Perfect Avatar

Somewhere in a ghost town, bodies of monsters littered the streets. Inside the buildings, stuck to the walls, everywhere the eyes could see, there was part of a monster.

The open-air cemetery formed a track leading to a square, and inside this square two people were confronting each other.

Dora and Iris, in their usual mock battle, were rushing at each other in explosive showdowns.

Candace, Midgard, and Eryl were spectators, and soon a familiar figure joined them.

"How are things here?" asked Elizabeth.

She came from time to time and was here followed by Cid.

Candace waved at them to come closer.

"Depends on who you ask. Iris has been doing great all along, better than expected, but that means Dora isn't as tasty as we'd like."

"Hm?... It's weird, their energy keeps increasing tenfold every time I come back... Aren't they already A-rank?"

Eryl ran her finger over her lips, looking thoughtful.

"It's more complicated, the power of an A-rank varies according to each person's potential, they are beyond the average A-rank, but..."

Dora crashed near them. He stood still for a moment before getting up without a scratch.

"What resilience... I often forget that he's part tank." Elizabeth crossed her arms proudly.

Cid looked at Dora with disdain and put his hands in his pockets.

"So all this talk and he's still getting trashed? How ironic."

"Do you think you can do better, young man?" Elizabeth teased him.

"If I hadn't been injured for so long, you wouldn't have even heard of him. But now I'm closing the gap."

He clenched his fist with determination, paying no attention to the sigh of empathy from the women around him.

Dora put his hands on his hips and for a moment, Iris who was standing on a lamp post jumped in front of him.

"What's wrong? Why are you stopping? Did I hurt you? Was I too rough?"

Dora frowned and looked at her.

"Do you even realize that you've never hurt me? Stop trying to be nice, it's boring and we won't be friends."

"Huh? What's wrong?... Did I offend you again? I really didn't mean to insult you!"

They argued like this for a while, which seemed to annoy Cid.

"Look at her... I could swear she's a completely different person. Just wait until I surpass you both, you'll regret ignoring me."

"No offense, boy, but I really don't see you sitting at this table."

"... Shouldn't you worry about your brother first?"

Elizabeth flinched and looked away, embarrassed.

She hadn't seen Hope since that time at the academy and after hearing his confession to Mercy, she couldn't muster up the courage.

Her last idea was to meet him "by mistake" here and have an explanation, but that too had failed.

"YOU KIDDING!"

A shout from Iris took her from her shadow.

"Since I'm telling you? I can't let you pamper me, because you are annoying, and I've been hiding my trump card this whole time."

"Wait-wait-wait, I'm about to have a heart attack... You... aren't going all out from the beginning... And you're not referring to this form you're forbidden to use because of your Sin?"

Candace and the others seemed surprised to hear that and came closer.

Dora took a distinguished pose, a smug on the lips.

"Exactly, or more like, half accurate. So you see, after being pounded so many times by your damned sword, which you took care never to remove from its sheath to better humiliate me..."

"I didn't..."

"I developed an ultimate strategy to take my revenge... The journey was long and perilous... I tried again and again, every los-... every non-ability to defeat you before being unfairly judged defeated and by someone who calls herself your mentor... All of that fueled my motivation..."

Candace sighed and shrugged her shoulders, while the other women tried to hide their laugh.

"And then one day, I found the truth! The very essence of this world, the concept of existence!"

"Aren't you tired of acting so stupid?" Cid asked with his usual tone.

"Don't make me come there, young boy, I could rip your fucking remaining limbs."

Cid grunted and looked away.

"So, like I was saying, I found a way, fitting my attributes, to become even better than ever."

"Is that true? You've never pulled something like that." Candace insisted.

Dora took a few steps backward and glanced at Midgard.

"Because, dear dean, the best weapon is the one hidden behind the strongest, don't be worried about the attack incoming, be afraid of the one that's still charging."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"It's a youngster's expression, of course, you wouldn't know."

While Elizabeth was busy holding back Candace, Dora put his hands together and faced Iris.

"Here's the culmination of my most powerful abilities: first, let's begin with a little study, creation magic."

Blue and white particles gathered in his hands, converging into a mass of energy.

"This formidable power allows me to create any physical things, or more precisely, tangibles. Paper, rocks, water, wood, metal... Sword."

The energy took the form of a beautiful sword with refined patterns.

Iris, a finger on her lips, nodded like a child.

"That's... That's a big sword... Big and beautiful."

"Yes, but here's where the real magic begins, creating a sword would be simple, and the more simple an action is, the more insignificant it actually becomes... So now, I won't create this sword right away, I'll infuse the particles with gravity magic."

