“Contact! Three opponents, skills unknown!”

  Viviana’s useless teammates froze up in the face of imminent danger. Viviana instantly accelerated, striding off the ground at the enemy, hoping to catch them off guard, causing her teammates to snap out of their shock.

  Viviana’s eyes quickly analyzed the situation. Three opponents from an enemy team, all wielding swords and approaching rapidly. Three taller boys, easily beating her in reach and strength. Judging by how Viviana had an ability that required set-up, it was safe to say that she'd be out-abilitied as well.

  They looked well trained, probably expecting to win in a straight fight. She’d have to move unexpectedly to potentially seize a victory.

  I’ll need to isolate an opponent instead of taking them head on. They’re running at us. Eventually they’ll have to take up a stance to fight… but I’ll use that transition period to strike.

  Viviana saw hesitation in their eyes when she didn’t slow to take a stance. Instead, Viviana plowed into melee range, bringing up her right leg and delivering a kick straight into the chest of the guy in the middle.

  She was lighter and weaker than him, but her momentum pushed him onto his back. Viviana raised her sword to finish him off when she suddenly felt a presence from behind.

  A silver streak flashed across her vision as she whirled around and jerked her head backwards, just narrowly dodging a strike at her neck. How’d his teammate get here so fast? A skill to increase movespeed?

  Viviana bounded backwards as the guy she kicked clawed to his feet, somehow still holding his sword. I kicked the wind out of him, and he still held on? I should’ve used my blade instead.

  Whatever the case, these guys were certainly strong. But where’s the third guy?

  Her enemies answered the question for her.

  “Question. Where’s Fuji? ” asked the guy who got kicked. He pulled himself up, towering to an impressive height.

  The other person, the guy who saved the tall guy who got kicked down, spoke. “Fuji will handle the rest of the team. If he can’t he can certainly stall. You alright, Oscar?”

  “I’m good, Jayce. She got me good with that. I thought she was gonna stop, but instead she accelerated. Right into three of us holding swords. Insane.”

  Oscar, the massive guy who got knocked to the ground, wiped the dust off his shoulder. “You caught me by surprise, Adler-Stern. But it’s two versus one now. No matter how good you are, you cannot win. Impossible.”

  “I don’t need to win. My teammates will deal with ‘Fuji’ or whatever his name is. Then they'll back me up.”

  “Them?” said Jayce, slowly walking towards her. He’s trying to sneakily get in striking range. “Fuji’s the strongest person here. They don’t stand a chance.”

  Viviana took a couple steps back as she readied a stance. She walked slowly and steadily as the two boys advanced with their stances up, swords at eye level.

  Then she bumped into a tree. Thinking quickly, she pressed an elbow against the bark as subtly as she could. I need to stall for a couple seconds to activate my ability.

  “You’d better hope this Fuji guy wins quickly. Otherwise, I might kill both of you.”

  Oscar chuckled. “Enough stalling. Let’s get this over with!”

  Viviana ducked and rolled sideways as Oscar slashed out, smashing his blade into the tree behind her. Instantly Viviana willed her [lightning trap] into exploding, hoping to arc the electricity through the blade and into him.

  Yellow lightning crackled through the air as the trap detonated. Oscar got hit with the brunt of the blow. Viviana slashed forward to finish the job but Jayce got in her way again, dashing forward in a blur of speed and intercepting her sword.

  A flurry of sword slashes were exchanged as Oscar stumbled backwards and then slowly regained his senses, shaking himself out of the momentary shock and moving to her left, trying to circle around their fight.

  I’ve got to beat one of them quickly before I’m attacked from the behind, but how?

  “You should be focusing on me!” Jayce yells, stabbing forward. Viviana’s eyes widened as his sword point sailed towards her midsection. Just in time she twisted sideways, just barely dodging his thrust. Fast. This guy is using his dash skill to augment his attacks, a very difficult technique. One time would be a fluke, but it’s the third time in a row he’s done it. Just who did I bump into?

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Viviana was quick on the counter and slashed towards his extended arm, but he already withdrew it back enough to just barely counter the attack. This Jayce guy was a good duelist, and his dash skill made it even worse.

  I’ve got to keep an eye on Oscar. Wait… where’s Oscar?

  Viviana felt a monstrous presence from behind, simultaneously raising her sword in a long habitual defensive measure. It saved her.

