With her transformation plete, Runebelle, now in her Project Rune form, faced off against Mui,

  Runebelle’s ons had transformed into two small, sleek guns. She gripped them firmly in each hand. Mui raised her sword and prepared for the csh.

  Runebelle was the first to make a move. She fired a barrage of high-speed energy shots from her guns, aiming for Mui, who deflected with her sword. The projectiles struck the ground and barrier surrounding the arena, creating small explosions on impact.

  Mui, with her unparalleled agility, closed the gap between them and attempted to nd a strike with her sword, but Runebelle swayed to the side with nimble dodges.

  The two batants engaged in a fast-paced exge of blows. Runebelle’s green energy shots and Mui’s sword strikes filled the arena with vibrant dispys of power

  Runebelle sheathed her guns and summoned her giant needle to her hands. She u at Mui, who reacted quickly deflected the projectile with her sword. The needle was sent ricocheting off of the arena’s barrier.

  Runebelle smirked. “You shouldn’t have blocked with your sword.” Her words caused Mui’s face to drop into shock.

  “What,” Mui excimed.

  Runebelle expined, “Yered my trap. My Needle of Empathy affeything that has a soul.” She paused briefly. “It looks like it affects your sword.”

  Mui’s sword was now engulfed with a greenish energy. “Kyosa?”

  Runebelle’s fident smirk widened upon seeing the greenish energy enveloping Mui’s sword. “You’ve got many tricks up your sleeve, Mui, but I noticed you haven’t used your sword magic yet. I didn’t know much about it before, only what I’ve had to deal with involving it. I suspected that a sword with sword magic has to have some kind of soul.”

  Mui’s fusion deepened. “But how is that even possible?”

  Runebelle held up her needle. “The Needle of Empathy is a unique on that affect the souls of others. When I u at your sword and it touched it, it bound its soul to it. Now, you’re uo use your sword magic because it’s essentially bee a part of my soul. As long as it’s under my trol, you won’t be able to unleash its full power.”

  .

  The announcer decred, “What a jaw-dropping twist, folks! Runebelle’s Needle of Empathy has just ralized Mui’s sword magic before she even had a ce to swing it!”

  Mui’s eyes narrowed. She muttered to herself, “Impressive. But I still have other tricks up my sleeve.”

  Mui reached for a set of cealed throwing knives and, in a swift motion, flung them at Runebelle.

  Runebelle deftly evaded the first set of knives but realized that Mui had more in store. The area around the arena’s barrier and ground became littered with the needles earlier, and now knives were added to the equation.

  Mui grinned. She maniputed her magical power to trol the knives she had thrown. Bck threads she trolled ed around the knives, redireg them toward Runebelle.

  Runebelle sed out to her her small guns and fired energy shots at the ining knives, attempting to deflect them; however, Mui’s precision and trol over her magical threads made it difficult for Runebelle to ter every knife effectively.

  Several of the knives hit their mark, and Runebelle felt a paralyzing agent taking effect. Her movements began to slow, and she gritted her teeth.

  Mui held a smug look while trolling knives with ease. “My magic is not limited to Kyosa alone. My sword magic may be lio my sword Kyosa, but that doesn’t mean my magical abilities are limited to it. I manipute magic directly as well.”

  Mui raised one hand with a thread of energy tied to a khe dark magic I was born with is known as thread and needle magic. I manipute and trol magical threads and needles to my advahis is a power that I’ve honed over the years, allowio trol the battlefield and my oppos.”

  Mui tinued. “There are tless substances and magical effects that impact the human body in this world. From poisons that paralyze and burn, to agents that umb or induce halluations. I’ve taken a particur i in all of them because, despite their i dangers, they bee extremely effective when bined with a touch of darkness.”

  She gestured to the knives and needles now swirling around her. “Each of these ons is designed with a purpose. Some carry paralytics that slow your movements, others have corrosives that eat away at your flesh. My thread and needle magic allows me to weave them into the battlefield with precision, turning any advao a lethal on.”

  Mui’s eyes narrowed. “While many swordsmen rely on their bdes and teiques alone, I believe in honing more than just the sword. I aim to trol every element of the fight, from the terrain to the oppo’s very movements. This philosophy allows me to take down enemies even without my sword magic. My mastery over my thread and needle magisures that I’m always a step ahead.”

