"Here I come! [High Accel Flame Strike]!" Exclaimed Ariella, as she shot forward and closed in on me, driving her fist towards me with a sharp spike in speed.

Her fist thudded across my right side as I just barely avoided a direct hit, the impact jarring the bottom of the right side of my ribcage before I chanted while simultaneously slashing at her head with my blade...

"<Ravage>!"

As the combined jaws of Devour and Drain manifested, I sent them zipping at the right side of her head as my blade closed in on the left side of her head, before she quickly sprang back as the jaws began to snap shut.

A small cut appeared across the left side of her forehead as the tip of my blade grazed her skin, the jaws of Ravage missing her by a whisker as she narrowly got out of the way, before chanting as she raised her right foot up...

"[Mid Accel Flame Stomp]!"

A burst of heat erupted as she slammed her foot onto the floor of the arena with immense force, the arena shaking slightly as deep cracks spread out from the point of impact, before she swiftly lunged at me as I widened my stance to keep my balance.

I tilted my head back as she got low and unfurled a rapid uppercut towards my chin, her fist grazing the tip of my nose before I swung my blade down, nicking the top of her left shoulder as she twisted her body across, before she quickly ducked down as I snapped at her head with Ravage.

I sprang back as she swept her foot across towards my ankles, before she leapt straight at me and lunged forward, drawing back her fists before unleashing a rapid flurry of strikes.

Sharp clangs rang out as I blocked and deflected her strikes with her blades, several cuts appearing across her gauntlets as the edge of my blade nicked it with each collision, trickles of blood running out.

I struck the side of her right fist with the flat of my blade to deflect it, before raising the edge of blade up as she drove her left fist forward, stopping her arm short before her fist could come into contact with the blade.

She quickly turned her fist inwards as I whipped my blade at her hand with a sharp flick of my wrist, the blade striking the armored plate on the back of her fist, slicing through and inflicting a shallow cut across her skin.

Her gaze then darted to the left before she swiftly tilted across to the right as Ravage snapped at her head, tearing a couple of shreds of skin off her left cheek, before she rapidly chanted under her breath and struck the floor with her right foot, triggering a burst of heat before backing away several paces across the arena as the burst pushed me back slightly.

She ran the back of one of her gauntlets across her cheek to wipe away the blood as she got some distance and took a deep breath, letting out a slow exhale.

Physically, we're more or less evenly matched, but I think my reaction time is slightly faster than hers.

With the ten percent boost from Desecrator, my Agility and Perception stats are a bit higher than hers, so right now, I have a slight edge.

But emphasis on slight, I can't afford to make even the smallest mistake.

The partial hit she landed with her High Accel Flame Strike, pretty sure that fractured a couple of my ribs, the bottom right of my ribcage is throbbing with pain.

My options against her are a bit limited...her Status Effect Immunity Skill means that Command, Lethargy, Slumber, Aphrodisia, Arouse, and Spite are all off the table.

They won't affect her, so it'd just be a waste of MP to use them on her. Well, not that I'd use Aphrodisia or Arouse on her, anyway.

Obliterate is out too, she's the last person my Rage Meter would ever appear against.

Which only leaves my Gluttony and power boost Skills, plus Mana Pulse. I'll need to be smart about how I utilize my options.

As she sprinted forward and shot towards me, I flung Desecrator with a rapid spun, launching it towards her with a sharp flick of my wrist.

Her eyes widened slightly before she quickly tilted her body across as my blade closed in on her, which shot past her left arm, before she swiftly shuffled to her right as I drew out my gun and fired out a Pulse Bullet at it.

As the bullet missed her, she raced forward rapidly, flames erupting around her right fist as she began to close in on me, before I chanted...

"<Void>!"

She stiffened as I manifested a black hole, exerting a powerful gravitational force.

She began to get pulled towards it, her feet sliding across the floor before she stumbled forward as I abruptly deactivated the Skill.

"Now, <Return>!" I exclaimed as I shot towards her and raised my hand, Desecrator rapidly flying back towards me from behind her.

She quickly leapt across to her right as the blade closed in, slashing through her left bicep as she failed to fully get out of the way, blood streaming down her arm as I caught the handle of the blade and lunged at her, whipping my blade across at her.

Still off-balance, she tilted her upper body back, the tip of my blade kicking the right side of her stomach before she winced as it dragged down along her skin, before I tensed up as she suddenly grabbed my arm, tightening her grip before I quickly lowered my left hand as she drove her knee up, a twinge of pain erupting across my palm as her knee slammed against it, before she gasped sharply as I clamped my hand around her knee and unleashed Mana Pulse.

She seized up slightly and gritted her teeth as her leg spasmed, before she tugged on my arm to pull me off-balance as she slammed her foot back down firmly against the floor to reorient her center of balance, her leg shuddering and trembling shakily before she bit her lower lip to focus as she swung her right fist towards my chest...

"[High Accel Flame Strike]!"

A sharp clang rang out as I just barely blocked her strike with the flat of my blade, waves of pain erupting across my forearm as her fist collided against my blade with a jarring impact, my feet skidding back before I leapt back several paces.

"D-Damn, I forgot how much this hurts, Mana Pulse is seriously nasty," She remarked with a grimacing smile, beads of sweat trickling down her face as her leg continued to tremble and buckle.

"You pack a hell of a punch yourself," I replied as I glanced at my right arm, which was shaking in pain, making it tough to get a proper grasp on my blade.

"I think it's time we turn things up a notch, don't you?" She suggested as I tossed my blade to my left hand, swinging it around a couple of times to adjust to the change.

"Yeah, sounds good. Come at me with everything you've got," I replied with a smile, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

The two of us stared at each other for a moment, before we chanted in unison...

"[Blaze Ignition]!"

"<Enrage>!"

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