“Contact! Three opponents, skills unknown!”

  Viviana’s useless teammates froze up in the face of imminent danger. Viviana instantly accelerated, striding off the ground at the enemy, hoping to catch them off guard, causing her teammates to snap out of their shock.

  Viviana’s eyes quickly analyzed the situation. Three opponents from an enemy team, all wielding swords and approaching rapidly. Three taller boys, easily beating her in reach and strength. Judging by how Viviana had an ability that required set-up, it was safe to say that she'd be out-abilitied as well.

  They looked well trained, probably expecting to win in a straight fight. She’d have to move unexpectedly to potentially seize a victory.

  I’ll need to isote an opponent instead of taking them head on. They’re running at us. Eventually they’ll have to take up a stance to fight… but I’ll use that transition period to strike.

  Viviana didn’t slow down to take a stance. Instead, Viviana plowed into melee range, bringing up her right leg and delivering a kick straight into the chest of the guy in the middle.

  She was lighter and weaker than him, but her momentum pushed him onto his back. Viviana raised her sword to finish him off when she suddenly felt a presence from behind.

  A silver streak fshed across her vision as she whirled around and jerked her head backwards, just narrowly dodging a strike at her neck. How’d his teammate get here so fast? A skill to increase his movement speed?

  Viviana bounded backwards as the guy she kicked cwed to his feet, somehow still holding his sword. I kicked the wind out of him, and he still held on? I should’ve used my bde instead.

  These guys are strong. Where’s the third guy?

  Her enemies answered the question for her.

  “Question. Where’s Fuji? ” asked the guy who got kicked. He pulled himself up, towering to an impressive height.

  The other person, the guy who saved the tall guy who got kicked down, spoke. “Fuji will handle the rest of the team. If he can’t he can certainly stall. You alright, Oscar?”

  “I’m good, Jayce. She got me good with that. I thought she was gonna stop, but instead she accelerated. Right into three of us holding swords. Insane.”

  Oscar, the massive guy who got knocked to the ground, wiped the dust off his shoulder. “You caught me by surprise, Adler-Stern. But it’s two versus one now. No matter how good you are, you cannot win. Impossible.”

  “I don’t need to win. My teammates will deal with ‘Fuji’ or whatever his name is. Then they'll back me up.”

  “Them?” said Jayce, slowly walking towards her. He’s trying to sneakily get in striking range. “Fuji’s the strongest person here. They don’t stand a chance.”

  Viviana took a couple steps back as she readied a stance. She walked slowly and steadily as the two boys advanced with their stances up, swords at eye level.

  Then she bumped into a tree. Thinking quickly, she pressed an elbow against the bark as subtly as she could. I need to stall for a couple seconds to activate my ability.

  “You’d better hope this Fuji guy wins quickly. Otherwise, I might kill both of you.”

  Oscar chuckled. “Enough stalling. Let’s get this over with.”

  Viviana ducked and rolled sideways as Oscar sshed out, smashing his bde into the tree behind her. Instantly Viviana willed her [lightning trap] into exploding, hoping to arc the electricity through the bde and into him.

  Yellow lightning crackled through the air as the trap detonated. Oscar got hit with the brunt of the skill. Viviana sshed forward to finish the job but Jayce got in her way again, dashing forward in a blur of speed and intercepting her sword.

  A flurry of sword sshes were exchanged as Oscar stumbled backwards and then slowly regained his senses, shaking himself out of the momentary shock and moving to her left, trying to circle around their fight.

  I’ve got to beat one of them quickly before I’m attacked from the behind, but how?

  “You should be focusing on me!” Jayce yells, stabbing forward. Viviana’s eyes widened as his sword point sailed towards her midsection. Just in time she twisted sideways, just barely dodging his thrust. Fast. This guy is using his dash skill to augment his attacks, a very difficult technique. One time would be a fluke, but it’s the third time in a row he’s done it. Just who did I bump into?

  Viviana was quick on the counter and sshed towards his extended arm, but he already withdrew it back enough to just barely counter the attack. This Jayce guy was a good duelist, and his dash skill made it even worse.

  I’ve got to keep an eye on Oscar. Wait… where’s Oscar?Viviana felt a monstrous presence from behind and instinctively raised her sword in a long habitual defensive measure. It saved her.

  Viviana’s body crumbled as a blow with the force of a sledgehammer smashed into her side, the force barely deflected by her own bde.

