109 Divine Providence (1/2)
As she aimed her spear's tip at Eleonora, lilac-colored flames took shape and undulated around Jezebel's form. The ground cracked around her feet, and her lustrous black hair fluttered at her back. However, before Eleonora could meet the challenge, Ailith stepped forward.
”Insolence. Is my esteemed mistress someone you can casually aim your spear at? Mistress, let me handle her,” Ailith offered and raised her right hand. One thousand scarlet vortexes formed across the cavern, and from them emerged the barking heads of monstrous red mastiffs, each more than a match for an Archon, each ready to gnaw Jezebel to pieces.
However, numbers alone often didn't make quality. Even if five times these numbers banded against her, Jezebel had no fear.
”Although your Dra Control far exceeds hers, you haven't recovered enough of your strength to bring this to a swift end. Take the hounds and track the gate, consume all Fehls on the road, but if you come across one of our own…”
”I understand, they're off limits,” Ailith replied, bowed toward Eleonora, and vanished from the scene. The hounds left alongside her. But while they mirrored the Blood Kins' typical hunt beasts, in Jezebel's mind, those hounds and their mistresses overlapped with a painting she often saw her mother admiring.
The painting of a white-robed woman with flaming-gold hair and eyes, surrounded by a horde of burning feral beasts, with a submissive maid standing by her side. Ashera called that woman ”the kindred I had to kill,” but better than anyone, Jezebel knew her mother had no relatives beside her two children. Moreover, only thrones possessed flaming eyes and hair. So bright was their gaze that with a glance, they could directly reduce mortals to ashes.
Why was that woman so similar to…
”I give you one last chance. Back off, and I will spare you,” Eleonora offered, but in response Jezebel tilted her head to the right.
”Will you give up the Fortress?” She asked.
”Impossible, I want it for someone else.” Eleonora shook her head.
”Welcome to the club,” Jezebel said, and like a lightning bolt, hurtled at Eleonora--driving her murderous spear in a frontal thrust.
”Can't say I didn't try,” Eleonora said, and stretched out her right hand. A sanguine longsword appeared within, but instead of sweeping it at Jezebel, Eleonora let the spear pierce her throat--or so it initially seemed. A second Eleonora appeared at the initial one's left, and the victim of the spear thrust vanished in an afterimage. Eleonora raked her sword at Jezebel's waist, while the hulky purple snakes hissing around her lunged at Jezebel's eyes, neck, chest, wrist and knees.
”Time Hold!” Too slow to retreat, Jezebel activated her Arcane Bloodline's Time Sovereignty, forcing the time flow around Eleonora to a halt. With the gap in dra and thaumaturgic level, Jezebel believed that even if Eleonora could break her hold, she'd require some time. Still, for safety's sake, Jezebel reduced her flame shroud to protect the targets of Eleonora's attacks while forcing her body to fight against the momentum of her thrust and sweep her spear at Eleonora--a wise move.
”Break,” Eleonora whispered, and the Time Hold collapsed before it could halt her moves. Unfettered, her sword bashed into Jezebel's spear, meeting the ancient weapon in a deafening clang while the purple snakes' fangs clashed with Jezebel's flame shroud. Avoiding a contest of brute force, Eleonora whirled into Jezebel's back, and thrust at her bape.
Pushing her dra to the limit, Jezebel leaped out of Eleonora's sword reach, but before she could regain her footing, Eleonora appeared at her left, and kicked at her collateral ligament. Knowing she could neither avoid nor block in time, Jezebel gritted her teeth to shrug off the blow.
Bang!
From the ordinary kick erupted a strength able to effortlessly split a tree, Jezebel's knee snapped, but holding the pain in, she shoved her spear at Eleonora's heart. As graceful as a swan, Eleonora whirled to Jezebel's right, and hacked at her neck!