The energy, with the shape of a sword, turned purple and started to shake.

Everyone watched now with high interest.

"This is now a sword with an edge inflicting gravitational magic, but only when infused with magic."

"Gravity? On the edge... so this sword hit hard?"

"Does it? Maybe it does, but it doesn't end here."

"There's more?!" Iris leaned forward, her eyes shining.

"Dearie, What are you doing?" Midgard asked intrigued.

Several particles of energy appeared and gathered in the mass of energy.

The sword began to take form and release a strange and refined aura.

"Last step, the special moment, are you ready?"

Iris nodded quickly.

"This part is very special, and can only be achieved by me. I decompose my spiritual pressure into an ideological form and a realistic form. The concept is, that the ideological form is the invisible energy that will follow the will of realistic energy... Take a fireball for example, the fire is the realistic part, the ball is the ideological part, the shape you want to give it."

Eryl raised an eyebrow and redoubled her attention. For everyone, this scene was surreal, it was no longer just a show of strength, but the insolent boy was reminding them that the reason he was endorsed in the first place, was because he was a genius.

The sword emitted a mesmerizing light and gave off a mystical energy.

"Separating the ideological part allows me to use its concept at a physical level if I infuse it to every particle of energy of this sword, this allows me to create something I call a Law."

"A law? I see, I see." Iris nodded.

"This Law is a general rule that the particles will follow. For example, let's say that on an ideological level, the particles will increase their defensive energy to not break and in response to the increase in defense, the gravity magic-infused particles will increase the power of gravity. This makes a sword that will exponentially increase your attack and will never break."

Iris clapped her hands in amazement, the others looked in shock.

"What the... This brat is actually a real genius..." Candace murmured.

Dora took the sword that emanated with a radiant energy, he inspected the shape and gave a teasing smile to his audience.

"That's... That's an amazing sword..." Iris said.

"Yes... and now, I have it in my hands."

"... What are you gonna do with this sword?"

"Hm? What I'm gonna do? You're asking me what I'm gonna do with this sword?" He raised his sword. "Look what I'm going to do. I'm raising this sword..."

"Uh-Uh."

"I infuse it with gravity magic..." the sword covered itself in an invisible aura.

Iris leaned even closer.

"And then..."

"Holy... Iris watch out!" Candace shouted, but the sword was already a few centimeters above Iris's forehead.

A powerful shockwave shook the place and sent Eryl and Cid onto their feet.

The group, too late in reaction, watched in horror the cruel fate of Iris.

But they soon opened their mouths paralyzed.

Iris, sword drawn, countered Dora's formidable blow.

"... You dare defend yourself when I attack you... And how did you even block that one? What kind of logic is that?!"

Iris tried to smile, but the pressure of the weapon pushed her blade back.

She jumped backwards, a wide excited smile that showed all her teeth.

Behind, Candace was furious,

"Are you crazy?! You could have killed her, you idiot!"

She tried to rush to them, but Elizabeth stopped her.

"Hey, Ely, this isn't the time for..."

She suddenly stopped talking, seeing a brand new expression on Elizabeth.

"... um... Ely?"

"Miss Candace, did I ever ask you for a favor?"

Elizabeth, smiled melancholy at her. The dean didn't answer, drowning in the eyes of her disciple.

"Miss Candace, if you really care about this girl, do you mind... letting her have the freedom to live this moment to the fullest?"

"... Uh?"

Iris grabbed her sword, shaking. Her smile looked more and more like a grimace, and sweat started to bead on her forehead.

"... Miss Candace?"

She called for her mentor, the dean, increasingly troubled clenched her fist.

"Iris?"

"I can't... I can't fight him... I won't defeat him if I can't unleash my sword."

"... You people are so stupid... You could just use a wooden... Aah Dammit! Fine, I allow you to kill each other now, may you suffer forever!"

At the words of the dean, Iris calmed down and looked at Dora.

The boy checked his sword and stared back.

"Well, Dora... I've never used my sword like this in friendly battle... but all my instincts tell me that I'm going to lose... for the first time if I don't go all out."

"... I literally just created one sword, why are you turned on?"

"Because you don't give off a feeling of doubt as usual, even after hearing that I'll go serious... and as a certain genius once said, the first weapon is just a threat, but the real weapon is the one hidden in the shadow."

Dora frowned and unleashed powerful waves of energy.

"You're not getting away this time, I prepared this mode especially for you, it is called: Iris's Killer...