In their part of the field, Chariton and Eudokia squared off. Eudokia revealed her Field first, with the snow Field and her simple sword and -attached chakram. Stretg again, Chariton didn’t appear to be taking things too seriously and the hints of fear disappeared from him. After he finished, he fixed his sights on her. An eyebrow rose for him as he caught sight of her. “I don’t remember you using a snow Field or wearing something sn before.”

  Eudokia narrowed her eyes at Chariton. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword. “I don’t remember anything about you. And I don’t expect to after this fight.” She threw out the chakram as he activated his power.

  The ripple through the earth revealed massive mushrooms, floating trees and upside down flowers with their roots exposed, as though reverse pnted. Chariton stepped out from around the rge trunk of a mushroom with the chakram caught on a wooden pole. As he stepped out more, it was revealed to be an ordinary broom in his hands. “Hopefully, I leave a little more of a sting impression on you.”

  Fading into the air, Eudokia’s chakram returo her hand. “I find that unlikely, you’re still just a Sed Lieutenant.” She saw his military badge, firming his rank for her. “It only takes a little bit of effort to get the first promotion. You’re still just as unmemorable as before.” All MP users out of the academy held the rank of Sed Lieutenant, their special status grahem a higher rank thaandard soldier.

  Rather thaing upset, Chariton only shrugged to her. “I don’t really care about those sorts of things. It’s not like it means much for us. We’re stuck here for life. The only thing of i is whe to use our powers.”

  “Sounds like something someone who's given up would say.”

  “ing from someone from the privileged upper css, it sounds desding.”

  Grinning a little, Eudokia noticed his attitude ging. “Braver with your words now. No longer ed over the differen our positions?”

  “You don’t have a position, if you’re part of the rebels. You’re just a traitor.”

  “Figured as much, the cil isn’t saying anything to you down here.” Reaffirmiance, Eudokia leveled her sword at Chariton. “Means if you’re all dead none of this will get back to them.” Her eyes sharpeo deadly forms.

  Chapter 193 – Twisted Expectations

  ‘cil? What’s she going on about?’ thought Chariton. He tightened his grip on his broom hao be ready for whatever she pnned. ‘Is there something going on that I’m not aware about? Does Vangelis know?’

  Snow mounded up suddenly in Eudokia’s Field creating a small hill for Eudokia. She ran up along the rising surface as it tio grow until she disappeared. Moments ter, she appeared arriving at the top. Chariton narrowed his eyes a little bothered by her a. He gnced around the area trying to uand her choibsp; ‘There!’ Hiding in the shadow of the hill, Eudokia’s chakram flew out towards him.

  Twirling the broom around his fingers, it spun around in an almost unnatural manner as it never lost ained any momentum smoothly running around his hand. When the chakram entered into his Field a sudden growth from a mushroom grotesquely stretched out to block its path. The sharp edge on the chakram wasn’t impeded by the attempt, slig through with nearly no effort. O breached the fungus, Charito into a bringing the broom into his hand.

  He thrust his broom into the ground, causing the earth to crad pit a little, allowing him to fling himself into the air. Charitoop the broom head, perfectly banced. Halfway down the broom’s hahe chakram rattled caught in the opeer by the broom. “Aren’t these simple tricks beh you, Eudokia?”

  “I fot how much of a fool you were,” she retorted. However, a appeared from the bottom of her sword’s hilt, quickly materializing in the air and around Chariton. It closed around his arms, ing down to his legs until reag the chakram, leaving it hanging. “If they’re so simple, why are you caught now?”

  “You’re hardly taking this very seriously,” ented Chariton. Materializing a rolling pin in his left hand, he turned his hand slightly pressing it against the s. The rolling pin she s around him with minimal effort. Chariton dropped back down to the ground, giving his broom a light kick to free it from the earth. Eudokia’s chakram returo a familiar position with the broom ba hand. “No serying too hard right now with how you are.”

  Dropping her chakram, Eudokia jumped down the hill sliding a little through the snow. Tracks lihrough the pure white snow as she glided down. The longer she went the longer she seemed to be sliding until it became clear that the hill’s form ged. She kept her momentum ing straight for Chariton. Her sword came up as the distaween them closed.

  The broom handle shifted down his hand a little, blog the ssh. Eudokia slid around Chariton ing back around at him. Flipping the broom around, he dropped it behind him to parry her attabsp; Tiny sparks came off the csh as Eudokia sped on past him. “Putting more into this?”

  Suddenly, snow started to fall in Eudokia Field as rge fkes. “I’m doing what’s needed.” Snowfkes that fell o Eudokia slowed down ing to a stop. They grew in size spinning in pbsp; The terrain of the snow altered again, pushing Eudokia around towards Chariton. While she began her neroach, the now hand-sized snowfkes flew at Chariton.

  Spinning the broom around his neck, he brought it back around to swipe through the air at the projectiles. A few deflected off the hard wood, while the rest imbedded into the handle. He rotated the broom around his body to build up the force as Eudokia came babsp; Sparks erupted from the csh of the two ons.

  Chariton pushed on through with a sed broom appearing in his off hand. He thrust out at Eudokia, but she rotated around her sword to throw both ons into his sed broom, knog it off course. She sped on through, leaving a few more snowfkes to fly at him. They easily fell away with a couple of spins of his broom. “You’re certainly making this iing.” He grinned a little, watg her almost dance around him.

  The two cshed again. Exging swings, her mao crack the other’s defense. Eudokia flung her chakram back out at him. It looked like it would be deflected, but spun around the broom’s handle. The chakram ran up the length of the broom, sparking against the surface as it came towards his exposed arm. Chariton still wore his uniform, rather than switg, a sign of his iment in the fight. Extending the broom out further, he brought the end of the hao his hand with only a few timeters remaining.

