World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 51: Played

Chapter 51: Played

Serian got her breath back and looked at the two of them. Leila was cautious, her katana held in a ready stance, but Rura just looked bored, which was almost more insulting.

Leila took a slow step forward. "It’s two against one, princess. You should just give up now."

Serian didn’t answer her, she just watched Rura. The pink-haired girl was a problem, a big one. She couldn’t land a hit on someone who could turn to smoke whenever she wanted.

Leila lunged, her katana a quick, dark line in the narrow alley. Serian parried with her own sword, the clang of metal echoing off the brick walls. Leila was good, her movements were efficient and strong, so Serian had to give ground, taking a step back.

’She’s a trained fighter,’ Serian thought. ’Not like those brutes from before.’

Rura giggled and then she was just gone, her form dissolving into a pinkish haze. The haze moved around Serian, and then Rura was solid again right behind her. Her hand came shooting out, aimed for Serian’s neck.

Serian twisted away at the last second, and Rura’s hand just missed her. This made her stumble forward, right towards Leila. Leila took the opportunity and swung her katana down in a heavy chop.

Serian brought her sword up to block, and the impact sent a jolt up her arm. She was being pushed back, always reacting, never getting a chance to set her own pace.

’This isn’t good,’ she thought. ’They’ve got me completely on the defensive.’

Leila pressed her attack, a series of fast, sharp cuts that forced Serian to keep backing up. She was parrying and dodging, but it was taking all of her focus. Every time she thought she saw an opening with Leila, that smoky form of Rura would appear somewhere else, forcing her to move, to stay off balance.

’This seems too easy,’ Leila thought, as she pushed Serian back again. ’She’s good at defending, but that’s all she’s doing. It’s like she’s not even trying to win.’ Her eyes narrowed. ’Is she just waiting for something? Or is she really this weak?’

"I’m getting tired of this," Rura whined from the side, now solid again. "Can’t we just end it? I want to go get some of those sweet buns we saw earlier."

"Quiet, Rura," Leila snapped, not taking her eyes off Serian. "Something’s not right here."

Serian parried another strike, and then she suddenly jumped back, creating a good ten feet of space between them. She landed lightly on her feet and exhaled, a visible puff of air in the cool alley. She looked up at them, and her eyes had a cold look in them that hadn’t been there before. Her whole posture changed, from defensive to something much more dangerous.

"Oh," Rura said, tilting her head. "She looks mad now. This might get fun."

Leila felt a warning chill. ’There it is. This is what I was waiting for.’

Serian didn’t say a word. She moved, and it was so fast it was like she had just vanished. She wasn’t aiming for Leila, she went straight for Rura. Her sword came down in a vicious arc.

Rura giggled as the sword passed right through her smoky form. "See? Can’t touch me."

But Serian hadn’t stopped moving. The moment her sword passed through Rura, she used her momentum to spin, her other hand lashing out. A thick, thorny vine shot out from her palm, wrapping tight around Rura’s smoky ankle.

She yelped in surprise. "Hey! How’d you do that?" The vine was solid, and it was holding her intangible form.

’So her power only works on physical things, but not on things made out of magic,’ Serian thought, a cold satisfaction spreading through her. ’That’s the first weakness.’

She yanked the vine hard, and Rura’s smoky form was pulled off balance. She stumbled, becoming solid for a split second as she tried to catch herself.

That was the moment Serian was waiting for.

She was on Rura in an instant, her sword flashing. It didn’t pass through this time. The blade sliced a deep cut across her arm.

She screamed, a high-pitched sound of real pain and shock. She clutched her arm, blood welling up between her fingers. "You... you hit me! You actually hit me!" Her eyes filled with tears, her bored attitude completely gone.

"Rura!" Leila yelled, charging forward to help her friend.

But Serian was already moving again, a blur of motion. She met Leila’s charge head-on. Their swords clashed, a rapid series of sparks flying. Serian wasn’t just defending anymore. She was attacking, her movements filled with a cold, precise fury.

Leila found herself being pushed back now. Serian’s attacks were relentless, forcing her to block and parry. ’She’s so much faster now. And stronger. What the hell is she?’

Serian feinted high with her sword, and as Leila raised her katana to block, Serian kicked low. Her boot connected with Leila’s knee, she cried out, her leg buckling.

"You talk too much," Serian said, her voice flat and cold. She brought the pommel of her sword down hard on Leila’s head.

Leila’s eyes rolled back, and she crumpled to the ground in a heap, out cold.

The alley went quiet. Rura was still on the ground, clutching her bleeding arm and crying. Leila was unconscious at Serian’s feet.

She stood there, breathing a little heavily. The cold look in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by a look of exhaustion. She looked at the two of them, then turned ready to leave but a chill ran down her spine. She turned around quickly.

Rura was getting to her feet, and she looked completely unharmed. Her arm, which had been bleeding just a moment ago, had no mark on it at all. Leila stirred then, pushing herself up from the ground with a small groan. She didn’t look like someone who had just been knocked out cold.

’What?’ Serian thought, her tired mind struggling to understand. A sword slash passed right beside her head, and she could barely track its movement. It nicked her cheek, a thin line of warmth starting to trail down her face. She stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock.

Leila stood where she had been a second ago, her katana now held in a low, aggressive stance.

"Not bad, princess," she said, her voice dripping with a cocky amusement that wasn’t there before. "You actually made that sting a little."

Rura giggled, a bright, cheerful sound that was deeply unsettling. "You should have seen your face! You really thought you won, didn’t you?" She clapped her hands together once. "Your acting was pretty good too, Leila. I almost believed you were knocked out."

Leila rolled her shoulders, a faint smile on her lips. "I thought you were great, crying like that. Really sold it."

Serian’s heart felt like a cold stone in her chest. ’They were acting? The whole time?’ She looked from Leila’s smirk to Rura’s smiling face. They hadn’t been fighting seriously at all, they had just been playing with her, testing her.

"If that’s all you’ve got, you’re not going to beat us," Rura said, pointing a finger at her. "You’re not nearly as strong as Lola said that boy was."

"Let’s just finish this," Leila said, her tone shifting to business. "Gorok’s getting impatient." She moved, and this time there was no slow advance. She was a blur, her katana a whisper of steel aimed right for Serian’s heart.