  Runebelle’s partially paralyzed body shuddered. She summoned her st bit of strength to raise her arms and gather green energy infused with sadness.

  “Desote Rain!”

  In an instant, the arena was filled with a torrential downpour of green energy. Upon the droplets toug Mui’s skin and clothing, she sensed her energy being sapped away. fusion and arm fshed across her face.

  Runebelle eyed Mui with a strained look. “Desote Rain is my ao the poison immunity that my sisters have iransformed states. While I may not possess the same immunity, my power allows me to absorb poison-like effects, draining the strength of my enemies with each droplet that touches them.”

  Runebelle, feeling the infusion of vitality and magic, straightened her posture. The pain from the paralyzing agent began to ebb. Meanwhile her energy levels surged. The green aura around her intensified, and her previously shaky hands were now firm with rerength.

  Iands, Roselle’s eyes widened with amazement. “I never knew she could do that!”

  Risebelle nodded in agreement. “This must be a new ability. I haven’t seen her use Desote Rain before.”

  Mui’s face twisted with frustration. “Why… why you…!”

  Desperately, she grabbed her bde Kyosa, which was now her only hope of turning the tide.

  Runebelle raised an eyebrow. “Were you not listening? My Needle of Empathy has bound your sword’s soul to it. As long as it’s affected, you won’t be able to use your sword magic.”

  Mui focused on Kyosa, attempting to unleash its magical power. The bde briefly glowed with dark energy, but the light quickly faded.

  Runebelle seized the opportunity. With a swift, decisive motion, she sshed with her giant needle, the attack cutting aui’s chest. The force of the strike sent Mui crashing to the ground. Her body hit the arena floor with a heavy thud.

  The red tdown timer appeared, tig down from 60 seds. Runebelle stood over Mui “It’s over, Mui. You uimated me.”

  The announcer’s voice rang out, filled with awe and disbelief. “What a stunning twist, folks! Mui, one of the top Elite Guards, is down for the t! Who’d a seen that ing? Runebelle’s pullin off an incredible upset! Now, the big question— Mui find her footing and rise again within these st 60 seds? Stay tuned, ’cause this is getting wild!”

  Mui y sprawled on the ground. She appeared to out cold.

  Iands, Roselle leaped up, clutg onto Risebelle and boung up and down in the air. “She did it! She really did it!” Roselle cheered.

  Risebelle g Roselle with irritation. “Yeah, I see you’re happy. But could you please stop holding onto me like this?”

  Roselle looked at her sister with a grin. “e on, Risebelle! Just let me be excited for a moment!”

  Risebelle sighed, shaking her head but with a hint of a smile on her lips.

  During that time, Mui dived deep into her inner world. She whispered the name “Kyosa.” When she did, greenish energy raged within the realm of her mind, threatening to overpower her e with her sword, Kyosa.

  Mui sshed through the tumultuous energy, sending shockwaves of green light scattering away. “Kyosa!” she shouted. She tio cut through the swirling aura until she reached a figure emerge. It was shaped like herself but posed entirely of deep purple energy.

  The figure gazed at Mui with an iy. With a deep, powerful chord, they asked, “Are you ready to overturn this battle?”

  Mui nodded. “Yes. Runebelle’s power is ued, but we will turide in our favor, just like we always do.”

  Kyosa spoke with irritation. “The Needle of Empathy has thrown a wren everything! I couldn’t grant you any power. Without the Sword Magic or the Swod form, we’re going to get cooked.”

  Mui responded, “The fact that I could reach the inner world at all means I should be able to use ‘something’. Maybe we find a way to get some of that power back.”

  Kyosa’s eyes softened. “You’re right. When Runebelle unleashed that desote rain, it dimihe Needle’s effects just enough. If we exploit this brief window, we might be able tain some of our strength.”

  Mui’s resolve hardened. “So, what’s the pn?”

  Kyosa took a deep breath with her tone now steady. “You should be able to access Stage One of Sword Magic for about ten seds. In that brief window, you o nd a decisive blow. Runebelle ’t keep the Needle of Empathy active while she’s juggliher abilities. If you strike now, you might just turide before the Needle regains full trol over me.”

