Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 84: Names, Part Thirteen

Lianna and Enverna remained stunned in the locker room for a time.

Enverna’s nerves were on fire. She could still feel the intense pressure of the girl’s relentless strikes, each one bouncing off her spear with murderous intent.

Her hands were shaking.

"Her name was Hollie," Lianna said as Enverna stared down at her own trembling arms. "Rogue-class, high Dex and Strength. She has an Instinct that allows her to fight for 15 seconds without getting tired at all. I didn’t see the rest of her status."

[Ah, so she doesn’t spend any stamina for 15 seconds? I guess that’s why she pushed me back so hard.] That knowledge was only slightly relieving to have.

Enverna took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

"I take it you saw what happened to me through that strange ability of yours?"

"Yeah," Lianna said, drawing a little closer. "You were taking a while to get out of the lockers so, I uh, snuck a peek. Sorry."

"No, no. I likely only survived because you did. It’s fine," Enverna replied. "We have quite the situation on our hands, don’t we?"

"Yeah... So," Lianna began, "that girl’s got the detonator for Zura’s amulet. How she got that and why she wants to kill Zura is a total mystery, tough..."

Enverna closed her eyes.

She considered that fact.

[If she wanted to kill Zura, wouldn’t she have just done so already? No, her target must be someone else... Perhaps...]

"The president," Enverna murmured. "Maybe that’s her target? Could it be that she’s hoping Zura wins the tourney and gets within arm’s length of her?"

Lianna blinked.

"..."

"What? Is it truly that far-fetched?"

"No no no," she said. "That- uhm... Sounds plausible, yeah."

Enverna sighed.

"An assassination plot unfolding before our very eyes. How in the world did we get caught up in this?"

"Beats me! But, uh... Maybe we should try to stop it, you know?" Lianna asked. "I mean, if not us, who else will, right?"

"Yes, but we cannot just walk up to some random guards and inform them of what is happening, or this ’Hollie’ individual will just detonate the bomb then and there."

"If she sees us," Lianna responded. "But, what if we don’t let that happen? We could wait till she’s in the simulation and then report the issue!"

"... That is true," Enverna nodded. "But, what if there’s more than just one detonator?"

Lianna instantly deflated.

"Crap. Agh, it feels like there’s just no way out of this."

"Hm? Well, hold on," Enverna smirked. "We only just started thinking about it. Give me some time, I’ll think of something."

"R-Right," Lianna smiled awkwardly. "But, uh... We need to think of something fast. Even if we can keep Zura from getting first place, they’ll just blow her up after out of spite!"

"Indeed," Enverna replied with a nod.

The announcer spoke up, then.

"Final call, if you’re a contestant, you better hurry on over here!"

Enverna sighed.

"I have to go. All I can do is try to keep Zura from winning, but, Lianna, you need to think of something to get that amulet off her. If she loses... I believe they might just blow her up on the spot."

---

Enverna stepped onto the virtual battlefield, a realm of shifting colors and surreal landscapes. This wasn’t the same as the maze Lianna had participated in.

The digital echoes of the stadium, with its roaring audience and poppy tunes playing from omnipresent radios, faded away as the simulation enveloped her senses. The ground beneath her feet felt solid. The sweat rolling down her cheeks felt real. It probably was.

[Lianna, please, come through. You have to do something out there.]

In front of her materialized the first opponent, a burly young man wielding a hammer that was almost as big as he was.

"Ah, so here you are. The Rank 3 recruit of the Watchful. What an honor it is to..." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Enverna tuned his words out. She had too many worries in her heart to focus on this.

Enverna tightened her grip on Storm, her spear manifesting in the virtual world with a familiar gleam. She stole a glance at her opponent. His eyes, obscured by a helmet, glowed with an eerie intensity.

[Here we go.]

The digital landscape shifted and the announcer’s voice echoed in Enverna’s ears, a signal that the battle was about to commence. Enverna’s heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of adrenaline and determination coursing through her veins.

Once again, it became clear just how much she’d been relying on Lianna and, specifically, {Target Analysis}.

