Assimilate All Talents

The two stared at each other in silence again.

"You looked at my status?" Lapis asked, not in an angry, accusatory tone, but with curiosity, assuming that was how he knew.

Surprisingly, Sol shook his head. "No, I noticed another way."

He had seen her tethers and noticed there was a light golden one that stood out from the rest. Before, he could only guess what a tether did by inspecting it, but with his recently obtained law technique, [Lesser Channel Control], he gained deeper insights. He could tell it was related to reincarnation, and if she used it, it could grant her massive amounts of power.

'I know it's not enough to win here, but I just don't get why she doesn't want to use it.' He knew she could be stubborn, but he didn't understand the reason.

"I don't need her help." Lapis stated, ready to dodge any other surprise attacks.

'Her?' This wasn't something he could see from the tether. He initially guessed it was because there was some cost associated with it, but hearing it was for such a simple reason left him baffled.

"I thought we were here to fight with all our strength. If you don't plan to take this seriously, I'll head back."

Lapis frowned slightly. "I am serious. If I win, it has to be because of me and my own ability. There's no point in winning with someone else's help."

She still wanted to continue, but it had to be with her own abilities, not with external aid.

"Your own power?" Sol found her obstinance ridiculous. "C'mon, I know you can be stubborn at times, but calling for help isn't a bad thing. This is like a summoner spell or skill. If we stop using whatever we don't consider our own power, then what—should we stop using weapons as well?"

If Sol followed her standards, wouldn't he be unable to use most of his skills? He hadn't learned them himself; he siphoned them from others. It was, in a way, stolen power.

"That's not the same. I wield the spear." she countered, finding his analogy incorrect. She was strong because of her spearmanship. Without it, she couldn't truly fight.

"Yeah, but you didn't make it, did you? It was forged by someone else. And what about allies? Are they not allowed to help you in fights?"

"If it's a real battle, then maybe."

'This is going nowhere…'

Lapis's stubbornness was too much, and for her own sake, he had to take a more direct approach.

"Then treat this as a real battle!"

Sol swung his Lipon, sending another [Mana Slash] her way. Lapis leaped to the side toward her spear, retrieving it in one fluid motion.

As she readied herself, she felt the ground tremble slightly beneath her. Her instincts screamed danger, and she jumped away just as a ring of stone spikes erupted from the ground where she had stood.

She was surprised, knowing that if she hadn't moved in time, it could have killed her.

Sol kept up his assault, sending much stronger attacks her way. Lapis dodged, increasing the distance between them. Her attribute enhancing skills were about to run out, and staying too close would leave her vulnerable.

"You're not getting away that easily!"

Before she could retreat further, a dome of shadows enveloped the two, spanning a hundred foot radius. She fired multiple magic spearheads at it, but the dome repaired itself instantly.

Trapped inside the barrier, Sol gave a final ultimatum. "You can either call for her help or surrender. But know this: if you surrender, I'll assign you to guard duty for three months. And on top of that, I will never, and I truly mean never, battle you again."

If pushing her through battle wouldn't work, he would target where it really mattered, her pride. If this didn't work, he would have to give up, as he didn't actually want to injure her too badly.

Lapis clenched her spear tightly, frowning deeply. Like Sol, she abhorred guard duty, seeing it as a complete waste of time that took away from mastering her skills. But the worst punishment was the latter. If she could never fight Sol again, she'd never have the chance to claim victory. Momentary defeat was one thing, but to never have the opportunity to win was unacceptable. Sol understood this well, which is why he added that condition.

Though still unwilling, she finally muttered begrudgingly, "Fine... you can help me."

Only Sol and Lapis were inside the dome, yet another voice echoed through the space. It was a feminine voice that sounded far away, but at the same time, right next to them.

"I'll help you this time, but your attitude needs some work."

