Kalika was no longer cornered, she was like a lethal assassin, without feelings or emotions. Her expression was neutral, as if what surrounded her or happened wasn't her concern, but at the same time she was attentive to every minuscule movement around her.
It was like being conscious of the environment without neglecting her opponent, he was the one she paid most attention to.
The blows Heiss delivered were nefarious, forceful to be from such a slender body, or so it seems at first sight.
"CLANK!"
The sounds between the swords resonated and thundered in every space of the room, like a screeching echo, a badly wounded and fatigued animal; at this point, those relics could have broken long ago, but against all probability they resisted.
Her movements became more precise, more agile, more surgical. At one point, she no longer had to block, she could dodge and move at a reckless reaction acceleration.
It could be dangerous, one false move, and she could end up with a severed limb.
As incredible as it seemed, she was adapting to Heiss's approaches and his deadly slashes.
"Whsssh"
The cuts cut the wind, soft whistles at first, then increasingly it sounded like the wind was breaking.
'The slash is coming, horizontally, his left side will be unprotected, with that force he won't be able to wield another blow, there's an opening'
Her thoughts were accelerated in something different from flow.
When one enters the zone, movements and reactions are automatic and of efficient processing. For example, if the ball is two meters from me, will I arrive before the other person? The thing is that the mind doesn't stress over that question, in fact, it doesn't even formulate it, the body adapts and moves accordingly when it sees an opening. All because they know the rules of the game and predict they'll arrive at the opportune moment without questioning themselves, they only determine according to the proxemic factor of who is around them. Like 'I know you're there', but it doesn't matter because the only thing I think about is the ball, if I'll get to touch it to be able to move and manage to score.
Contrary to what one would believe seeing her, she isn't in that flow state, no, she could pose the questions at the speed the attack came. A type of accelerated thinking through a different flow state, which allows her to be focused on her objective and the environment; not very different from being God, omniscient.
Heiss recognized this, or well, his personality noticed it later, it was the void, a reckless technique that only blood heirs could execute.
"Baf!"
The side had been uncovered, so Kalika delivered a kick, which sent the boy 3 meters back.
That could have been a perfect moment to cut him; however, she decided not to do it, she felt it was a trap deliberately set by Heiss.
He only looked at the impact zone for a second, then relaxed, paid attention to the girl, pointed at her and exclaimed something that almost made her leave the empty state she was in.
Personality #2: "It wasn't my reason to offend you, although I wouldn't care anyway, it's just that your base forms lack their own reality. Just as martial arts are limited according to the regulations of their rules, only those who acquire their own style and destroy themselves, are capable of awakening to reality"
Kalika followed him without changing expression.
Personality #2: "The first, you fulfil it; however, the second is a clear lack of self-awareness; you haven't been capable of breaking yourself, undoing yourself and reconstructing yourself. You believe the void provides you the faculties to be awake to reality and win in a duel, instead while it is a powerful tool, it's also a trap that corrupts its possessor. Being omniscient is something that should exclusively belong to a God, and you try to wield it without risking destroying your own mentality, your healthy body, your immaculate soul"
Kalika's frown contracted.
"What the fuck are you talking about, I've destroyed, and they've destroyed me my entire life, they left me no option and I clung to survival? What are you going to know about destruction, when you haven't had anything in the first place!"
Kalika only knew from information given by her grandfather and the few rumours that circulated among those who managed the district, about the children with nothing and no one who were imprisoned.
If at the beginning they had no one, why should she listen, even if they had them, it would be at an age no one would remember, so, what suffering, what ruin, what broken people could he speak of?
Personality #2: "Oh, but I have had everything and lost it, even life itself has gone out and escaped from my hands"
She felt it could be a bad decision to let him finish what he was saying, mainly because there was exclusively one word that left her tense apart from the wordiness she felt he was singing to her, and it was "the void."
It's as if that person had already witnessed it before, as if he were familiar. Still, something of what he mentioned told her it could be of importance to her, something that was beyond her reach until now.
Personality #2: "...Mmmh of course, you may just be imagining it, still, you must have already realized, you're not talking to Heiss"
"What do you...?"
Heiss didn't let her finish, the faction that until a moment ago had been softened became cold and heavy.
Personality #2: "Don't take me for an ignorant brat"
His words were grave, with a heaviness very different from the beginning, the ruby eyes intensified a bit more. His presence made itself known with a distinguished conduct and character.
His way of speaking and presenting himself left a sensation of being imposing and overwhelming, like being able to crush an ant.
Personality #2: "You're the same as Heiss, he believed that by having an advantage he could compete with the highest of the district, but he was never capable of getting rid of himself to become stronger; on the contrary, he fragmented and became a broken shell with multiple personalities. All for not letting go of his feelings and getting rid of his foolishness of weakness, his own mentality"
Personality #2: "You're the same, less naive because you try to survive alone, even resilient in a good way of seeing it. However, that desire for revenge is what doesn't let you see things clearly, it's what puts you a level behind us, they're the shackles that keep you chained, you simply don't know how to empty your mind to what truly matters"
This time, Heiss took a combat position.
Personality #2: "You assume that losing everything is the beginning of change. I'll demonstrate to you that your own will decides it"
In a blink, he was already one step from her.
