snuck in. Gritting her teeth, she cut down another wave of clones, creating just enough space to kneel to the ground. Raising her shield above her head.
Then, as if by magic, the wooden shield began to expand, growing outward and curling around her until it formed a solid dome.
The clones hammered against the wooden barrier from the outside, but it didn't give an inch. Inside, Clair used this time to steady her breath and search for Cain via his magic output. Cain, arrogant as always, wasn't even trying to conceal his presence.
Clair's lips curled into a smirk. "So there you are," she muttered.
With finding his location Clair tightened her grip on her sword, her breath steady was now steady despite the pain. Without hesitation, she withdrew her shield, letting it shrink back down to its normal size.
The moment the barrier dropped, the mist clones hesitated—just for a second. But that was all the time she needed.
Clair lunged forward, slicing through the nearest clones with precise strikes. Then, without slowing down, she cocked her arm back and hurled her sword into the fog.
The blade cut through the thick mist, the sound of it whooshing lingering in the air—
Then, a scream rang out in the distance. A second later, all the clones hot on Clair tail dissolved at once into nothing.
(And thus, Rion's adventure continues…)