[Raul PoV]
The same height, the same body language, and the same black hair as her. If it weren't for her unique orange eyes, I would have assumed the woman in front of me was Liana.
Furthermore, the current situation is strikingly similar to when I first met Liana. The rain, her walking toward me—the only difference is that her goal today isn't to catch a bus together, but to exterminate me for causing chaos in her country.
The woman drew her sword from its scabbard and continued walking slowly toward me. The only sounds in the area were the pitter-patter of rain and Siena's footsteps.
Honestly, I have no information regarding this woman's strength. In the game, her character had passed away before the Main Story began, and the President of the Venetian Republic had no living children at the game's start. Yet, the fact is she is alive now and possesses knowledge that can only be obtained by someone who once lived on Earth.
Siena di Reginossa is an enigma in this world, just like me.
She stopped when the distance between us was about 30 meters. Raindrops fell directly in front of me, but suddenly those drops vanished. The woman appeared instantly before me, launching a horizontal slash toward my neck.
— Tang!
Though startled, I managed to block her slash with my sword. But Siena didn't stop there; she threw a left kick toward my head, but I quickly ducked to avoid the strike.
I then swung a slash toward Siena's right leg, which was still planted on the ground, but she immediately leaped high into the air, twisting her body like an Olympic diver. Her sword began to emit magical light—a sign she was activating Temper magic. I did the same to prepare for her onslaught.
Just as our blades were about to clash, Siena suddenly vanished in mid-air, and my sword hit only the wind. She reappeared right beside me. I immediately activated Unreality Field and Temper magic.
"Mezzaluna!"
Her blade struck my right ribs. My body was sent flying until I slammed into a rocky cliff. I clutched my right side and felt the wet sensation of blood starting to flow from her slash. If I hadn't activated the Repel and Unreality Field spells earlier, that attack likely would have given me a much deeper, fatal wound.
Her ability is similar to Minor Teleportation. However, Siena's activation is faster and can be used within a range of less than 10 meters. On the other hand, Minor Teleportation only works from a distance of 30–200 meters. That's why I initially thought she was using that spell when she first materialized in front of me.
— Crack!
Debris began falling from the cliff because my body had hit it with such force. As a large rock fell in front of me, it suddenly vanished, replaced by the woman appearing right there.
"..."
"Heaven Divide!"
— Tang!
I blocked Siena's powerful overhead slash with my sword. However, due to the difference in strength, my body was still forced aside.
I understand now.
Landing on both feet, I activated Temper on the sword I held. Siena, who was far ahead, suddenly disappeared. I reflexively slashed my sword to the side. Sure enough, she appeared there and was surprised that I had attacked before she could launch one of her own.
— Tang!
She blocked my slash with her blade. Her body was pushed back 10 meters. Siena can swap places with objects within a certain range. That means she has a Space Manipulation Mana Nature—one of the rarest Mana Natures in this world.
I must always be ready to activate my defensive mechanisms because this woman hasn't used her Profound Codex at all yet.
Activating Accel and Temper, I dashed toward Siena. She activated the same spells and charged toward me. We both launched a slash at each other simultaneously.
— Clang!
Our attacks collided, sending both the swords we held flying into the air. Our bodies were also pushed back from the impact. I quickly grabbed a revolver I had previously taken from an enemy and aimed it at Siena. However, I saw the black-haired woman doing the same, leveling her firearm at me.
— Bang!
We both pulled the triggers at the same time. A spark was created as our bullets collided in mid-air.
— Bang!
We fired again. This time, I could feel Siena's bullet pass my head by a hair's breadth. On the other hand, the bullet I fired grazed Siena's neck. We fired at each other until the last round and then tossed our revolvers aside. Next, I caught Siena's sword as it tumbled toward me from our previous clash, while she caught my sword thrown toward her.
Siena's feet were shrouded in orange light particles—a sign she was activating Asphalt magic. I did the same. We rushed toward each other and launched a flurry of attacks. I lunged with a thrust at Siena's neck, but she dodged by tilting her head slightly. She then delivered a diagonal counter-slash from bottom to top, aiming at my stomach.
However, I kicked the flat side of Siena's sword, making her slash pass harmlessly under my leg. Taking advantage of Siena's open defense, I launched a vertical slash at her left shoulder. But suddenly, I was displaced.
This time, I was at an altitude of about 50 meters in the air.
Did she move me with her space magic to avoid my slash? My body began to fall from the height; I then drove my sword into the cliffside and hung there.
"That space magic is truly troublesome," I muttered.
But I didn't get to relax. Siena suddenly appeared above me and immediately launched a powerful downward slash. Releasing the sword stuck in the cliff, I blocked her attack, but my body began falling toward the ground again.
— Tang! Tang! Clang!
We began clashing swords in mid-air. Siena gave me no room to move freely.
— Bruk!
My body felt the pain of hitting the ground from the height, while Siena disappeared again before her body could crash.
