Raging Overdrive

  ?The audience was silent. They had not expected much from the intruder who jumped in, but after seeing the fight thus far, things had shifted considerably. Blade had created intrigue, an interest that had not been there before.

  ?Among the audience were people who had gambled on the winner. Normally, there were people who liked gambling on the challenger, despite the fact that Raiden was always the opponent. It came from a combination of gambling addicts, those who saw potential, and those with nothing to lose. Yet this time, for the first time, the favor had been put overly in Raiden’s favor, with the only ones betting on Blade being lunatics and Aisha. But it made sense. Who would bet on the guy who suddenly shows up to fight the strongest being there?

  ?It was also the first time Raiden had ever used a named attack in the Arena, let alone used incantations. Seeing the amount of power she truly had was like a wake-up call for many. They had only ever stood a chance because she had given it to them.

  ?In fact, the only one who was not surprised, but rather displeased, was the Overseer. She had used Raiden as the Arena champion and made sure she did not reveal too much of her power, yet the fact that someone had not only put up a good fight against Raiden, but also forcefully made her reveal more of her power, irked the Overseer even if she found the fight intriguing.

  ?Aisha meanwhile had watched, feeling unsteady. This unease was not exactly due to Blade fighting Raiden, but the turbulence that was going on inside Raiden’s soul. It was chaotic, raging, it was not normal. It had become worse than last they met, and this worried Aisha. Even if she had been the one to take her voice, Aisha held nothing against her for it, understanding that she had been forced to do it.

  ?Severance meanwhile had stayed silent through most of this, preferring the quiet. Yet, it did not mean she had stayed idle. While she had to filter the information and knowledge he received from her memories and knowledge, she had also been fixing his body. Though the fusion itself had gone well, Blade's body was now a mess. It was a tangled mess of not only a separate core and heart, but also where his Mora veins had followed the path of what used to be his mana veins, instead of following his blood veins. It was the reason, despite his overflowing Mora, Blade found it difficult to use a lot at once. But Severance had underestimated how much of a mess his body was, having originally believed she could have fixed it by the time they arrived. She was, in fact, wrong, and that was the reason she had been quiet so long, with little talk, spending every waking hour on simply fixing his body without removing his humanity. Finally though, it was done.

  ?(Severance, telepathically). “You can go all out now, master.”

  ?Blade heard her voice and understood what it meant. He did chuckle a bit at his predicament though, as he stared at the spiral dragon made of nothing but lightning. Slowly getting up, he noted where Aisha was positioned in the audience, then slashed the opposite edge of the Arena wall. The moment he moved though, the dragon made its move against him.

  ?Raiden felt the moment was a bit melancholy. She did not understand why he had come to challenge her again. To her, it was nothing short of stupidity. If he survived, he could have lived a long life without strife. She recognized his strength and knew that he could live mostly unbothered, so why?

  ?“Lament your life,” she said as the lightning coursed, destroying part of the Arena completely, dust being picked up as feathers scattered the air... wait, feathers?

  ?That’s when Raiden realized that birds filled the stadium. No, not birds, but spirits? Glowing white, familiars? It hit her as suddenly she turned. She had been tricked. And there, behind her, was Blade, rushing at her.

  ?The lightning picked back up, and at a moment's notice, it all accumulated into a strike of lightning that tore through the clouds, splitting the earth in Blade’s path. But it was now or never.

  ?Blade felt lighter, that much was certain. And the former pressure from using Mora was gone now, it flowed properly through him. He felt freer, if that was even possible, and so he took action.

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  ?“Heavenly Reversal

  ?As he uttered the words, he felt the electricity course through him, yet he couldn’t stop. Not now. Tearing into her in the same second as the lightning tore into him, he felt it. Only for a split second did he feel it. Emotion. Something he could not ignore, as he found a clean cut through her torso. But it wasn’t over yet, as Blade fully directed the lightning, choosing the only viable place to send it. Not to the ground, not to the sky, and not to the audience, but to the Overseer herself.

  ?He watched as he managed to change the lightning path and make its course through the Arena, through the wall, and against the only barrier protecting the Overseer. Yet it cracked, and then it shattered together with the lightning.

