Best of Five: NoName vs. Adella

Adella had seen Nami up close, so she knew all about her monstrous combat prowess. Still, she believed she had a solid chance against Nami in this duel.

'Without a weapon, even a swordmaster is just a regular human.'

But what the hell was this?

Nami casually brushed off her empty hands—no weapon in sight—and assumed a ready stance.

"You sure this'll work? Even with aura, no magic, bare hands—you're dead meat no matter what."

Adella kept her tension high despite the taunt. Her opponent was that sly NoNami. She planned to probe for whatever Nami was relying on.

"Adella."

"What."

"You scared of me?"

"Pfft, no?"

Caught off guard, Adella drew her two daggers.

'Scared my ass...!'

When Nami first claimed to be seven, Adella hadn't bought it. She thought it was a ploy to pretend she was in VR. But seeing her acquaintances dote on her suspiciously shook her first, and when Nami shared her capsule ordeal, Adella finally believed it.

Still weird as hell. Maybe the imprint effect, but kid Nami felt off-puttingly alien. Nami's mature WoA avatar body felt way more natural.

"Adella, but technically, you're a newborn."

"No! My past got fabricated, but I'm eighteen for real."

She wouldn't yield on age. Pride on the line. Adella aimed to win this duel and claim the big sis title.

With one-on-one duel settings done, Nami set countdown to 10 seconds. HP at 5,000, mana 2,000, regen 5/sec. Short burst fight likely.

The two girls locked cold stares. The lively vibe froze solid.

Even PDs and viewers felt the tension vicariously.

Fireworks signaled the start. Adella gripped her daggers and charged straight at Nami—linear but freely pivotable footwork.

Nami lowered her stance aggressively, unfazed.

'Planning to block a sword with her hand? As if.'

Adella tilted her body, right foot back. Sparks crackled from Nami's fist.

Adella's ears twitched instinctively at the danger.

'Dodge... gotta dodge!'

Nami's fully drawn-back fist rocketed forward.

Boooom-!

Adella's eyes widened at the sandstorm whirlwind.

"That's a straight-up natural disaster!"

Can't block a fist with a sword? Opposite. Trying would have swept her whole body.

Nami's mana halved—hopeful, can't repeat. But Adella would've lost if she hadn't dodged.

"How's my self-defense?"

"Nobody calls that self-defense!"

Damn brat. If that's all she had, outcome obvious. Adella smirked and charged again.

Her silhouette vanished from Nami's view. Nami checked low—blind spot exploited, Adella cat-low, stabbing up.

Clang-

Nami aura-barriered her leg, deflecting—but imperfect, minor HP loss.

Adella twisted midair acrobatically, swinging the other dagger at Nami's heart.

Clang-clang-!

Blocks swings and thrusts. Nami parried Adella's three-hit combo flawlessly amid the acrobatics.

"As expected, sis has killer dynamic vision?"

"That all?"

"Nope! More!"

Adella drew two more from her garter, hurling at head and gut. She stomped, kicking up sand.

Nami deflected easily—but Adella closed in for the same spinning slash.

Adella read ahead here.

"Here...! Nah, here! Fooled ya!"

Left dagger feint jab at head, right deep thigh slice combo. Nami crouched to block—chance!

Weeeeng-

The thrown daggers were wired to her ankles by thin threads. Recalled, they targeted Nami's back.

Ditch block and jump? Left dagger waiting. Perfect trap predicting all paths.

"Hehe, no escaping th—"

Puk-

"Used your head, Adella."

"Huh?"

Adella saw: Nami, crouched, focused all aura to fingertips into a blade.

Nami's thigh gashed deep, two daggers in back. But elbow shot out unhesitating.

Adella's world grayed.

Shaky-eyed, she glanced down—Nami's fingertips at her heart.

"I got lucky. Went all-in expecting mutual kill."

"No way..."

Nami withdrew—soapy bubbles clung to her arm.

"1-0."

"Kids' games this intense nowadays?"

"Kinda brutal too."

"WoA's not supposed to be like this!"

PDs knew pretty magic, clunky swords, arrows, shields. But the girls amped graphics and physics to extremes. All ages loved it.

Round 2: Nami win. Adella gave heart again from overconfidence but didn't doubt her approach.

Round 3: Similar plan, no dagger recall. Kept Nami minding positions, pressuring till gap.

Nami crossed arms X to block overhead smash.

'Only chance now!'

Even if Nami all-in again, prepared. Nami aura-heel-snipped thread. Flying dagger hit rock, spun up.

Nami snatched midair, flew at Adella.

"Phew... 3-0."

"You said no weapons!"

"It's your weapon, Adella."

"Aaaargh! That's just cheating!"

5 out of 3 decided, but pride wouldn't allow quit. Reading her eyes, Nami tossed back daggers, requested rematch.

"Why?"

"Best of five. Gotta fill all five."

"Fine. You won anyway. Whatever—"

"Life ain't a game, Adella."

"Huh?"

"In game, I'd duo ten, twenty rounds to save you. Reality? One shot. Sometimes you know you'll lose but push on—that's life. Don't wanna see you learn to give up easy."

Game and reality differ. Duoing WoA showed Adella's quick quits: lost round? Next one, no stress.

Nami hated that. Like how she lost mom in capsule yet clung to game without quitting.

She hoped Adella lived likewise.

"Give it your all. Your limits ain't here."

With body in reality, she'd bear responsibility. Overeat? Fat. Lazy? Sick. Body blessing and curse.

Mulling that, Adella spun dagger on finger, tossed skyward. Caught handle-hole precisely with another—old trick, now blindfolded easy post-Nami training.

Even two Adella wins? Nami victor. But future unknown, as Nami said.

"Come at me, sis. Gonna wreck that pretty face."

"Now that's you."

Adella deep-breathed.

'Lose this, I'm dead.'

Round 4: Felt 7th-circle murder spell at back. Poured all into 5-min bloodbath—won barely.

Round 5: Nami full HP wipe in 10 seconds. Total rout.

A girl entered a Seoul community center with cameras in tow. Puzzled clerks heard from crew: Genius Discovery Team shoot.

"Can I get a resident ID?"

Cute kid got kind reply.

"Resident IDs from 17! How old this year?"

"I'm 8, but not for me—Adella's. She's 18."

"Who's Adella...?"

"Um... she's VR data-only—"

"Oh, that AI? AIs can't get IDs...!"

"Legally tough?"

"Y-yeah... sorry!"

Wanting to indulge the innocence but duty first. Nami hopped off chair, left.

Cloudy week? Lie—clear blue sky now. Autumn vibes incoming.

PD, worried for hurt feelings: "Nami okay?"

"Me? No biggie. Can't force them to bend rules. That's malicious complaining."

Crew melted at her empathy.

Nami thumbed phone busily, turned satisfied to PDs.

"Next schedule? IQ test you mentioned?"

Nami gifted Adella: 1st-circle unique magic Adella copyright.

Contacted 40 embassies for citizenship—Japan quickest yes.

[Adella: ?]