It was true that Quinlan lived in a pletely different world, but…
He was on her side.
"You're tougher than most, I'll give you that… This Child of Agony class is in the perfect hands." Azura murmured, more to herself than to Iris. Her voice was cold, detached, carrying no malice but also no sympathy.
She crouched down and her eyes narrowed as she studied Iris's bloodied figure.
"You're not unconscious, yet you seem to be out of it… I can't help but wonder if the artifact malfunctioned. Why were you not taken to safety? Anyhow, I'm not a sadist. I'll put you out of your misery."
She raised her blade and aimed it directly at Iris's heart.
At that moment, Azura's heart thumped violently. Her instincts screamed 'danger!!!' at her as a sudden and inexplicable chill ran down her spine.
*Bam!*
Iris moved as if she were a predator who was patiently waiting for the perfect chance to pounce on her prey when she made an entirely unnatural twist of her body and kicked Azura squarely in the stomach, sending her barreling in the opposite direction.
The force behind her kick was so mighty that while being mid-air, Azura spat some of her guts out.
She crashed into the ground and by the time she managed to get to her feet, Iris was already standing with her blade drawn. "Bla-bla-bla… You damned old folk can't keep your mouths shut for the lives of you or what? The previous loser could at least explain his foolishness by being the first on the chopping block… but you? You just saw your colleague suffer a major upset, yet you still couldn't stop yourself from yapping like the dumb bitch that you are. Did you think that you were safe because I was not as strong as Devil? That's a horribly conceited assumption to make, didn't you watch the second round?"
Iris then brought her blade into both of her hands as she equipped her battle stance. "I'm none other than Wrath, the woman who was powerful enough to be selected as Devil's partner."
Quinlan couldn't have his means discovered by the many observers, so Iris was asked to cover up the method of her recovery and buffing by yapping back at the yapper, which was exactly what she did.
The sudden surge of power coursing through Iris's veins made her feel like an entirely new person. Her body still ached all over, but dealing with pain was Iris' specialty. No one could take it better than she did.
Getting more Vitality was no cure for her injuries, but the 62 Vitality did its job of reinforcing her body to bee sturdier than ever before. The same injuries that were crippling before now were mere hindrances.
Azura stood from the ground with a stupefied expression, but once she saw Iris and how battle-ready she looked, her numerous years of harsh training kicked in, forcing her to pose herself.
She adopted a defensive stance as she carefully analyzed Iris's approach.
"What the hell have you done?! I studied your class! This should not be possible!"
"I'm afraid I'm not suffering from the serial yapper syndrome. Maybe the Goddess will educate you when you go to greet her in a minute or so." Iris decreed before launching herself forward with an explosive speed that easily triumphed over the velocity she reached when she was in tip-top shape at the start of the duel.
Azura's sword snapped up in a flash, meeting Iris's blade with a resounding clang. The sheer force of the impact made Azura's arms tremble with her grip straining to hold steady.
Iris no longer resembled a pure swordsman, her brutal, ruthless nature was allowed to blossom due to the extra stats she was gifted.
She was not going to let the woman breathe, so she rained down a flurry of strikes with her blade moving so quickly it seemed to blur in the air. Each swing carried not only strength but an unrelenting intent to dominate.
Azura deflected and parried with a precision that only decades of experience could hone.
A lesser swordsman would have been overwhelmed instantly due to the extreme numerical advantage that Iris enjoyed due to Quinlan's buffing of her, but Azura held her ground admirably well, and she even countered when openings presented themselves. 𝙍АꞐŎꞖĘᶊ
Her blade lashed out like a serpent, aiming for weak spots in Iris's defenses.
But Iris wasn't a novice either.
She had trained relentlessly, pushing herself to the brink time and time again ever since she escaped her father's captivity at 13 years of age. Her newfound strength only amplified the skills she already possessed, letting them bloom like never before.
She anticipated Azura's counters, dodging and retaliating with masterful moves that were bolstered by her savage desire to slay, to destroy, to annihilate. The speed of their exchanges left the entire audience gasping with wide, open eyes. Almost none of them had ever seen an exchange on this scale in their entire lives.
Quinlan's and Kael's duel seemed more like a tale sung by tipsy bards in taverns than reality with its giant explosions and other wide AoE spells. It was a true spectacle, the equivalent of a high-budget CGI superhero movie from Earth.
The duel between Iris and Azura was much more grounded in reality. They didn't use magic, only their bodies and their swords to conduct a truly breathtaking fight that left the audience forgetting to breathe from the intensity of it all.
Azura quickly realized that she had to bridge the gap that Iris' overwhelming stats provided her with superior technique. She had to rely on her mastery to outmaneuver her opponent.
She feinted a low slash but then pivoted at the last moment to deliver a thrust aimed at Iris's side.
Iris moved her body out of the way with the assistance of her unnaturally high Agility stat, letting the blade graze past her harmlessly. She retaliated with a devastating downward slash that Azura barely managed to block, with the resulting impact forcing her back several steps.
Iris dashed forward again and feinted a high slash, and when Azura raised her blade to intercept, she dropped low to the ground and span into a sweep that knocked Azura off her feet.
Azura hit the ground but she recovered quickly by rolling away to avoid Iris's follow-up strike. She pushed herself to her feet and lunged with her blade arcing in a plex pattern meant to confuse and overwhelm.
Iris met Azura's assault head-on, and it was clear that the tide of battle was shifting dramatically.
Azura's technique was beyond admirable, but it was still not good enough to pensate for the sheer disparity in their current stats. Every time their blades met, the force behind Iris's brutal strikes pushed Azura further back. Every parry left Azura's arms trembling and the cracks in her defense began to show.
Iris's next slash was blocked by her enemy and they found themselves in a power struggle. They remained locked for a few seconds, but then with a push of her arms, Iris shoved the woman back who became open for a moment as a result. Before Azura could recover her stance, Iris made an unexpected move by letting her blade fall to the ground as she lunged at Azura and caught her arms in her own.
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