  ?At first, there was nothing but silence, the barriers now gone as everyone was locked in a state of shock, surprise, and whatever emotions played on the Overseer's face. Yet then the static happened. And blood dripped. From none other than the Overseer herself, as her face had been cut.

  ?Now the true silence reigned, nobody dared do as much as breathe. The first sound that dared break the silence wasn’t a soft voice, nor a loud, obnoxious one. It was a scream. A scream of equal measures terror and pain, and it came from none other than Raiden herself.

  ?She had fallen, and the pain that coursed through her wouldn’t let her get up, as her eyes spun. No, they went crazy, looking everywhere and yet nowhere all at once, with blood welling inside them. And the perpetrator of her pain spoke.

  ?“You useless bitch! My first order was for you to protect me and keep me safe, but your patheticness wouldn’t even allow that!”

  ?The Overseer shouted in outrage, belittling Raiden for being unable to do her singular and primary objective. Yet the Overseer calmed herself, as she continued by saying.

  ?“No wonder you were so self-conscious. I wouldn’t want a friend like you either. No wonder your friends died so easily. If they were willing to be called your friends, they were never worth a damned thing.”

  ?A combination of blood and tears ran from Raiden’s eyes. Writhing on her back, she was clawing at her arms.

  ?Blade couldn’t understand what was happening, being stunned by what he was watching. He was unsure if he wanted to continue to fight, or go and help her.

  ?The thrashing continued for a little while before the Overseer finally decided to let her feel relief. Yet by then, it was too late. The Overseer had cracked her core, and because of this, the Authorities were becoming unstable. Blade quickly realized this when it began snowing, yet the ground was heating up. And the thunderclouds were becoming even more violent, as Raiden stood up.

  ?Being forced to continue to fight, yet that would mean dying while suffering. But she had no choice. So she simply asked with a voice barely above a whisper, a question only Blade could answer.

  ?“Have you ever regretted something? Wished you could turn things back? And if you could, would you?”

  ?The question took him off guard. It was definitely one of the last things he had expected, yet he still answered.

  ?“I don’t. Not currently. There are moments I could redo, but I don’t want to. I would have never been here had I changed the past, that’s why I wish to look forward.”

  ?Blade didn’t have a lot to say other than what he truly felt. Raiden looked at him, seeing him truly for the first time.

  ?“I see. Then do accept this final request of mine…”

  ?She said, taking a pause to breathe, as lightning struck and her sword appeared in her hand. Pointing the blade at him, she said.

  ?“Show me what it means... to follow your own future without looking back.”

  ?Blade knew he could refuse. There was no reason for him to continue. If he ran away now, she would die from her cracked core. Blade did not mind winning like that, but the fact would remain. He wouldn’t leave. His goals had been getting back the Authorities of Indra and Iris. If she died now, at best she would reincarnate with them, and at worst those concepts would cease to exist forever.

  ?This fight was not due to any honor or courage. He was simply curious. Where was he standing currently, relative to the woman in front of him?

  ?Rushing at her, he summoned his sword, as they clashed. This was quickly followed up by ice pillars storming at Blade from all directions, forcing Blade to jump back. He cut through the ice, before sending slashes at her. None reached though, as lightning struck each strike. And then she launched herself at him, flames blazing a trail behind her. It was now Blade noticed that the flames were a normal red. And at a closer look, as he picked up one of the ice shards he cut, he saw that the ice was impure.

  ?He had to throw it away quickly though, as she made all the ice shards expand, covering the Arena ground completely. As suddenly though, flame dragons erupted from the ice, spewing out lightning from their jaws.

  ?Blade did not care though, focusing solely on her sword, as he dodged the lightning. Before diving into the ground, creating a weapon in his other hand and slamming into the ground. Yet the reaction it caused was one nobody expected. As the ice shattered, the flames scattered, and lightning momentarily stopped.

  ?And in his hand was a blade that did it all. One very familiar too. It was Raiden’s sword. Now pointed at her, while she still had one in her own hands.

  ?Blade had copied her sword, and with it, its powers.