18 Jealous wepons

"You go off. I'll have someone leave your clothes in your Minka." Suzuki spoke.

"Alright..." Lilith rubbed her head and then gracefully inclined her body towards Suzuki in a gesture of gratitude and reverence. After lingering in this place for a while, Lilith came to understand that this act was a tangible way of conveying appreciation and acknowledging the significance of their encounter. "Thanks for the clothes."

"No problem," Suzuki spoke, waving her hand.

"She's always like that," Kato spoke as his eyes drifted toward Lilith. "You ready, right?"

"Yea." Lilith nodded.

"Good, let's go," Kato's voice echoed through the hallway as he turned to leave the room, and Lilith hastily grabbed her sandals before following him, her footsteps echoing against the wooden floor.

"You're not cold, are you?" As Kato's eyes fell upon Lilith's sleeveless white attire, he inquired with a curious tone.

"No, I don't feel the cold," As they walked out of the manor, Lilith responded to Kato's question.

Kato's lips curled up into a sly smirk as his gaze fell upon Lilith, and he gave a subtle nod of approval as if silently conveying the message, "not bad."

As Kato and Lilith neared the platform, the vibrant hues of their surroundings seemed to intensify. The ground beneath their feet felt like rough-hewn stone, and with each step, the sound echoed through the vast emptiness around them. The platform itself stretched an expanse of sixty meters in every direction. Yet, despite its grandeur, there was an eerie silence that hung in the air, leaving Kato and Lilith as the only ones on the platform.

With a determined stride, Kato made his way to the far end of the platform. As he reached his destination, he unsheathed his gleaming Katana from its scabbard, and the metallic ring of the blade being drawn filled the air. He held the sword out in front of him, the polished steel shimmering in the sunlight. In response to Kato's actions, Lilith followed suit, her fingers curling around the hilt of her own Katana, Almace. Its dark energy emanates off the inky black steel in waves, pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Okay, come at me..." Kato's voice rang out across the vast emptiness of the platform. His fingers curled as he playfully tugged at it, a sly smirk crossing his lips. With a daring gleam in his eye, he beckoned Lilith forward, goading her to take action.

In a blur of motion, Lilith launched herself forward, her body becoming a streak of motion as she charged toward Kato. The wind rushed past her, tugging at her hair and clothes as she closed the distance between them. Within moments, she was beside Kato, her body coiled like a spring, ready to unleash her attack. Kato's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden appearance.

"Quite a fast one, aren't you," Kato's voice cut through the silence like a knife, filled with a mix of surprise and suspicion. With a swift motion, he lifted his Katana to block Lilith's incoming strike, but as their blades clashed, he felt a sudden shock run up his arm. It was then that he realized something was amiss. Lilith's strike was stronger and faster than he had anticipated, her Katana slicing through the air like a comet, leaving a trail of deadly energy in its wake. As their swords met, he felt the razor-sharp edge of her blade, its menacing gleam sending shivers down his spine.

With a fierce determination etched onto his features, Kato drew upon the mana that flowed within him and channeled them into his Katana. Waves of raw power coursed through the blade, imbuing it with a renewed strength that seemed to radiate from within. He skillfully tilted his weapon, angling it just so, and as Lilith's strike connected, a shower of sparks erupted in its wake. Kato gritted his teeth, his muscles straining against the force of the blow, but he was able to redirect most of the damage elsewhere, sparing his Katana from harm.

Boom!

With a resounding clang, Lilith's blade slid off Kato's, sending an explosion of energy hurtling toward the ground. The very air trembled with the force of the impact, and the stone platform beneath their feet shattered like glass, sending chunks of rock hurtling in all directions. Kato's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the raw power unleashed by Lilith's strike, her slender frame seemingly brimming with a well of energy that he had not anticipated.

Trembling with a mixture of disbelief and shock, Kato raised his hand, his fingers tracing the length of his Katana in disbelief. As he inspected the blade, he noticed a hairline crack that had formed despite his best efforts to protect it. He had imbued his weapon with the full force of his mana and had skillfully angled it to deflect Lilith's strike, but still, she had managed to inflict a wound.

"Okay... there's nothing wrong with your strength. I just think we're just going to have to work on your technique."

"Oh, yea." Lilith nodded as she raised her Katana.

"You're going to be training with a wooden sword," Kato spoke as he pointed over to a barrel of wooden swords.

"Uhhh... sure. Eh?" Lilith felt a sudden, inexplicable shudder course through her body the moment she sheathed Almace, as if the very air around her had become charged with an unknown force. As she tightened her grip on Almace, she felt the dark blade thrumming with an almost tangible sense of frustration and anger, its soul-bound energy pulsing within her grasp. She could feel its displeasure at the turn of events. With a muttered curse, she shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts amidst the chaotic swirl of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

With a resigned sigh, Lilith approached the barrel of wooden swords, her eyes scanning the rows of polished wood for any sign of a suitable replacement. As her hand closed around the hilt of a seemingly ordinary sword, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine. It was as if the very air around her had grown thick and heavy, suffused with a sense of impending doom. And then she felt it - a cold, malevolent aura that seemed to emanate from her three swords. In an instant, the wooden sword shattered into thousands of splinters, the sound of its destruction ringing out like a gunshot in the stillness of the chamber.

Lilith's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and frustration as she reached out for another wooden sword from the barrel. But before her fingers could even brush against the hilt, the sword erupted into a shower of splinters, scattering across the stone floor like confetti.

"Oi. If you do that again, then I won't use you." Lilith's lips twisted into a sour grimace as she muttered under her breath, her discontent evident in the tension of her shoulders and the furrow of her brow. Suddenly, the weapons at Lilith's waist began to shake and vibrate. Their movements were erratic and jittery, as if the weapons themselves were in fear, before finally falling still once more.

"Good." Lilith smiled as she picked up a wooden sword without it shattering.