  When the tdown hit 40 seds in the arena, Mui stood up. She swiftly brought her sword up to the air. Her sword, Kyosa of a medium size, extended slightly ih. Two dark circles emerged in the ter of the bde, ected by a thin, dark lihe bde’s color shifted to a more intense, greyish hue and energy radiated from it.

  “Overturn, Kyosa!”

  As Mui unleashed her Sword Magic, a dark wave surged from her bde, propelling her forward with incredible speed. She closed the distaween her and Runebelle in the blink of an eye. Runebelle was taken aback by Mui’s sudden burst of speed.

  Runebelle barely mao raise her needle in time to block Mui’s strike. The force of the csh sent vibrations through her arm. If she had been a sed slower, she would have taken a fatal blow.

  Runebelle jabbed her needle forward, but Mui seemed to glide around the strikes as though she were a phantom.

  Runebelle’s eyes widened. “You should be affected by Desote Rain. What’s going on?”

  Mui responded with a ssh at Runebelle from behind, “You uimate the power of my Sword Magic, Runebelle. I have transded those mere limitations that you tried to pe.”

  Runebelle stepped bad took her small guns in her hand. She fired a series of shots at her oppo, but Mui moved around them quickly and sshed Runebelle across the chest, causing pain te through her. Runebelle dropped her small guns and summoned her Needle of Empathy and ighe pain she felt. She drove the needle into the ter of Mui’s being.

  The moment the needle made tact, Runebelle said, “Earth’s Radiance!” A green aura enveloped her body.

  Mui found herself uo move. Her body was locked in pce. Runebelle spoke triumphantly. “You got hit dead ter by my Needle of Empathy. This fight is over. There’s no using sword magic to avoid this one.”

  Runebelle stepped bad picked up her small guns to aim at Mui. This time, she charged them up with green energy. She then fired off two powerful beams from them that surged toward her target.

  The green energy shots struck Mui directly, and upon impact, they detonated in wide explosion. The crowd watched in awe as Mui was engulfed by the powerful energy.

  The smoke that had enveloped the arena after the explosion began to clear. To everyone’s shock, Mui appeared behind Runebelle.

  Runebelle stammered in disbelief. Mui appeared behind her, seemingly unscathed by the explosion that had engulfed her.

  Mui gave her an amused look.” Runebelle, Kyosa’s power isn’t about speed or enhanced abilities. Kyosa has the unique ability to overturn situations. It allows me to reverse the effects of various abilities and manipute the oute of battles.”

  Runebelle’s fusion deepened. Mui tinued. “I overcame the effects of your Needle of Empathy by using Kyosa’s Sword Magic to reverse its influene.”

  Runebelle was stunned, but Mui spoke with authority. “Runebelle, after everything you’ve seen of my various ons, what do you think my Sword Kyosa is coated with right now?”

  Before she could respond, Mui tinued, “Everything.”

  In a swift, decisive motion, Mui sshed with Kyosa. A dark wave surged forward from her bde, carrying with it a deadly co of poison, paralysis, burns, and darkness. The bined effects overwhelmed Runebelle. The intense energy from the ssh sent her crashing into the arena’s barrier with a tremendous impact.

  Runebelle cried out in pain, spitting out a streak of blood from the collision. She slumped against the barrier shaking from the multiple debilitating effects.

  Mui sheathed her sword with a calm demeanor. She looked down at Runebelle, who y crumpled on the ground.

  “And now,” Mui decred with finality, “this match is over.”

  The crowd watched in stunned silehe announcer broke the sileh a boom. “Mui just flipped the script with her Kyosa, bustin’ through Runebelle’s Needle of Empathy and ndin’ a decisive blow! What a showdown, folks!”

  Runebelle struggled to get ba her feet. She aimed her Needle of Empathy toward Mui with desperation. She shouted loudly, “If I just use Desote Rain again, even for one sed, I could—”

  Before she could finish, Mui appeared behind her with Kyosa drawn and ready. The sudden preseartled Runebelle.

  Mui said calmly, “I said it’s over. Enough already.”

  Runebelle’s eyes widened. She felt the cold steel of Kyosa slice across her chest. She fell to the ground with blood gushing out of her.