Suddenly, Lapis was enveloped in a golden light as a humanoid figure floated out from within her. It was a beautiful ethereal woman with long golden hair, glowing brightly. Her most striking feature, however, was the two extra sets of arms she had.

"To think you can't escape such a simple barrier. I'm truly disappointed in this incarnation of me."

She waved her arm, sending a golden pulse that rang like chimes. The pulse reached the shadow dome, instantly shattering it.

With the night sky now visible, the ethereal woman turned to Sol, who had been silently watching.

"I think you've made her run around long enough. Now, it's your turn." The ethereal woman said as she looked down at Sol like he was an ant she could easily crush.

Chakrams appeared in all six of her hands, her intent to attack clear.

Sol could feel the very real threat she presented, but he didn't run away. Before she struck, he pointed below her and said, "Stop. Look at what you're doing to Lapis."

The ethereal woman looked down at Lapis, who was kneeling on the ground, panting and on the verge of collapse.

"She's still too weak to sustain me." the woman said with visible dissatisfaction. "We'll have to settle this another time. Take care of her."

As abruptly as she had appeared, the ethereal woman vanished back into Lapis. The golden glow faded, and the pain she was enduring went away, but she was still haggard from the experience.

Sol walked over and handed her some potions to recover her energy and heal her wounds. It took a while, but soon, the effects of the potions set in, and she was back on her feet.

"Thanks." Lapis said, trying to hide her exhaustion, though her body betrayed her.

Sol nodded and looked at where the ethereal woman had been moments ago. "So, she's you from a past life… I can see the similarities."

With the knowledge that the tether was related to reincarnation, and from what the woman had said about her disappointment in this incarnation, it was an easy conclusion to reach.

Lapis glared at him and said, "She's not me. I may have been her in a past life, but we are nothing alike."

Sol stayed silent as he felt her cold gaze, almost identical to the one the ethereal woman had given him. Even their tones and manner of speaking were similar. How could he not see the resemblance?

But he had pushed her enough today. He wasn't going to make it worse by pointing that out, so instead, he said, "I wonder who she was when she was alive. I don't think I've heard of anyone like her."

It was obvious to him that the woman had been a powerful figure when she was alive, but he hadn't heard or read of anyone like her and he was pretty sure a six armed woman would have stood out. He also wasn't entirely sure if she was human.

Lapis shrugged. "No idea."

"How do you not know? Can't you ask her?"

He wasn't sure how long Lapis had been connected to her past self, but he assumed it started when she was revived. If so, it had been a while since then, and he found it odd that she didn't even know her name.

Lapis shook her head. "When I was brought back to life, she was just suddenly there. She doesn't talk much, but when she does, it's usually to criticize what I'm doing. It was distracting, so I tried shutting her out, and it worked. I've mostly been ignoring her since then."

'You shut her out because she was annoying you?' He couldn't understand why she would do such a thing instead of trying to get to know her past self. If she had, maybe he wouldn't have had such a hard time fighting the Bliss Spider.

He thought about it further and realized it would be best for her to get along with her past self. Ignoring her could lead to bigger problems down the line.

"Have you considered working together? You saw how powerful she was. If you were stronger, she could've fully manifested." Sol suggested.

Lapis was still reluctant. "I want my strength to come from me, not her."

"Then what about making use of what she knows? Someone that powerful must know a lot, including certain things about A-Rankers that I'm not allowed to disclose."

Her eyes widened slightly at his not so subtle hint, and she nodded. While she didn't want to use the woman's power, she wasn't against using her knowledge to improve herself.

"I'll ask her."

Sol sighed in relief, glad to finally make some progress with her.

'I hope they get along.'

There was a slight worry that they could end up at odds, but as far as he understood, they were stuck with each other now, for better or for worse.

Lapis looked at her spear and said, "And once I reach A-Rank, we'll have another rematch."

"Haha, fine by me." Sol laughed. Somehow, this seemed more important to her than getting to know her past life, but he welcomed the challenge nonetheless.