  Switg suddenly, the broom head disappeared from the front and materialized on the bad just behind his hand. It extended up catg the chakram in the loop before it reached his arm. “Not fighting like you normally do to keep me guessing?”

  “Perhaps.”

  Chariton narrowed his eyes a little judging Eudokia. ‘This goes beyond just having a few different tricks. Her Law set is pletely different from when she was at the South Gate. What’s going on with her?’ The ge left him a little bothered, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He still waited for her to get serious.

  Returning to her side of the Field, Eudokia retrieved the chakram. The previous attacks failed. She stabbed the sword into the ground. Her Field rippled and ed up. It quickly turned into sharp points that struck out hardening into ice.

  The broom passed between his hands quickly and then rolled up his arm, across his chest and back up his other arm. It left behind a trail in the air with its speed and suddenly transformed into a thiket. The length of the bretched to reach the length of his arm span. Chariton took a hold of the ers of the burning it over quickly to itself up. “Let’s go!”

  Jumping back, he got a little distance as the ice spikes shot at him. He whipped the ed up b out at the first spike breaking off the tip. Dang around the spikes, he spun around the bo cleave two more spikes with one swing. Theossed it over his shoulder and under his arm bringing it back forward to shatter the spike.

  Chariton wielded the b as if it was a nunchuck, skillfully spinning around his body keeping up the speed and rotation forbsp; Once he fihe b spun around him a couple more times before ing around his arm. “Yoing to need somethier than that, Eudokia.”

  “You’ve bee quite talkative.”

  “And you’ve bee quite feminine.”

  Eudokia’s lips thio a line. The st ent seemed to have hit a nerve for her. Snow started to cover trees, mushrooms and flowers in Chariton’s Field as part of the disruptions along their Fields. Boiling up into a new wave, the snow lurched forward increasing in speed. She rode along the top of the mound ing after Chariton.

  An offshoot from the wave broke away from the maihat Eudokia rode. It took a mirrored path to her. Along the ground ice spikes unched up at Chariton. Adding on top, the snowfkes began to grow in size once more. An all out assault looked to be the pn.

  Chariton uned the b from his arm starting his terattabsp; He smashed a few of the spikes, but the it to around two spikes. He then materialized a broom that pushed into the earth sending him into the air. It allowed him to intercept Eudokia as she came in for the first strike. After the exge, he nded oretched bo ban it.

  The snow waves roared up into the air. They spread further, being loops around him. It allowed Eudokia to maintain a tinuous loop jumpiween each loop, as she needed. She slid around turning upside down, as she rode the loop. The new angles ged the dire of the bat. It was no longer a two-dimensional fight. All space became an area for attack.

  He flipped backwards off the b with the aid of his broom to give him the rotation he wanted. His offhand pulled out a dle that caught the tip of Eudokia’s sword. Chariton finished his flip nding on the ground spinning around the broom to ter the series of sword strikes. Dang around the fined area with Eudokia, he mao keep up with her strikes from all dires.

  Then the rest started its assault. Snowfkes flew it at him between strikes. Chariton dodged the first few by side stepping, but it lined him up for the round from Eudokia’s sword. The broom turned into a lily pad, ag as a shield pletely defusing the attack.

  Spikes jumped up at him from all sides. His Field dampeheir effebsp; He spun around his broom snapping off the ends while als in parries to his Eudokia’s attacks. Keeping up his rotation, he deflected a few more of the snowfkes. They spun up almost sounding like metal whirring away.

  The two kept up the same pace for nearly a mih no leads made. It seemed as though her would e out ahead. Their se truly appeared like a savage danbsp; Sparks flew up with each exge providing momentary fshes of lights over the white snow.

  A slip up had to e eventually. Nothing could st in a perfect state forever between them. The first to make a mistake was Chariton. He found himself slightly further out of position than he wanted. It made it difficult for him to recover in time. Eudokia took advantage of it to make a strong strike, knog him further out of position. The spikes came up to ruin any bance he had, while snowfkes looked to finish him off.

  Chariton ground his teeth together at the sight. ‘Damn…this part is still like her, ruthless…’ The broom in his hand ged to a fan abs the impact of several of the snowfkes, but not all of them. One broke through his defense. He dropped his other broom, supp him, to allow himself to fall faster. It ged enough of his dire to e away with only a thin cut across his cheek.

  After everything cluded, they recovered with Chariton finding his stance quickly. He felt the drip of blood down his cheek from the wound. “I see you’re just as skilled, even if you aren’t the same.”

  “You’re only good at defense. You won’t be able to do anything like that.”

  Grinning a little, he made his broom disappear. “Now, you know that one of the things we’re taught is to analyze your oppo. The best method is to have a strong defense while you’re letting them do all of the attag. It has the added be of expending their energy faster than your own.”

  “Only in the case of oppos of equal strengths.”

  He raised his hand up towards his mouth. “True, but I’ve seen enough to get a pretty good read on you.” Pressing his index finger and thumb together, he made a loop over his mouth. Chariton exhaled, blowing through the hole creating a surprising amount of bubbles. They quickly filled the air around him expanding out further.

  Suddenly, all of the bubbles exploded into a mist that covered everything. It was impossible to see anything. They disappeared from the sight of the other. However, quick motions darted through the soup like air.

  It ended just as quickly.

  The mist disappeared sharply to reveal Eudokia hanging from the loops of snow. ed around her neck, Chariton’s tightly spun bied off like a noose. Chariton stood atop the loop looking down at the struggling Eudokia, her hands fighting against the b her nebsp; She gasped for air as it tightened further. “This is going to be the end, Eudokia.” He pulled up on the end of the b he held. “Unless you get serious.”