Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 262: Arc 4, Act II, - 107: Dancing in the Rain
Her sparking blonde ponytail whipped back, lightning jumping off of each strand. A purple flash. "Blast!!" Not her lightning but the thunder that came from above; the clouds gathered and the howling winds abruptly stopped.
She panted, holding her blade to the side while she glared to her opponent. The Rainstorm Slasher had no blades in his grasp and instead lifted his arms, summoning forth two giant serpent-like waves from the ground beside her.
Another jet of water emerged in between her feet to blast her upwards. With a huff and a spark in her step, Jotou leapt forward, away from the- "FWOOSH!" Another fountain spouted to where she jumped.
Her head lurched back, her foot not fast enough. She was caught in the current, jetted up by a leg. "CRASH!" "CRASH!" The serpent-like waves collided into her, thrashing her through one another.
The water fizzled with her electricity as it whipped her out, sending her flying, "NGH! AH!" into the side of the wall. "GH..." she gritted her teeth, the sparks across her form fading. Bruises formed to the right side of her head while she sat back up.
Rain’s magic dissipated into thin air. He glanced to the battered blonde and stood tall. The first drop fell, hitting the ground, then the next. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Tiny little drumbeats, not too heavy and only a light drizzle. Each drop releasing from the sky into a symphony of rain. Each drop hit his armour, trickling down the slick, patterned surface.
Through his helmet he inhaled the scent of petrichor. Whilst his water had made the earth damp, many spots were still dry; seemingly his magic emerged and dissipated like it had not touched the ground at all.
Pure rain; a storm he did not summon. He exhaled, taking one step, then the next. Jotou glanced up, her gaze a little blurry through her fluttering lashes.
Bits of rain dripped off her bangs; she watched Rain amble towards her fallen form while a blade formed in his hand. ’Get up, get up, get up!’
’You think I’m not trying?’
She took a deep breath, the same smell entering her lungs. In the corner of her eye, behind the elite soldier approaching her were pillars... without two people who were there before...?
’She did it. Meko found a way.’
Her eyes quickly darted back to Rain right in front of her. He crouched down to stare into her face, "A valiant fight; yet words with not enough strength to back them. I really look forward to seeing your struggles as you try to escape my clutches."
Rain’s ’blade’ finished forming, with a mallet at the end. He swung for her head.
"Gyah!" the armite blade swung for his head. "Kickbolt!" she screamed out at the same time.
Water formed under Rain’s feet and blasted him back. The Thundering Blade missed both her strikes, however, her left foot whizzed into the air coated in lightning, kicking through the drops of rain.
Following the momentum, she flipped herself enough to catch herself on all fours. She spun her feet and twirled back upright, pivoting her sword to the side.
A swing and a miss; Rain shook his head. "Spark!" Jotou gleamed from head to toe, changing water to steam as it hit her. She charged forward.
Rain whipped the mallet off his blade into a sharp sword. The armite blade slashed forth- "SCHFFF! TING!" -parried by Rain. "Zap!" the lightning jolted.
Rain dissipated the sword in an instant and formed another in his unoccupied hand. "Fwish!" Rain slashed across her left arm, tearing through the adventuring gear.
"FWOOSH!" Water blasted into Jotou’s side, throwing her aside. Jotou rolled and swirled back up onto her feet; Rain turned around to face her.
Lightning crackled, the ground around her was lit by yellow light. The Thundering Blade shined brighter than ever. ’Keep glowing.’ Enough light in the pitch-black night to obscure the pillars behind her from Rain’s vision.
The Rainstorm Slasher jetted himself forward, spiralling water around him to strike! "Zap!" she jumped left, blocking just enough of the strike with a spell to remain unharmed. ’Keep going till Meko gets them all out.’
Her sparks dimmed not even in the slightest. Rain slashed his sword forward. Jotou caught it with hers, "Zap!" Rain shifted away from her range. ’Keep your eyes on me you moth.’
The falling rain only created more mist into the air as it hit her, aiding in her efforts. Murky blue water formed beneath her, barely glowing in comparison to her light.
