Lost Origins: SS Ranked Awakening-Chapter 88: Deceptions

She had ripped apart her bat with her own hands and sent it flying off the stage, and now, the metal she had been using to for her ability had been inexplicably snatched by Ruby.

’Doesn’t matter. There are other ways’

Her eyes locked onto Ruby’s weapon and there was obvious caution and hesitations present in her gaze.

She bent to the ground, placing her fingertips on the arena and similar to before, her body started to take on a look similar to the brown rock of the arena—from hands all the way to her face, which made her look like a very realistic rock golem.

A look of realization dawned upon Kieran’s face after seeing Skyler’s ability being used openly. He didn’t know the name it was called, but the function and how the ability worked was rather clear now that she had used it openly.

What remained a mystery though was Ruby’s ability.

"You should just give up"

Ruby taunted Skyler who no longer had the same cocky look on her face, slowly walking around her while swinging her weapon.

Skyler was one of the recruits from the higher stages who had just gotten onto the list a few days ago. Ruby just happened to pick her as her opponent, finding her way of fighting unique.

Since she hadn’t been on the list for long, her ability hadn’t been fully researched and understood yet, and Skyler also happened to make conscious effort to keep her ability hidden from the others. Riding on the wave of mystery and surprise as long as she could.

Unfortunately for her, Ruby had suspicions on what her ability could be and was curious enough to challenge her. Now that her curiosity had been confirmed, there was nothing left for her in this fight.

She shot towards Skyler who adopted a defensive position, raising her arms up in a blocking position, but Ruby’s attack pattern wasn’t as simple as before.

She used the chain that linked her two weapons more fluidly. Whipping the weapon behind Skyler and drawing it back with force, causing large cuts on her opponent’s stony skin.

The material of the stage was able to resist the force of Ruby’s cuts, but not for long.

Ruby’s attack kept speeding up and increasing in intensity and before long, a cut appeared that made Skyler wince in pain, blood flowing out from her side.

"Bingo!"

Ruby muttered, focusing on that one spot, finally moving closer to her opponent.

Skyler, who had been waiting for this moment—for Ruby to get close to her, within her attack range, finally moved.

Ignoring the pain that came from twisting her core, she rotated her body, from the legs up and threw a punch at the very last moment, a punch that Ruby was forced to block.

Unfortunately for her, Ruby had two weapons, not one. So, while she blocked with the first one, she brutally snt her weapon to the opening she had made earlier.

’She can do that?!’

Ruby’s eyes flashed with surprise, quickly backing out of Skyler’s range, escaping a punch that had just landed on the floor, where she previously was.

Her attack wasn’t as successful as she wanted—her weapon didn’t barely went past a few inches into her skin. She had been planning to skewer her, but her skin had hardened further the moment of contact.

The brown hue on her face had also reduced for a moment, returning back to normal.

’There’s a limit to what she can absorb!’

Kierans eyes flashed in the waiting room.

Instead of just absorbing more material from the stage, she moved it from her face to reinforce her injured part. This showed that there was a limit to the amount of material she could absorb, just like before, when the metal in her hand shifted to her face to block the bat which smashed onto it.

’The quality of material affects it too!’

Kieran quickly made the connection between the type of material and how much she could absorb. Since the metal she absorbed was stronger than the material the stage was made of, being able to resist several attacks from Ruby without even anything as a scratch, she had only been able to absorb a little of it.

Moving it to body parts where she needed it at the right time. Not only was she resourceful, she was also very skilled, being able to move it to where she needed faster than the attack could land.

"Hmm"

A small humm came from Kieran as his mind wandered away from the battle for a moment, thinking of how far her ability had developed and how far she could take it as she advanced in level.

’August also mentioned something about abilities having grades. Why didn’t he explain though?!’

His mind crossed another topic the instructor, August had failed to explain to Kieran, inviting him to wait until his ability was manifested fully.

Taking his attention back to the battle, he was Ruby try to do something he had thought about the moment he discovered that Skyler’s ability at its current level only allowed her to absorb a limited amount and move it over her body—attack the placed unprotected by the material, or attack faster than she could transfer the material.

