Chapter 160 - Loss

Once the referee announced the start, Fina was the first to rush forward. Serilla only waited for her to get closer then she quickly raised her sword overhead took half a step forwards and swung it down on Fina.

Fina quickly dodged to the right and swung her short swords at her opponent, but she was surprised to see a flash of light at the corner of her vision.

She stopped her swing and raised her two swords.

CLANG

"Kuh..."

The sword strike felt heavy. Fina jumped back to lessen the impact and created a distance between them.

"..."

Fina frowned when she saw that her opponent was still standing in the same spot with the same posture. She thought that she had successfully dodged the first attack, but who would have thought that Serilla's follow-up attack was just as fast.

"Hmmm~ you're good..." Serilla said.

She raised her sword overhead once more and smiled provocatively. Fina frowned seeing this.

'She's fast... and strong...'

Once more she dashed forwards to meet her, and just like earlier Serilla swung down and Fina dodged. This time however Fina decided to put the flying swords around her to good use.

She manipulated her flying swords to block Serilla's next strike while at the same time sending 2 of them to strike at her back.

It was like she had eyes on the back of her head, but Serilla swung her sword at Fina while at the same time moving in a manner that either helped her dodge the flying swords or coincidentally allowing her sword swings to block them.

It was like she was dancing around the stage. No matter how many time's Fina tried to close in and strike, she was always repelled away, but neither of them could get a solid strike in.

Serilla relied on her skillful swordsmanship to counter Fina's numerous mana armaments. Probably because she's seen Fina's previous match and her original spell, 'Winter's Embrace, every mana armament that struck close around the area of the rabbitkin was promptly destroyed.

They were in a stalemate, but everyone with a discerning eye could see that the two were still probing each other. The two were waiting patiently for the one who would snap and make a mistake first.

Fina began to use magic spells using her mana armaments as the casting medium. She would now use 5 of her mana armaments to attack Serilla from all angles while at the same time leaving 5 other armaments to shoot magic spells at Serilla from afar.

Fina had to split her consciousness into her 10 mana armaments. Although it was something unthinkable for the old her, but after constantly improving herself under Cecil's tutelage, she was now able to summon and control more familiars and mana armaments now.

The pressure rose for Serilla who was only using one weapon to block and dodge Fina's assault. While it looked like she was being forced into a corner, the girl had the same dull look on her face as when the match started.

After getting the hang of controlling all 10 armaments, Fina felt a little less burdened so she too joined the fray. With her in the picture, the coordinated attacks with her armaments caused Serilla's expression to finally change a little.

"You're good..."

In the midst of battle, that was all Fina's opponent kept on saying and it started to annoy her.

"Yeah...well you're not half as bad yourself!"

Fina pressed her attack and Serilla responded by dodging, blocking and occasionally sending an attack her way, to which Fina would easily parry.

The battle began to look completely one-sided at this point, but Fina didn't dare let her guard down. For her opponent was someone who would most likely become the next Sword Saintess.

As the fight dragged on, Fina still couldn't finish off her opponent. No matter how many strikes she was able to land, it was never anything substantial. It was only a graze or a small cut. Although the area she struck would freeze a little, but in the next instant it would immediately melt.

Serilla was constantly using the magic spell, Flame Guard, a low tier fire spell, to keep herself from being affected by any of Fina's freezing hits.

"...Alright... I've had my fun." Serilla abruptly said with a slight smile on her face.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Fina started to feel a pressure that she was all too familiar with emanating from Serilla.

Fina quickly backed off and created a distance between.

"Hmm...This...is harder than I thought..."

"N-no way! How?!" Fina cried out.

Down in the Kings' Waiting Room, Cecil raised a brow in surprise.

"Hooh...she has it too."

"...Weapon Intent...right?" Lucia said with a grimace.

Cecil only nodded in response before getting up and exiting the room. Everyone in the room knew where he was going.

"..." Eli had a conflicted look as she stared at her long standing rival on stage. She too had awakened her Weapon Intent, but how? Up until recently the term had been unknown to everyone.

The oppressive pressure began to spread into the audience and once again Cecil appeared with his spear to counteract that pressure.