"Kickbolt!" she swept her foot to the right, the lightning thrusting her forward enough to go into a spin. "FWOOSH!" Jotou had spun out of the way of the fountain. ’Keep your heels off the floor, front of your feet only.’
Rain created a ring of daggers around him. Jotou noticed the rain falling all around him. ’Why isn’t his spell using any of the water there?’
Rain shot forward every blade in a cross; he raised his arm at the same time. Jotou swivelled and twirled; her coat unfurled and curled back in-
"Shick! Splash!" "Shick! Splash!" "FWOOSH!" She avoided the dagger and the water surging up. ’Keep moving don’t stay in one spot; avoid the glowing water. He doesn’t seem to be actually using the rain.’
Rain had already closed the distance as she finished her thought. "Slash!" "Swish!" She leapt and dodged, avoiding each attack.
Her eyes could catch the glimpse of the pillar; a little missing chunk off another pillar, only one pillar now completely intact. He made a scythe, much longer and spun...
The blonde grunted, "Kickbolt!" she tried to spin away, but, "NGHH!!!" it slashed across right cheek till it met bone. The scythe continued its path, slicing across her right ear and a tuft of her blonde locks.
The cut locks fell, turning completely black. The exposed white flesh and bone was flooded with crimson soon after. Even in the pain, she saw Rain was not done in his spin and another slash was coming.
Having failed to dodge, Jotou split her legs apart completely, "GH!" she dropped down; the scythe caught wind above her. "Kick, bolt!" in a split she whimpered, coating one leg in electricity.
Her leg swept and she pulled her dormant leg back to the other, spinning herself back up. She let out a relieved sigh—her thighs were gonna be feeling that in the morning...
Rain rotated till his back faced her. Jotou’s eyes bubbled. "ZAP!" Jotou dashed ahead, not allowing Rain a second to glance at the pillars. Having to dodge her—"FWOOSH!"—he blasted himself back.
’Can’t let him think I’m stalling, I have to attack.’ Jotou raised her sword, cauterized blood all over her face alongside a sting. "Zap!" "Ha!" "Huh!" in an infinity pattern she pivoted her armite blade.
"CLANG!"
Rain took a hit to the ribs, his armour denting in the shape of her sword.
"FWOOSH!"
"NGH!" Rain jetted out water from his face, sending her flying back. A blade similar to hers formed. Jotou groaned and glared, "You won’t win!"
He raised an arm. "FWOOSH!"
Staying on her feet, she leapt back from the water surging up. "SPLASH!" "AH!" The back of her head however, was thrashed forward by the slam of a sheet of brick-hard water.
With grace she caught herself, she was seeing white- "Shwip!" Through the same mark across her arm he had made before, Rain slashed through her armour, "GAAHH!!!" was it pain or rage in her elegant voice?
The blood from her middle knuckle till her forearm cauterized from her sparks. "Swish! SLASH!" Even her glow and the steam did not halt his aim.
She whimpered and leapt back. She felt the pain before she even realized Rain had already slashed her. He had aimed to the inside of her collar, cutting across the side of her neck.
"SLAM!" "Crack!" "NGH!" Another slab against her back; something definitely broke...
"Shwip! Shwip, Slash!" With two blades he aimed in between her chest, making enough strikes against her armour to draw blood from the skin beneath.
She stumbled back. ’I can’t see. I’m gonna vomit. I can’t, I can’t. Meko, have you gotten them out!?’
Frantic were her breaths. Her vision cleared enough to see an incoming strike; she dodged by an inch. ’You can’t keep going like this. You have to do a more powerful strike.
Not until Meko’s got them all out. If I blast him too far, or give him the right angle, this all goes south. I won’t die, but one of them might.
There’s no more biding for time unless you want to lose. You have to risk it.
I won’t, I’ll still win, I’ll find a way; I’ll figure it out!’ In spite of herself her eyes sparked. "Grr...rrrBR... Br..."
The earth began to shake... Rain stabled himself, the loose rocks all bouncing as Jotou remained on the tips of her toes... The blonde’s eyes darted around, calculating... She knew that quake...
Rain faced Jotou; he was met by a smirking blonde, lips adorned in blood. Just to confirm, she looked to the pillars. Rain swivelled his head back to what she was seeing... No bodies were trapped in those pillars...
