Boom!Crack!
The strength behind the attack made John's feet sink into the pavement, with the ground around cracking like a spider web.
The air swirled strongly, making the students rushing back to the building feel slightly pushed by the pressure from the wind. And if that wasn't enough to brag about the force of the impact, people inside the school observing the fight could see the windows in front of them shaking, threatening to break if a bit more of strength was applied.
But besides all the destruction caused by the attack, the one who suffered it hadn't moved in the slightest.
Shit! If it was me back then from my fight with Sofya, I would be crushed under her hand now. John thought, feeling the pressure the dragoness was trying to impose on him through her hand.
However, when she noticed the small person under her claw didn't move in the slightest upon receiving her attack, a bit of surprise showed in her expression.
That resulted in a short calmness after the first clash, which attracted someone's attention.
The few seconds of silence made Hope take the decision of turning around, fearing something might've happened.
Thankfully, the sight brought her some relief, but the feeling was lingering. Soon after her sigh scattered into the wind, it was her boyfriend's turn to act.
Pushing the claw over his head away, John created a small opening. Then, by propelling himself up a little bit off the ground, he threw a kick on the side of the woman's head.
Bang!
As easily as the young man, the woman blocked the kick by raising her right arm. The impact made her white robes billow ferociously and the ground to break even more.
Seeing his attack had no effect on her, John narrowed his eyes. This will be a hard fight.
The response to his thoughts was the woman grabbing hold of John's right leg to impede him from moving as she lashed her other hand at him, attempting to pierce his face with her claws.
However, even if he felt his leg wouldn't budget under the iron grip of the woman, that didn't mean John couldn't escape from the attack.
When the obsidian claw was just a few centimeters from his face, John's eyes glowed in a menacingly crimson light.
Two rays of red light pulsed forward, stirring the air around them as they made contact with the black scales of the woman's hand.
Tss….
Out of instinct, the woman pulled her hand back when she felt her very scales – that could sustain the hotness of pure magma – burn by just coming into contact with these rays of light.
Taking advantage of her surprise, John freed his leg from her claw. But instead of retreating, he moved forward. He loaded his fist and threw a punch at her torso, hoping for the fist to connect.
Bang!
To his dislike, she blocked him again.
"You will need to do better if you wish to harm me, young one." She said while sliding back over the gravel.
Listening to her, John huffed. "Hmph, I tell the same, old lady."
The woman's eyelid twitched when she listened to how John referred to her, a small movement that didn't escape John's eyes.
It seems calling a woman old is a bad thing, even among dragons. John thought, exhaling. Does that mean I'm fucked up?
As if to answer his doubt, John saw the ground beneath the woman's feet break.
John blinked – and when he noticed – the woman was right in front of him. The air flow around her was a mess, with the minimal movement of hers changing the wind drastically. As he observed her, John noticed one thing: The sound had yet to reach him.
Boom!
Like a lightning had struck the parking lot, a thunderous sound spread all over the lands occupied by the Salvatore School. It was strong enough for all the windows facing the entrance to break. Shrapnels of glass blasted towards the school's inner side, injuring some students and professors who were watching the fight.
And that was not the worst. The worst was reserved for John, the one person who had to block the strike that surpassed the speed of sound.
Fuck!
BOOM!
…
"You are not going out there!" Alaric shouted, holding Hope's arm.
"You want me to stay here just watching?! Let me fucking go." Hope said, pulling her arm and freeing herself.
However, before she could take a step further, Alaric stepped in front of her. "Are you out of your mind? Are you not listening to the clashes out there?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of the clash between John and the woman echoed through the school, scaring even more the students and even some professors.
The school's structure shook slightly after every booming sound coming from outside, showing just how insane the fight outside was.
However, despite Alaric's words of alert, Hope didn't find the reason good enough to not go. "John is out there alone, fighting whatever that woman is, I'll help him."
"And do what?!" Alaric shouted, attracting everyone's attention. "Don't you see how fast they are moving?! They are blurs, it's easier to follow the air. We can only know where they went by the destruction caused by their strikes." He said to her, looking through the frame of what once was a window. "This is not a fight we can help, Hope. This is on the level only your uncles can interfere. Even an ancient vampire would be turned to shreds if they met their hands!"
Suddenly, Hope stepped forward and stood an inch away from Alaric. She raised her finger and pointed at him. "You may not be able, but I can. And if I can, then damned may I be if I leave the person I love to fend off by himself!"
Having said that, Hope ran towards the entrance door.
When she opened it, she saw the same scene she was watching from inside. Two blurred figures moving as if they were ghosts, leaving cracks on the ground they passed and turning the cars their strikes landed into pieces of wreckage.
Come on, focus! Hope said to herself, her eyes instantly taking a color similar to amber.
From that moment forward, the two figures in her eyes slow down a little bit in her perspective. They still seemed like blurs, but their forms were now easy to spot.
"O mors, alis tuis frigidis quae omnia entia attingunt…" With her eyes locked on the woman, Hope started to chant a spell. One not taught at the school due to its rule of 'non-lethal spells only'.
