Reincarnated Into A World Of Elves As The Only Man-Chapter 126: lyra powers

Lyra’s feet left the ground as wind currents lifted her with impossible speed, her white eyes blazing with newfound power as she rocketed toward Seven across the blood-soaked battlefield. Water gathered around her in spiraling tendrils, forming into razor-sharp projectiles that gleamed like liquid diamonds in the moonlight.

Seven turned from her slow advance on Elysia, black eyes widening with genuine surprise as the younger woman bore down on her with murderous intent. "Well, well," she purred, raising her decay-touched hands defensively. "The little bird has learned to fly."

Lyra’s first water spear struck the ground where Seven had been standing, carving a furrow three feet deep through frozen earth and stone. Seven rolled sideways with fluid grace, her corrupted armor scraping against debris as more aqueous projectiles peppered the area around her.

"You think this is amusing?" Lyra snarled, landing in a crouch twenty feet from her target. Water continued to orbit her body in violent spirals, each droplet sharp enough to cut flesh. "My mother is dying because of you."

Seven’s laughter echoed across the courtyard, harsh and bitter. "Child, I’ve been killing since before you learned to walk. Your little water tricks won’t save you when I touch that pretty face of yours."

A pressurized stream of water, narrow as a blade and twice as deadly, whistled past Seven’s ear. The decay master jerked backward, feeling the liquid edge part several strands of her silver hair. Where the water struck the rubble behind her, ancient stone exploded into fragments.

"Faster than I expected," Seven admitted, her casual demeanor shifting to wariness. She began circling left, keeping her distance while studying Lyra’s movements. "But water evaporates, little girl. Just like everything else in this world."

Lyra launched herself forward, water forming solid platforms beneath her feet as she closed the distance in unpredictable bounds. Each step solidified just long enough to propel her to the next position before dissolving back into the swirling mass around her body.

Seven lunged to meet her, corruption-touched fingers reaching for exposed flesh. But Lyra twisted in mid-air, her water responding to her will like an extension of her soul. A protective shell of hardened liquid encased her torso just as Seven’s palm struck.

Seven’s eyes flashed with triumph as her power touched the water barrier—then confusion as nothing happened. The liquid remained pure and clear, showing no signs of rot or corruption.

"Impossible," Seven breathed, her hand still pressed against the water shell. "Everything decays. Everything dies."

Lyra’s smile was cold as winter steel. "Not everything."

She exploded the water shell outward, hurling Seven backward across the courtyard. The decay master slammed into a crumbling wall, chunks of masonry raining down around her as she struggled to regain her footing.

Blood—black and viscous—ran from Seven’s nose and mouth. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, staining her pale lips. "Clever trick," she said, her voice rough with pain. "But you can’t maintain perfect water forever."

"Watch me," Lyra replied, gathering moisture from the air itself. The temperature around her dropped as she pulled water vapor from her surroundings, forming it into dozens of needle-thin projectiles that hovered around her like a deadly constellation.

Seven’s expression grew calculating. "Tell me, child," she called out, "Do you know what your brother really is? What he’s become under Kiran’s tender care?"

Lyra’s control flickered for just an instant, several water needles falling harmlessly to the ground. "Don’t you dare speak about Eren."

"Such a protective little sister," Seven continued mockingly. "Always trying to shield everyone from the truth. But some truths can’t be hidden forever."

The remaining water projectiles launched simultaneously, creating a deadly net that should have been impossible to dodge. But Seven moved with inhuman speed, corruption-enhanced reflexes carrying her through gaps in the attack that seemed too narrow for a human body.

Seven’s palm slammed into Lyra’s shoulder, but again the expected decay didn’t manifest. Instead, water flowed up from Lyra’s body to meet the attack, forming a barrier that Seven’s power couldn’t penetrate.

"How?" Seven demanded, genuine frustration creeping into her voice. She struck again and again, each time meeting the same impenetrable defense. "What are you?"

Taking advantage of Seven’s confusion, Lyra shaped the water around her hands into solid gauntlets. She drove her fist into Seven’s solar plexus, the impact accompanied by the sound of cracking ribs.

Seven doubled over, black blood spraying from her lips as she gasped for air. The corruption in her system immediately began repairing the damage, but not before Lyra followed up with an uppercut that snapped the decay master’s head back.

"Still think I’m just a child?" Lyra asked, water swirling around her in increasingly complex patterns.

Seven straightened slowly, her jaw visibly resetting itself. Her black eyes held a new respect, mixed with growing concern. "You’re something else entirely, aren’t you?"

The decay master began moving differently, no longer trying to close distance for direct attacks. Instead, she focused on the environment, pressing her palms against broken masonry and twisted metal. Wherever she touched, decay spread rapidly, weakening the structural integrity of their surroundings.

A section of wall began to crumble, massive stones falling toward Lyra’s position. She responded by creating a dome of hardened water above her head, but the impacts sent shockwaves through the liquid barrier that she felt in her bones.

Seven used the distraction to grab chunks of corroded metal, hurling them with inhuman strength. Lyra deflected them with water whips, but more projectiles followed in rapid succession.

"You can’t protect everything," Seven called out, pressing her advantage. She began systematically destroying cover points and stable footing, turning the battlefield into a treacherous maze of unstable debris.

A massive stone beam, weakened by decay, chose that moment to collapse directly overhead. Lyra threw up both hands, water forming a protective barrier, but the weight and momentum were tremendous. The barrier held for a heartbeat before developing stress fractures.

Seven was already moving, using the chaos to close distance. Her corrupted fingers reached for Lyra’s exposed throat, certain that this time she would find flesh instead of water.

But Lyra twisted at the last second, Seven’s hand passing through empty air as water carried the younger woman clear of immediate danger. She landed hard against a pile of rubble, her water armor flickering as her concentration wavered.

"Getting tired already?" Seven taunted, advancing with predatory confidence. "All that power, but you’re still just human underneath."

Seven’s hands began to glow with concentrated decay energy, corruption so intense it made the air itself seem to wither.

"Any last words, little bird?" she asked, savoring what she thought was her moment of victory.

Lyra looked up through blood-matted hair, her white eyes blazing with renewed fury. "Yes," she gasped. "You should have finished this when you had the chance."