Ozania Odyssey

Chapter 10: An Evenly Matched Battle! Miri Vs. Astran Part 2!

While the battle is at a standstill, Miri's mind flashes back to the fight between Navar and Juyon. "When they battled, it seems they would clench the muscles in their body to trigger JōKai Amplification. Maybe If I do that, I can have the same results Navar did."

Astran stares at Miri, who appears bewildered, her chest heaving as she struggles to catch her breath. "Seems my previous attack using JōKai Amplification has her questioning how I did it. And the many attacks she used earlier in the battle have her exhausted. Now it's time to go on the offensive," Astran's arm trembles as she hoists her sword to her shoulder, rushing forward and seizing the opportunity to attack.

Miri clutches her fists, and the sound of her labored breathing fills the air as she waits for the attack. "Shoot, she's coming."

Astran springs from the ground and sends a long, sweeping swing toward Miri's midsection, the sound of it rippling in the wind. Miri reacts quickly, leaping to the left to evade Astran's attack, then tosses a dagger into her ankle slot. She jumps into the air, executing a front flip, then she descends with a dagger-wielded kick aimed at Astran's head. Astran clutches the hilt of her weapon tightly, lowers it to her waist then swings it up with JōKai Amplification shrouding her body. "Ursa Impact!" Astran digs her feet into the ground and pushes back against Miri's attack as their weapons collide, sending Miri careening through the air.

While suspended in the air, Miri performs a series of acrobatic maneuvers, each one helping her maintain her balance before she lands. Once her footing is steady, she envisions the actions Astran does while she uses JōKai Amplification. "She did it again. And each time she does it, she grips her blade tight, then goes for an attack. It seems this technique requires you to clench parts of your body to activate, or perhaps it requires you to strengthen various parts of your muscles for it to activate."

"Standing still, eh? It seems she's trying to figure out how to do what I did. I can't take any chances. Her brother somehow someway learned JōKai Amplification in just a few minutes. Since the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I must stop her before she can do it," Astran lowers her sword to her waistline with a swish of her arm, then dashes toward Miri.

"Here she comes again," Miri thinks to herself.

Astran lunges into attack range, and then her sword whistles through the air as she attacks Miri in a sequence of swings, which Miri avoids with a series of sideways jumps. "Teh. Seems I need to up the speed a bit," Astran intensifies the speed of her sword-slicing offensive, her body surrounded by JōKai Amplification.

With each attack from Astran, Miri recognizes a glowing, translucent aura that envelops Astran. "I see an aura coating her body, but it's faint," Astran drops her blade to her side, drives her legs into the ground, and vaults up with an upward slash toward Miri's midsection. "Astraeus Disturbance!"

Miri evades Astran's attack with a powerful jump, propelling herself backward. She pants, her battle fatigue weighing her down as sweat drips over her forehead. "That attack would have ended me, and to make matters worse, I still haven't figured out how she does that technique. Maybe if I were to just concentrate and tighten the muscles in my body… I could..". Miri steadies her breath, her grip tightening in a fist as her concentration sharpens. As she further envelops herself in a state of concentration, a clear aura toggles on and off Miri's body.

Astran's brow furrows with worry, a sheen of sweat gathering on her forehead. "Don't tell me she's about to learn JōKai Amplification this fast?!"

Unfortunately, Miri's attempt to sustain the use of JōKai becomes unsuccessful, causing the clear aura shrouding her body to dissipate. "Dammit, I lost the feeling."

Astran exhales, feeling the tension in her body subside. "Phew, she couldn't perform it. I was a little fearful for a second. Now, I need to go for the finishing blow; otherwise, this battle will be much tougher," Astran advances toward Miri, her blade held in both hands and propped up against her shoulder. Astran deftly removes the blade from her shoulder, then drives it down with a powerful thrust. Miri leaps backward to avoid the attack then, Astran continues her pursuit, her sword swishing through the air as she attacks Miri with a series of slashes.