She did not know what this man could do and he did not know what she could do. They would have to make guesses, acquire information through their actions, and hope their assumptions were right.

This was how most player duels actually worked and Enverna did not like it one bit.

The opponent charged forward first, hammer raised high, aiming to bring it down with bone-crushing force.

Enverna’s reflexes kicked in, and she sidestepped with a dancer’s grace, narrowly avoiding the impending blow. The ground reverberated with the impact as the hammer struck the virtual terrain.

[Focus, Enverna. This guy is, probably, pretty strong. One hit could be enough to take you out of commission. You can’t afford to make a single mistake.]

She lunged forward, spear aimed at her opponent’s exposed side. He parried with the shaft of his massive weapon, the clash resonating in the virtual air as Enverna’s spear bounced off. From that position, Enverna stepped back, barely avoiding a fervent swing. Leaping into the air, Enverna tried to land behind him and attack his blind spot but the man saw that coming and used what Enverna assumed was his Instinct.

Enverna’s spear went straight through his body, like he’d suddenly become a cloud of mist.

She backed away then, taking this new bit of information in.

[A defensive Instinct that makes him momentarily invulnerable? That does sound pretty strong.]

Perhaps not wanting her to form a new strategy now that she had this knowledge, the man pressed the attack.

He swung his hammer in a wide arc, forcing Enverna to leap back again to evade the deadly trajectory. The virtual air whistled with the displaced energy, and Enverna felt the heat of the near miss against her skin.

[Even without that Instinct, he’s powerful, but I can’t let fear control me.]

Enverna circled, eyes locked onto her opponent.

As the opponent prepared for another strike, Enverna activated her {Cascade} Instinct. Water enveloped Storm, its blade shimmering with liquid energy. She twirled the spear, creating a mesmerizing dance of water droplets.

The opponent hesitated, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden transformation of Enverna’s weapon.

It was the opening she needed. With swift precision, she lunged forward, the water-infused spear slicing through the virtual air.

The blade met his midsection.

[Ha!]

The opponent staggered back, a thin trail of water following the path of the strike, intermingling with blood that flew through the air.

Enverna pressed the advantage, her movements fluid and calculated.

However, the opponent adapted quickly. He swung the massive hammer onto the ground, causing the very earth to tremble and Enverna’s smooth movements to be interrupted.

Enverna, caught off balance, stumbled backward.

[He’s resilient, but I can’t let up.]

The virtual battlefield then became a whirlwind of clashes and evasions. Enverna and her opponent moved with a dancer’s precision, each strike and parry a carefully choreographed sequence. The air crackled with tension, the outcome of the battle hanging in the balance.

[I have to win here. At the very least, I have to keep Zura from winning the tourney!]

As the battle raged on, Enverna’s focus intensified. She felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders and tried to use it to make her attacks even the smallest percentage faster.

The opponent, determined and relentless, continued to unleash powerful strikes. Enverna dodged and countered, every movement a testament to the years she’d spent training. The realm became a canvas for their duel, a spectacle of strength and agility.

The opponent, sensing Enverna’s unwavering resolve, intensified his attacks. The hammer swung with greater force, creating shockwaves that rippled through the virtual ground. Enverna, though fatigued, stood her ground, determination burning in her eyes.

A window of opportunity presented itself. The opponent, momentarily off balance after a particularly forceful swing, left an opening in his defense. Enverna seized the moment, executing a swift and calculated strike.

The water-infused spear sliced through the virtual air. The man used his Instinct again.

Enverna was ready.

With a couple of short thrusts, she tried to mess with his timing. The man deactivated the Instinct at the wrong time, trying to go for a follow-up strike...

... Which ended with Storm finding its mark.

Storm’s tip kissed his heart and the man’s body faded away, dissipating into pixels.

The virtual landscape shifted once more, signaling the end of the battle. Enverna, breathless and victorious, stood amidst the surreal surroundings.

Enverna gave a sigh of relief as she saw words hovering in the air, announcing her opponent’s defeat.

She couldn’t let this get to her head, though.

[One down, a lot more to go. No turning back now. I have to see this through.]