Magica Index: The Dark Rising (Completed)

Chapter 6: Breaking Points

Malanie and Tessele were about to start another battle with Zenna as each step she took made a dark cloud form at the bottom of her feet. She used her elongated fingernails to pick at her teeth. Malanie and Tessele dared not to move a muscle, completely still as the priestess made her way towards them.

    "She's confident, I'll give her that." Malanie took a glance at her friend, knowing she was feeling the immense pressure as well.
    "At her level, she has every right to be. She could kill us right now if she wanted to." Tessele stated with Malanie giving her a surprised look. "She's under order. A diversion to only keep us here."
    "You mean...Damn!" Malanie cursed herself before an aura around her vibrantly shined and rose quickly in intensity. The curved tips of energy she expressed razed the ground around her. "It's going to be a challenge, but I can hold off."
    "Don't be ridiculous. She would have you begging at her knees before you even know it." Tessele pressed her hands on the high elf's shoulder. "We will defeat her together. Right, she is our battle. Have faith in our fellow Mages."

    "But what about Lina? What if she-"
    "Clear your mind, Malanie." Tessele told her, her eyes still not leaving the devilish being before them. "I need you now more than ever. I said that plenty of times before and plenty more in the future. Now, what do you say we stop this priestess once and for all?"

Malanie let the orders of her trusted friend sink in. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she did, Zenna's pupils dilated. In a fraction of a second, she was in front of both of the girls with her claws extended out, ready to cut the girls down where they stood. Malanie's eyes opened in time, feeling the after-effects of wind through her hair. She flexed her entire body and expelled a blast of energy around her and Tessele that pushed Zenna back. She placed her arms up to guard herself from the blast and opened her eyes to see where her enemies were. She found no one in her sights and began looking around to see if she could spot them.

    "Light of the Twin Pillars!" Zenna looked up to see both of the archmages facing each other, levitating with their combined power concentrated on the sphere of energy with a mix of blue and yellow. They glared down at the priestess who was staring up at the duo. Together, they released a beam straight down at her that engulfed her entire body as it crashed down into the ground and evaporated into a large crater with only a small piece of land still standing underneath Zenna, whose cries of pain were drowned out by the beam. What seemed like an eternity to her was only a physical minute that ended in a singular line slowly fading out of existence. The archmages looked down at their combined strength, seeing Zenna was immobile from the attack. They slowly descended and walked over to her body.
    "You think she's dead? No one could've survived that." Malanie observed her, looking at the ground around them destroyed and singed.
    "Not even a little. We barely scratched her." Tessele answered as she charged up another attack.
    "What?!" Malanie saw Zenna's eyes open up just as Tessele was about to hit her again. She moved her quickest before Zenna threw a purple spike into Tessele's chest. She paused in the middle of her action and stumbled back. "No!" The spike was long enough to penetrate all the way to the other side. Zenna rolled over and gave Tessele a powerful uppercut that launched her through the air and away from the both of them. She crashed hard into the ground and coughed up blood before the pain finally shot through her body. She screamed in agony. Malanie had never before seen her friend in such a state as she turned slowly to Zenna.
    "Oops, did I use too much strength?" she formed another spike and aimed it at the high elf. Right before the spike could hit, it shattered into pieces by seemingly nothing. Zenna saw this as Malanie stood quietly, her hair blowing from the gust of wind that howled in the background.
    "You wish to kill us?" she questioned solemnly.
    "Oh, did I not make it obvious enough by hurting your friend? Perhaps when she stops breathing will you be truly convinced!!"