Saintess Summons Skeletons

The armor and wings regrew fast, and Sofia threw herself against the wall.

Fuck, wind again.

Sofia grabbed her wing

A small and weak burst of flames appeared and were instantly drowned as Sofias body hit the barrier and her armor exploded for the third time.

Finally! I was starting to get dizzy. Minor fire resistance is better than no resistance.

No mana and one rune left

Looking up at Saria channeling her spell, she really wondered what it was going to be. Its been almost ten seconds

How was she still moving so much after all this? Saria, youre almost as scary as me.

Sofia saw something approaching the barrier from outside. It hit the barrier and was stuck there, on the other side. Oh, my scepters back? A bit late. I cant get you from inside here buddy.

Sofias vision shifted, Saria was still in the same place relative to her, but they were no longer underwater but on some kind of very large flat disc. Pareth stood halfway between them, both of his shields up and ready. The ink black sky and weird glossy floor illuminated by a faint bluish light were quite familiar. Saria was also now on top of a pile of gold and jewels sitting at the center of the disc. The ambient mana inside the barrier was so thick it was almost palpable. Outside, there was no mana at all.

The Margin?

And in the fake world?

The mana barrier is still there too, around the platform.

Saria was no longer channeling but she wasnt attacking yet.

Giving me a house tour?

This is my lair. In this place you cannot escape, and I am stronger. Saria answered with some difficulties in a broken and raspy voice; blood trickled out of her maws, but her head stood high.

Glad you are taking this seriously. Time for the final act, I suppose, number two. Are you ready? Sofia asked with a demonic smile on her face, taking a fighting stance and her tail whipping the air behind her.

Saria activated some quick magic, and the riches disappeared. She fell down a bit as her support disappeared; her lower body was clearly a mess due to the lack of bones, but she could still fly. Yes.

Sofia nodded in return, and she charged, Pareth diving into the action too as his [Sanctified Grounds] flared up.

Saria opened her maw, a stream of fire making its way toward Sofia. Pareth intervened, leaping ahead and meeting the fire with his shields held up together. It seemed he had a hard time maintaining the shields of light, but Pareth lost no health, and most fire was diverted to the sides. It gave Sofia the chance to come closer as soon as Sarias breath ran out, rushing in, she tried to highkick Sarias lower jaw.

Her kick missed, Saria retracted her head just in time, and the claws on her left hand started to glow. The spatial attack again! The cast was much faster than before, Sofia could tell it was already ready. Pareth grabbed Sofias tail and pulled her back, she landed behind him and he was the one to take the attack, the dragon claws swiped the air as he was out of reach, but the spatial attack still launched forward like five blades capable of cutting space itself.

The shields broke, and Pareths armor was sliced through like paper. But Pareths health was still untouched. He had [Higher magical damage negation], [Space magic resilience], and [Displacement skills immunity] among his passive skills. He was not far from completely impervious to offensive spatial magic.

Sofia stepped forward again, trying to attack with her fists. Saria was very careful not to let herself be touched now. She even avoided Sofias wings, though her massive body was hindered by how injured she was, it had been no lie that she was stronger in this arena.

The duo tried to keep the pressure up, seeing how careful Saria was. The fight was a meticulous back and forth in which Pareth was the only one to ever actually take any hits. The first attack to actually land could be devastating for either one. Saria weaved magic through her attacks, sometimes quick-casting the fire and water red light spells. But Sofia was fast enough to always avoid them thanks to [One with Suffering] now.

In the end, someone made a mistake.

As Sofia sent another punch in Sarias way, just as she was about to hit, she felt a stream of mana aimed at her head. She tried to avoid it but she was too close. Even Pareth failed to react in time. Sofia and Saria switched places. Saria was now between Pareth and Sofia. Pareth teleported to Sofia but it was too late. Saria had been preparing the spatial attack by casting it on her tail. She was already swinging her tail behind her when the place swap occurred.

By the time Pareth appeared next to Sofia, she had been cut diagonally in half, going through the head and down to the hip, dead.

Thus, Pareth grabbed the half with the largest chunk of head and ran.

Saria turned and breathed out a quick fireball, only for Pareth to turn around and use his shield to perfectly block it. Next she charged, attacking with her bare claws and mouth. Pareth managed to dodge everything by throwing half-Sofia away and teleporting to it several times as he spun around madly, thrown around by the accumulating momentum.

The three extremely long seconds passed, and Sofias body was rebuilt. The first thing she heard was an angry draconic roar.

Someone sounds frustrated.

Im back, Sofia announced after her first breath. The mana in the arena was so thick that this one shallow breath filled her back up from thirty two points of mana to above thirty thousand.

Sarias roar ended. It was no longer the room that shone with red light, but Sarias entire body. Her broken hind legs were propped up by some weird magic that enveloped her whole like an armor of raw mana.

Then the Dragon attacked.

Sofia had to activate the third tier of [Runeforged Overlord] to get away, using her omnidirectional free flight to dodge in at the best angles in the shortest time, and yet Saria was still keeping up with her, as if teleporting next to her.

Every single one of Sarias attacks were nothing but raw and primal physical force amplified to the limits by the mana around her. After ten near-misses, she stopped for a single beat. Long enough for Sofia to have the spare mental focus to shower her with rotting light.

And the attacks started again.

This time they were weaved with Draconic breath, spatial attacks and the areas of fire. It was like Saria had enough mana to last her forever, and her casting speed had quintupled. Sofia inevitably ended up almost taking a hit, Pareth was the one to take it for her, allowing her to survive until the end of this cycle of attacks, and to throw even more rot at Saria. Pareth was reduced to a lone skull rolling on the floor, but not dead. The mana in the room was growing thinner by the second, and the rot on Saria ravenously devoured all she had.

But Saria wasnt done. For the last time, she started her series of ten unhinged attacks, weaving claw and tail strikes as she and Sofia bounced around against the floor and mana barrier like two hyperactive birds in a small cage. Ten. Nine. Eight. Sofia still managed to avoid the attacks. Saria was no longer using magic, the malignant rot spreading like wildfire around the lair as it gorged on the free buffet of mana thick enough to absorb directly from the air. Seven. Six. Five. Sofias brain was overheating, acting almost on instinct; she could only do her best to avoid all the blows. Activating her demonic bodys magic wasnt even a possibility anymore; the best she could do with so little focus left was to charge an Angels bolt, as she was at a level where she could cast it without thinking. The blue plasma appeared around her arm.

Four. Three. Two. Sofia could almost see her victory. She was sure now. Saria was on a last-ditch effort. There would be no fourth series of attacks. One. Sofia was prevented from dodging by an unexpected slap of Sarias wings. The five claws of Sarias left arm raked through her flesh. Of Sofia’s torso, there was left only a softly glowing golden spine. Saria opened her jaws for the ultimate fire breath.

One percent health left.

Sofia released the piercing-type Angels bolt.

The jagged trait of blue plasma entered Sarias rot-filled mouth and left through the back of her head.

The Dragon wavered; the heat at the back of its throat died, and it fell to the ground.

Pareth, HEAL!

Golden light enveloped the fallen Dragon whose body was reverting back to that of a young unconscious woman sinking into a sea of black rot.