Inverse System

Chapter 30 - Stunning Conclusion

Chloe was analyzing her opponent, looking around the arena for any potential traps he could've set. When she didn't see any, she dashed in with her incredible speed, attacking him relentlessly. He effortlessly dodged and blocked using his sword, retaliating with a forward jab with his sword, which Chloe jumped back to dodge. She barely avoided his attack, but suddenly, Rein's sheath extended forward, hitting Chloe directly in the stomach. He then went on the offensive, raising a floor tile in front of him to obscure her vision, then swiftly disappearing from behind it to deal a surprise attack.

All Chloe could do was defend against his relentless attacks, consisting of him swinging his swords, then disappearing behind a tile. She composed herself and waited to sense which direction the next attack was coming from, and that's when she felt it. She turned around and blocked the attack, only to see that it was only Reins sword curving around her. He recalled his sword, and once again jabbed forward at Chloe, extending his sword to guarantee a hit. Though this time, Chloe sidestepped the attack and began running headfirst at the vulnerable Rein. He smiled, and held the extended sword with both hands, and swung it to the side, hitting Chloe directly. She flew backward, barely landing on her feet.

"Is that all you've got? Hmph, Clyde was way stronger than you," provoked Rein. Heavily breathing and hurt, Chloe responded:

"I'm no match for you… You're faster, stronger, and you're using a Spring. I guess I lose this one." Chloe smiled wearily, with sadness ingrained in her face, about to raise her hand to give up.

"Tch." Rein frowned angrily and rushed in with his full speed and grabbed her arm.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I… can't beat you, Rein. Not when you're this strong," she looked down at the ground with great sadness, not making eye contact with the man holding her arm.

"Activate your Spring," he spoke bluntly.

"What?" Chloe looked up at him, meeting him in the eyes.

"Activate it. Right now," he repeated.

"B-but, I can't… You were right when we first met. It does have something to do with my hood. I really can't… I'm too scared…" Her voice began trembling, her body began shivering. Rein felt her arm turn colder out of nerve.

"So the hood's the problem then?" He gestured a motion towards her hood, intending to remove it. Chloe instinctively grabbed his arm, gripping it with all her strength.

"Don't!" She yelled angrily, continuing to quiver ever more vigorously.

"Hey, look! You are strong. I can't shake free without hurting you."

"So don't… Whatever you do, don't hurt me…" She said, beginning to sob lightly and looking down once again.

"... Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," he whispered.

"Wha..?" She looked back into his eyes, which were beginning to change colors.

"Versys, memory flip," When he whispered those words, a large gust of wind passed in from behind him, making his hair flicker in the air, the brief red glint in his eyes flowing in the gale.

The audience members didn't feel a thing, as they were protected by the magic barrier surrounding the stands, so nobody noticed Rein changing Springs. Rein and Chloe released their grips on each other, both of them staring at one another.

"You look much better with your hood off," he smiled warmly at her.

Chloe's secret was revealed. Her long, smooth, blonde hair flowed out, like a river of molten gold. A beautiful, smooth, black horn protruded through the back of her head. It curved downwards, and was not big in size, but stood out significantly over her light-colored hair.

The crowd erupted into an outrage.

"What the fuck?! It's her!!"

"What is that witch doing here!"

"White hair, do us all a favor and kill that menace to society!"

Several insults were thrown around in the crowd, including death threats, cursing, and other foul things.

"No… Please… Make it stop…" She sobbed woefully, covering her head and continuing to tremble.

"Versys." Rein glanced over at Saphrilla, copying the opposite of her telekinesis Spring, turning it into limited mind control. He muted the people who were screaming among the crowd, making them unable to speak.

"Huh? What'd you do?" She asked, looking up and taking her hands off her head.

"I did what you asked," he walked over and placed a hand on her head. "You're free now. Use your Spring to your heart's content," he removed his hand and stepped back to ready his sword. Chloe dried her tears and closed her eyes, then opened them with newfound determination.

Chloe took a step forward, followed by another large gust of wind, this time, it was coming from her. Rein erected a stone wall in front of him to block her gale from hitting him, but Chloe ran around it and appeared beside him at incredible speed, slashing him with a blade of wind. Her attack caused an updraft in the arena, sending Rein flying upwards.

"Heh, this brings back some shitty memories," thought Rein.

Chloe flew, controlling the wind under her feet to float up to Rein's altitude. She slashed him downwards, smashing him straight into the ground. Normally, that would've done considerable damage, but Rein softened the ground as he impacted, cushioning the blow. As Chloe was still floating, Rein sent earth spikes out of the ground to attack Chloe, who expertly dodged using her Spring to control herself while in the air. She spiraled around his attack, accelerating downwards at him at incredible speed. Their swords collided, Rein using his power to harden his sheath on the point of impact. The wind that exuded from the attack cut Rein's cheek, making him bleed. They broke contact and stood looking at each other.

Rein could feel his health and energy.

Health: 1297/1500 (Passive Regen Activated)

Energy: 576/750 (Draining)

He wiped the blood off of his cheek then spoke.

"You're much stronger than him."

"Who?"

"Your brother."

"..." She was speechless.

"Hello? Earth to Chloe!" He waved jokingly.

"H-hey Rein? When'd you fight my brother?" She asked, her eyes glimmering as though she realized something.

"'Bout six years ago now. We didn't get to finish it though, I ran out of energy at the last second. I pretty much won though," stated Rein, bragging. "If you wanna know the details, remember our deal? If you're in that luxury room, I'll spill everything."

"I'm so sorry…" She whispered.

"Don't apologize. Let's just finish this. I'll show you how I beat the shit out of him," for the last time in the match, Rein activated Versys while looking at Emria, invoking the opposite of her Spring.

"Let's get started."

He vanished from her vision and caused a gust of wind comparable to hers. He appeared behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and he was gone, appearing in front of her and flicking her forehead, causing her to stumble backward. He then stepped backward, throwing his sword at an incredible speed. She was able to dodge it, leaving the sword flying past her. Rein ran behind her and caught the sword, motioning a downwards slash that she was unable to dodge no matter her speed. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but then, she felt something grab onto her horn from the back. She immediately started blushing and jumped away, her heart beating like a drum.

"Wha? Huh?!" She yelled while fidgeting around, her face as red as an apple.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. I expected that to be your weak point or something. It's usually how the trope goes with horned characters," he laughed to himself, Chloe not understanding a word he said. She inhaled and exhaled, composing herself.

"You idiot…" She whispered, then frowned, remembering the situation she was in.

"Whatever, let's finish already." He dashed at her and knocked her sword out of her hand, running towards it and catching it before it hit the ground.

He was now dual-wielding, using Chloe's sword while Chloe stood there unarmed and speechless. He pointed her sword to her face and smiled warmly at her, both of them knowing that the fight was over. It all happened so quickly, she had no time to react. Before she knew it, she heard the principal announce the end of the tournament, with Rein Xilris being the victor.