In the viewing area, Chiyo gave Nanako one of her reassuring smiles.
“Hmm, I think you misheard the nice girl Nanako-chan. You only have to fight her if you don’t want training. You do want to become a stronger Magical Girl, right?”
She looked down at the younger girl, waiting for an answer before turning back to watch the ongoing struggle.
Akame did not flinch as Elise lunged forward to catch one of her blades on her own. Noting the follow-up move, she disengaged faster than before, pushing away the first with a flick of her wrist to counter the second strike. Sparks flew out into the pouring rain as the swords clashed harshly. Before she could counter though, Elise had already jumped back, rearing for another lunge. Eyes never wavering, Akame dashed forward to meet the other head on, slicing away in a crossed pattern to block and counter the lunge.
The bared teeth were a little bit concerning. It almost seemed like the other Magical Girl was enjoying this too much. Akame had no doubt that a bloated personality like hers probably enjoyed battle, but there was an extent to such things too. If the other girl became berserk, Akame would have no qualms in reining her in to protect the others.
That would be another thing Elise would have to learn. Controlling her bloodlust.
Elise was ecstatic. The sparks that emerged from the clashing of their swords was like a beautiful fireworks show to her, and the blows they delivered to each other was like a refined dance. However, she was getting irritated. She realized she wouldn't defeat her opponent in a straight duel: Akame was simply too powerful for her to overcome, as tenacious as she was. Amidst her grunting, there was now the occasional growl and snarl added in as Elise grew more frenzied during the fight, adrenaline flowing through her like a flooding river. Her attacks were starting to come out faster and stronger, and while they would still be below Akame's level, even she had to become more cautious in the face of such emerging ferociousness. Then, Elise decided to stop playing around, and use her magic, a choice that Elise would not have done consciously, but was overruled by the beast inside her.
Her sub consciousness was also a stage of a battle, and it was between the two sides of her identity: the disciplined soldier, who would stand firmly and with a calm mind in any clash, and the beast, a blood-soaked monster that never hesitated in ripping the flesh of any foe she would encounter. The soldier stepped across the multitudes of corpses adorned with claw marks, and proudly proclaimed: "I will not let you win, beast. You are but mere game to hunters, to be tracked down and adorned on the walls of a huntsman as a prize."
But the beast only laughed as she bit a chunk out of a slain human, and growled back: "You are powerless without me, soldier. Drink of my blood, and let us reap the blood of others. They will flee before our claws and teeth. There is much bloodshed to be had, and many prey to loose our wrath upon. Give in to your desire." The soldier stood her ground, but the beast grew larger and larger as the battle continued. It was clear who would soon be the victor over her state of mind.
Elise teleported directly behind Akame, and taking full advantage of the element of surprise, swung her recombined great sword with the intent of knocking her high into the air. She then immediately teleported again, this time above Akame, and swung her great sword down like a guillotine while giving out a war cry. She brought her weapon down with enough force to shake the entire building, and punched a hole through the rooftop. The classroom below was completely destroyed by the debris as a result.
Akame stiffened as the aura of the other girl began to change. It was primal, horrid, and out for destruction. In fact, it almost reminded her of the raw presence felt by a Primordial. The only difference was that in place of instinct, Elise was driven by desire. She needed to end this before the others got hurt.
Sensing Elise behind her, Akame quickly deflected the blow without looking, swinging her sword to block. The force of Elise's swing propelled her skyward, rainwater meeting her hair and face. She blinked against the water just in time to see the other girl rocketing down towards her.
The senior Magical Girl did not share in her opponent's fanatics for battle cries, merely taking the brunt of the blow with the side of her sword in silence. As soon as her feet made contact with the ground again, she shouldered the other girl's sword away and leaped back, just as the area around them exploded.
It was a good thing school was out right now, lest there be unwanted casualties. Still, the action alone was enough to sharpen Akame's gaze. This girl will learn to control her power. Putting innocents in danger was not part of their mission and such careless behavior would not be tolerated by the older Magical Girl.
All of this passed through Akame's mind as her eyes shifted into a fiery orange, flames seeming to burn in her pupils. She didn't even have to move; her magic was already taking effect. One moment it was raining hard and the next, nothing. No drops, no water. Nothing. In actuality, the rain was still pouring but it dissolved instantly about ten feet above Akame and Elise.