  Viviana’s body crumbled as the blow with the force of a sledgehammer smashed into her side, the force barely deflected by her own blade.

  Viviana held her side as she coughed up blood. A rib or two was definitely broken. With as much strength as she could muster she stumbled away, trying to get Oscar into view. For some reason, they didn’t finish her off.

  Whatever he just hit me with probably sapped his mana heavily. It’ll take a second to clear his head.

  “...Is this what Vivania Adler-Stern’s skill amounts to? The one who slaughtered the guards of the Adler-Stern house? Must be quite a weak guard force,” Jayce says. “Still, you survived Oscar’s skill, so I suppose that’s worthy of admiration.”

  Oscar, grasped his head, slowly recovering from what looked like a mana hungry skill. “...You live? How?”

  Viviana didn’t know herself. Her dominant arm felt unbelievably sore, and she couldn’t stop it from shaking. All that to block a single strike.

  Still, she raised her blade to meet their eyes. “In that one moment you thrusted your blade, you knew I’d be focused on avoiding it and would turn my gaze. In that one moment, Oscar moved into my blind spot and struck.”

  Jayce shrugged. “It’s a simple move we practiced, should we ever fight two on one. Quite simple.”

  “It’s clearly seen real combat. Just who are you guys?”

  A laugh. “I’m not surprised you don’t know us, exile of Adler-Stern! We’re the personal guards of the Hoshino family. Fuji, that idiot,” Jayce says, pointing a thumb over his back, “is our liege.”

  Of course. The first team she ever bumped into would be trained professional guards, for some big shot family within Central.

  Viviana wiped some blood from the corner of her mouth, touching her left hand to her side, feeling for broken bones. A touch caused her to wince, moving her guard slightly out of position…

  And Jayce lunged at the opportunity, activating his dash to close the gap, sword pointed at her injured side. Oscar moved as well, silently slipping towards her uninjured side.

  As soon as Jayce got just close enough, Viviana immediately clenched her sword handle, snapping out of her feigned weakness. A slight push to the inner part of Jayce’s stab allowed her to deflect it completely, all without moving her eyes off her true enemy– Oscar.

  Jayce followed up the quick stab with a dash backwards, withdrawing immediately if he missed. Viviana had gone for his chest last time, hoping to strike a killing counter-blow, but she knew better this time. Not only had she baited him into attacking her injured side, but she knew she couldn’t hit his chest no matter what.

  So she went for his outstretched hand instead.

  A red arc flashed through the air, a severed hand followed.

  It wasn’t over. Oscar took an extra second, but was in her blind spot again. He’ll target my side.

  Without even looking at her adversary, she immediately dropped low, allowing the wild, skill assisted swing to pass over her head.

  He’s momentarily stunned now after using all that mana. I’ll kill Jayce first, and then Oscar before he shakes off the mana fatigue.

  Viviana glanced back up at Jayce…

  But he was right in her face. A reckless charge, even without a weapon in hand, tackling her, his strength catching her by surprise, her sword clattering away, red blood smearing against the grass.

  And then he punched, both with and without a hand, left and right, left and right. Blood covered her face, clouding her vision as blow after blow rained down on her.

  She could barely hear as Jayce let out a scream. “Oscar! Wake up! You’ve got to finish this!”

  He was right. Neither Viviana or Jayce had an enchanted weapon right now, so killing a soulbound was near impossible.

  Only Oscar was lethal, right now.

  Viviana wouldn’t go down without a fight. She punched and kicked and grabbed at his face, trying to gouge his eyes, trying anything to get him off…

  And then she stopped.

  Jayce stopped as well. Viviana wondered why. Something about his expression was unreadable to her. She wasn’t taught what his face meant.

  Viviana sputtered, trying to draw breath as Jayce just watched her. She knew that her face was completely busted. She ushered out a choking gasp, then a cough, and then finally her throat was clear.

  Viviana spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “...You’ve got something on your face.”

  Jayce snapped back to attention, his hands going to his face, but it was too late. Viviana activated [lightning trap]. Electricity coursed through him as his muscles convulsed, no longer pinning Viviana down as hard.

  Vivana pushed upwards, clawing her way upwards and away from him, reaching across the ground just those extra couple inches.

  She plunged Adler-Stern steel through his throat.

  [You have won a difficult battle.]

  [Feat recognized.]

  [Congratulations, Viviana Adler-Stern! You’ve leveled up!]

  [1→2]