"Hehehe..."
The Rainstorm Slasher heard the giggle and turned to her... Jotou only saw the mask, but even so she could sense the disdain. She giggled even more uproariously, her slashed hand over her mouth.
She tittered in the light rain like a madwoman till she completely went into a laugh with squeaks in between... Her sparks remained till she sighed, "Shall we discuss your surrender?
Or would you prefer every bone of yours fractured? Or the pain to send you into shock?" the smile disappeared as she cocked her head, her cheek bones exposed beneath crimson.
All the pillars splashed and disappeared. She took steps forward and Rain threw his arms up. The water surged up, "Shoulder-Charge!" she closed the distance.
"Kickbolt!"
Rain launched himself up from the incoming sweep. "Thundering Strike!" But not the sword coming for his knees. Water formed around his knees. "FWOOSH!"
"BLASSTTT!!!! SPLASSHH!!!"
Rain sent himself flying away from the sword and the spell. The lightning was suppressed enough not to reach him; the thunder however-
"Crack, crack, crack." Blasted quicker and louder towards him, echoing through the water. His armour cracked at the joints and his mask, denting many other portions.
"Thump! Thud!" Rain fell to the ground, right next to his wall.
"How much magic do you have huh?" she yelled over. "How many more tricks can you pull? I’m still standing, get up!" she sprinted, ignoring the pain.
Rain pushed himself up with water, standing now to face her. One more sword formed in his hand and he sprang forth from a fountain.
Fumeko blinked into the ring, trying to access the scene. "GRRR...BR...!!!" The quakes grew more violent. The two dashing towards each other seem unhindered by it.
Fumeko stepped into shadow and blinked ahead, dagger in hand. Before their blades could meet, Rain surged water beneath Jotou’s feet.
Too quick to react, the blonde was taken into a pillar. Fumeko blinked above Rain and struck her dagger- "FWOOSH!" Rain blasted her aside.
Fumeko blinked to the side and blinked towards his back. Rain spun around and- "Shreek!" The gleaming purple dagger he tried to block only shredded through his sword—"CRINK!"—finding purchase into Rain’s side.
"Shoulder-Charge!" Jotou charged her way out of the pillar and aimed her sword below. Rain raised his foot and with a surge of water kicked the brunette away.
With her eyes shut for a second, Fumeko could not blink, but managed to blink away before hitting the wall. From above Rain saw an incoming yellow light, "Thundering-"
"FWOOSH!" Rain blasted himself away and back onto his feet. Jotou drove her sword into the earth, cancelling the spell. She eyed her target and drew the blade out.
Fumeko blinked in towards his neck, but Rain streamed water forward, sending her away. Jotou closed the distance and swung.
Rain twisted a sword still in mid-formation, into a sickle that curved into her grasp... At the same time water formed around his mask, right at Jotou’s face...
The grip on her sword loosened and she let go, allowing herself to bend her knees and duck. "FWOOSH!" "Ting! Tang! Clang..." Her armite blade was thrown aside.
The water rushed over her head and in her position she twisted herself left, "Shoulder-Charge!" lightning formed around her entire form in an instant...
"FWOOSH!" Rain had already blasted himself into the air and leapt over her. The blonde slid forth, but no shield was present around her shoulder. She cancelled the spell while side-eyeing to her right.
The lightning of her previous spell did not dissipate. Instead, the electricity jumped and all gathered from her body, her spark spell fading as well.
"BRRRRRR..." The electricity all gathered around her left fist as she twisted right. Lightning flared off her slashed arm, aiming for the target who had just landed, "Thundering Strike!"
He had no chance to cast; barely a chance to land. The lightning was simply too fast... All he saw was a yellow glow and heard the low buzzing from her fist.
The lightning made contact, going through his armour in an instant, cracking the glass and melting parts of his armour at random.
A yellow flash pierced the wall of water, but failed to make it to the other side; fortunately missing all the soldiers who flinched on the other side.
The entirety of the murky blue ring glowed a bright yellow for an instant... Water formed a casing around Rain- "BBBLLLLLASSSSTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!"
