Chapter 582: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: The Rematch of the Flowers IV

Smoke and flames swallowed the entire area where Diane was.

The explosion from the five 13-pound shells had covered that section of the fight platform so completely that even the holographic screens struggled to show anything clearly through the thick smoke.

"Lady Diane!!!"

"You've got to be kidding me!!"

"What is even happening?!"

"The Lady of Bergwyn is getting dominated by Lady Vera Ashenlocke?!"

"That's impossible!!"

Many of Diane's fans held their hands over their faces as they stared at the fight platform in disbelief.

The fight had started the way everyone expected it to.

Even.

The two Flowers of Britannia had exchanged attacks almost equally at the beginning, and many spectators had assumed that Vera would eventually be the one forced to struggle until the end to keep up with Diane's physical strength and battle instincts.

But now…

Diane was the one hidden beneath smoke and flames.

The ordinary spectators and Low-ranking Alchemists could not even tell whether their favorite Young Alchemist was still standing.

They could only stare at the holographic screens and wait for the smoke to clear.

The louder voices in the arena, however, came from the side of the Flower who was currently controlling the battlefield.

"That's our Lady of Ash!!!"

"Jewel of Ash, you got this!!!"

"Let's go!!!"

"Keep up the good work, Lady Vera!!"

The cheers spread throughout the arena.

Many spectators watched the holographic screens as the cameras shifted between different angles, trying to catch a glimpse of Diane inside the smoke while Vera stood at the same position on the platform.

Back on the fight platform…

Clank!

Vera loaded another 13-pound shell into the QF 13-pounder.

Her hands moved quickly under the control of Alchemy Levitation, guiding the heavy shell into position before the artillery gun could be fired again.

Swhsh!

Vera suddenly moved away from her position.

Her body jumped toward the left side.

She twisted in the air and landed awkwardly from the force of her own movement, rolling across the ground before placing both hands against the platform and pushing herself back onto her feet.

Snow and dust brushed against her clothes as she stood.

Vera did not look toward the area where Diane was hidden inside the smoke.

Instead, her eyes moved toward the QF 13-pounder.

Then they shifted to the ground.

Something was wrong.

Her dull black eyes narrowed slightly.

The artillery gun suddenly moved.

The heavy weapon was lifted from the ground under the influence of Diane's attack.

The QF 13-pounder rose for only a moment before…

A sharp line appeared across its body.

The next instant, the QF 13-pounder fell apart in two.

The ground beneath it showed a clean sliced mark that stretched across the platform and continued far behind where the artillery gun had been standing.

The two halves of the artillery gun dropped.

Thud! Thud!

Before either half could settle properly…

Ice erupted across the entire body.

Frost spread over the metal and that space the artillery occupied at once.

The artillery gun was completely covered in ice.

Vera's eyes shifted toward it.

Clap!

Her ears caught the sound of another Alchemy execution.

Her dull black eyes moved away from the large mass of ice covering her artillery gun.

BOOM!

The large block of ice exploded.

Fragments of frozen metal and ice burst outward.

But the explosion did not simply destroy the artillery gun.

Ice spikes rapidly erupted from the shattered mass.

One.

Then another.

Then dozens more.

They shot toward Vera like a barrage.

Vera's dull black eyes moved rapidly.

She did not stand in place.

Whoosh!

Her body slipped between the first two ice spikes.

Another passed beside her shoulder.

She twisted her waist and allowed it to pass behind her.

A third came from the side.

Vera bent her body and stepped underneath it.

The movement was fast and clean.

She dodged, weaved, and used the remaining 13-pound shell still floating nearby as a temporary shield whenever an ice spike came from an angle she could not immediately avoid.

One of the ice spikes struck the shell.

The moment it made contact…

Crack!

Vera lost control of the shell.

The weapon dropped.

It fell toward the ground as more ice spikes continued moving toward her.

But Vera's Instant Force speed allowed her to move through the barrage before the attacks could surround her.

Her body disappeared from one position.

Then appeared several steps away.

Another afterimage remained behind.

Then another.

For the ordinary spectators, it looked as though several Vera's had appeared across the battlefield at once.

Vera continued moving.

She slipped between the ice spikes while keeping her body low, changing directions whenever another attack closed in.

Some ice spikes struck the platform.

Others flew past her and landed outside the fight area.

Skrrr!

Vera's boots dragged across the ground.

She finally stopped.

The friction left a short mark beneath her feet as she brought herself to a halt.

For a brief moment, she stood still.

BOOM!

A large ice lance crashed down onto the exact position where Vera had been standing.

The impact shook the ground.

Many Low-ranking Alchemists among the spectators gasped.

From their point of view, the ice lance had suddenly landed directly into Vera's stomach.

Some people even stood from their seats.

"Did it hit her?!"

But…

The figure was only an afterimage.

Vera had already moved.

She now stood several steps in front of the ice lance that had fallen where she had been moments earlier.

Her dull black eyes lifted toward the sky.

More ice lances were falling.

Their sharp points were aimed toward the platform.

Vera watched them descend.

Then her eyes moved back down.

She looked toward the exact location where Diane was hidden within the smoke.

