Celeste's POV.
....
"I suppose that makes this more fun for me."
Once again, Celeste chose not to answer, but she shifted her stance and prepared herself for an attack. Mana surged around her as she concentrated it into her body.
The woman's smile sharpened.
And then...
Woosh!
They both vanished all at once.
The clash was immediate.
Boom—!
The surface of the water exploded outward as the two of them collided. Celeste's arm snapped forward as a blade of condensed blood formed instantly in her grasp, slashing toward the woman's neck, but the woman leaned back just enough.
Her body bent in an unnatural arc as the crimson blade missed by a hair, and in the same motion, her hand shot forward in a flash, her fingers digging straight into Celeste's side.
Crack—!
Her ribs fractured instantly as blood burst violently from the wound.
Celeste's eyes narrowed.
She didn't scream or grimace in pain.
