Jess vanished.
The moment she moved, the earth beneath her feet cracked from the force of her acceleration. Her newly awakened Circuit Embodiment had transformed every aspect of her physical abilities. Her strength had surged beyond anything she had possessed before, her speed had reached an entirely different level, and even her endurance had been elevated to the point where the exhaustion that once weighed upon her body had become almost irrelevant.
Genesis met her head-on.
The two warriors collided high above the battlefield.
Their swords crashed together, and the resulting shockwave spread outward like a wall, tearing apart the remaining trees and sending enormous chunks of stone tumbling from the distant mountains. Neither woman gave ground.
Jess twisted her wrist and pushed Genesis away. Genesis immediately recovered and accelerated forward again. Their blades collided once more.
The sound of steel meeting steel echoed across the devastated landscape as the two combatants exchanged attacks in midair. Jess ducked beneath a horizontal slash before rotating and bringing her sword upward. Genesis blocked it, sparks scattering between them.
Jess suddenly disappeared from Genesis's sight.
"Retribution Slash."
She reappeared at Genesis's side and struck. The force of the attack sent Genesis flying backward. Jess released her sword.
The weapon spun through the air toward Genesis like a projectile.
"Luck Manipulation."
Genesis suddenly became unable to move. For several seconds, her body remained frozen in place.
Her eyes widened.
"Law of Nullification."
The invisible force surrounding her vanished, freeing her body. Genesis barely moved her head aside as Jess's sword passed her but the blade still left a thin mark across her face. Genesis touched it. Her expression changed.
The wound was shallow, yet something about it prevented her from completely restoring her skin.
A scar remained. Her eyes narrowed. Jess had done something no opponent had managed to do. She had left a permanent mark.
Genesis's anger intensified.
"Distance… Shrink."
Space collapsed.
Jess suddenly found herself standing directly in front of Genesis. Genesis immediately threw a punch. Jess raised her right hand and caught it.
She tightened her grip around Genesis's hand, rotated her body, and used Genesis's own momentum against her. With a powerful swing, she threw Genesis forward.
At the same time, Jess pulled her right hand backward.
Her sword responded.
The weapon spun through the air and accelerated toward her. Genesis realized what was happening. She had been thrown directly into the sword's path.
Her eyes widened as she attempted to halt herself.
"Switch."
But before the technique could activate, Jess calmly spoke.
"Luck Manipulation."
Genesis's body glitched in place.
Her ability failed. She tried desperately to move aside. The sword passed through the space where she had been and severed her left arm.
Jess caught the weapon immediately.
White flames erupted across the blade and consumed the severed limb before Genesis could react. Genesis roared and immediately invoked her Law, canceling the flames. Yet even after the flames disappeared, marks remained across her body.
Genesis stared at Jess with fury.
"Unforgivable. You dare sever my arm?"
Her aura erupted.
"You will die!"
Genesis raised her remaining hand.
"Singularity."
A black sphere appeared between them.
It was roughly the size of a football, yet its gravitational pull was monstrous.
Trees were ripped from the ground. Rocks and enormous mountain boulders were dragged through the air. Even the faint radiance surrounding Jess's sword began to stretch toward the singularity.
The battlefield itself seemed to bend. Jess remained perfectly still. There was no fear in her expression.
She inhaled slowly.
"Divine Retribution."
Her sword rose. Jess swung upward. A brilliant white slash erupted from the blade and collided directly with the black hole.
For one instant, everything became silent. Then…BOOM! The explosion swallowed the sky.
The blast expanded so violently that the surrounding mountains were erased beneath its force. The remaining forest disappeared, while the earth beneath the combatants was blown apart, leaving behind an enormous crater that vanished beyond sight.
The explosion's scale dwarfed anything resembling an ordinary weapon of destruction.
When the smoke finally began to clear, two silhouettes stood on opposite sides of the crater.
Jess and Genesis. Both were breathing heavily. Genesis's expression remained furious. Then she vanished.
She appeared directly in front of Jess with her remaining hand already driving forward. Jess raised her sword. Genesis's fist struck the blade.
"Switch."
Reality shifted.
The two women exchanged positions. Genesis immediately followed with a kick from her left foot. The attack struck Jess in the side and sent her sliding across the ground.
Jess steadied herself.
"This is getting tricky."
She looked toward Genesis.
"Even though she lost one arm, that doesn't mean she's any weaker. But I can take advantage of that."
Jess rushed forward. She drove a kick toward Genesis's stomach.
Genesis blocked. Jess immediately jumped and followed with another kick toward Genesis's face. Genesis stumbled backward.
Jess pursued.
"Switch."
The two exchanged positions again. Jess immediately turned and rushed toward Genesis. She threw her sword, Genesis tilted her body aside and the blade passed her face. Jess waited.
Then she snapped her fingers.
"The Inescapable."
Genesis froze.
Jess extended her right hand backward. Her sword suddenly changed direction. The weapon turned in midair and began flying back toward its wielder.
Genesis immediately activated her Law.
"Law of Nullification."
The ability vanished. But Jess was already moving.
She seized Genesis's remaining hand. Genesis's eyes widened. Jess drove her forehead into Genesis's. The impact staggered Genesis.
Jess pulled her closer. Then she wrapped her arms around her. Genesis realized what was happening. The sword was already returning.
It struck both of them. For a moment, neither woman moved. Jess held onto Genesis as blood stained the battlefield beneath them.
Genesis attempted to force distance between them using her Law.
"Distance—"
Jess refused to let go. She reached behind Genesis and grasped the hilt of her sword.
Then she slowly pulled herself away from the blade before dragging the weapon sideways out of Genesis.
Genesis dropped to her knees. Jess stood before her, breathing heavily.
Her left hand pressed against her own wound as divine flames began closing it. Genesis's Circuit Embodiment flickered. Then it disappeared.
Jess stared down at her opponent.
"Today, the gods shall witness your death."
Genesis looked up. Jess raised her sword and one final movement ended the battle, Genesis fell. Jess remained standing for several seconds. Then her strength finally left her.
Her wings disappeared. Her golden hair and eyes returned to normal. The divine sword vanished and Jess collapsed onto her back.
Her wound had been healed, but her body had been pushed beyond its limits. Exhaustion overwhelmed her consciousness.
Her eyes closed. She fell unconscious. A moment later, Faith appeared on the battlefield.
She looked around at the devastation before noticing Jess lying in the middle of the ruined landscape. Faith sighed.
"So that's what it is. I should expect everyone to fall unconscious?"
She walked over and carefully lifted Jess.
"Come on, Jess. It's not okay for a girl to pass out in the middle of nowhere without her friends."
Faith glanced toward Genesis's fallen body. A small smile appeared on her face.
"You guys did good."
She turned away, carrying Jess from the battlefield.
Elsewhere, far from the ruined mountains, another confrontation was already beginning.
Kaelen stood in the middle of an open stretch of land.
Across from him stood Urah. The wind moved silently between them. Neither warrior spoke for several seconds.
Urah finally raised his fists and settled into his stance.
"You think you can win?"
Kaelen's eyes remained calm. He lowered his center of gravity and prepared himself.
"I've already seen a future where I do."
The two warriors stared at each other as the atmosphere tightened. Then both moved.