Harem Academy

holding their breath in anticipation. For most, it was the first time they saw two wielders of Artefacts fight.

I was slightly more relaxed about things. I hoped for the fight to either devolve into semi-nude catfighting or for them to show me more skillful combat. Either way, I would see something I liked. The art of battle was not my absolute favourite subject to study, but it was up there.

The second engagement started much like the first with Aclysia liquefying part of the floor. This time, however, she only pulled it out of the floor, leaving the ground around her marked by numerous trenches which made the footing unsteady. Esther, who had advanced close enough to charge in, still went on the aggressive. Lunging and leaping over the trenches, Esther aimed for Aclysias head. She was quick, but not as quick as she had been with the earlier boost.

This fact allowed Aclysia to dodge to the side. She ripped up her weapon and thrust forwards. Esther blocked the attack by launching a lightning bolt at the tip of the spear, forcing it off its straight trajectory. When she landed, she immediately attempted a counter attack, only to find her feet enveloped by the liquified stone.

It hardened before she could move away, leaving her rooted and at the mercy of an opponent with superior range. Aclysia backed off just enough to exploit that fact and thrust towards her opponent. Robbed of her mobility, Esther could only surrender or be turned into a pin-cushion.

Thats how it should have gone, at least, but Esther suddenly vanished. Aclysias spear only penetrated air. Confused, she looked down for a moment, seeing the stone sphere with the foot-shaped empty core under her. Then her head flew upwards in search of her opponent. The order of actions betrayed a level of inexperience.

Just in time, Aclysia noticed her opponent standing where she had a few seconds prior, on the other side of the trenches. The screaming of magical thunder once more filled up the air. Aclysia managed to make the attack hit the side of her shoulder, rather than her chest.

Esther immediately resumed the attack, not giving her opponent any time to breathe. It must have been her conviction that another build-up of liquid materials would only have been to her disadvantage. Better to keep her enemy occupied. Another lunge crossed the distance between them in an accelerated charge. Aclysia gathered herself quickly, knocking aside the now lightless, monotone grey weapon, and retaliated with a swift thrust at Esthers head.

As certain and graceful as a wise owl, Esther leaned her head to the side. The diamond shaped blade of the spear scraped over the side of her face. Golden blood appeared for a moment, then her Astral Body sealed the wound. Both of them were frozen for a split second, stopping the momentum of their weapons and then reversing it to start a new attack.

A flurry of blows followed. Metal clashed again and again. Lunges were knocked aside, strikes parried and slashes dodged. It was a back and forth dance, both of them playing to the strengths of their weapon, Aclysia trying to keep Esther at a distance while the raven-haired woman aimed to break into close range. A fourth bolt of lightning clashed uselessly against a bubble of liquid stone. With every strike that missed and scrapped the floor, Aclysia built up more of her own resources. The even tiled ground of the arena transformed into a landscape of unnaturally smooth trenches.

She wasn the only one continuously stacking up on ressources. The more they fought, the more of the runes on Esthers blade lit up again. Cacophonous, their weapons cut through the air. Two gorgeous women dancing a deadly waltz to a rhythm neither of them could completely dictate. One of them, however, had considerably more influence than the other.