Samael's third affinity was a rather atypical one. It was known as the Martial Affinity.
What did Martial Mancy look like? Pure dominance.
SHAH!
Samael stepped forward, his spear spinning parallel to his palm, akin to a wind turbine, as he did so, clashing head-on with the twins.
One dove low, his long, dark purple dagger—reeking of poison—aiming for Samael's knees and Achilles heel, while the other pierced upward for Samael's throat and eye.
With the spear, all that mattered was the flow, the smoothness, and the control of it—and Samael embodied it perfectly, as the constant spinning arc of his spear shifted into a rising cleave that parried the second twin's attack, shattering his guard and leaving him exposed.
Smoothly, Samael's attention redirected, and his earth mancy came into action. The very grass beneath his feet moved to forcefully pull his lower half back, like a rug yanked from beneath him, allowing him to narrowly dodge the first twin's attack.
Though it worked, it threw him off balance and left him falling toward the ground. But as if he'd anticipated it, his previous upward cleave cycled back, performing an arc and planting itself into the ground—providing just enough support for him to regain his footing and dodge the second twin's follow-up strike.
The first twin, still low and close to the floor, barely had time to react when Samael's blade cut into his shoulder and a foot slammed into his jaw with brutal force.
Samael pressed forward, but Reina immediately cut in from the left, her palm already in motion, swiping across his figure with a powerful gust of emerald wind.
Samael was blown back—and instantly, a fiendish light erupted not only within Reina's gaze but in the twins' as well.
As if they fell into a trance that unified them, they stepped forward together. Both twins unfurled a set of small blades from their backs and hurled them forward.
Samael frowned, zipping through them with ease as he mitigated the effects of Reina's mancy with his earth affinity, using it to stabilize and regain his balance.
But suddenly, his gaze widened. He ducked, then rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a thrust from one of the twins that nearly struck his spine.
'…Space mancy?'
From the roll, he rotated on his back, sweeping the twin's feet with a circular kick. In one seamless motion, he stood up, his spear rolling into his palm as he pierced toward the attacker's throat.
But before the blow could land, yet another of Reina's attacks crashed into his back, sending him stumbling forward—just in time for another twin to teleport in front of him, ruthlessly driving a blade into his stomach.
Samael's blood spilled as the blade pierced him, the poison rapidly spreading through his bloodstream. At that same moment, Lara's golden flames split the air and crashed into him, sending him tumbling violently to the side.
The suddenness of the assault tore the twin's blade across his abdomen as it was expelled, leaving behind a long, vicious gash.
As if on cue, the twin Samael had previously pinned appeared before his burned and bloodied figure, his two daggers rising in a crescent arc to strike at Samael's throat and eyes.
Samael didn't react in the slightest. A moment ago, he'd been dominating—striking fear into their hearts—and now, he was little more than a battered husk, a rag doll teetering on the edge of death.
So was life. 'Well, who cares.'
Time seemed to slow as Samael's Qi ring took shape, just as his Origin crown unfurled its domain. Qi and matter twisted and transmuted together, merging to form…water.
Absolutely everything within his crown's domain turned to water—into a sea of unfathomable depths. And from those depths, jagged mounds of earth erupted upward like fangs piercing through a frozen ocean.
WHOOSH!
Samael fell into the sea below, vanishing for a moment, then reappearing atop an earth spire in the distance, calm and silent.
Much of the damage on his body had already healed through spiritualisation. As he tore off the charred remains of his upper robes, his expression remained unchanged—unbothered, even amused.
The twins, Reina, and Lara regrouped, climbing onto a spire not far from his, their expressions grim, their gazes full of wary spite.
Samael took a step forward and dropped to the sea below, landing softly. Qi coated his feet to keep him standing atop the rippling surface.
He looked at them. "Will you not be coming? I'm getting impatient."
His head turned toward Lois, still hovering in a secluded corner of the arena, flames gathering around her as she continued to prepare her spell in solemn focus.
"Surely you can't be counting on her?"
Samael's crown pulsed—and for a split second, all elemental mancy was nullified under the influence of his domain's boon.
In the distance, Lois' eyes snapped open—bloodshot—just as a violent cough wrenched her body, and a mouthful of blood spilled from her lips. Her limbs trembled. The qi in her body had turned chaotic, destabilized from within.
In that single moment, he had unraveled the control she had spent so long gathering.
'Plan B it is,' she thought, a demonic scowl twisting her features as she entered a state of spiritualisation, becoming an entity of pure flame.
But then—suddenly—wings of lightning tore from her back, painting her with brilliance, shaping her into an elemental queen.
Samael smiled. "Come."
His mancy paths of water and earth fused beneath his skin under the guidance of his will, mutating and shifting as the bewildered eyes of spectators and opponents alike watched in silence.
The sea that had engulfed the coliseum froze—an all-consuming cold spreading over its surface. Crystals of ice bloomed like flowers, and frost etched patterns across Samael's chest.
His grin widened. His ring spun. His muscles tensed and then unloaded as he shot toward Lois, just as she soared toward him.
Overwhelming heat and debilitating lightning clashed against his all-encompassing cold.
BANG!
Samael tossed Reina's discarded spear aside, his fist trailing steam as it smashed into Lois' palm.
BANG!
A shockwave of steam erupted, blanketing the entire coliseum, blinding all who watched—but not the two who battled at its heart.
Inside the mist, they moved like titans, unbothered by the world watching, unbound by anything but will.