Chapter 57: Ancestor's Ashes
Serena moved away from her team, and each step she took made the space around her shimmer as if there was heat surrounding her. "You want a fight alone? I'll give you one. I'll carve the strength I have into your body."
Serena Ashford. Talent Ability: Ancestor's Ashes.
An ability to control ashes—specifically, the ashes of her ancestors made from their burnt bones. It's a family Talent type, commonly seen only in their bloodline.
There are families like that, where only certain types of abilities appear in their lineage.
Like the Crane family.
Severin moved forward as well. He didn't draw his sword. There was no need for that. His hand only went to his pocket, where he took out small balls.
Water bombs.
Serena snorted when she saw what it was. "So you've done your research on my ability. Well, you wouldn't be the first person to use water against me."
She raised her hand, and ashes formed around her, boiling forth from her open mouth and nose.
It was a mixture of black and bright red, as if the fire used to burn the bones were still present. They were—some of the ashes carried flickers of embers within.
The ashes formed around her like a cloak, the rest trailing in the air above her.
"Your power is good for fighting multiple foes. I like that. I want that. You will be good for my team."
She snorted. "Me? Join you? In your dreams!"
A spear of ashes flew over, covering the distance fast, but Severin had already dodged before it reached his position, his perception letting him feel the movement of the attack.
And unlike the rabbit monster he fought in the dungeon, the attack wasn't that fast.
"Oh? You're fast, I'll give you that, but you're only an F-rank."
Multiple spears formed around her, heads glowing with ember fire.
"How are you going to dodge this many?"
He couldn't. Severin didn't bother; he simply stood, the water bombs ready, and he flicked them into the air.
Acceleration.
One of the balls flew over so fast that she didn't see it coming until it slammed into the shield cloak around her. "I told you, water is useless...!"
Bam!
The small bead-sized ball exploded.
It wasn't water.
It was sulfuric acid.
A chemical that can break down bone molecules very fast, including ashes made of bones.
But now mixed with Etherion.
Half of her cloak was gone in an instant, and she herself was thrown back a few steps. "This is not water! What is this?"
Severin threw more, but now among the spears hanging.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Almost all the spears were wiped out in an instant. For the first time, the cocky smile on her face faltered. She realized that her fight wouldn't be easy.
But Severin, on the other hand, was going for easy. He needed to make a statement, and he would use Serena to do it.
He began to walk towards her calmly, his hand whipping forward. With the use of Acceleration, he was getting the acid bombs to meet their targets—each one wiping out her ashes at an astonishing speed.
"Ugh!" Her greatest weapon, that she could use for both defense and offense, was growing useless. With a great push of ashes beneath her, she was launched backwards. "You are really despicable. How dare you try to win through tricks?"
Severin raised his brows. "Does the process matter? The result is all that matters."
Serena grimaced, because she couldn't deny what he said—but now that things were the way they were...!
"You are waiting for your sneak attack underground," Severin said.
Serena swore, and then, leaving all thoughts of pretense, her hand went up, and the ground in front of her leading to Severin's place erupted in a wave of dirt and stones.
Thick coils of ashes lashed toward him, reaching to grab at him.
Severin finally drew his sword, the blade coated with a green liquid. He smiled. "Acceleration."
The first thing he used it on was his shoes, specifically on the soles, and he was thrown forward in a rush of wind.
Then he raised his sword up instead of slashing.
Everyone watching thought it was the end, because who raised their sword when the sharp ropes of an opponent's attack were inches away from their neck?
The formation would soon step in to save him.
But then his sword came down, faster than he should be able to move—a blur of rushing silver. In fact, not all of them even saw the movement of the sword until they saw the ashes cut up.
What?
Wait, what?
Even those who were in year two found it difficult to follow the sword movement. But the issue was that they could see Severin's other movements clearly, yet his sword had moved so fast that they couldn't keep track.
It created a conflicting image.
Just what type of technique was that?
Serena gritted her teeth. "I will show you my family's greatest technique, something that I mastered when I was fourteen—the only one in the history of my family to do so at such a young age!"
Severin looked at her with pity. Even among mids, she was a prodigy. That's just how the world is—a frog that managed to climb out of the well, and yet was still at the bottom of the shortest mountain.
"...But... I can give her much more..."
Ashes flew around her, whirling around her sword until it looked as if she was holding a thin tornado.
Indeed, it was a good technique.
But Severin didn't want to see it.
He picked up a stone, and then he drew as much power as he could from his Stigma. "Acceleration."
He threw the stone.
And instantly.
The stone appeared in front of Serena.
"Huh?"
It was as if it teleported. It was so fast, too fast to even think of avoiding it. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
The stone smacked her on the forehead with a wet cracking sound. The force of the attack was so strong that it lifted her and threw her back, reeling on the ground.
Her ashes scattered into the air.