Chapter 138: Venomous Mistress
It seems that her reputation as the 'Violent Saint' wasn't just empty talk...
Meanwhile, Erica felt a little bit proud of herself. Don't get her wrong though, she never wanted to do that to Sergio but she has run out of options at this point. That idiot was pushy and Erica wanted him gone since the first week of his so-called 'courting'. That's why she's not sorry at all.
She knows that she went too far, and this will seriously haunt Sergio or make him mad. It's a pity that it has to reach this point but Erica has had enough of him. She felt brave and refreshed after what she did, a bit guilty but more relieved.
As she made her way back to her seat however, she was somehow regretting her decisions, especially after seeing the teasing expressions of her team and Cedric's admitted feigned nonchalant reaction.
'Geh...maybe I should've just beaten Sergio black and blue. They'll never let me stop teasing me about this. Shit!'
Erica's scowl just added fuel to the fire it seems...
"Yes, Mama! Look at you! Showing that man his place. Oh, I'm so proud." Chrissy swooned as she returned to her seat.
"As expected of the Violent Bitc-- ouch!" Erica would never allow Francis to finish those words.
The rest of he pe teammates just gave her a teasing glance. And Cedric, well...
"That was hot."
Erica immediately gets flustered with that blatant admittance. She wanted to melt in her seat because of his heated yet subdued side glance.
"...didn't know that mouth could do that, damn!" Cedric whispered to her. "That gives me a lot of ideas."
Erica couldn't endure his teasing so he pinched his thigh, but Cedric just laughed it off.
"Get a room, you two." Francis chimed in, snorting as he said this.
"Not yet, I hope." Chrissy suddenly interjected, causing the two to look at her. "What? You two are leaving out of this? Come on, at least wait until I'm finished with my match."
She giggled while standing up and making her way towards the arena. Right, it's her turn next.
Erica pouted and crossed her arms, sulking because she was being teased. Cedric laughed and couldn't help but kiss those pouty lips of her. He received a not-so-heated glare from her but again, he just laughed it off.
Turning his attention to the stage, he saw that Chrissy's opponent was also a girl. And from what he assumed so far, based on how the two eyed each other, they don't seem to be very close.
"Christina."
"Miranda."
Both girls acknowledged each other. Their voices and expressions were strained, as if they were holding back themselves from starting the fight before the countdown ended.
"Catfight! Catfight! Catfight!" Francis cheered, earning a smack on his head courtesy of Elric.
"Are they...?" Cedric hesitantly asked.
"Yep, those two hate each other," Erica replied, somehow understanding what he wanted to ask.
"Can I get a crash course on their history or is that something private?"
"Not private." Erica shook her head. "They're...'rivals', yeah, that sounds about right. They have known each other since childhood and have been competing ever since."
"Chrissy said that she couldn't remember who started it, and at this point, it no longer matters. They've grown used to this since they've been at it for so long. That said, despite what it looks like, it's not that bad. Since they're keeping each other at their toes, they consistently spur the other to grow stronger, so that in their next match, they'd win."
Cedric nodded at that and left it there. Erica doesn't seem like she's going to add more to that story and it's fine. It's none of his business anyway.
As soon as the countdown ended, the girls immediately made a move.
Chrissy's skin turned to a deep shade of purple, her eyes glowed with a ghastly green radiance and her silhouette turned similar to that of a wraith.
Cedric was alarmed. Even from where he was, he could sense the sheer potency of poison she was releasing. And thanks to his medical knowledge, he's able to discern at least several types of poison on her but not every single one.
"Purple Wyrm Poison, Serpent's Kiss, Black Lotus Extract, Nightshade's Essence, Deathcap's Spores, Basilisk's Bane Oil, Dragonfire Resin, and...at least 10 more poisons that I'm not aware of...geez, how am I still alive with all of that in her?" He muttered softly.
He then sensed that the team was looking at him in surprise so asked: "What?"
"Nothing..." Elric smirked, "We're just surprised that you could recognize that much."
