"By the way, Gildarts’s hunting rank is third." redy’s magic longsword shimred back into view at her side.
Cana, her voice flat and eyes sharp, replied, "You really are full of yourself, aren’t you? If you want to kill him, go ahead and try."
"No," redy said coolly, "killing him doesn’t require facing him head-on. It’s true that Gildarts is incredibly powerful, even the Guild Master acknowledges that, but he has a glaring weakness."
Her gaze locked onto Cana. "That weakness is you." She pointed straight at her. "Right now, your feelings and your very life are linked. If I kill you, he dies with you."
"Your existence, your love, your longing for him, are Gildarts’s greatest weakness. That weakness will be the end of him."
Cana stared down at the small mark on her wrist, her eyes widening. "What?"
"Go to hell, and take the one you love with you!" redy swept her arm forward, sending a storm of magical blades racing toward Cana.
Cana dove to the side, rolling across the rain-slick ground, narrowly escaping the deadly barrage.
Cold water and mud streaked down her arms and back, plastering her hair to her face and leaving her looking disheveled.
If it weren’t for that cursed magic binding her to Gildarts, she would have already unleashed her Crush Magic, countered the attack, and charged in during redy’s opening.
But now she hesitated.
She had trained in Crush Magic countless tis in secret after Gildarts taught her, and had only just succeeded in using it once. If she miscast it now and took damage in the attempt, that sa pain would be inflicted on Gildarts.
Covenant Sense did not cause visible injury, but the thought of Gildarts suffering because of her weighed heavily on her heart.
"That’s right, just like that," redy taunted, beckoning more swords into existence. "Run in fear, then die in guilt. That will be the end of your life and Gildarts’s tragedy."
The swords shot forward, only to be t by several exploding cards, scattering them in bursts of fla and smoke.
Cana straightened, eting redy’s gaze. "You know, everything you just said depends on one little thing. That you can actually beat . So if I take you down without taking a single hit, your magic is worthless, right?"
redy smirked. "Can you really do that?" She waved her hand, sending a dozen blades slicing through the air in weaving arcs, each one cutting in from a different direction.
"How will I know unless I try?" Cana shouted back, sprinting forward. She ran, jumped, twisted, and rolled, her body moving with all the agility she could muster, parrying with cards when she couldn’t dodge, steadily forcing her way closer.
For so reason, her mind briefly flashed to Rhodes.
How did that guy manage to dodge every bit of chaos flying around the guild and still have the energy to protect Mira?
She didn’t have ti to ponder it further. She poured every ounce of her focus into the fight.
The mont she saw redy begin to retreat to summon another volley of swords, Cana flicked her fingers toward a card lying in the dirt.
"Fool’s Smokescreen!"
"Smoke?" redy covered her mouth and nose, leaping back to escape the spreading cloud.
But Cana was already moving. The instant the smokescreen went up, she hurled two more cards in quick succession. "Emperor’s Wind Blade! Sun’s Blast!"
At this distance, Cana was certain her opponent couldn’t evade in ti.
redy’s eyes narrowed, and in the blink of an eye, a pink chain-shaped mark flared to life on her own wrist.
It pulsed once, sending a streak of red light that shot across the gap and struck the mark on Cana’s wrist.
"Ah!"
redy was struck full-on by the Wind Blade and Sun’s Blast, crying out as she was blown backward. A deep cut and an ugly burn marked her body where the spells had landed.
Cana had been ready to press forward, close the distance, and deliver a decisive blow at point-blank range.
But the mont she moved, a sharp agony ripped through her own body, like she had been sliced by a blade and seared by flas. It was exactly the pain she had just inflicted on her opponent.
"This is..."
Her mind flashed back to the strange light she had seen earlier. "No... don’t tell ..."
redy pushed herself to her feet, her voice low and steady. "Triple Sensory Link. Now, the feelings of all three of us are connected."
"You’re kidding ?!"
She held out her wrist, showing Cana the glowing mark.
"This is my magic. From this mont on, any injury I take will be shared by you... and Gildarts. And if you kill , both of you die."
Cana’s brows drew together. "But that ans you can’t kill either, right?"
"That’s right. My true target is Gray, so I don’t intend to throw my life away with you."
Even as she spoke, redy summoned more magic swords and launched them at Cana.
Cana dodged frantically, blocking with cards whenever she could. "Then why are you still attacking ?!"
"It’s simple," redy replied coldly. "The mont I kill you, I’ll release the link on myself."
Cana’s teeth clenched. This magic was far too unfair. "What’s Gray got to do with you?"
The question only deepened the darkness in redy’s eyes. Her voice trembled with fury as she pressed the attack.
"He’s the one who killed Ultear’s mother. The one who made Ultear suffer. The one who hurt... my Ultear. I will never forgive him!"
Cana felt a jolt of realization. There had to be more to the story, but the mont the words left her mouth, she regretted them. The air around redy’s magic flared violently, the flying swords growing sharper, heavier, and far faster.
Too fast to dodge.
"Crush!"
In desperation, Cana unleashed the technique again. This ti, the magic flowed more smoothly, its destructive force sharper than ever before.
"Is it because of the link with Gildarts...?" she thought fleetingly.
But before she could dwell on it, a tearing pain ripped across her own body, the sa impact she had just delivered.
"Ahhh!"
Both Cana and redy scread at once. The Crush shattered the incoming swords, slamd into redy, and hurled her backward, but it also sent a wave of force crashing into Cana herself.
redy hadn’t expected her opponent’s magic to surge like that, and Cana hadn’t been prepared for the double-edged nature of the attack. Pain lanced through her, and she felt herself stagger as if she too had been struck.
They stayed that way for several monts, breathing hard, waiting for the agony to ebb.
"This won’t do," Cana thought grimly. If she had hit any harder, the result could have been catastrophic. Even that single strike was enough to make her fear for Gildarts’s safety.
"That’s right," redy said, pressing a hand to the wound in her chest. "If you keep attacking, you could kill yourself and the father you love so much at any mont. So... will you kill , wracked with guilt and despair? Or will you die at my hands, running like a frightened animal?"
"Damn it..."
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