While she prepared the spell, John and the woman noticed the movement. As someone versed in the language used by Hope to cast her spells, he was already forming an idea of what she was preparing. Meanwhile, the woman didn't share the same kind of knowledge as the young man. Still, she knew whatever spell was being cast, it was meant to be used against her.
Boom!
"Not on my watch!" John shouted, moving to intercept the woman who tried to reach Hope.
They collided mid-air, making them pass through a nearby wall, adding more destruction to the school's entrance.
Amidst the dust of the debris, feeling the young man holding her in an attempt to stop her from approaching the spell-caster, a decision was made.
Even if he couldn't see well due to how close they were and the dust in his eyes, John could still listen to the sound of bones dislodging and feel an insanely high heat coming from the woman he was holding.
"Hope, barrier!" John shouted just in time.
Following his words, a small light amidst the dust exploded with great power. It dispersed the dusty cloud and showed the scene in it.
Beyond the walls and melted gates, the woman held John with both of her arms. Her mouth – which was open in a disproportionate way – was aimed at him. Flames escaped between the gaps of her teeth, with them exploding on him and moving towards the school building as a wave of pure fire.
Hope was forced to stop the spell she was casting and raise her hands, making use of her insane amount of magic to cast a barrier in front of the school building.
BOOM!
The fire and barrier clashed, revealing the latter's shape since it was transparent.
"John!!!" Hope screamed from behind the barrier, trying to see anything in the fire.
I'm fine. John transmitted to her through their telepathic link, bringing much relief to her.
Boom! Boom!
People could hear explosions coming from inside the fire, with them soon realizing what was happening when parts of cars hit the barrier.
From inside the school, Alaric barked orders. "Everyone who can help, do so by casting more barriers!"
The professors who weren't taking care of the younger students and witches from the last years of high school stepped forward and lent their magic into the barrier, strengthening it and relieving some of the burden on Hope.
The fire lasted for only a dozen seconds, maybe less. When it dispersed, gasps and the dull sounds of steps retreating could be heard when the destruction the fire brought was revealed.
It could be said the parking lot was gone, nothing of the vegetation decorating remained. The tar and concrete made to create the ground melted or cracked, making it look like a dryland.
And if that sight was not enough to scare them regarding the power behind that fire, they only needed to see the result of the one person who received it face forward.
Despite his attempt to keep the fire away by creating a barrier around him with magic and his telekinesis, the fire still reached John. Now, a quarter of his skin was burned and some parts of his flesh were charcoaled. To make it worse, he was almost naked. The dust of his shirt had already scattered and his shorts almost couldn't keep his private parts hidden.
Still, despite his poor situation and the pain he was going through, John chuckled while he smiled up at the woman. "Is that all you got, bitch?"
"Hmph."
Boom!
With a strong punch to his chest, John saw his surroundings turned into a blur as he was sent flying through the air.
Even the barrier created by Hope was broken when he hit it.
Crack! Track! Bang!
He went through the school walls and passed by the rooms and halls in the way, with him soon seeing the backyards of the school. Thankfully, he didn't collide with any one on his path.
As he started to lose speed, John's body slid over the grass, hitting it a few times before he collided against a tree at the entrance of the forest – finally stopping.
"Urgh… shit. That hurt." He muttered, a trace of vividly crimson blood running down the right corner of his lips. "What the hell was that fire?" He weakly asked himself, trying to stand up.
John did so slowly, feeling the energy running through his veins healing his injuries. "Okay, I guess we gotta have a Round 2." He said, his magic swirling out of his veins.
…
After sending the young man to the other side of the building, the woman grunted when she tried to take a step forward.
Looking down, she noticed a cut in her abdomen, noticing it fit well the size of the boy's fingers.
At that time? She recalled the moment from a couple seconds ago.
At the same time her fist connected with his chest, John had used the moment and the most he could muster of his strength after suffering from the fire to strike. It was at that exact moment she hit him that an opening was made and he made use of it by casting a spell at the tip of his fingers to give them a certain edge. He also accelerated his attacks by pushing his arm forward with his telekinesis, using it as a small boost.
Am I that rusty from staying so long in that darkness? She thought. By exerting her will over the wound, she was capable of closing it and stopping the bleeding.
When the last drops of her boiling blood touched the ground, the woman looked up ahead. That girl… she is special. She thought when looking at Hope.
Hope – to her own credit – didn't cower under the pair of crimson reptilian eyes. Right now, when looking at the woman, the only emotion running in her eyes was anger.
By seeing the person she loved injured and sent through the building, Hope had seemingly forgotten everything around her. Out of rage, her hands curled into fists, with blood cascading between her fingers from her nails sinking into her skin.
"I'm gonna kill you." She muttered under her breath, the space around behaving differently due to the magic escaping from her.
Feeling the weight from the magic exuded by the girl, a frown appeared on the woman's semblance. "I do not have the time for this."
With the temperature rising and the air distorting, it seemed a fight was about to break between the two women.
However, just before the first attack could be thrown, the two of them turned their eyes to the human-shaped hole in the school's building, listening to the footsteps coming from inside it.
