home

search

Chapter 22 - My Lovely Dog

  Picky's shadow extended after her aura shifted into it. The shadow gradually changed shape, mimicking a familiar creature to the audience.

  "You're going to regret your ignorance of me," Picky said.

  "I wish, otherwise I'd regret coming here from the beginning," Enterno replied. He had done little to prepare for the match. Even his aura remained stagnant and calm.

  "You're annoying. I bet you can't keep a girl," Picky said, irritated.

  "Tell me, are you capable of conjuring multiple types of creatures?" he asked.

  "No, only the favorites of the favorites," Picky said. "But I won't tell you exactly how many."

  "That motivates me a little," he commented.

  (This man is driving me nuts. I have to shut him up,) Picky thought.

  Picky's shadow grew larger. It began to swell, like a bubble being inflated, and suddenly, a monstrous creature emerged, moving as if taking its first opening his eyes..

  "Cerberus," he said.

  "Well, it's not a normal Cerberus," Picky said.

  Cerberus, a human-sized dog with three heads, roams around Picky to guard her from all distractions.

  "My lovely Cerberus has three unique abilities that I gave him," she said.

  (Three different abilities?) he wondered.

  "This dog allows me to confidently say, 'My dog doesn't bite,'" she said.

  "Huh?" he said, surprised.

  The audience stared at Cerberus's teeth, sharp as knives and large as the head of the hammer..

  She leaned forward and charged towards him.

  "Finally," the announcer said. "Our participant, Picky, makes a move, rushing her opponent. A surprising tactic, attacking herself instead of letting her monster do it."

  (That's mean...) Enterno thought.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  She said, "Fight me back."

  Picky threw several strikes, while Enterno easily dodged, trying to avoid any direct physical contact. Then, she jumped back.

  A loud slamming sound echoed through the arena, confusing the crowd. They looked around, but all they saw was Enterno being struck by an invisible force.

  (W...what just happened?) Enterno questioned.

  "You look confused," Picky said mockingly.

  Enterno's smile remained, as he tried to decipher her strategy.

  "Each of my Cerberus's heads is quite unique, right?" she asked. "I call the earless one Hoichi, the eyeless one Tiresias, and the regular one, Anbus."

  "Are you revealing your abilities?" Enterno asked.

  "Revealing?" she replied. "Why do you assume I'm hiding them?"

  Cerberus moved closer to Picky, standing behind her. Its six eyes never left Enterno, as if he was ready to rip him apart.

  "What you just felt was Anbus's ability, the third head," she said. "Before I threw those punches, I loudly ordered you, 'Fight me back,' which activated his ability. He judges you based on your obedience to my requests. If you comply, Anbus heals you as a reward."

  Jacob, in the crowd, was confused. He asked, "Let's not focus on how she created these abilities, because I know it's incredibly complex. But doesn't revealing them make them useless?"

  "It might seem like you can simply comply with her requests, but the tricky part is determining whether the request is related to Anbus's ability," Pondra explained. "If she makes a request without activating Anbus's ability, she can strike a deadly attack."

  "Oh, I see," Jacob said, amazed.

  In the arena, Enterno felt invigorated. He said, "This is refreshing. I guess you can make this vacation enjoyable."

  "You'll enjoy it well at the hospital," Picky responded. "Anyway, let me tell you about the other two abilities. Just to ensure you lose, even after knowing them all."

  The crowd's excitement grew with the rising tension.

  "Tiresias's, the middle one, ability isn't to predict the future," Picky said. "It's to force a specific future. Even I don't fully understand it. My best guess is that Tiresias creates the future I intend, based on my movements from the moment I summon him."

  (They are truly two geniuses, as I've heard. What a great spectacle,) Enterno thought.

  "Hoichi's, the last one, ability can either strengthen or weaken your aura," Picky said. "Are you ready for your greatest humiliation?"

  (So, she can trick me with her requests, guide Tiresias with her movements to force her desired future, and weaken my aura. Interesting, it’s a combo,) he thought.

  The crowd was speechless. Picky's abilities seemed overwhelming, impossible to counter with basic magic.

  Jacob asked, "How can anyone overcome her abilities?"

  "During a fight, we always try to break down an opponent's ability into its basic components, which are the five categories of magic," Pondra said. "Most abilities are created using two or more categories. Understanding them reveals their weaknesses."

  "I... I'm not sure I understand," Jacob responded.

  "It's okay. You'll understand when you fight someone," Pondra said.

  “Shall we begin?” Picky said.

Recommended Popular Novels