Ughhh... It feels like my left shoulder is slightly dislocated because I didn't land perfectly. I tried to stand; the woman was walking slowly toward me. With her space manipulation abilities, it would be difficult for me to land a hit without using my Shadow Mana Nature.
Moreover, she still hasn't shown a single one of her Profound Codices. There are two ways I can defeat her: by activating the second stage of my Full Vengeance or by attacking her with Reject Impact. However, I wanted to save the second stage of Full Vengeance if possible, as I didn't intend to kill Siena before finding out what she knows.
But I didn't have much time to analyze. Siena had activated Asphalt and dashed at me. I activated the same. However, just as Siena was right in front of me, the speed I gained from the spell suddenly vanished.
"Mezzaluna!"
Siena launched a horizontal slash. I could only block, which sent me stumbling back a few meters. What happened? Why did Asphalt have zero effect on my body?
Siena attacked again. I reactivated Asphalt, but when she got close, the spell's effect suddenly died within me.
"Sea Wind!"
Siena launched a combo attack. Without speed magic, I found it very difficult to dodge and parry all her strikes, leaving my body covered in sword cuts. After her combo ended, Siena's feet glowed with a dense orange light. This was Fuerte—a reinforcement spell superior to Temper.
I hurried to activate Unreality Field and the defensive spell Repel. But just like before, the effects of the defensive buffs I activated suddenly disappeared.
— BAMM!!
Siena kicked my head hard, sending me crashing far into the rocky cliff.
"Cough! Cough!"
Spitting blood from my mouth, I noticed two of my teeth had been knocked out by Siena's kick. My vision began to blur, and I nearly lost consciousness. As I suspected, that is one of her Profound Codices—the ability to remove buffs obtained from magic.
"Buff Removal, huh?" I muttered.
Realizing my predicament, I began gathering Mana in my left hand to prepare an attack. Siena dashed toward me. I scrambled up and activated Asphalt, fleeing before I could be caught within the range of her Buff Removal.
Looking back, she was still about 50 meters away. But when I looked forward again, Siena suddenly appeared right in front of me and began an attack.
Ughhh... She used space magic again. With our close proximity, the Asphalt spell I was using automatically lost its effect. She managed to stab my right shoulder, but I succeeded in punching her face, sending her reeling back a few meters.
By performing this Trade Blow, I finally landed my first strike on her. However, without reinforcement magic, my attack seemed to have no effect on her at all. On the other hand, the sword wound in my right shoulder made it difficult to move my arm.
"Blade of The Future..."
She whispered something. I increased my focus to face Siena's next move. But suddenly, I felt my back slashed by something, making my whole body go weak. At the same time, Siena appeared before me again with her magic and delivered a hard punch to my face.
— Baammm!!!
My body was once again sent flying into the cliff. I still didn't understand what she had done. Without a sound, without any warning, I suddenly felt a sword slash my back. Was that another one of her Profound Codices?
Lying on the ground, I tried to stand even though my body had almost reached its limit. The constant bleeding made me weaker by the second. My breathing grew heavier...
"..."
Siena appeared in front of me again and launched a low slash at my legs, but I managed to jump and deliver a hard kick toward her head. Siena blocked my kick with her left arm, but her body was still pushed aside several meters.
Why did she bother aiming for my legs with an attack that left her defense so wide open?
"Blade of The Future..."
Siena activated the spell again. Suddenly, my left leg felt as if it had been sliced by a sword. Siena dashed at me again, but I turned and tried to escape using Asphalt, even with a limping leg.
It seems I finally figured out how Blade of The Future works. And it's clear she also wants to capture me alive.
"..."
The black-haired woman appeared in front of me again with her troublesome space magic and lunged with a thrust toward my left shoulder. But this time I didn't dodge. After Siena's sword pierced my shoulder, I grabbed her right hand, making it impossible for her to escape me.
"Reject Impact..."
— Boommbb!
Both our bodies were sent flying by my attack. I hit the rocky cliff again, while Siena was thrown 50 meters away. With this attack, she wouldn't be able to activate her magic again.
Trying to stand once more, my left arm hung limp, paralyzed by the effects of using Reject Impact. On the other hand, Siena had already stood up. There were traces of blood on her mouth; she had clearly sustained internal injuries from my attack. However, my eyes widened in shock at what Siena did next.
"Liana de Grantz..."
Yes... Siena took a sword technique stance that only belonged to the strongest Grand Espada in the Empire's history. She then dashed toward me with incredible speed. Due to the many injuries I had received during the fight, I was unable to respond to avoid her attack.
Siena's sword pierced my right shoulder, pinning my body against the rocky cliff behind me. My body had reached its limit and I couldn't move at all. At such close range, I could feel Siena's heavy breathing against my neck. We looked at each other...
But slowly, I lost consciousness. My head slumped and fell onto Siena's right shoulder.
"I caught you, Ghost of Cataluna."
Those were the last words I remember before blacking out and losing to Siena.