  Viviana held her side as she coughed up blood. A rib or two was definitely broken. With as much strength as she could muster she stumbled away, trying to get Oscar into view. For some reason, they didn’t finish her off.

  Whatever he just hit me with probably sapped his mana heavily. It’ll take a second to clear his head.

  “...Is this what Vivania Adler-Stern’s skill amounts to? The one who sughtered the guards of the Adler-Stern house? Must be quite a weak guard force,” Jayce says. “Still, you survived Oscar’s skill, so I suppose that’s worthy of admiration.”

  Oscar, grasped his head, slowly recovering from what looked like a mana hungry skill. “...You live? How?”

  Viviana didn’t know herself. Her dominant arm felt unbelievably sore, and she couldn’t stop it from shaking. All that to block a single strike.

  Still, she raised her bde to meet their eyes. “In that one moment you thrusted your bde, you knew I’d be focused on avoiding it and I would turn my gaze. In that one moment, Oscar moved into my blind spot and struck.”

  Jayce shrugged. “It’s a simple move.”

  “It’s clearly seen real combat. With this skill, you could be guild affiliated. Why are you here?”

  A ugh. “I’m not surprised you don’t know us, exile of Adler-Stern! We’re the personal guards of the Hoshino family. Fuji, that idiot,” Jayce says, pointing a thumb over his back, “is our liege. He denied the guild’s offer, instead seeking a better one.”

  Of course. The first team she ever bumped into would be trained professional guards, for some big shot glory seeker.

  Viviana wiped some blood from the corner of her mouth, touching her left hand to her side, feeling for broken bones. A touch caused her to wince, moving her guard slightly out of position…

  And Jayce lunged at the opportunity, activating his dash to close the gap, sword pointed at her injured side. Oscar moved as well, silently slipping towards her uninjured side.

  As soon as Jayce got just close enough, Viviana immediately clenched her sword handle, snapping out of her feigned weakness. A slight push to the inner part of Jayce’s thrust allowed her to deflect it completely, all without moving her eyes off her true enemy– Oscar.

  Jayce followed up the quick stab with a dash backwards. It was the same withdrawing move he used as before. Last time Viviana hoped to counter with a strike to his chest, but she knew better this time. Everything was a setup. Not only had she baited him into attacking her injured side, but she knew he was fast enough to dodge an attack to the heart.

  This time, she went for his outstretched hand.

  A red arc fshed through the air, a severed hand followed. His sword cttered to the ground.

  It wasn’t over. Oscar took an extra second, but was in her blind spot again. He’ll target my side.

  Without even looking at her adversary, Viviana dropped low, allowing the wild, skill assisted swing to pass over her head.

  He’s momentarily stunned now after using all that mana. I’ll kill Jayce first, and then Oscar before he shakes off the mana fatigue.

  Viviana gnced back up at Jayce…

  But he was right in her face. He performed a reckless charge, even without a weapon in hand, tackling her, his strength catching her by surprise, her sword slipping from her hand, blood smearing against the grass.

  And then he punched, both with and without a hand, left and right, left and right. Red covered her face, clouding her vision as blow after blow rained down on her.

  She could barely hear as Jayce let out a scream. “Oscar! Wake up! You’ve got to finish this!”

  He was right. Neither Viviana or Jayce were armed. Although killing a soulbound was possible with just fists, it would be a long and bloody battle. Oscar was the only one still holding a sword. He was the only one lethal now.

  Viviana wouldn’t go down without a fight. She punched and kicked and grabbed at Jayce’s face, trying to gouge out his eyes, trying anything to get him off…

  And then she stopped.

  Jayce stopped as well. Viviana wondered why. Something about his expression was unreadable to her. She wasn’t taught what his face meant.

  Viviana sputtered, trying to draw breath as Jayce just watched her. She knew that her face was completely busted. She ushered out a choking gasp, then a cough, and then finally her throat was clear.

  Viviana spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “...You’ve got something on your face.”

  Jayce snapped back to attention, his hands going to his face, but it was too te. Viviana activated the [lightning trap]. Electricity coursed through him as his muscles convulsed, no longer pinning Viviana down as hard.

  Vivana pushed upwards, cwing her way upwards and away from him, reaching across the ground just those extra couple inches. Her hand curled around the handle of her bde.

  She plunged Adler-Stern steel through his throat.

  [You have won a difficult battle.]

  [Feat recognized.]

  [Congratutions, Viviana Adler-Stern! You’ve leveled up!]

  [1→2]