"How is the progress?"
Behind her, a female Elf with short blonde hair immediately bowed.
"Secretary-General," the Elf reported, her voice crisp and efficient.
"The slaves are doing better. The rebellion rate has dropped drastically. They're starting to get used to the work rhythm, unlike the chaotic early days."
She paused, seeing Emma still looking down.
"And as you ordered, we immediately healed the severe injuries suffered by the slaves due to mining accidents. There were no deaths from work-related injuries this week."
"I see…" Emma murmured. Her eyes narrowed, observing a man who fell from exhaustion, then was immediately whipped by a Skeleton Warrior until he stood up again.
"But we can't go on like this."
"What do you mean?" the Elf asked, confused.
Emma turned, staring sharply at her subordinate.
"Look at them," she said coldly, pointing to the crowd below. "Thousands of slaves, but the results are slow. Relying on weak human muscles to break hard Martian rock is shameful inefficiency. We need more than just sweat and blood."
She walked closer, her steps firm.
"Use human mining technology," she ordered. "Giant drills, excavators, transport trucks. Tell Belial to steal them, or buy them from the black market, I don't care. And deploy the Earth Element Mages here. Have them soften the rock layers before the slaves dig. Bring Golems too to lift heavy loads. Integrate magic and machines. I want production output to triple next month."
The Elf scribbled quickly in her notebook, her hand trembling slightly. "I will carry it out immediately, Secretary-General."
Emma nodded, then glanced around. Her sharp eyes searched for a certain figure who should be here.
"Where is Natasha?" she asked, her tone rising slightly. "Isn't she responsible for supervising these slaves? I don't see her red hair anywhere."
The Elf swallowed hard. She pointed hesitantly to the west, outside the boundary of the mining dome.
"Lady Natasha… is currently training not far from here."
Emma followed the direction of the finger. In the distance, amidst the expanse of silent red desert, she saw it.
Plumes of dust smoke billowed high into the orange sky, as if a local sandstorm were raging in one spot. From within the dust cloud, occasional flashes of blinding silver light and bursts of energy could be seen, making the ground tremble slightly, even to where they stood.
"Of course," Emma hissed. "That barbarian woman prefers hitting rocks to taking care of her responsibilities."
Without another word, Emma jumped off the cliff. She landed lightly, then sped toward the west with a speed that left a trail of dust behind her.
…
CLANG!
Natasha swung her greatsword, splitting a giant rock into two neat halves. The rock shattered into pieces, dust flying.
She stood in the middle of a small crater she had created herself, her breathing slightly ragged, sweat soaking her forehead. But in her eyes, there was the fire of satisfaction.
"Still not enough," she muttered. "My swing is still 0.5 seconds too slow."
She raised her sword again, ready for the next attack.
"Having fun, Natasha?"
The sword stopped in mid-air.
The blood drained from Natasha's face instantly. She knew that voice. Cold, flat, and carrying undeniable authority. She turned slowly.
At the lip of the crater stood Emma. The Martian wind tugged at her white dress, but she looked immovable, like a beautiful marble statue. Her eyes looked down, not with anger, but with disappointment.
Natasha hurriedly stabbed her sword into the ground and bowed slightly, her relaxed demeanor evaporating.
"Secretary-General," she greeted, her voice a little tense. "What brings you to… this training ground?"
Emma stepped down. Not jumping, not flying. She walked on the air as if there were invisible stairs, each step graceful and calculated. She landed silently in front of Natasha.
"I came here to remind you of priorities," Emma said softly. "The slaves in the mine need supervision. Not to be abandoned while their guard plays with rocks."
Natasha swallowed. "My subordinates are watching them, Secretary-General. No one dares to rebel. And… honestly, I'm bored. My muscles are stiff. No enemies, no challenges."
"That is no excuse," Emma cut in. "Lord Arthur wants results. Not excuses."
"I know. I'll go back." Natasha nodded quickly. But then, a crazy idea crossed her mind. An urge from her battle-hungry knightly instincts, overcoming her fear for a moment.
"But… since you're here, Secretary-General…" Natasha dared to look into Emma's eyes.
"…how about we 'warm up' for a bit? Just a sparring match. No magic. Just… physical."
She knew this was dangerous. Challenging a superior. But she also knew Emma was a great fighter.
Emma looked at her for a long time. Her eyebrow raised slightly. The silence between them was heavy, filled only by the whisper of the Martian wind.
Then, Emma smiled.
"You want to test if I've gotten rusty behind my desk, Natasha?"
"Just want to learn from the best," Natasha replied, trying to sound diplomatic, though her hands were itching to grip the sword hilt.
"Very well," Emma said softly.
She stretched her arms forward.
ZZZZTTT!
Silvery-black liquid crept up from her neck, spreading like living fluid. In the blink of an eye, her white dress was completely covered by armor. Her tail vanished, folded into the armor's pocket dimension. A black helmet covered her beautiful face, leaving only a blue visor.
No gaps. No skin visible.
Natasha jerked back a step, impressed and horrified at the same time. Her own silver helmet closed automatically with a click.
"Don't cry if your armor gets scratched, Knight," Emma's voice sounded from behind the helmet, distorted into a metallic hum.
"Ha! Just try!"
Natasha threw away all her doubts. She released her sword, letting it fall. She took a stance.
BOOM!
The ground beneath her feet exploded into a new crater as Natasha launched forward. She broke the sound barrier instantly. To the human eye, she would have vanished.
Her right fist shot straight toward Emma's visor, a supersonic jab carrying the momentum of thousands of tons.
Emma didn't dodge. She just raised her left hand casually.
WHAM!
The sound of the impact was like a bomb explosion. The shockwave swept the dust around them clean.
