Let's Train Heroine

The tension between Maris and Nyx was palpable as they stood facing each other. The air was heavy with anticipation, a silence preceding what would be a battle of unimaginable power. They had clashed before, but at that time Nyx had effortlessly sent Maris far away using her space magic, halting the battle before it could even begin. Not now.

Maris had prepared for this moment. She had spent some minutes thinking, learning a specific ability to counter Nyx's space manipulation. Her reality-bending powers were unmatched, but Nyx's mastery over space and time had made her a formidable foe, able to avoid a direct confrontation. But this time, Maris had come ready. She would not be denied her fight.

Nyx's sharp eyes met Maris' determined gaze. There was a flicker of recognition—Nyx knew that this wouldn't be as simple as before. Still, with a smirk playing on her lips, she raised her hand, ready to send Maris away just as she had done so many times before. But the instant she began to summon the power of space, Maris countered.

A soft glow surrounded Maris, and the space around her rippled, distorting for a brief second before settling. Nyx's smirk faltered. Her eyes widened, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events. She had attempted to warp Maris into a different dimension, but nothing happened. Maris stood in place, unmoved, her aura blazing with confidence.

"You thought I'd let you send me away this time?" Maris said, her voice was calm.

Nyx's face hardened, she snorted and was about to say something but before Nyx could respond, Maris acted swiftly. Channeling her holy magic, she sealed the battlefield. The very air around them began to shimmer and thicken as a translucent barrier formed, locking them in.

Nyx glanced around quickly, recognizing the magical seal for what it was—a closed space from which there would be no escape, not even for someone with the ability to manipulate space. Nyx was caged.

Maris' voice rang out, strong and steady. "This is your domain, Nyx, but I've learned how to turn it against you. We're going to finish this here, and you won't be able to run."

Nyx clenched her fists. She could teleport no longer, and space itself was now limited, compressed into this small, isolated battleground. Her usual tactics would need to change.

Maris didn't waste time. She raised her hand, and from the shadows around her, she summoned her first wave of marionettes—one hundred of them, each an eerie puppet-like figure, their blank eyes locked on Nyx as they moved in perfect unison. The marionettes were unnerving in their silence, their movements fluid and fast.

Without hesitation, they charged at Nyx, surrounding her in a coordinated attack, their holy-infused bodies brimming with magic.

Read latest chapters at empiren/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Nyx narrowed her eyes, her mind racing to devise a counterstrategy. Summoning a spatial rift, she created a shimmering portal in front of her, and just as the marionettes descended on her, she stepped through it, warping to the opposite side of the battlefield. The marionettes collided with empty air.

Maris expected this. "You won't slip away that easily," she said, her voice low as she commanded the marionettes to adjust. They turned, moving as one to chase Nyx once more.

But Nyx was already in motion. She summoned more rifts, slashing through the marionettes with razor-sharp cuts of distorted space. The marionettes' bodies, though durable, were not immune to the violent tears in reality, and several of them were sliced apart, their limbs and torsos scattered across the battlefield, only to be teleported away by Nyx's spatial manipulation.

With a flick of her wrist, Nyx summoned clones of herself. Six perfect copies materialized around her, each identical in appearance and stance. They moved in perfect synchronization with Nyx, adding another layer of confusion to Maris' assault. The battlefield now teemed with shifting images, each clone warping in and out of space as they evaded the marionettes and struck back with deadly precision.

Maris frowned, quickly realizing the danger of Nyx's clones. They were not mere illusions—they could deal real damage. And with Nyx's ability to teleport at will, it was becoming difficult to distinguish the real Nyx from the copies.

But Maris wasn't deterred. She lifted both arms, her hands glowing with holy light. The marionettes multiplied instantly, and now there were twice as many, a hundred more joining the fray. They spread out, forming a tighter net around the clones, trying to trap Nyx's real body. Each marionette was swift and relentless, their movements a blur as they pressed the attack.

Nyx countered with more spatial rifts, her clones assisting her by creating distortions of their own. It was a battle of sheer numbers versus spatial mastery.

Maris controlled the marionettes with surgical precision, ensuring they stayed close to Nyx, but the space-warping techniques Nyx employed were formidable, distorting the very fabric of reality between them and slicing through the ranks of Maris' forces.

Suddenly, Nyx made her move. With a single thought, she teleported all her clones and herself to different parts of the battlefield, creating a web of confusion. From her new position, Nyx released a barrage of spatial energy toward Maris, aiming to catch her off guard.

Maris, however, was prepared. She bent reality around her, creating a shield that deflected Nyx's attack. The blast of spatial energy distorted as it hit the barrier, refracting and scattering harmlessly. Maris didn't hesitate—she retaliated immediately, summoning a beam of holy energy that shot toward Nyx like a lance of light.

Nyx teleported again, dodging the attack. But Maris was ready. Her marionettes moved in sync with her will, cutting off Nyx's escape routes. With every teleport, Nyx found herself facing more marionettes, more pressure, and fewer opportunities to strike back. She couldn't keep up with the relentless barrage.

"Do you feel it, Nyx?" Maris called out. "The space is shrinking. You're running out of room."

Nyx's gaze darted around. She could sense it too. The sealed space was slowly constricting, limiting her movement and her ability to warp freely. Maris had control, and Nyx knew it.

Despite this, Nyx refused to be outdone. She narrowed her eyes and summoned all of her spatial power. The clones converged, merging back into her, and Nyx focused on a single point. With a sharp gesture, she created a massive spatial tear directly in front of her, a rift so large it threatened to consume the battlefield.

The tear ripped through the marionettes, disintegrating them as they tried to attack.

Maris grimaced as the rift widened, but she didn't flinch. With a wave of her hand, she called forth more marionettes, even faster this time. The battlefield was filled with the eerie, creeping figures, their movements faster and more precise. They closed in on Nyx from all directions.

Nyx snarled, her composure faltering as she realized the situation was becoming more dire. For every marionette she destroyed, two more took its place. The battlefield was a sea of relentless attackers, and for all her spatial power, Nyx couldn't eliminate them fast enough.

Maris' eyes glowed with holy light as she prepared for her next move. "You won't escape, Nyx. This is the end."

Nyx's expression hardened. She knew Maris wasn't bluffing. The sealed space, the overwhelming numbers, the relentless pressure—it was all pushing her to the brink.