At the same moment…

Two Acu-Vector Mk.IVs flew out from Vera's space bag.

The two handguns rotated rapidly through the air.

Their barrels turned as they spun.

Vera reached out.

Both weapons dropped neatly into her hands.

She held them comfortably.

Her fingers settled around the grips.

Boom!

Vera disappeared, as she dashed forward.

Her body moved so quickly that another afterimage remained behind.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The falling ice lances crashed into the platform one after another.

Vera weaved through them without even looking directly at each attack.

One ice lance struck the ground behind her.

Another fell to her right.

A third landed several steps ahead.

Vera changed direction without slowing down.

She continued toward the smoke cloud.

At the same time, she raised both Acu-Vector Mk.IVs.

The barrels pointed toward the smoke.

BRRATATATATAT! BRRATATATATAT!

The two handguns fired.

Vera pulled both triggers, sending a rapid stream of shots into the smoke before her body vanished into it.

Inside the smoke…

Diane was still standing.

An Ice Cannon stood in front of her.

The weapon was formed from Frost Alchemy and was already prepared to fire another ice lance.

Diane controlled the remaining ice lances floating around her, bringing them toward the Ice Cannon so she could reload it.

Her light-blue eyes remained focused.

She was about to reload.

Then her hearing caught the gunshots.

BRRATATATATAT! BRRATATATATAT!

Her eyes shifted.

She also sensed Vera.

The distance between them was rapidly shrinking.

Vera's Cognis fluctuation was difficult to sense because she was now concealing her Cognis presence.

Something Diane had also done herself.

Both girls were hiding their Cognis.

But they had reached a level of sensory ability where they could still detect one another if they focused enough.

Diane's eyes narrowed.

Something thin moved through the smoke.

She sensed it only inches before it reached her.

Thin needles made from Umbrium and Black steel were already flying toward her.

The Umbrium percent added to make the alloy, gave the thin needles that silent traveling speed in the air.

Making it very hard for anyone not paying proper attention to sense them coming.

Whoosh!

Diane's hand moved.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

A flash of light crossed through the smoke.

Diane's slim sword moved rapidly through the air.

Her wrist turned.

The blade changed direction again and again, cutting through the thin Umbrium needles before they could reach her body.

Each needle struck the blade.

The contact produced a small burst of light-blue Cognis.

Diane's sword glowed brighter than before.

The instant the slim sword touched each needle, frost spread across the Umbrasteel Alloy.

The thin needles froze solid.

Then they broke apart.

Pieces of frozen metal fell onto the ground.

Diane's light-blue eyes sharply turned toward the direction Vera had jumped from.

She saw her.

Vera's figure emerged from the smoke.

Both Acu-Vector Mk.IVs were already aimed at Diane.

BRRATATATATAT! BRRATATATATAT!

Vera pulled the triggers.

The rapid shots flew toward Diane.

Diane moved her right hand backward slightly.

KZZRAK!

Sparks of light-blue Cognis erupted from her palm.

A Frost Alchemy Circle began forming rapidly.

The Alchemy Symbols appeared one after another, locking into place around her hand.

Once the Alchemy Circle formed completely…

The Ice Cannon standing on the ground and the remaining ice lances floating around Diane suddenly moved.

They were pulled toward the Frost Alchemy Circle like a vacuum.

The Ice Cannon broke apart.

The remaining ice lances followed.

Everything flowed into the circle.

The Frost Alchemy ignited.

Ice spread outward.

A large Ice Shield expanded from the Frost Alchemy Circle and covered Diane's entire body.

The incoming Umbrasteel Alloy needles struck the shield.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The needles struck the ice and broke apart.

But Vera did not stop moving.

She was already close.

Her body shifted, as she jumped slightly from the ground and twisted her body in midair.

Her right leg rose.

Cognis flowed through the leg.

Her muscles strengthened.

The force gathered into her kick.

Then she drove her leg forward.

BOOM!

Vera's kick broke through the Ice Shield.

The ice shattered outward.

Fragments flew past Diane and scattered across the platform.

Vera did not stop even after breaking through.

Her body continued forward.

At the same time, both Acu-Vector Mk.IVs were already aimed toward the exact position where Diane now stood.

For the first time in that exchange, the distance between the two Flowers had almost completely disappeared.

Their eyes locked onto each other.

Diane's light-blue eyes met Vera's dull black eyes.

Neither girl backed away.

Boom!

Boom!

The two moved at the same time.

BRRATATATATAT! BRRATATATATAT!

Vera pulled down the triggers of both handguns.

The weapons erupted with gunfire.

Diane immediately controlled her slim sword toward the front of her body.

The sword rotated rapidly through the air.

Its movement created a violent wind that spread outward from the blade.

The sword turned faster.

The incoming attacks rushed toward her.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Sparks ignited in front of Diane as the slim sword continued rotating.

Every incoming thin needle was met by the blade.

The sword moved from one side to another, intercepting the attacks before they could reach Diane.

The air between the two Flowers became filled with sparks, gunfire, fragments of ice, and the sharp sound of metal striking metal.

Neither girl gave the other room to breathe.

The rematch between the Flowers of Ash and Bergwyn had reached a point where even a single mistake could decide the next exchange.