Reincarnated Into A World Of Elves As The Only Man-Chapter 117: Maria vs vex

The fractured reality zones around Maria and Vex continued to shift and collapse, each pocket of altered physics demanding concentration to maintain. Maria felt sweat mixing with blood as it ran down her face, the strain of keeping multiple contradictory realities stable pushing her abilities to their limits.

’This isn’t working,’ she thought desperately, watching Vex’s fragmented form reassemble itself after their last exchange. ’She adapts too quickly to environmental changes. I’m burning through my strength too fast.’

Vex’s pieces flowed back together like mercury finding its natural shape, her cruel smile reforming as her consciousness settled back into a single form. "Growing tired already?" she taunted, wiping blood from her reformed mouth. "I’ve fought reality-benders before, child. They all make the same mistake—they think altering the battlefield guarantees victory."

Maria let her fractured reality zones collapse one by one, the effort of maintaining them becoming unbearable. As normal physics reasserted itself, she staggered, the sudden return to conventional space-time leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

’Damn it. She’s right. I’ve wasted too much energy on those zones while she just adapted to them. I’m in serious trouble here.’

"Finally admitting defeat?" Vex asked, advancing with renewed confidence. Her form began to blur again, splitting into multiple versions that moved independently. "Good. Death will come easier if you don’t struggle."

Maria drew her blade—a simple steel sword, nothing magical about it. Her hand trembled slightly from exhaustion, and she had to grip the hilt tighter to keep it steady.

’Magic isn’t working. Maybe basic swordplay will fare better, but against someone like her? I’m probably dead.’

The duplicates attacked in coordinated waves, each one wielding different weapons that materialized from thought itself. Maria parried desperately, her blade meeting strikes from daggers, swords, and even a morning star that shouldn’t have been able to manifest so quickly.

A curved blade sliced across her shoulder, drawing first blood. The pain was sharp and immediate, making her cry out. Another caught her across the thigh, and Maria stumbled backward, her defense becoming increasingly ragged as she struggled to track multiple opponents at once.

’Too many of them. I can’t keep up. Every wound is real, every mistake might be my last.’

"Is this the legendary Commander Maria?" Vex laughed, her main form staying back while her duplicates pressed the attack. "The woman who supposedly killed three master assassins single-handedly? You’re barely competent with that sword."

One of the duplicates managed to get inside Maria’s guard, driving an elbow into her ribs with bone-crushing force. Maria doubled over, gasping, blood speckling the snow at her feet. The pain was excruciating—she felt at least two ribs crack from the impact.

’Can’t breathe properly. Getting dizzy from blood loss. This is bad. Really bad.’

Maria raised her blade to block another strike, but the weapon was knocked from her grasp, spinning away to land in the blood-soaked snow several paces distant. She fell to one knee, defenseless as five duplicates surrounded her with weapons raised.

’This is it. I miscalculated badly. Thought I was stronger than this, but she’s just too skilled.’

"Pathetic," Vex sneered, her real form finally stepping forward. "I expected better from someone with your reputation. Perhaps the stories were exaggerated."

Terror gripped Maria’s heart as she realized how outmatched she truly was. The duplicates struck as one, blades converging on her from every angle. She screamed as steel bit into flesh, her body jerking with each impact. Blood sprayed across the snow as the weapons found their marks, carving deep wounds across her arms, back, and torso.

The pain was overwhelming—white-hot agony that made her vision blur and her thoughts scatter. She felt her life ebbing away with each heartbeat, warm blood pooling beneath her as she collapsed face-first into the crimson slush.

’Dying. Actually dying. Can’t move, can’t think. Everything hurts so much. Failed everyone, failed the mission.’

Vex watched with satisfaction as Maria’s body convulsed with death throes. "Disappointing. I was hoping for more of a challenge."

She walked forward casually, her duplicates still standing guard around the fallen commander. "Your mistake was thinking reality manipulation made you untouchable. But illusions are just lies told convincingly, and I—"

"Am terrible at detecting them."

The voice came from directly behind Vex, calm and completely uninjured. The royal guard spun around, eyes widening in absolute shock, just as Maria’s blade sliced across her hamstring. Vex dropped to one knee with a cry of pain and rage, her duplicates immediately dissipating as her concentration shattered.