Serilla turned an eye towards Cecil who was by the stage and smiled. Yes, that usually dull face of hers had a smile on it...a rather...affectionate smile. Cecil looked back at her and tilted his head in wonder.

"Huhuhu~ I want him..." Serilla mumbled.

"!" Fina widened her eyes when she heard it. It wasn't audible to anyone else off stage, but she was close to her so she couldn't help but over hear it.

"You can't! He's already taken!!" Fina yelled.

"...Taken? Then...I can just take him away for myself, no?"

"Huh?"

"Anyway... I should really thank Elizabeth and that charming young man over there~ I was stuck for a while in my sword comprehensions, but then...they just so kindly opened up a new door for me."

"...Hmph."

"Oh my~ you don't seem to be all too affected?"

"I've had it worse...this pressure compared to Cecil's...is nothing!" Fina yelled and dashed forwards.

Since her opponent had finally revealed her true skills, Fina no longer had any reason to hold back. She threw one of her mana armaments at Serilla and quickly extracted her wand from her spatial ring.

She chanted and conjured more familiars around her. Her mana armaments could act as a wand, but for some reason it was only easy for Fina to use them to cast low tiered spells and to summon more armaments.

As for using them to cast mid to high tiered spells or summon other familiars, it didn't seem like it could work. She still needed to train and study harder so that later, she would no longer have to use her wand to cast spells, but instead rely only on her mana armaments to do so.

Once she summoned enough familiars she began chanting an upper mid-tier magic spell, Frost Rain. She ordered her familiars to cast low-mid tier magic spells at Serilla. She also sent her mana armaments to go in and pin down Serilla in place.

Once she finished chanting her spell, she waved her wand and large magic circle quickly formed under Serilla's feet.

Then sharp long icicles erupted from the magic circle. Normally, one would cast this spell and aim it at the target, but Fina learned from Lucia and instead pre-designated an area from where the spell would conjure itself.

This way she wouldn't need to worry about aiming if she only placed it under or above her target. She could also spread it out to encompass a wider area.

"One more thing, you can't have him! Cecil already has Lucia!" Fina growled.

The storm of icicles cut into Serilla's body as she was caught off guard. She didn't have Eli's Aura Manifestation combat skill so there was no way for her to merge her intent with her mana to act as a protective screen around her body.

"Oh my~ it's not like they're married or anything~ doesn't this mean I still have a chance~?"

"Shut up!"

Serilla only smiled at the exchange and she did her best to cut down and evade all the magic spells that were flying at her from every direction. She imbued her intent into her sword and slashed out.

A wave of sword intent flew out and cut apart all the magic spells, mana armaments, and familiars in front of her.

Fina gritted her teeth and summoned more familiars and armaments. She started using her mana wastefully, and this caused Cecil to frown.

'What're you doing Fina?'

The icy spectacle and the sword waves which cut down all that stood before it astounded the audience. The cheers grew louder and louder with each passing second. The hype was real and everyone in the stands were on their feet, cheering the two contestants on.

Serilla kept on defending and made sure she only took minimal damage. She also kept on sending sword waves after sword waves at Fina.

Fina could only continue dodging and running around while summoning more familiars and armaments. Her endless barrage of attacks and spells never stopped, but it wasn't like she was dealing any significant damage to her opponent.

Serilla only calmly blocked or dodge and Fina was beginning to turn faint from mana exhaustion.

"Haa...haa...haaa...."

"Oh my~ done already?"

"N-no! Not yet!"

SWOOSH

"!"

"It seems to me you already are..."

Serilla's voice came from behind Fina. Fina had lost track of her opponent and she could only stand there in shock when she felt a sharp sensation resting on her neck. She looked down and saw Serilla's sword on her neck.

"Kuh..."

She began to tear up as the exhaustion and frustration began to kick in.

"You're strong, I'll give you that. No one's ever been able to keep me on the defense for so long...if I hadn't awoken this...Weapon Intent, as I recall you guys saying, then I would have most likely lost~"

"..."

Serilla swung down with her sword and broke Fina's protective enchantment. With this, the match ended and finally, a member of the Little King's had experience a loss.

"WINNER! SERILLA LUNARTS!!!"