'It doesn't matter if he's faster, I can still see you'
Unfortunately, this was the end for Kalika, the moment you become arrogant or confident is when your descent to defeat is initiated.
This time, the slashes Heiss gave weren't accompanied only by an overwhelming force.
The impulse generated by the acceleration was maintained, so the speed acquired by the body's mass caused a violent impact.
His fencing now didn't stay fixed and predictable, it acquired orthodox tints with flashes of absurd fluidity and creativity.
His first clash sent her rolling to the back part, barely being able to block.
The blows that were already tyrannical became a terrifying force with each rotation, turn, twist, every fluid movement enhanced his already potent force. She was no longer at the vanguard, she couldn't maintain the continuous flow of blows, for the first time her agile style and way of bending didn't allow her to make any opening. Her strength only allowed her to deflect and block, with serious problems increasingly grave in her grip. Her sword that at the beginning allowed her to give undulating blows, like waves, unpredictable and difficult to dodge, was now generating problems for her to block the simple sword.
But that wasn't the end of it, Heiss's body didn't only move with the intention of wielding his sword, his other body parts also tried to steal ground from Kalika or crush her with his mass. The entire body was a weapon, despite this, she had never seen anyone fight that way, tyrannical, absolute.
The breaking point came when the attacks Kalika attempted, or her defenses were predicted, almost as if they were read like in a book.
In those escapes she saw it, the ruby red eyes that observed her as if she were an insect.
The fight ended when in a backhand, both swords blocked, fissures started to appear in her sword. Which would inevitably make him take advantage and, with a lever break, it.
In a last attempt, she tried to pounce to strangle him with a lock.
Despite her impressive mastery, strength and agility, she lost pathetically. Heiss, seeing her wrapping around his neck, moved his sword and cut the girl's thigh.
"Aaaaah!"
A cry of suffering came out of her mouth, the pain from the blows accumulated, but this one made her wake up in terrible agony.
He passed the sword in a way that the cut would do more damage and be more unbearable. With that, the grip loosened a bit, and he took advantage to grab her by the neck, strangling her.
At that point Kalika's subordinates, who were worried, reacted shouting their mistress's name and getting up to separate the two opponents, but one imposing and terrifying look from Heiss was enough for them to stop dead.
What could they do? They would be eliminated in the same and worse way than their mistress. They knew they couldn't do anything against that person's strength.
Still, one dared to go for her, that was Caleb, who charged with a spear toward the ruthless schemer.
The point went direct to Heiss's face.
Even if he went intending to assassinate him because that was the only way to have a chance, he didn't expect Heiss's soul to be so sinister.
The moment he got close enough, he moved Kalika's body toward the spear, as a human shield.
That made Caleb deflect at the last moment, grazing her. Immediately after passing beside his mistress, he realized his aggressor was no longer where he should be, Kalika's body was falling slowly. And from the back part, spinning on the other side of the girl, taking advantage of the lack of visibility, he delivered a spinning kick that expelled Caleb far from where they were, crashing him against the mirrors, shattering them to pieces.
"CALEB!!!"
Falling softly after that kick. He grabbed Kalika by the hair, stopping her fall. She no longer had strength to hold him back, or rather she felt she couldn't do anything against this inscrutable wall.
Personality #2: "This is a teaching, and also a warning. I don't care about your stupid revenge, there won't be one if the districts wipe out all of humanity"
He brought her a few centimeters from his face, his gestures remained the same, full of total indifference. Kalika on the contrary was in a kind of shock, it also seemed her body trembled slightly, maybe it was fear, or perhaps it was the signal that her body had reached its limit after using the void. In any case, she associated that she involuntarily had terror, terror that this person wasn't human, wasn't anymore, and despite everything, he behaved like a king, imposing and without hints of doubt. NO, MAYBE A RULER.
Something more reckless than those who simply directed an imposed power, he was the power.
Personality #2: "So you'll learn everything necessary to mutually improve with Heiss, if you comply with the plan, I'll deliver your family to you on a silver platter. I'll make the world bow before your new family"
At this point, he grabbed her by the neck again, slowly suffocating her.
Personality #2: "And when you finish, you'll be able to say you're happy to have made this choice. If you want to reach the end you must beat your own failure, you must beat destiny"
When he finished speaking, Kalika had lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, he released her slowly and let her fall to the ground delicately.
Their subordinates, both Kalika's and Heiss's, had pale and fearful appearances.
Rudolf was finally able to understand the fear that had been instilled since he had seen him eliminate the escorts and guards in the confrontation against Peter.
This presence was more absolute and terrifying than the one shown before, now he did feel the difference between those in the district and the simple mortals who walked through the world ignorant of their own existence.
Heiss turned around and observed them with a chilling calm.
Personality #2: "I must have scared you, I apologize for this unpleasant and indecorous presentation, my name is Aurelius. I want you not to neglect your practices and keep in mind what you saw today, without further ado, I would like to ask you to take care of us, we'll be vulnerable for a few weeks"
As soon as he finished saying his last word, his sword slipped from his hands, currently his body leaned slightly, first he fell on his knees, then the rest of him collapsed to the ground.
The entire group remained in a sepulchral silence, unable to react to what had happened, and mainly because of the fact that he hadn't eliminated them, thinking he had lost control.
After a few seconds, they woke from their trance and went to lift the bodies of their leaders, including Caleb's who was still unconscious among the crystals.