ROSES HAVE THORNS-Chapter 46 - Kurt & Emelie VS Diana

"That was way too close!"

Kurt looked up to see Diana getting ready to start slicing again.

"I’m surprised you saw that coming, Kurt." She spoke with zero emotion. "Not anyone is able to dodge the first cut."

"I’m not just anyone, Diana."

"Oh. And who exactly are you?"

Kurt stood up slowly and opened up his arms to her. "I’m yours." He declared.

"W-What?" She got caught slightly off guard.

"Emelie, now!"

Emelie shot out her hands and casted a powerful telekinetic spell barrier around Diana, keeping her in place.

"I got her!"

"No. You don’t." She easily teleported out of Emelie hold and appeared behind her.

She swung the back hilt of her blade towards her in hopes to knock her out, but it was easily stopped mid-swing by her magic. Emelie then jumped away in order to create some distance.

"Very good Emelie. It’s almost like you knew it was coming."

’If only you knew how many times I fought you throughout my life.’ Emelie thought while looking at her sadly.

She pushed herself off the ground and flew towards Diana for a frontal attack, but Diana just simply teleported behind her again and swung her sword hilt in anticipation for the telekinetic force.

What happened, however, was that Emelie ducked low and swept her leg around so as to trip Diana over.

Diana reacted just in time and slammed her blade in the ground effectively stopping the kick.

’Now!’

Emelie used the momentum of her kick to rise up and swing her other foot directly aiming for Diana’s chin.

*Tsk!* Shwoosh! Diana teleported away and Emelie backflipped her way to Kurt.

"That was pretty sick, Emelie." Kurt complimented her on her cool yet failed attempt to subdue Diana.

"Why the hell are you just standing back here?!"

"I’m an assassin." He shrugged. "I don’t do well in open places like this. Especially when my opponent can zip and zoom all over the field."

"Don’t you at least have support magic?"

"Nope. You know, I only got here like a few days ago. The piece of magic info I know is how to imbue my tag with it and that my skill is called Adaption. Which I’m guessing is the only thing keeping me alive right now."

"Fuck!"

"Here she comes!" Kurt warned.

Diana instantly appeared from above. She then elegantly manoeuvred herself upside down and swung her blade while aiming for Kurt’s neck. This was stopped by Emelie’s magic and Kurt used this chance to take Diana’s nodachi.

When he touched her hand, she immediately freaked out and teleported away.

"D-Don’t you dare touch me!" She huffed as she held the spot Kurt did.

"You’re breaking my heart here Diana!"

"Shut up! You have no right to talk about a broken heart! You who- *sniff*..."

"Just what did you do to her?" Emelie gave him the side eye.

"I swear I didn’t do anything! This is all just one big misunderstanding! Diana, can we please just talk!"

"No! You lost that chance the moment you sunk your fangs into other women! Why... why... why...why! Why couldn’t I be enough for you!"

SHWOOSH

CLANG!

Kurt managed to block the incoming attack with his two pieces of a broken dagger, although the force of the swing sent him flying back again.

’How is she so goddamn strong?!’ He wiped the blood from his cut open lip.

Emelie held Diana’s arms in place with her magic and went for another kick to her legs, but she easily avoided it.

"Emelie. I’m not here for you and judging from the way you’re fighting, you’re not trying to actually defeat me. So why don’t you stop this nonsense and go back to your room. Let the adults speak with each other."

"You’re clearly not trying to have a civil conversation!" Emelie countered.

’Also I’m way older than you!’

"Hm." Diana let out one sound and teleported to Kurt.

"I won’t let you!" She flew to Kurt and put a barrier around him.

She stopped her blade just before it hit the barrier and she’d be caught by Emelie’s magic again. Kurt used this chance to try and grab Diana, but she vanished once again.

"Argh! This back-and-forth dance is getting us nowhere! Emelie, don’t you have some sort of secret technique up your sleeve? Surely you do, right?"

Emelie looked at Kurt and then at Diana. Her lifeless eyes and dried up tears. The way her gaze was solely fixed on Kurt... or rather his neck.

’She’s clearly not going to listen to reason.’

"I do have a secret technique." She said softly.

"... Will it hurt her?"

