The Laughing Swordsman

A storm of fire rippled from Maya's feet, spreading across the town square.

The old man was the first to burn alive, screaming in agony as he turned to ash.

Then, countless more screamed in pain. The people that were on fire ran, trying to cling to others for help.

"Help me! AGH-"

"Get off me! No!"

But there was no helping them. In the end, the unlucky fellows were dragged down to hell with them.

The square was in chaos. People desperately fled for their lives. However, the storm of fire was far faster than the people could run.

Nobody that stood within the town square survived.

The scent of burnt flesh filled the air.

Through it all, Maya's expression did not change. Her eyes lethargically blinked.

She simply stared at the sky as if she was trying to catch up on sleep.

Blood pooled at Maya's feet.

It was her own. Her victims would be unable to bleed as the fire burnt it away.

Maya closed her eyes, basking in the carnage.

The hand holding onto the gemstone became a dark red.

By now, she was on the verge of insanity.

Any normal person would've fainted or died if their bodies were half as mangled as Maya's.

Yet, through sheer will, Maya remained standing.

She was far from done.

Maya stumbled forward, sending firebolts to the nearby houses.

She was going to raze this city to the ground.

Blood continued to spray from her body.

She tripped, falling hard onto the cobblestone path.

Maya pressed both her hands on the ground. She pushed herself up.

Her eyes could not remain open all the way, teetering between opened and closed.

She could fall asleep at any point. But Maya knew that if she did so now, she would never wake.

As such, Maya stumbled onto her feet and continued walking forward.

There were few civilians nearby, however, they immediately ran when they saw her.

After all, she left behind a trail of destruction.

Maya was able to catch a few people with her firebolts, but most got away. They easily outran with her the pace she was going at.

She continued walking forward like a zombie, wreaking havoc.

"FIEND!"

A large ice spear shot towards Maya.

She returned in kind, shooting a firebolt.

They collided with a bang, causing steam to rise in the air.

Once it cleared, a young man in a black suit was revealed.

He had short and tidy brown hair. His eyes gleamed with a deep blue and his cheeks were sunken in ever so slightly. There was a simple metal spear on his back.

"On the glory of Evermore, I, Aviel, will strike you down!"

Aviel gathered mana, forming four spears of ice. He let them rain down on Maya.

Maya's expression did not change. It was as deadpan as ever.

A large ball of fire burgeoned in front of her.

All four ice spears collided with the ball of fire, releasing a storm of mist.

Maya was tossed backward like a sack of potatoes.

She was caught up in the residual explosion.

Her body had heated up tremendously. It was even emitting steam.

Still, through it all, Maya got up on her feet.

Aviel did not wait, sending a barrage of ice spears at her.

Maya responded in tandem with firebolts.

She continued to spray out blood like a fountain. At this point, she probably had more blood outside her body than inside.

Steam continued to form as the fight went on. Soon, neither side could see the other.

Aviel laughed.

"What will you do now? Mages should really compensate for their lack of close combat abilities."

Suddenly, the steam in front of Maya quickly condensed into water, then ice.

Aviel was charging towards Maya with a spear. There was a strong chill emanating from him, creating a small domain of frost.

Once this domain covered Maya, she could feel her body become rigid.

Like venom, the cold traversed throughout her body, causing it to freeze over.

Maya connected three fire spells by their cores and their surface.

A strong wave of fire emanated from Maya's feet.

Aviel retreated, but there was a smile on his face.

"Haha, how many more times can you do that?"

Once the wave of fire stopped spreading, Aviel dived back in.

The steam behind Maya froze over.

Aviel dashed forward to stab her.

"There you are!"

Maya let out another storm of fire, forcing Aviel to retreat once more.

Maya coughed out a mouthful of blood.

The fact her body was even intact in the first place was a miracle.

However, no miracle could let her cast these spells forever.

Aviel waited out the fire, then dashed back in.

This time she wasn't finished connecting the spells, having only connected them by their surfaces.

The domain of ice covered her, freezing her body.

Suddenly, she went through enlightenment.

A wave of heat rippled out of her, negating the effects of Aviel's domain.

Steam rose from the collision of their opposing elements.

Aviel instinctively wanted to retreat but realized that Maya didn't cast the usual spell.

With his domain of ice, the spell Maya cast would not harm him.

At best, Maya's spell would make his vision unclear from the steam.

As the only one holding a weapon, Aviel had the clear advantage in close quarters.

Thus, he dashed forward, stabbing Maya.

Maya was unable to dodge. She let the spear pierce straight through her stomach.

Aviel laughed. He was clearly mocking her.

"Did you see this coming, fiend? If not, you should've! Those that make trouble in the city of Evermore have all fallen to its proud warriors!"

Maya did not respond.

Aviel could only see a dark figure from all the steam in the air.

He was a little dissatisfied since Maya did not cry for mercy or just pain in general. However, he simply shrugged it off.

He had business to finish.

Aviel tugged his spear.

But it wouldn't budge.

Aviel furrowed his brows.

He pulled with all his might.

Yet... it remained still.

Maya's shadowy figure loomed like a behemoth.

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