"Damn it! So she used Deathcap's Spores on me! Damn it! Damn it!" Francis snarled as he melted in his seat.
For context; Deathcap's Spores comes from the fungus family. Handling them requires skill because they can infect through touch and smell. A single ounce of this could melt a person's digestive system within seconds. Of course, the stronger the victim is, the less effective it is.
What makes this poison more dangerous is that, it is an excellent medium for concoctions, specifically ones designed to kill. They're used in at least 75% of known poison concoctions out there.
Cedric tilted his head in confusion, thankfully Erica was kind enough to fill him in.
"He made her upset so she gave him diarrhea. You see, even we couldn't specifically tell the exact concoctions she uses, and it changes from time to time, making it harder for us. However, we trust her enough to not kill us with them. She does, however, use little dosages of it for this idiot right here to teach him a lesson. "
"Oh."
That is all he could say. That dynamic is a bit dangerous but then again, he has no say in it so he didn't comment on it. The diarrhea sucks of course. Thankfully, she wasn't her target.
Returning his attention to the fight, he saw Chrissy releasing a violet miasma to cover up the arena. On the other hand, her opponent was surrounded by a curtain of white light that kept her poisons at bay.
"Veil of White Corona...her opponent's a Cleric, is assume?" Cedric asked Erica beside him, earning a nod from her.
"Yeah. Miranda is a Tier 8 Cleric, and that skill of her stumped Chrissy since she learned it. I'm afraid that this is going to be another battle of attrition." Erica sighed.
"...I don't think so, though." Cedric mumbled loud enough for them to hear.
"Hmm? Why is that?" Erica asked.
"Well...the mixture of Nightshade's Essence, Dragonfire Resin, and...at least two more poisons which I don't know of, creates a reaction that chips away at Miranda's skill."
Elric and the rest of the team blinked at his words before trying to see clearly what was happening. After inspecting it closely, it turns out that Cedric was right.
"It certainly does...but the effect is miniscule. It would take minutes before they penetrate the veil because any holes they make were being repaired with Miranda's upkeep of the skill." Elric stated.
"That's enough for the invisible poison to get in, though." Cedric replied casually, causing the team to look at him in surprise once more.
"Invisible Poison? Are you sure? I don't see it though?"
"That's why he said it's invisible, you idiot." Erica snorted at Francis.
"No! What I mean is... that our senses as Tier 8s, at least. If Cedric over here could sense then, how come we don't?"
"Uh...my senses are sharper compared to most people?" Cedric winced as he hesitated to explain. "Well, she mixed at least 7 types of poison to create it and I sensed it hiding beneath the miasma. Whenever the miasma makes even a tiny hole in the skill, the invisible poison seeps in without Miranda's knowledge."
"..."
"She's inhaled at least 3 ounces of it at this point so she'll probably faint in the next five seconds..."
'5...4...3...2...1'
Thud!
"Holy shit!" Francis exclaimed.
They looked at the fainted Miranda and Cedric back and forth, completely ignoring the fact that Chrissy won the match in such a short time.
"How did you--?"
"Is it because of Poison Laws?" Erica guessed, more like asking herself this question due to her bafflement.
"No, while Chrissy could indeed use Poison Laws, Miranda's aware of that too. After all, they've fought each other a lot. She's probably more familiar with it than we do so she's mostly anticipating it."
"That's exactly why, I think," Cedric interjected. "Laws are extremely dangerous, and since they've fought a lot, Miranda's probably conditioned to be on-guard towards that. Chrissy might've done that on purpose because even common poisons could kill Superhumans if they failed to notice it."
"..."
"...huh? Well, shit!" Floyd shivered.
"You live and you learn, I suppose," Darwin muttered.
"That's...I hate to say this but that's very 'Chrissy' of her."
"Venomous Mistress indeed." Elric nodded sagely.
Cedric shook his head inwardly. He probably surprised them by how sharp his senses were but he didn't care. Instead, he smiled at Chrissy who was walking towards them with a smug smile on her face.