Mahou Sensei Negima: Fabula ex Mundus Novus

The Ministraes In Combat

" Your skills are growing every day. My spell unlocked your true potential, and all you need to do is utilize it. "

Her Master's words calmed her mind in this time of trouble, with only her natural ability standing between life and death, in her state of calm, she felt an eagerness, a sharpening lucidity that would carry her through the battle.

Hideo and his opponent exchanged blows, touching his bare hand to the blades of her electromagnetic swords without a shred of fear; having trained himself for three days straight to remove any hesitation he still had left in combat, with the power he had received from the Contract, he could match her, and he could beat her.

Wary of her blades, Hideo's skilled hand could feel the strength of this woman's technique, weaving her twin swords around in a subtle dance, it entranced the opponent into attacking at her pace, and the street fighter refused to fall into her spell. Grabbing one of the sword blades in his hand, he brought his other fist and connected a perfect cross to the woman's jaw.

For the brief second that his attack connected, Hideo knew that he did not damage to his opponent, from the moment it struck, her hesitation did not come from the severity of the technique, but from the honest surprise that someone was daring enough to even try to strike her. Responding with a turn of her wrists, she sent both blades digging into his upper chest and abdomen in two successive strikes.

" Practe Bigi Nar, Flans Exarmatio! "

With the last word, the tip of her practice wand was alight with a radiant burst of mana, her spell called the air around her and compressed it, like a miniature cannon, she fired the shell at her opponent. Dispersing centimeters before the two combatants, it dusted up a storm like a hazy summer wind. Wrenching the weapons from Kuraishimi's hands, it gave Hideo enough time to recover and continue his assaults.

Aiming his punches carefully, every time he got close enough to connect a hit, Mei would deflect it with a palm strike to the arm, redirecting his attack uselessly into the air. Even with his magical boost to strength and endurance, he was finding that when he could damage his opponent, her own defenses were leagues above his. With every strike her body would harden, spiritually strengthened by her own life energy. The only other time Hideo had seen this were in his training bouts with Takashi, and he had not prepared any sort of move that could get through her spiritual shell.

" Little help here Doris! "

" Yes! Practe Bigi Na- "

Her incantation was cut off by a very graceless and visceral chop to her throat, empowered by Ki and strengthened even further by artifical enhancements; without the magical endurance given to her through the Pactio and her previously created barrier spell, she would have had her head ripped clean from her torso. Tossed clear from the bathhouse into the changing room, Doris felt the wind get knocked out of her as she slid along the slick, damp surface of the floor.

Holding herself still while a tremor passed through her body, Mei did not bother to block Hideo's unrestrained left hook to her jaw, rather she endured the hit and struck back at him with another crude chop that landed across his face, strong enough to shatter his nose. With a forceful grab, the swordswoman picked Hideo up by his neck and held him clear off the ground.

Hideo tried to break himself free from his opponent's grass, digging his fingers into her arm in hopes that it would cause her to drop him; in the futuility of his attempts, he tried to speak through blood-spattered teeth and gasping breaths.

" Dowis. Dowis help! I c-can't..."

From behind Mei, Doris had begun chanting another spell, as quick as she could; raising her wand towards the Shinmeiryu swordswoman, an invisible wave of the psychic energy flew through the air, striking the killer woman precisely in her elbow, twisting her arm in an unnatural direction. The killer dropped Hideo whose body slumped over on the edge of the bath, sputtering for breath.