"No, since it’s still incomplete. But it will completely exhaust her magic."

"That’s great. That way her teleportation should be stopped, right?"

"Yes but," She looked seriously at Kurt. "A lot of what comes after will depend on you. You have to find a way to fix this."

Kurt gave her one firm and resolute nod. "What do you need me to do?"

"Same thing you wanted me to do. Find a way to subdue her." She smirked.

"Haha... *sigh*" Kurt stepped forward to meet with Diana.

"Oh. Finally stopped hiding behind a student?"

"We can fix this Diana."

Her eyes twitched when she heard him say that.

"There is no we, Kurt."

Kurt stopped walking and stood completely still with his eye closed.

’I hope you know what you’re doing Kurt.’ Emelie stood back as she prepared her new spell.

"Offering yourself to me as a form of redemption, are you? At the very least, I’ll make it painless."

’I really hope this works.’

In terms of magic, Kurt did the only thing he knew how to do. Instead of imbuing his tags with mana he focused on channeling all that magic on himself.

"Whatever you’re doing won’t save yourself for what’s to come." Diana gripped the handle tightly and looked at him with a solemn expression. "Goodbye Kurt..."

SHWOOSH

Diana teleported and swung her blade for the final time at Kurt. However, instead of aiming for his neck she aimed for chest and more specifically his heart.

When Diana appeared in front of him, Kurt opened his eye and saw that everything slowed down.

He saw Diana’s pained face, and he saw the blade just inches away from his heart.

’Is this my final moments of life before death takes me? Or is this...’

Just as the tip of the blade was about to make contact with him, he saw something he’d never thought he’d see. Especially right now.

’What the hell are you doing here!?’

*meow?*

The little cat who always appeared when he least expected did exactly that.

Seeing the cat tilt his head and wag his tail snapped Kurt out of his thoughts. He twisted his body to the side and just barely managed to avoid certain death.

"How did you–"

He wasted little time and quickly manoeuvred his way behind her and held her arms up into a full nelson.

"Emelie! Hurry!"

"On it!" She flew forward before Diana had the chance to escape.

"L-Let go of me!" Squirmed in his arms. "Leave me be! Don’t touch me!"

"Diana please! Let me explain!"

"No! I don’t want to hear it! You’ll just hurt me again!"

"I’m not! I swear!"

Emelie stood in front of her and held her forehead.

"I leave the rest to you Kurt."

"Huh? What do you mean by that–"

Emelie’s eyes glowed brighter and her hair began to stand up as an electrical charge pumped out of her body and ran along her arm.

"This spell was meant to instantly disrupt and temporarily close a person’s mana paths, since it’s incomplete it will only disrupt her paths. Overstimulating them and sending them into a state of shock."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning that she’ll teleport at random places until she’s completely exhausted and out of mana. Hold on to her tight cause you’ll be in for a bumpy ride."

"... Understood. You can trust and leave the rest to me."

"Emelie, where did you learn this?" Diana was shocked to hear what was going to happen.

"Sorry. Can’t say. Good luck Kurt."

The electric current pulsed all the way to her hand and into Diana’s head.

"No!" She tried to teleport, but it was too late.

"Aahh!" She let out a cry as she felt all of her magic pathways being overstimulated.

"No no no! Make it stop! Make it–"

SWHOOSH

...

They appeared in front of her mansion where the workers suddenly got jump scared.

"Aaaahhh! I... can’t..."

SWHOOSH

They appeared next inside Sophie’s Diner.

"Kurt? Diana? What’s going on?!" Sophie, who was relaxing and eating lunch, got up from her seat when she saw the two of them.

"I-It’s nothing Sophie!" Kurt tried to reassure her. "Don’t worry–"

SHWOOSH

They appeared to time in front of a great castle which looked suspiciously like it belonged to royalty.

"Who’s there!? Wait, is that you Principal Diana!?" Three royal knights ran up to them.

"M-Make it... stop..."

SHWOOSH

This frequent teleporting sequence took place for another 5 minutes. With each jump being quicker from the last

SHWOOSH

SHWOOSH

SHWOOSH

SHWOOSH

Finally, when she was all out of magic, they both landed on the beach of a desolate island.