This could be said to be her first time meeting the ruler, the empress of the Foxia Empire, a kingdom that rose to the level of an empire in this generation, under the tight leadership and competent hand of the Iron Fox empress, becoming the third superpower on the Demi-humans continent, no normal woman could accomplish this.
'This woman is truly extraordinary.' Alice assessed, doing her best to get rid of the chilling sensation she felt the moment that woman laid her eyes on her.
'I'm not ordinary either.' Alice declared inwardly while fighting the immense pressure coming from the empress, the latter was impressed, so much that she smiled.
''We finally met Alice from the wonderland.'' Kuina's mother declared while looking at Alice.
The latter frowned upon hearing how Kuina's mother referred to her, she didn't like it so she said.
''Alice White or Alice Touch will do.''
She sat across from Kuina's mother, and the latter smiled as if she had expected such a reaction from Alice, it would have been boring otherwise, her playful nature didn't change and she felt like continuously teasing Alice, however, there was something she had to make sure, everything is for the future of her child.
''My bad, I shall take note from now on.'' Kuina's mother declared.
Clap! Clap!
The corners of Kuina's mouth lifted into a smile. She extended her hands, clapped twice, and soon after, a ghost-like figure in a maid's outfit drifted toward them.
Soon, tea was served, lifting her tea toward her lips, the empress first inhaled the tea's scent before drinking it. After taking the first sip, she delicately put the teacup back on the tray before staring directly into Alice's eyes, the latter didn't turn down her eyes and stared back, both women soon started staring context which lasted for a few minutes before the empress sighed.
''What do you know about Kuina's condition?" She asked and Alice understood that the empress was surely asking if she knew the nature of Kuina's weird condition.
''No!'' Alice's answer was quick and short.
Kuina's mother observed Alice's face for a moment before nodding after seeing that the girl didn't know what she said. She sighed in relief upon reaching this conclusion. Here comes her next question, the one that would determine how she would handle this girl, to know if she was worth bringing her to their side as the things stand they would need allies in the incoming confrontation. As a woman, she understood that a confrontation was inevitable
''Do you like my daughter?" The empress asked Alice out of the blue. Of course, the like here wasn't referring to some romantic feelings but to appreciation between friends, and Alice could understand this much.
''Yeah, I have come to appreciate her companion and will not mind continuing. I can learn many things besides Kuina because we do have an affinity with each other.'' Alice explained much to the empress's joy before adding.
''I don't know what you're trying to achieve here but I can assure you that if there is anything I can do to help Kuina, my friend I won't hesitate, so don't hesitate to tell me what you have in mind.''
The empress was surprised by the sudden declaration but she soon smiled, declaring.
''Good, come closer.'' She ordered and Alice obeyed, soon the empress whispered something into Alice's ear, the latter body froze and she couldn't help but feel a chill running down her spine after hearing the empress's declaration, she finally understood and if what the empress said was true then, it a huge storm was brewing ahead, insensitive as she might be she understood this much.
''I will help to the best of my abilities but there is a condition.''
'It would have been weird otherwise.' The empress thought.
''I'm listening.'' She said.
''Fight me,'' Alice announced her condition much to the empress's shock, who was expecting something else.
After a short moment of silence, the empress replied.
''Okay, I accept. Let's start shall we?"
To this question, Alice nodded eagerly to start.
°°°
A few minutes later w inside a training ground, destroyed beyond recognition were two people, one was standing while the other was lying on her knees.
The pain that was once sharp and burning now felt dull and distant. She had endured it for far too long and now felt like nothing more than an empty husk of who she once was. Panic slowly took over as, for a moment, a way out of this pain began to seem more and more unrealistic. For a moment she focused on the pain, honing in on every sensation. Where it came from, how badly it hurt, and how badly she wanted it to stop.
It was difficult to focus between the moments of pain and the voices telling her to stop what she was doing, but she refused and pressed onward. She longed for her bed, a hot bath, or just a fluffy pillow to lie on, but right now that wasn't an option for her. Right now all she cared about was carrying on and ignoring the pain.
Suddenly, the scene changed and, she felt her death it seems that there was nothing she could do to escape from this ultimate death.
'I never thought it would end like this, lying in a puddle of my blood. But so be it, the end of my life, crushed in an instant. Fine then, let it be.
I can survive this, I know I can. I'm still standing, that counts for something right? Right. So now what? I can't move, I'm too tired, too weak.
Hopeless, this is absolutely hopeless. I'm going to die, I know it. But I don't want to, I don't want to die I want to live. Please, I want to live. Is there nobody out there? Please, save me.
I'm tired, so tired. But I cannot give in, I cannot sleep. To sleep means to die, I must stay strong. But my body can't take it anymore, perhaps I should just lie down for a while, save my strength until help arrives. Yes, yes that would be best. Save my strength. Help will be here soon.
I'm going to die. Oh god, I'm going to die! I can feel it, I'm going to die! Nobody has found me yet. No, please, I don't want to die all alone. Somebody, please find me. I'm so alone. I don't want to die.
Tired, I'm so tired. I'll take a nap, a quick power nap. Or my last nap. Either way, I can't keep my eyes open any longer, I need to rest. A quick nap will be fine.'
The final conclusion at which she arrived was that this woman deserved her reputation, she was not to be underestimated, it would be good for her master to have someone like this under his control, the white-haired beauty thought.
For the first time in a while Alice had lost in a fight she previously thought she would win, a testament to the empress's strength, this woman must never be underestimated. Even if their levels weren't that different, one being level 181 while the other being level 182, the one gap level was too much and Alice lost.
'I have lost but this is fun because I've learned from my failure.'
Alice stood up with a difficulty, her clothes were drenched in blood but she was still smiling.
°°°°°
In another location, a red-haired beauty was fighting against someone and she had the edge over this person. She killed her enemy in the most ruthless way possible.
'I never thought it would end like this, lying in a puddle of my blood. But so be it, the end of my life, crushed in an instant. Fine then, let it be.
I can survive this, I know I can. I'm still standing, that counts for something right? Right. So now what? I can't move, I'm too tired, too weak.
Hopeless, this is absolutely hopeless. I'm going to die, I know it. But I don't want to, I don't want to die I want to live. Please, I want to live. Is there nobody out there? Please, save me.
I'm tired, so tired. But I cannot give in, I cannot sleep. To sleep means to die, I must stay strong. But my body can't take it anymore, perhaps I should just lie down for a while, save my strength until help arrives. Yes, yes that would be best. Save my strength. Help will be here soon.
I'm going to die. Oh god, I'm going to die! I can feel it, I'm going to die! Nobody has found me yet. No, please, I don't want to die all alone. Somebody, please find me. I'm so alone. I don't want to die.
Tired, I'm so tired. I'll take a nap, a quick power nap. Or my last nap. Either way, I can't keep my eyes open any longer, I need to rest. A quick nap will be fine.'
''I need to sleep, I wonder how my brother is doing.'' Gracier declared at the end of her fight w looking in a certain direction, where her brother should have been.
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