Emma's hand caught Natasha's fist. Still. Unmoving, not even a millimeter.
What?!
Natasha screamed internally. She blocked it?! Without a stance?!
Behind her visor, Emma might have been smiling. She twisted her wrist.
Natasha felt her world spin. She was thrown into the air like a ragdoll. But she was a Valkyrie. In mid-air, she twisted her body, using the momentum of the throw to deliver a spinning heel kick toward Emma's neck. Ushiro Mawashi Geri.
Emma ducked slightly. Natasha's heel sliced the empty air above her head, creating a sharp wind blade that cut the rock cliff ten meters behind her.
Before Natasha's feet touched the ground, Emma had already moved. A low leg sweep. Simple.
THUD!
Natasha fell flat on her face. But she rolled, got up, and launched a series of Muay Thai strikes. Knees, elbows, fists. A barrage of attacks with a speed that heated the air around them into plasma.
Emma dodged between the attacks. She parried an elbow with an open palm (Parry), deflected a knee with a light push on the thigh (Deflect). Her movements were simple, like water flowing between stones. Kung Fu. Tai Chi applied with godlike speed.
She's reading my moves, Natasha thought in panic, cold sweat starting to soak her back inside the armor.
Every attack… she knows before I do it.
Natasha roared, increasing her speed to the maximum limit. She launched a desperate right overhand punch, putting all her physical strength into it.
Emma stopped dodging. She stepped forward, entering Natasha's attack range. Her shoulder slammed into Natasha's chest.
TIE SHAN KAO! (Iron Mountain Lean).
KA-BOOOM!
Natasha felt as if she had been hit by a meteor. Her ribs creaked in protest. She was thrown back hundreds of meters, her body plowing through the red Martian soil, creating a long trench before finally stopping by crashing into the crater wall.
"Cough!" Natasha coughed inside her helmet. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
She looked up. Emma was still standing in the same spot, brushing imaginary dust from her armor's shoulder.
"Your movements are too wide, Natasha," Emma's voice sounded calm through magic communication. "Too much wasted energy. You fight like a beast, not a Fighter."
Natasha forced herself to stand, her legs trembling slightly. However, the fear that had gripped her heart was gone. Instead, pure adrenaline flooded her veins. Her blood boiled, not from anger, but from the ecstasy of battle.
Natasha opened her helmet. Her beautiful face was dirty with red dust and sweat. A spot of bright red blood was visible at the corner of her cracked lip, contrasting with her pale skin.
But she smiled. A wide, slightly crazy smile, showing her white teeth.
"Again," Natasha shouted, her voice hoarse but full of spirit. She took a low stance, both hands raised in a fighting position, ready to welcome anything.
"One more time, Secretary-General!"
Emma tilted her head, looking at her from behind the black visor.
"So stubborn."
This time, Emma attacked.
She vanished.
Not because of magic, but because of pure speed. Natasha didn't see her, but her fighting instincts screamed: Left!
Natasha ducked, avoiding a high kick aimed at her head. The wind from the kick tore the air above her with a sharp WHIIING! sound.
Without pause, Natasha countered. An uppercut that hit Emma's ribs. Emma blocked it with her elbow, but the momentum of Natasha's punch pushed her back one step.
Got her!
Natasha showed no mercy. She unleashed a series of punch and kick combinations with blinding speed. Jab, cross, hook, low kick. Each attack was launched with deadly precision, forcing Emma to stay on the defensive.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The sound of their armor clashing sounded like sledgehammers hitting steel. Emma, who initially seemed relaxed, was now starting to be pushed back. She parried, dodged, deflected attacks, but Natasha kept pressing her like a relentless storm.
"You're slowing down, Secretary-General!" Natasha roared. She jumped, her right knee aimed straight at Emma's chest.
Emma crossed her arms to withstand the attack. BOOM! She was dragged back five meters, her feet leaving trenches in the Martian soil.
Before Emma could regain her balance, Natasha was already in front of her again. This time, she didn't hold back. She twisted her waist, channeling all her physical strength into one straight punch that broke the sonic barrier.
The punch aimed for Emma's visor. Too fast to dodge. Too strong to parry with bare hands.
Behind her visor, Emma's eyes widened.
Damn, she's serious.
Emma had no choice.
TING!
A hexagonal, rainbow-colored transparent shield appeared right in front of her face, a split second before Natasha's fist struck.
BOOM!
The shockwave of the explosion threw dust and rocks in all directions. Natasha was bounced back by the repulsive force of her own punch hitting the absolute magic shield.
Emma stood there, her hexagonal shield blinking slowly before disappearing. She lowered her hands, breathing slightly faster than before.
"You forced me to use magic," she said, her voice sounding a little annoyed, but there was a note of acknowledgment in it.
Natasha landed on both feet, panting. She wiped the blood on her lip with the back of her hand, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction.
"That… was a good fight," she said with a wide grin.
Emma let out a long sigh. Her black armor began to melt, turning back into an elegant white dress. Her beautiful face was visible again, slightly red from physical exertion.
"Enough," Emma said firmly. "I don't have time to entertain your madness all day."
Natasha nodded, the respect in her eyes deepening. She knew she couldn't win, but she had managed to force Emma to defend. That was enough.
"Yes, Secretary-General!" Natasha gave a stiff salute, her respect and fear for the woman in front of her rising to a new level.
She watched Emma's back as she walked away, returning to the floating castle. Her steps were still graceful, as if the brutal fight just now had never happened.
Monster, Natasha thought, picking up her sword. She really is a monster.
But then, she looked at her own slightly cracked sword. She smiled again.
But at least… I managed to make her use magic.