Tower of Paradise

Suddenly, Alma vanished before my eyes, a supernatural speed technique that defied the laws of physics as I knew them. She reappeared in front of Alice like a materialized shadow, her claws retracting to unleash a devastating attack. But Alice didn’t fall behind. A barrier of cerulean hexagons momentarily blocked Alma’s claws before shattering like ice crystals struck by a hammer.

In a blink, both disappeared from my field of vision; I could barely follow their deadly contest. I only perceived blurs of movement and shockwaves as their spells collided in the air with roars that reverberated in my chest. The ground beneath my feet trembled with each impact, as if the earth itself protested such a display of power. Fragments of the ceiling began to fall, threatening to bury us all under tons of rubble.

I watched as Alma furiously destroyed Alice’s defensive spells, her claws slicing through the air as she tried to catch her opponent. Alice shielded herself with defensive barriers and water clones, but even I, with my limited experience in magical combat, could see she was losing ground.

Alma’s attacks were wild, unpredictable, fueled by a rage that contrasted with Alice’s refined but predictable technique. Soon, my ally’s attack patterns became transparent even to me. Her strikes no longer connected, and Alma seemed to anticipate every move.

With growing unease, I watched as Alma’s claws found their target time and again. Three bleeding wounds already marked Alice’s body: one on her hand, another on her torso, and a third on her shoulder. Blood flowed from them, dark and thick, reminding me of her human fragility against such creatures, despite her great power.

A new cut appeared on Alice’s cheek, just below her left eye, so deep that for a moment I feared she had lost the organ. Alice staggered back, clutching her cheek as blood ran freely down her face, staining her clothes with bright crimson. In a desperate gesture, she manifested a spherical barrier that enveloped her entire body, creating a momentary distance between her and her relentless attacker.

—You’ll pay for this —I heard her growl through gritted teeth, her gaze filled with a fury I had never seen in her.

I looked up and watched in awe as Alice, despite her wounds, manifested two dozen ice spears suspended in the air. They were beautiful and terrifying structures, as tall as Alma herself, with tips that seemed capable of piercing steel. The light refracted through them, creating glimmers that danced across the room. With a downward motion of her hands, Alice launched her attack. The spears fell simultaneously, like a divine punishment aimed at Alma.

The gray-skinned creature once again demonstrated her astonishing speed and supernatural reflexes. Through movements that defied comprehension, she dodged most of the spears, but even she couldn’t avoid them all. Three pierced her back, and two stabbed through her legs. Red blood, almost ruby-like, flowed from her wounds, but Alma didn’t even seem to notice. Her determination was absolute, unstoppable like a force of nature.

In a movement I could barely register, Alma lunged at Alice as soon as she landed. The spherical barrier dissipated like mist before the sun as Alma’s claws sank deep into Alice’s flesh, eliciting a scream of pain that echoed off the stone walls.

Despite her injuries, Alice reused to surrender. Her face, contorted with pain but hardened by a conviction I could already feel, reminded me why I admired her. With a fluid motion of her right wrist, a hidden blade emerged from her bracelet. She aimed it at Alma’s eye, but Alma was faster.

With inhuman reflexes, she caught Alice’s wrist mid-flight and leaped to strike her under the chin with the crown of her head. The impact resounded with a crunch that made me shudder. Before Alice could recover, Alma delivered a knee strike to her solar plexus, knocking all the air from her lungs.

I saw Alice double over in pain, her face twisted in an agonized grimace as she fell to one knee. Alma, without any mercy, landed another knee strike under her chin, sending her sprawling onto her back. Alice’s body shuddered from the impact, and a faint moan escaped her lips.

As she lay there, gasping for air and struggling to stay conscious, Alma towered over her, her eyes cold and unfeeling like twin pools of darkness. The creature showed no fatigue or remorse, only an unrelenting will that sank my heart.

My mind began to race at breakneck speed. I refused to give up, to accept defeat. Thousands of possibilities, scenarios, and strategies flashed through my head as I frantically searched for a way out of our dire situation. Every second counted; every breath could be Alice’s last.

And then, like a lightning bolt in the darkness, I glimpsed a plan. It wasn’t perfect, nor did it guarantee success, but it was our only hope. I realized I had no other choice, so I began to weave my spell.

I drastically increased the oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere through wind magic. My hands ignited with a brilliant orange fireball that gradually intensified. The flames swirled, grew, and changed color until my hands were enveloped in searing white fire that seemed to freeze the moisture in the surrounding air.

It was the most powerful offensive ability in my arsenal, but also the hardest to control. Only a mage with access to multiple magical attributes could execute such a feat alone. Combining multiple spells into a single, more powerful one demanded absolute concentration and impeccable mastery of the mana coursing through my body. A single mistake, the slightest doubt, and the spell could backfire with dire consequences.