Boom!
Sheris narrowly twisted out of the way, Ur's kick slammed into the cobbled street where she'd been standing, shattering the stone beneath with jagged cracks.
His body was nearly twice as strong as an ordinary man's, and with the explosive force of the Kuga Combat Technique, Ur could deliver frightening power.
He didn't hesitate. He knew exactly what his advantage was.
The first strike missed. The second came immediately.
One hand braced against the ground, his body twisted into an almost unnatural pose, and with a sharp spin, he lashed out. His heel crashed into Sheris' abdomen.
Pfft!
A spray of blood burst from her lips.
Ur's martial arts were crude, far from refined. He had studied for too little time, just the bare framework of the Kuga style. Any true master of body techniques would see gaping flaws in every move.
But Sheris wasn't a fighter. She had never trained in hand-to-hand combat, and now she was gravely wounded. Against Ur's relentless assault, she could find no opening to counter.
Ur didn't dare give her even a heartbeat of respite.
His one edge was his intact body and this crude martial training. If he gave her even a sliver of breathing room, she would crush him.
So he stuck close, never letting her finish a spell.
Each time she tried to form a circle, a blow smashed into her, breaking her concentration.
It was suffocating. Humiliating.
Never in her life had Sheris fought under such miserable conditions.
Sheris was livid. A mage of her experience should have had techniques to deal with hand-to-hand specialists. But her injuries left her unable to use them. While Ur's fighting style, though unrefined, was vicious. Each strike went straight for her vitals. More than once, she felt death brush past her skin.
"Bastard!"
At last, her rage boiled over. She snapped, ready to forcefully unleash a spell no matter the risk.
But Ur's eyes flashed. He saw the opening. His fist crashed into her side.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone echoed.
Sheris staggered back several steps, clutching her side, face draining of all color. The blow was devastating. For the first time, fear flickered in her eyes. If she didn't end this brat right now, she realized, she might actually die here.
Her gaze darted wildly across the battlefield. Then, she saw it—a shadow. Her eyes lit with a savage gleam.
A rush of wind grazed Ur's cheek as he struck again. But this time, Sheris gritted her teeth, chest heaving, and took the blow head-on. The impact hurled her bodily across the battlefield.
Before Ur could follow, she forced herself upright mid-stumble, cast a quick acceleration spell, and darted toward her target.
Ur froze for an instant.
She's running?
But before he could process it, Jelka's panicked voice cut through the air, "No! Stop her!"
As Sheris's old rival, Jelka knew her far better. The instant Sheris moved, she had guessed her plan. She tried to rush forward, but with her magic drained, her legs gave out after only a few steps. She collapsed hard onto the ground.
Sheris reached her goal unopposed.
Under Ur's horrified eyes, she seized the unconscious Jeris, hauling him upright with one hand. Her gaze gleamed with venom as she hissed. "Not another step. If you want your companion to live, you'll stay exactly where you are."
"Stop!"
It was Jelka who shouted first, fury on her face. "This is between you and me! Don't you dare drag others into it!"
Sheris sneered. "Don't make me laugh. I told you before—Fairy Tail chose to interfere, and they'll pay the price for it."
"You call this honorable?" Jelka spat.
"Honor?" Sheris barked out a twisted laugh. "If that brat had just let me kill him earlier, none of this would've happened. This mess? He brought it on himself!" Her face distorted with mirth, and a cruel light filled her eyes.
She tightened her grip on Jeris' throat, then turned to Ur with a smile like a knife. "Boy. Do you want to save him? Then trade your life for his."
"Let him go! He has nothing to do with this! If you want a life, take mine instead—" Jelka's voice cracked with fury.
"Shut up, you b*tch!" Sheris snapped, eyes flashing. "Your life doesn't interest me. It's his I want." She jerked her chin toward Ur.
Her grin widened, twisted with sadistic pleasure. "Well, boy? Time is short. Have you made up your mind?"
She reveled in this, holding another's life in her hand, watching "comrades" throw themselves away in pitiful sacrifice. The thrill of it nearly drove her giddy.
Ur: "..."
Since Jeris had been taken hostage, he hadn't said a word. Both Sheris and Jerca mistook his silence for inner conflict, torn between choices.
But in truth, Ur was… speechless.
Jelka offering her life for Jeris had moved him. Compared to his previous life, the bonds in this one were far richer, far more genuine. But as touching as it was, he had no intention of following such a "stupid idea."
Sacrifice himself for Jeris? Please. He was the one who had beaten Jeris half to death in the first place!
Still, Sheris grabbing him had sparked another thought. One that, once it surfaced, refused to go away.
While Jelka panicked and Sheris gloated, Ur quietly raised his hand. A magic circle of earthen brown shimmered into existence before him. With a crack, a jagged spear of solid stone burst forth, whistling through the air.
Lower-Tier Earth Magic, Earth Spike!
It happened too fast for anyone to react.
Pcht!
In the blink of an eye, the stone lance punched clean through two silhouettes, spraying crimson into the air.