''Got you.''
Maria's words reached Kuina's ears, and before she got the opportunity to move, she had already appeared before her. Her right hand moved forward as if trying to catch Kuina's face, the latter who believed that she was done for immediately saw hope, she mustered all her strength to move her head to the side, considering how fast Maria's attack was, being able to do this could be considered as an achievement.
However, before Kuina could relish her victory, she saw the vicious smile on Maria's face deepen, she immediately got a bad feeling, and Maria's following action confirmed this feeling.
''Ice arrow!"
From the other Maria's free hand, a small ice arrow burst out and crashed against Kuina's stomach at point-blank range; everything happened too fast, normally she shouldn't have been able to react at all; however, she wouldn't have been hailed as the most exceptional fox since the creation of Foxia if she failed to react, so with an exceptional will Kuina reacted, she twisted her body to an impossible angle dodging the unavoidable ice arrow while at the same time, her five tails transformed into spear which pierced the ground and using this as leverage she did a backflip to escape Maria next attack.
All of this happened in the time used to blink. Even Eri outside couldn't believe what she was seeing while Shadow starting to see what her long time friend, the mayor, meant by saying to not judge the book by its cover, just with what those had shown until now was enough to class them as an exceptional fighter with plenty of experience and knowing how to use their strength.
Being powerful and knowing how to use one strength perfectly are different things; some are powerful without knowing to use their strength fully. However, when she stared at those two, she saw none of them; they knew how to make use of their power. Shadow and Eri focused on the fight before them.
"To be honest, if I want to overpower you, it would be difficult even for me," Maria acknowledged with a pleasant smile. "As for winning against like I've done with Eri, that would be next to impossible given your strength and the perfect control you have over your strength."
"?!"
Kuina, who had escaped out of Maria's attacking range, didn't know why, but Maria's acknowledgment made her feel as if this was some ominous premonition.
While trying to make sense of this, she swiftly raised her hands to protect her chest as Maria's next attack was about to reach her. This attack was in the form of a fist but not your usual one; there was an ice spike protruding from her clenched fist as it was about to strike her.
But then Maria surprised the Fox girl by stopping the attack just a hairsbreadth away.
Then her lips curved up, and she said, "But luckily for me, I neither have to overpower you nor win in one shot. I only have to stop you for a second…."
As these words entered Kuina's ears, she felt an intense sense of crisis. This crisis reached its peak when it heard the concluding phrase.
''Glaciate."
Swoosh~!
Suddenly, the surrounding turned pin-drop silent and turned blinding dark. Every source of light lost its function.
A sense of helplessness gripped Kuina's heart as she fell under Maria's eyes power. She momentarily lost her body function, and during a fight, this could be fatal.
Maria flashed next to the frozen Kuina and caught her face lowered it before her knee crashed into the fox girl's stomach, making the latter momentarily breathless.
Then Kuina was thrown into the sky; Maria didn't follow, she unleashed an attack from the ground, it was in the form of ice arrows, ten ice arrows shot toward the flying Kuina's back.
Even Eri didn't like Kuina felt bad for her; she wished for the fox girl to do something as she didn't want Maria, her rival, to win this fight.
To respond to her wish, the five tails behind Kuina moved together and struck empty air; however, this normal strike produced a terrible sound.
Boom!
As if they had struck something, the five tails propelled Kuina high into the sky. She immediately controlled her body midair and looked down on Maria from the sky.
She flicked her fingers, her five tails moved, and from their tips, five fireballs of the side of volleyball were shot toward the ground; they entwined like a ray to arrive before Maria, who was planning for her neck attack, she immediately switched to a defensive posture, her two daggers appeared. She moved them, and they crisscrossed in the air to form an impenetrable ice wall.
Boom!
An explosion occurred when Maria succeeded in blocking those fireballs; however, she was unbothered by this; Maria's feet didn't budge even a millimeter.
However, the same couldn't be said for Kuina, who had succeeded in regaining perfect control over her body; she appeared thirty meters from Maria, who had finally regained her freedom, she clicked her tongue, she would have appreciated ending the fight as things continued as they were, however, one doesn't get exactly what one desire all time, sometimes you win. At the same time, sometimes you lose; this is what life is.
Silence fell on the battlefield. Outside, Eri gulped; it was not an intense fight, but it was not a boring fight either; compared to her fight, this one was more interesting; even she could tell this, her blood began boiling in anticipation of what was about to come. If possible, Eri wished to push them to fight with all they got, like this, she would know how strong they are, especially the fox girl who gives you the feeling that she only knows how to play; however, this was only to fool you, deep down she is dangerous and crafty.
'Well, back in my hometown, Fox is known for being playful and crafty mm like the fairy, no more than them. Hehehehe! Let's provoke them a bit.' Eri thought and moved to accomplish her goal.
''Stop playing around and fight for real.''