Olivia joined us back on the podium, looking embarrassed after her performance. Abigail seemed happy for her since she won, while I couldn't help but judge her a little.
"There she is! Good going girl. You probably made her piss herself, haha!"
"Definitely the lesser of two evils... the bigger evil being leaving her with permanent scarring."
I added. Yeah, I know I cheered her on to show Sasha what's what. But I meant beating her up a little! Not the possibility of leaving her with PTSD... hopefully she doesn't become useless after this. She showed that she had potential, so it would suck if it wasn't meant to be. Olivia sat down with us, her head hanging low in shame.
"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me."
"You do get scary whenever you use Death Arts. It's like a flip being switched."
"It's about the mentality, I bet. Especially during fights."
I explained to Abigail, leaning forward to watch the next match. It's good to see what your classmates are capable of, but I think I've grasped their overall skill well. They're knowledgeable to a degree and creative to a fault; being flashy is good, but the point of a fight isn't to fill your enemy with wonder. I mean, you could give it a try, but I don't recommend it. Thank god these are just mock battles though, otherwise these fights would be dreadfully boring.
While Abigail and Olivia shared their thoughts about these last few fights, I suddenly felt a strange presence over me... and a familiar one at that; I was being watched, and it wasn't the "secret admirer" kind. I turned my head from side to side, trying to find the source of this staring. Eventually, my eyes locked with the one who was trying to get my attention: Bailey, on the other end from where I was sitting. She made it super obvious too, basically staring daggers at me. I think she's pissed about what happened to Sasha... and while I understand, why am I getting the stink eye for it? Look at Olivia not me, you weirdo.
Abigail caught on to this, leaning in to whisper to me as if Bailey could hear us from the other far side of the podium.
"She's been giving you the dagger eyes, huh? You'd think Olivia would be the one getting that treatment..."
"She probably has it in her head that I manifested the results of the match. Any excuse to hate on me, I guess."
"W-Wait, are you saying I should get hated on instead?"
"Next up! Beatrice and Bailey, come on down!"
The sound of Mrs. Bridget calling out the next two girls for their match got everyone awake... and I do mean everyone. The teacher smiled wider than usual; she knew what she was doing, and honestly? I couldn't be more thankful for her inciting this.
Bailey and I walked down to the arena basically in synchrony, keeping eye contact on one another like vultures. We stopped until we stood before each other at a respectable distance. Mrs. Bridget looked at the both of us with expectant eyes– the same every other one of our classmates had. Ever since last year's match and today's fiasco at the canteen, everyone in our class looked forward to how we would settle the score... and who would be considered the strongest.
"I certainly hope you've been training lately, Beatrice. Because this time, you have no excuses."
Bailey stated, drawing her expensive-looking dagger from her hip. I kept my casual, yet confident smile. You know, the type that can't be persuaded by cheap talk.
"Oh honey... just because I live rent free in your head doesn't mean the sentiment is shared. That's called a parasocial relationship."
I replied, wielding my old but unrusted dagger. We waited patiently– the silence, thick like molasses, lingered like the calm before the storm. Most of the girls on the podium even held their breaths from anticipation.
"... Begin!"
As if by reading a script beforehand, the both of us slit our hands to perform a Pain Arts to boost our bodies, then dashed forward with our weapons out ready to skewer each other. By the time we met in the center, we missed our marks by a few centimeters off– we grazed our faces, drawing blood from a thin cut on our cheeks. Neither of our expressions changed, whether to keep appearances or for the love of the game.
"Look at you~ you got faster at casting spells."
"And your form isn't as pathetic as last time. I hope you make our fight entertaining this time around, Beatrice."
We jumped back only to move forward again, launching a number of slashes at each other. Given how in sync we were, you'd think we practiced this before. Sparks flew in the air with the sound of metal clashing, our blades meeting due to either parrying or being parried. I got careless at some point, eating a kick straight to the gut– a twitch visible on my brows. Though I took it pretty well I got pushed back still, my shoes sliding against the floor.