The Maria that had been brutally slaughtered was already fading, revealing itself as an extraordinarily detailed illusion. The blood, the wounds, even the death throes—all of it had been perfectly crafted deception.

"You bitch," Vex snarled, struggling to stand on her wounded leg. "When did you—how long have you been hiding?"

"Since the moment I drew my sword," Maria replied, unable to keep the smugness from her voice despite her exhaustion. "Did you really think I’d give up reality manipulation for simple steel? The blade was just misdirection."

She gestured weakly, and the space around them shimmered slightly. "Everything you’ve been fighting for the last five minutes was an illusion. A very sophisticated one—I had to experience every wound, every moment of pain, to make it believable."

’Though it nearly killed me anyway. That level of sensory illusion while maintaining physical displacement... I’m running on fumes now.’

Vex’s expression cycled through disbelief, rage, and finally grudging respect. "The blood, the screams—it was all fake?"

"The sensations were real enough for me," Maria said, swaying slightly on her feet. "That’s what made it convincing. I felt every cut your duplicates made, experienced the pain of dying. But my actual body was safely hidden while my consciousness controlled the illusion."

’And I’m paying for it now. Phantom pain is still pain when it’s that realistic. I can barely stand.’

Vex attempted to split into duplicates again, but her injured leg threw off her balance, and the copies flickered unstably. "Clever," she admitted through gritted teeth. "But you’ve revealed your trick now. It won’t work twice."

"Won’t it?" Maria asked, though her voice lacked its usual confidence.

She began to circle Vex, her movements more cautious now, clearly struggling with exhaustion. "The thing about advanced illusions is that once someone knows they’ve been fooled, they start doubting everything."

’But I can’t do it again. Don’t have the strength for another layered deception like that. This has to end quickly.’

Vex’s eyes darted around nervously, trying to detect any signs of illusion. "You’re bluffing. You couldn’t maintain multiple layers while fighting—the concentration required alone would—"

"Would what?" Maria interrupted, suddenly appearing three feet to the left, though the movement seemed to cost her considerable effort.

The original Maria flickered and vanished, but Vex noticed how the new position wasn’t as solid-looking as before. "Which one is real?" Maria asked, though her voice seemed strained. "Does it matter? You’re injured, off-balance..."

’And so am I. Come on, take the bait. I need you to make a mistake because I don’t have much left.’

Vex lashed out at the Maria figure, her blade passing through harmlessly, but she noticed the illusion dispersed more quickly than before, less stable. A second attack met the same result, but Vex was beginning to sense her opponent’s weakness.

"The problem with fighters like you," Maria said, though she was clearly struggling to maintain even basic illusions now, "is that you rely too heavily on brute force."

’Please work. This is my last gambit.’

Vex stopped attacking the obvious illusions, standing still in the center of the space. "Then show me," she snarled. "Stop hiding behind tricks and face me properly."

"As you wish."

A single Maria appeared directly in front of Vex with sword lowered, looking genuinely exhausted and vulnerable. Vex smiled grimly and charged, her wounded leg forgotten in anticipation of victory. Her blade swept toward Maria’s neck in a killing stroke.

It passed through empty air.

Maria materialized directly behind Vex, where she’d been standing concealed for the entire final exchange. Her hand shot out, grabbing Vex by the throat with surprising strength for someone so clearly exhausted. Her other fist connected with the side of Vex’s head with brutal efficiency. The royal guard’s body went limp immediately.

"The thing about illusions," Maria said to the unconscious woman, letting her crumple to the blood-stained snow, "is that the best ones make you think you’ve already seen through them."

She looked down at Vex’s still form, swaying slightly from exhaustion and the aftereffects of the phantom pain she’d endured. "Sometimes the most effective weapon isn’t the sharpest blade or the strongest magic. It’s simply making your opponent think they understand what’s happening."

Maria wiped her knuckles on her sleeve, noting they were barely bruised despite the decisive blow. The entire brutal deception had cost her enormous mental effort, but ultimately achieved victory through misdirection rather than raw power.