The louder the steps became, the easier it was to notice a change in the environment. The air would crackle every so often, with sparkles of electricity flying out more and more with every step.
Whoosh…
The winds changed directions and the clouds up high started to gather, denying those on land to take a glimpse at the blue, darkening sky.
Ignoring the weak zaps of electricity she felt over her skin, Hope moved her hand to get a better sense of what she was feeling in the air. Magic?
Hope–
Listening to her name being called, Hope turned to see her boyfriend walking out of the hole in the wall. Around him were small strings made of pure electricity, swimming around him like eels.
His eyes weren't the same, with them not fully covered by a veil of golden hue, with them illuminating the very space ahead of him.
–could you do me a favor? He asked, keeping his eyes on the opponent all the time.
What is it?
Retreat back into the school and protect everyone. Put a barrier around the entire school if possible. I wonder just how much I'll have to pay Dr. Saltzman for so much destruction.
Hope furrowed her eyebrows. Forget the school's condition! I'm not leaving you alone to fight that bitch by yourself. I'm helping you.
These words earned a gentle smile from John, who turned around to meet his girlfriend's worried blue eyes. Hope, dear, I love you for worrying about me. But truthfully, by doing what I said, I will be much more comfortable in this fight knowing you are keeping everyone safe.
But–
Please, do it for me. John pleaded to her, turning his back to her to face his opponent once again. I will be okay. By the end of the day, I will be resting on your arms.
With a struggling expression, Hope seemed to have needed minutes to come up with a decision despite the entire conversation lasting only a few seconds.
After this is over, we are gonna have a serious conversation about you making stupid decisions.
John quietly laughed. Sure, love. He said, soon hearing Hope's footsteps retreating back into the school. "So, where did we stop?"
"You are unscathed." The woman said, noticing there was no injury left on the boy's body.
Looking at himself, John tilted his head. "Well… I'm almost naked, so I guess it counts as not fully recovering from that attack." He said, casting one more spell on his remaining clothes to ensure he wouldn't be naked in the anticipated clash. "But you are not wrong either. If you want to take the dagger and the boy, you will have to do way more than that."
"You will not step away? Will you risk your safety and of others around you for a weapon and one person only?"
John was momentarily silent after listening to the woman. "You are not aware of it, but I am very pissed off right now. Imagine planning something to avoid a situation and that same situation still unfolds. Then, right after, a stranger knocks on your home and demands you to deliver something that belongs to you and a guest of yours. What would you do in those circumstances?"
There wasn't a need for a verbal response, the woman's silence was enough to say of her opinion.
"That's what I thought." John said. "So–"
Before John completed his words, he interrupted himself when seeing the woman's expression violently shifting. From how she behaved, it seemed she was trying to support a level of pain that none of his attacks brought to her.
By the end of whatever she felt, a deep sigh of relief escapes the woman's lips. "Sorry, I do not have much time."
"I can see that…" John muttered, taking a closer look at the woman. "Does it have anything to do with the whisper in your mind?"
…
The words spoken by the young man seemed to have triggered a switch in the very environment, as if they worked to bring absolute silence to the world.
Even the drops of rain starting to fall and hit the ground sounded mute to everyone's ears.
I guess I triggered something. John narrowed his eyes, preparing himself for whatever was about to come.
The woman's eyes were solemn. Ever since the beginning of their encounter, the serenity and determination she demonstrated were never as high as now.
"What is your name?" She asked.
Knowing where this was probably going, John smiled. "John Néo."
"I am Awyr-Dyllu, born from the Gwaed Lludw." Pride and confidence were intertwined to her voice, with the crimson of her eyes boiling the rain drops passing in front of her. "And across the Tribes of Prydain, I have never known defeat."
Despite the foreboding feeling gnawing on his neck, all John could do was smile widely. Okay, Malenia. He chuckled. "Until today…"
Whoosh!
Suddenly, without any previous sign, a strong wave of magic was exuded from Awyr. It was strong enough to affect the entire air around the school grounds. Winds behaved like violent whips that left dents on the grass and attempted to root out trees and bushes.
Feeling the pressure of the wind on his skin, John put his playfulness away and became more serious. "That's what I'm talking about."
Amidst the tornado of magic, the shape of Awyr's body could be seen to change. She grew in size and her humanoid form was lost. The crimson of her eyes and her tail expanded while two new limbs seemed to sprout from her back.
The transformation was fast, not even taking a second for it to be completed.
Certainly, during this time frame, John could have acted in an attempt to gain an upper hand in the fight that was to come. However, he was slightly distasteful of that idea.
Fuoohh!
At the end of that one second, the magic and wind around Awyr were pushed away by two enormous wings that could obscure the entire parking lot from the sun.
The mere movement of her tail demolished the remaining parts of the wall still standing and every step of hers made the ground shake.
Looking up at those crimson deadly eyes, John reconsidered his earlier thought. Malenia? Hmph, apparently I will be fighting Balerion instead
Unaware of his thoughts, the dragon opened her wings and raised her head to the dark sky.
"ROAR!"
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