Bailey took this chance to keep up the pressure, performing a Sacrificial Arts. By offering her blood that dripped from her earlier cut, the liquid clung to her dagger like an accessory that wasn't just for show. She made a few practice swings at the air that launched blood projectiles in the shape of slashes, travelling through the air at alarming speeds.
Knowing I couldn't let her have the advantage I made an attempt to get close. I moved forward despite the blood slashes, weaving through them closer than I would have liked. To help with movement, I applied small explosions as propulsion around my feet through Destruction Arts. This not only increased my speed but allowed for irregular movements, throwing Bailey off.
Before she knew it we were right in each other's faces again. I smiled at her as a small taunt.
"Peekaboo."
I added, treating this like a game because I knew it would get on her nerves. Right as she tried swinging at me with her knife I returned the favor by planting my foot firmly against her stomach, performing a Sacrificial Arts of my own in the middle of it. I offered up my blood to make the hit stronger than it should be, sending Bailey flying back like a bullet until crashing against the wall. The impact shook the side of the podium where her friends were, kicking up dust in the process.
"Woah–! Bailey! Bailey, you alive?! Say something!"
Rebecca called out to her, clearly worried. Sasha herself looked half concerned and half intimidated. She probably had an idea of how strong I was, but this fight was definitely giving her a different image to picture. That train of thought got cut short by a red glimmer coming from where Bailey crashed, and I immediately knew something dangerous was coming.
A red, horizontal line traveled through the air in mere instants, aiming to sever me in two. I leaned back far enough to not get caught in its range; it was by a literal hair's width. The slash soon manifested on the wall of the podium that was behind me as I stood up straight again... something tells me this wasn't a mock battle to her anymore.
"Surprised? You should be."
Bailey's voice cut through the silence, emerging from the cloud of dust she resided in. I figured she was taking her time to plan something, but I clearly underestimated the danger of it. If I were to compare her from a year ago... she's probably twice, if not thrice as strong as when I fought her.
She walked up to the center of the arena, showing off the fruits of her labor. Her dagger, as well as most of her hand, were engulfed in hardened blood– almost crystal-like in appearance. It looked like a Sacrificial Arts derived off blood manipulation, allowing her to enhance not only her body but also create semi-constructs... I don't think anyone else besides the teachers can make something of that level.
"Surprised is a good word for it. If I hadn't dodged in time, it would've been nasty."
"Don't worry. It's going to get a lot worse for you."
With that, Bailey quickly closed the distance, her arm already raised to bring her new blade down on me. I reacted in time and parried it with my dagger, though the weight behind her swing was heavier than I gave it credit for– I got pushed back again, and nearly paid the price for it as I saw another swing coming to my side.
I was forced to block it with my weapon again, sparks flying from the blades grazing against each other. Unfortunately for me, my footing was off ever since the initial strike, so I was sent flying to the right until coming to a sudden stop. I crashed into the wall just like I made Bailey crash moments prior, my uniform getting dust and cracked shards from the wall all over it. My body ached as you'd expect, groaning in pain when I tried standing up.
"What's wrong? No quips to think up? No backhanded compliments or snarky remarks?"
Bailey said from a distance, her expression one of pure satisfaction and shrewd glee. I coughed a bit due to the air leaving my lungs so suddenly, wiping away a bit of actual blood on my lips...
"I'll be damned.. alright, you got me. Maybe you aren't all talk after all. That skill of yours is pretty powerful too."
"I suppose even you can acknowledge strength that isn't your own. Now that you've seen the difference in our strength, is there something you'd like to admit?"
I thought about it for a moment as I made my way towards Bailey, keeping a relative distance between us. Then, slowly but surely, my smile changed into a grin.
"Yeah, something does come to mind. Your skills have definitely improved, and that blood technique of yours is pretty advanced."
"Aha... so you admit it, do you? That I'm stronger tha–"
"Still though..."
"I think I can do it better."
[End of Chapter 8]