If you want to be something different simply be through action Changing yourself is that simple
Alana glanced between Paolo and Kayle Her gaze felt leaden as she shifted it from side to side as though the process of adjusting the object of her attention required several technicians fiddling with precise dials Are you both prepared
They didnÆt answer with words but both Paolo and Kayle sprung forward at the very same instant Kayle could only move one of his arms well enough to hold a knife but his eyes seemed to gleam with the palpable desire to seize victory for himself Paolo kept his left arm close to his chest but Alana sensed his image gaining traction around his body once more she suspected that he would be able to manage at least one more strike with that woundedÆ arm
Kayle was coming from AlanaÆs 10 oÆclock while Paolo rushed in from her 3 She stepped sharply to the right making a beeline for Paolo Her left arm was a spear that she thrust forward in a sizzling line The white flames rising from her hand didnÆt flicker with the movement seemingly above the influence of air pressure caused by her movement
Paolo lowered his shoulder and used his right arm to push aside AlanaÆs thrust The muscles of his right arm were shredded from contact with that placid white flames and his face twisted into a scowl but he managed to deflect it For a split second they stood there PaoloÆs left arm cradled against his chest while her arm right arm hung limply at her side Alana watched him with half lidded eyes
He didnÆt strike despite her nonexistent guard
Alana smashed her foot into the side of PaoloÆs knee earning a grunt from him But his image of triumph flared and kept him on his feet At which point Kayle arrived at her back and slashed forward with his long knife
Twisting Alana accepted a long gash across her shoulder blades in order to whip her right arm around She couldnÆt grip with it or move anything past her elbow but it was enough to crack Kayle in the jaw with her shattered elbow joint She felt the fracture spread to her upper arm but Alana couldnÆt dwell on that she shifted her weight onto her other leg to move fractionally away from Paolo
But the three of them were simply too close together As Kayle was falling backward from her elbow strike his leg whipped up and kicked Alana in the waist It wasnÆt particularly damaging but it did mean that Paolo caught up with Alana before she could pull back her left hand His right hand seized her left wrist below the reach of the white flames
This time he did strike with his left arm a straight so brutal that she would have wondered if he was injured at all had she not been able to hear the bones of his shoulder grinding against each other during the explosive movement Yet she had been expecting this Alana pivoted on her left foot bringing the right half of her body backward and letting the punch whizz past her nose
But instead of running out of gas there PaoloÆs fist sprung open and then he swung his arm toward her Before she could react Paolo had physically seized AlanaÆs face pushing her to the side in an attempt to unbalance her Alana twisted her left wrist to escape PaoloÆs other hand but his grip was like steel The crowd’s cheers made him seem more like an avatar of wrought metal than a human being His body became the refinery and each movement was a working of incredible sophistication beyond the normal functioning of a human body
Her right arm flailed but was largely useless AlanaÆs mouth tasted like blood as PaoloÆs fingers ground her cheeks against her teeth In her heart she felt viciously frustrated But more than anything she was struck then by her own limits This was as far as she had been able to make it even after ridding herself of her hesitation
AlanaÆs torso was steadily being pushed backward and her legs couldnÆt keep up with the pressure Paolo possessed more raw Strength than she did There was a part of Alana that felt like it was time to give up
But she didnÆt want to And in her chest there was a resonance form the vast space that had existed since Randidly Ghosthound had created the connection with her Through that she had gratefully absorbed quite a few details that had largely solidified the foundation of her image That connection had been the lifeline that had made her rapid ascension to the strongest individual on Earth that much more smooth
So close the precipice of a loss now and still under the influence of the Fifth Revelation Alana felt that calm resonance It could nudge her in the right direction now but she sensed that it wouldnÆt be enough to overcome her current predicament And when she thought about that she could see the one moment where that connection had been useless when she had lost herself in the expectations that Donnyton had for her
And in a way it was the presence of this supportive connection that had put Alana in the mindset that meant it was so difficult to escape the behaviors that had her image plateau for so long It had caused her to take the details of images for granted
It wasnÆt enough just to absorb anotherÆs details to grow stronger while only working on the fundamentals herself Sometimes even a prophet needed to raise her eyes toward the sky and want
The muscles of AlanaÆs abdomen strained against the muscles of PaoloÆs arm I still want to win
The white flames on AlanaÆs left hand stirred and slid down her arm Her arm abruptly cut sideways as she sliced through the fingers of PaoloÆs right hand and then cut his left arm off at the forearm Strangely his hand still squeezed her face even as Paolo took a stunned step backward
Unfortunately victory wasnÆt quite so simple
KayleÆs long knife ripped into AlanaÆs right thigh and then cut downward largely destroying her quadricep She fell forward onto her knees but that also brought Kayle into a hunched position as he continued to twist the blade in her wound She rewarded him with a horse kick to his face that crunched his nose into a mound of mashed flesh and cartilage that leaked blood
With her right leg trembling she spun onto her butt and raised her left hand above her head The white flames evaporated from her limb and formed a one meter tall hand in the air above her It resembled ghastly figures from poorly developed film in older photography blurred at the edges and strangely exaggerated It was a childÆs rendition of a hand rather than an anatomically correct version
That glowing white hand swept forward its fingers scything toward Kayle Kayle produced another dagger to replace the one he left sticking out of AlanaÆs thigh and reversed his grip His Willpower clearly illuminated his grey eyes Absolute Divide
Chapter 1472
Randidly watched the final moments of the match without expectation or judgment simply experiencing the heights to which humanity could now reach These would be the people on the front lines against the First Calamity
AlanaÆs hand of pale flames slammed against KayleÆs defensive Skill In the air above Kayle his image manifested with a vivid intensity that surpassed his previous usage by far he was currently giving it his all That simple white divide in a sea of blackness warped the surrounding air somehow shifting before RandidlyÆs eyes until the colors flip flopped Now a black line divided a sea of white KayleÆs face was twisted into the most pained grimace that Randidly had ever seen
The two Skills clashed And in the end
KayleÆs Absolute Divide endured while AlanaÆs flaming hand faltered and dissipated For a second the two stared at each other The low roar of the crowd was like the static on an old television that was poorly tuned It added a sense of unreality to the two rigidly staring fighters
They both sagged at the same moment
Dammit I wanted to win Kayle muttered Then his eyelids fluttered and he fell forward having completely overdrawn his mental energy to defend against that last attack
Randidly felt a great deal of sympathy for the man the headache he must be experiencing right now was undoubtedly brutal Plus Alana had tricked him The hand of white fire she had conjured looked intimidating especially after she had sliced Paolo but it hadnÆt possessed any real bite Randidly unleashed a bit of YggdrasilÆs image to lessen KayleÆs pain