So far, that wasn’t really going well for Ruby. Skyler was well aware of the current flaw of her ability, it was a major one so she had honed her skill when it came to transferring the material over her body so fast it almost seemed instantaneous.

Unless Ruby’s ability was a speed related one, it was pointless to take this approach. Kieran understood this, so did Skyler and Ruby. But the look on her face seemed to say that she just wanted to try it out regardless while maintaining some distance from Skyler.

It wasn’t to be forgotten that She was physically stronger than Ruby.

She could easily overpower her and turn the tables if the fight, that is, if Ruby drill didn’t use her ability.

’What is she doing!!’

Skyler watched the smile on her opponent’s face and the only thing she could think of was to rip her mouth off. Her giggles and curious gaze only frustrated her more.

’No! I have to wait!’

She tried to calm herself down. The material she had just absorbed was nowhere near strong enough to resist the attacks of Ruby.

She could feel it, Ruby wasn’t attacking with her full strength, if she did, she would have been riddled with injuries no matter how fast she tried to move the material and compress in parts of her body. She just wouldn’t be able to keep up.

’There’s a limit to my skill too!’

Skyler thought anxiously, silently praying for Ruby to get in range like last time, but the mischievous gaze in her opponent’s eyes made her feel otherwise.

It felt like Ruby had seen through her wish and was dragging out the fight on purpose. She didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of getting what she wanted. Instead, she slowly increased the strength and force behind each attack until Skyler was given no other choice than to break her defensive position, rushing out while barely dodging the attacks aimed at her.

’I like her! She’s more of my style’

Ethan’s eyes flashed and he threw a short glance at Sabrina beside him whose attention was split between Ruby’s fight which was nearing its ending and Liam’s which was about to hit its peak.

Ruby smiled seeing her successful attempt at forcing Skyler out of her defensive position.

’She’s baiting me!’

Alarm bells rang in Skyler’s head, seeing how the chains flashed around her like a net driving her to move in a specific pattern and direction, occasional cuts appearing on her body. She was evidently being toyed with.

’I didn’t want to but I’ll have to try that if I can’t get it back!’

Ruby’s expression changed, noticing the eyes that had suddenly become filled with resolve as Skyler ignored the blade flashing around her. The yellow hue of the material she absorbed fading away from her face and arms, appearing in her vital spots instead as she charged forward, uncaring of the cuts that appeared on her body at an alarming rate.

’I have to get it!!!’

Skyler’s bloodshot eyes and gritted it expressed her determination as she charged through the net with her arm outstretched.

’What is she doin–?’

Kieran’s eyed flashed as he paused mid thought, noticing where her hand was aiming at—Ruby’s arm which still held the metal she had been using earlier along with her weapon.

Ruby too realized this as she dodged Skyler’s arm, using the chain of her scythe as a rope, trying it around Skyler.

"Did you really think you could just take it out of my hands like that?"

Ruby asked, pulling the chains tighter making Skyler wince in pain from the cold metal pressing on her injuries.

"Pity. You should just surrender at this point!"

Ruby remarked, throwing the piece of metal off the stage.

"And who said I was aiming for that?"

Skyler’s cocky tone returned as her skin started to take on a dark shade from the points where Ruby’s chain held her.

Ruby’s face darkened in realization. She had been aiming for her weapon all along. Absorbing the materials with her hand was an act all along.

Before she could act, Skyler had ripped herself free of the chains, the weapons flying off Ruby’s hands.

Turning before she could react, Skyler got close to Ruby and stabbed her in the gut, her hands appearing on the other side.

Kieran’s eyes narrowed, from his angle, all he could see was Skyler’s back and Ruby’s shock filled gaze.

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

For the first time since the fight started, Ruby’s tone took a deep change, becoming deep and threatening as she looked stra3into Skyler’s eyes like she was staring at a dead man.

It was this point that Skyler realized something off—her hand had gone through too easily. It didn’t even feel like it went through anything.

Looking down, she saw that part of Ruby looking incorporeal.

"Wha-!"

Her eyes widened, but before she could react, a heavy force hit her at the back of her neck, knocking her out cold.

"That was rather uninteresting. I hope he learnt something from it though!"

Ruby muttered walking off the stage with a sour expression, while Kieran wondered what had happened in that 2 second short span.

Just like that, the fight had ended.