Transcendence - Chapter 98

***Jazira***

“Unbelievable! What’s taking them so long? I want to fight and be done with it!” Lidith pouts while looking down into the arena. She is standing in front of the huge glass window in our lounge.

Lidith should learn a little more patience in things like this. She played her stupid game with us for years. I don’t understand why she has issues with a little waiting now. “They have to clean up. Half of the spectators barfed on their seats while watching Celestial’s fight. I must admit that even the mighty me wasn’t completely untouched. A few hundred years of war and I never saw something that… gruesome… disgusting? I can’t find the right words to describe such a thing.”

Celestial huffs and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You guys should have spent a few of your lifetimes in medical research. Those gods are really just a bunch of sheltered sheep if they can’t take a little melting flesh. Earlier they watched people getting hacked to pieces or disintegrated. Why was it different this time?”

Ascathon raises a finger. “Maybe it’s because you saw the agony in his face while he couldn’t scream. The pain while he could do nothing more than twitch. Some people are heavily affected by watching someone else suffering in front of them. They imagine themselves in the other’s place. It’s a good method to get them to talk.”

I mumble with a low voice. “And I am sure that you found that one out by…”

“… experimenting on living subjects of course. I don’t believe the stuff which is taught by books.” He smiles.

Lidith claps her hands together. “Finally! The ranks are filling up again! Finally the teacher can show her pupils how it’s done! ~MWAHAHAHAHA…~”

She disappears with a small distortion of the space around her. That means that she was taken down to the arena. I stand up to take a look out of the window.

Lidith is already inside the well known circle. Her opponent is there too. The goat guy has a long staff in his hands.

“… Aaand finally! There she is, Lidith the Red! I think that I don’t have to say anything about her fighting style. Nobody thought that we would see her again after the last tournament! But there she is! A few unfortunate… no… shut up, I am the commentator!… No, I say what I want!… No, I won’t deactivate the micro!… What?… very well… A few BRAVE! people decided to team up with her. But we’ve already learned that the whole team consists of monsters, so this might not be such a bad combination.”

“Her opponent is the perfect sacrifi… I am being censored again… just that you know it! Her opponent is Baphomet the Fertile! Is that really his name? You guys are sure that there was no mistake? Very well… Baphomet specializes in various curses and spells to weaken his opponent. Let’s see what that’s worth against Lidith!”

The tournament finally starts and the arena is replaced by the magical screen. The battlefield is a rocky wasteland with many cliffs and fissures.

Celestial frowns and joins me at the window. “I am really interested in what Lidith is like when she fights for real. She seems to have quite the reputation.”

I nod while I watch the events as they unfold.

“… Baphomet immediately cursed his opponent! It looks like he is using a combination of slowing and life weakening effects! Now he is trying to stay at a distance while Lidith keeps pressuring him with her favourite spell! She is hurling one arcane lance after the other at him! He is striking back by applying one curse after the other to stack their effects. Lidith seems to become weaker and weaker…”

Ascathon purses his lips. “I expected more to be honest.” He waves at the screen. “Sure, she is devastating the battlefield but that’s all.”

“… Finally! Baphomet decided to strike back at his weakened opponent! He sent Lidith flying with a horrible strike to the head! That wound looks nasty! Is it the end. NOO! There it is! Finally! The infamous Lidith the Red takes the stage!…”

After Lidith was almost struck unconscious, she was flung to the ground and impacted hard. For a few moments she didn’t move, but then a sudden change happened to her entire body! Her blonde hair changed to red and her fingernails changed to long claws. Fur started to sprout on her hands, while the hair on her head grew longer! A red aura enveloped Lidith and her eyes changed to the ones of a feline! Her ears became even longer and grew red fur. A long and bushy tail sprouted from her butt!

Celestial calls out in wonder. “A werecat!?”

“… And there she goes! Luckily her opponent is the only one on the battlefield! Baphomet is running even faster now! He seems to have experience with her second form! A goat knows when it’s his last hour! … Shut up when I talk! *BAM!* Finally! No Censorship from now on! Aw, she got him at the leg! And wham! Wham! That’s how we know her!…”

Lidith is holding Baphomet at one leg while kicking and hitting him like a toy. Baphomet is frantically trying to protect himself, but Lidith is in something that can be only called a murderous frenzy!

“… Now she even gutted him! She is using his own intestines to strangle him! The Red sure comes up with new ways to use her opponents body parts against them! If I remember correctly, she hit one of her own team-mates unconscious with his own foot during the last tournament!”

“The fearsome thing about her killing sprees is that she seems to retain a shred of sanity! A pure beast would hardly use someone’s limb as a club, or their intestines to strangle them! Baphomet doesn’t even resist any more! Looks like his fighting spirit is broken! I even think that he may already be dead! There is blood everywhere! Lidith is completely covered in her opponent’s blood!”

The screen turns dark and disappears. Lidith and Baphomet are back in the arena.

“… … … … NOOO! FUCKING NOOB JUDGES! Don’t cancel the spell while she is still in her rage-mode! Didn’t you learn anything from the last time!”

Baphomet turns to run.

That was exactly the wrong thing to do. As he is the only moving object within the arena, Lidith’s attention is attracted to him! A small creature of pure rage flies on his back and claws itself into him. She bites into his shoulder with her small sharp teeth. I hear a dull scream through the glass of our window. Several judges run forward to separate them.

But even they are no match for her… slowly the ring turns red with blood…

“… Yeah… That’s what I was talking about!…”

“… But what do I know? I am just the foul mouthed commentator!…”

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