The flaming Magical Girl knew the battle was over. It was just a matter of time before Elise would exhaust herself. She would not be effected, but Elise would feel all the moisture in the air gone, replaced now with probably the harshest dry spell she would ever experience. And it was all focused on her alone. She would sweat and even that would dry up, soon rendering the young girl with little water in her body at all. Akame watched with a placid gaze. The more Elise would try to move, even the slightest movement, the hotter the air would become, making it painful to even breathe.
Elise wanted to scream, but was unable to, her throat drying up by the power of her opponent's magic. All the sweat and water on her skin evaporated into the air, and a great heat began overtaking her body. Her thirst for blood expanded tremendously as a result, however, and she finally lost all control. She now gave in to her primal urges, and turned into a blood-starved being, devoid of human will. All her thoughts now revolved around dismembering, decapitating, and otherwise beating Akame to a bloody pulp. And like a cornered animal, she lashed out in a desperate attempt kill her as brutally as possible.
In a blind fury, she now teleported and slashed with rapidly accelerating speed, soon turning into a hurricane of red blurs and sword sparks. Her blinking was erratic and unpredictable, sometimes teleporting multiple times without attacking, other times dealing a blow with every appearance. Her magic was rapidly draining by the abuse of her power, and the stress on her body was enormous, causing her blood to pressurize and rupture blood vessels. Overtaken by the beast that was her bloodlust, she was beyond victory, and sang her swan song by way of reveling in carnage.
This time, Akame sighed. She knew the heat was taking effect and the more Elise exerted herself, the harsher the drought would become. But who she was to deny such a warrior's purpose? So she fought back, albeit with more precise strikes as opposed to Elise's berserker approach.
The teleportation was becoming predictable now with the heat being a factor, Akame leaping back and countering the blows. The one that did escape her blade found nothing but more hot air to slice through as the girl dodged the strikes.
"Elise, you can stop now," she said calmly in an attempt to reason with the beast. It probably wouldn't work but she at least had to try.
"You're losing more magic the more you fight back and that heat won't go away until I make it. Understand that this is only a fraction of my magical power. As you've noticed, I haven't even transformed yet. Please, for your own sake, stay your blade. You cannot defeat me as you are," Akame said, more than a little concerned at the physical strains showing themselves on the other girl's body.
Seeing that her suspicions were correct and that her words weren't being acknowledged, Akame gripped her blade and dashed in to finish this battle. Weaving her way from the messy slices, she positioned her sword and jabbed the hilt of her blade right into Elise's gut.
It wouldn't be enough to knock her out, but she hoped the force and crushing pain would at least force her out of her Magical Girl transformation. Just to be sure though, Akame's eyes lit up as a mighty torrent of flame exploded from her hilt.
The horizontal pillar would pierce right through the other girl and ignite her insides, ensuring that she stay down for good. Nothing a little magic couldn't heal, but it would hurt like hell. At once, Akame jerked her sword back and twisted around to deliver a final, stinging kick into the girl's abdomen, sending her skidding back on the ground.
Elise fell to the ground with a thud and crack as most of the bones in her body broke and her limbs were twisted by the impact. Her body met the limit it would take, and was now suffering intense internal bleeding. She vomited a stream of blood from her mouth, coughing weakly as it flowed. Her eyes were now starting to dim, and she could only see one color, which wasn't hard to guess at this point. She slowly licked the pool of her own blood that was quickly forming around her.
"...Fresh...blood...It's...ambrosia..." She managed to gargle out before she finally fell into unconsciousness.
Akame watched the injured girl, sighing with a shake of her head. Rose was going to have quite the experience with this one. Her sword being stored away, the heat around Elise's body would begin to dissolve into nothingness. The rain was allowed to pour down on the unconscious girl's body and Akame stooped to scoop up the younger girl and carry her out of the water's path.
As she walked back to the others, her Soul Gem began to glow frantically. She paused, knowing full well what the signal meant. It was just her luck that the other Magical Girl was in dream land at the moment, though maybe that was the best. Getting back to the others, she gently placed Elise down next to Rose before glancing up at the raining sky.
"A Primordial has appeared," she said aloud, affirming the thoughts that were no doubt on everyone else's mind.
The Contractor watched in staring silence.
